Year 1, Day 57, Exodus 8

Today we get plagues 2, 3, and 4.  Frogs, gnats, and flies, oh my!

Free Will

In lieu of the comment I just left a few minutes ago on yesterdays post, I find it interesting here that the question raised by my good friend seems to be applicable here.  The heart of the question ultimately is about the character of God and His interaction with the concept of “free will.”  To apply this thought in a new direction, let me ask a question that I had never thought of myself until I read Exodus 8 again this time through: “Is God just when He makes a distinction between Goshen and Egypt starting with the 4^th plague?”

Now, of course the answer is yes – if for no other reason than we know that God is always just.  But, that answer is about as satisfying as a cup of coffee on a 100-degree day when the air conditioning is broke.  So let me try to flesh that question out a bit more and try to answer it a little more effectively.

During the first three plagues – Nile water to blood, frogs, and gnats – God did not keep the Hebrew people from experiencing the same joy of seeing God’s power as the Egyptians were able to experience.  God turned the water blood red, God sent frogs all throughout Egypt and Goshen, and God brought gnats everywhere.  So what is it about God’s justice that allows the Hebrew people to be free of the plagues from the fourth plague on?  Are the Hebrew people really any less sinful than the typical Egyptian?

Free Will – Viewed Through a Different Lens

I think the answer lies in understanding God’s point in the plagues.  The plagues are not a judgment – as much as we would like them to be.  In years past when I read this story I always saw this as a story where Pharaoh and those heathen Egyptians “get what they deserve.”  Up until now, this story was always a story of “God’s People versus the Pagans.”

But having come through my new understanding of Exodus 7, I now see this chapter differently.  The plagues are indeed a horrible experience.  I cannot imagine having lived through that.  But they are also an awesome experience.  The Egyptians and the Hebrew people are given the opportunity to see the Almighty at work.  In a sense, this story may be the closest we get to seeing the power of the Creator after the work of creation is done.  The obvious exception to this is Jesus on the cross and in the tomb, but since that involves a deity I put that in a whole different category of events.  This exodus story is not so much about judgment upon the Egyptian people as it is an opportunity for anyone to truly get in touch with the divine creative process and see God’s hand at work.

Too often we as human beings ask to see God’s power – and we assume that we will see it in beautiful ways.  Too often we seek God to work in our life and assume that means things will go well for us.  But the reality is that God is in the hurricane just as much as God is in the butterfly.  God is in the forest fire just as much as God is in the firefly.  God is in the waterfall just as much as He is in the dragonfly buzzing over the serene lake.  These plagues are not judgments of a wrathful God against a heathen people.  From the greatest perspective these plagues are an opportunity for the Egyptians and the Hebrews alike to see who really is in control of this world.

And then respond to Him if they so choose.

Return to the Free Will Debate

Given that frame of mind, it is no longer proper to ask why God is just in removing Goshen from being under the influence of the plagues.  Goshen is no longer under their influence because the Hebrew people have seen the earlier demonstrations and are ready to go out and worship this God.  The Hebrew people had first disregarded Moses and what God is doing through Him.  But now they see, and they are ready to get on board.

That’s why we get so much talk in this chapter about the Hebrew people wanting to go and worship their God.  The Hebrew people see the demonstrations of power and get it.  In contrast, Pharaoh’s heart continues to be hard – as we hear with each and every plague that comes.  Pharaoh just isn’t interested in seeing God for who God is.  The Hebrew people get what God is calling them to do; Pharaoh doesn’t.

The Plagues: A Positive Spin

One other thought.  Today I presented an idea to which most people will inherently react very poorly.  Who wants to see these plagues as a positive thing – an opportunity to get personal with God?

For that record, who wants to see something like a hurricane as a positive thing?  When hurricanes come don’t we always hear about “What kind of horrible God would do a tragic thing like that?”  What we should be hearing is “How awesome is God that He can bring something as powerful as that into existence!”

Or, take the concept of death.  How many of us really want to see death as a good thing?  How many times do we hear someone say, “How could God take away my loved one?”  What we should be saying is “How awesome is God that He can bring about true healing through a simple process like death!”  How awesome is God that through the gate of death He can fix our problems and not only restore us, but restore us to eternal life!

I know.  I get it.  In times of tragedy those thoughts are hard to muster because we are human.  We want to focus on the abusive destruction of the hurricane.  We want to focus on the pain of losing a loved one.  We want to focus on the judgment that the Egyptians are receiving because God is powerful.  But if we think about it, all of these things make much more sense when thought of as tremendous opportunities to get up close and personal with God who is the Almighty, who is the Creator, and who is everything we need in this world. 

The plagues are an opportunity to get to know God.  Massive natural disasters are an opportunity to draw close to God.  Death is an opportunity to drawn closer to God.  We don’t usually see it that way, but that’s our problem of perspective.

In that light, while the plagues might have been absolutely miserable to live through, they are a wonderful opportunity to see God’s power.  May we be so blessed as to truly know God’s power without having to see it in all of its awesomeness.

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