THE PLAGUES
This is the first blog in a “devotional” series leading us up to Passover that focuses on the Ten Plagues that HaShem visited on the land of Egypt. We pray that these short reminders will help us examine ourselves leading up to the Seder, preparing our hearts for Messiah.
And let us remember the purpose of these Plagues and the reason why we learn of them?
“The Egyptians will know that I am Adonai, when I stretch out My hand against Egypt, and bring out Bnei-Yisrael from among them.”
Exodus 7:5, TLV
THE FIRST PLAGUE – BLOOD
So Moses and Aaron did as Adonai commanded. He lifted up the staff and struck the waters that were in the river in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and all the waters of the Nile turned to blood.
Exodus 7:20, TLV
The Nile River is the “lifeblood” of Egypt. Egypt was, and is, a dry place and any food production, agriculture, and even drinking water, relies on the waters of the Nile. The river was so vital to life in Egypt that Egyptian religion was tied up in worship involving the Nile. The Egyptian gods associated with the Nile included Isis, Hapi, and Khnum; the river was even believed to be the bloodstream of the god Osiris. When the Almighty struck the Nile, turning the waters into blood, He stuck directly at the heart of Egyptian life. He literally turned the “lifeblood” of Egypt into blood.
Blood is as vital to life as water. The Word indeed tells us that “For the life of the creature is in the blood” (Lev 17:11, TLV). This is true both physically and spiritually. We cannot survive physically without our blood being in the correct balance and amounts; spiritually we are dependent on the Blood of our Messiah for our eternal life.
So if blood is so vital and so wonderful, then why is this a stinking, messy, and life threatening disaster? Because the blood is in the wrong place! It doesn’t belong in the river! All good things have their right place. The Egyptians idolized the Nile River as their life.
Question to ponder: What things are there in my life—maybe wonderful, good things—that are in the “wrong” place? Are there idols that I place above the Almighty?