by John D Carmack

Created on: July 12, 2011

Have you ever wondered why God chose the particular ten plagues of Egypt that came upon them?

Moses is a man that figures prominently in the Bible, in literature, in movies and in religious thought.  He is credited with compiling the first five books of the Bible called the Pentateuch.  Charlton Heston brought the character of Moses to life in the movie The Ten Commandments, as Moses was also highly regarded as the one who brought the Ten Commandments and other laws to the Israelites.  The ten plagues brought upon Egypt are also intimately associated with Moses, and it was these ten plagues that caused Pharaoh to finally let Israel go free.

However, one thing the reader should be mindful of is that strictly speaking the laws Moses gave were not his laws, even though they are commonly referred to as “The Law of Moses” (Da 9:13; Mal 4:4; Lk 2:22).  Similarly, the plagues associated with Moses were not caused by Moses, but in both cases, Moses was the mediator or go-between.

“For at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth.”

~ Ex 9:14 (NKJV throughout)

God calls them “My plagues”.  While we see Moses as the main human actor in these events, we should be ever mindful that it was God Who judged Egypt and caused the plagues.  It is important to be mindful of this, as this relates to why God chose the particular plagues He did.

“‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.”

~ Ex 12:12

We see here God’s reasoning that each of the plagues brought against Egypt was a direct confrontation with one or more of their gods.  He not only let Israel know that He is the One True God, but He also let the Egyptians know that “there is none like Me in all the earth.”

Even before the plagues, God confronts Pharaoh, his power and one of the minor gods by turning a staff into a serpent.  Although the magicians of Pharaoh’s court can do the same (Ex 7:11), the serpent from the staff that Aaron threw down swallows up the others.  Nehebkau may have been one of the oldest Egyptian gods.  He was assigned to protect Pharaoh.

So, here are the ten plagues brought about by God through His

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