Shaddai is the Hebrew word for God almighty. It is used to say God is with us. God is almighty and sometimes he does things that can't be denied. He will turn nations upside down so that they can realize that they are not in control.
God does not seek to destroy, but to correct and make a connection with us. It is Satan that twist how we see the world that wants to destroy us. He wants to destroy our connection with God, but he can
t do that unless we allow him. Satan attacks out of no where, but God always gives a warning before He does any correctional acts.
God told Moses what we was going to do in Egypt. Moses at one point had been part of the problem, but now it was his choice if he wanted to be a part of the solution. It would not be easy, but it was the only way to freedom. God told him about he 9 plagues and how to prepare.
Aaron was Moses' spokesman. Moses did not have the confidence to do it all on his own, so God gave him his big brother to help. God spoke to Moses and Moses relayed the exact message to Aaron. Aaron spoke to the people.
It started with the Nile's water turning into blood for seven days. It was not algae. It was not dye. It was not magic. It was blood. That meant no one had drinking water. The fish suffocated, died, and washed ashore to rot. It was not pleasant. Fish is not the most pleasant smell on the best of times. Imagine hundreds of dead fish and the stench that would stick to your nose. The Nile is the water source for Egypt and God started by taking away the water to everyone would acknowledge that He is El Shaddai.
The second plague was frogs. It sounds harmless, but they infested the land. They came out of the Nile because their survival did not depend on the water. They went into the homes and would not leave. The things is that they don't live very long either, so they started to die in the homes. The people now had the stench of blood, dead fish, dead frogs. However, God kept all the frogs out of Goshen, where all the slaves (aka His people) lived.
The third plague was gnats or lice. Body lice is very similar to gnats. The people did not get a rest from their constant biting. They were itchy and burning at the same time along with the smells. That is the things it seemed to just compound, but it was still just at the annoyance level. God was still be subtle to get their attention.
The fourth plague was flies. They swarmed in with pestilence. The homes were over took. They ate the closes and all the things in the home that were material. This judgement was to challenge their minds to be open to the thought of who El Shaddai is. They were not going to be able to deny Him.
The fifth plague affected the livestock. That was income and food. A sickness overtook the animals which took away more wealth and food to keep the Egyptians healthy. Our diets directly relate to our health. Now there was more rotting tissue smell in the air. The smell of loss. They were dying so quickly that they were not able to bury or burn them quick enough. That means more bugs were coming in, vermin, and opportunistic animals were coming into the cities to eat the rotting meat.
The sixth plague was boils. It was the first plague to directly affect the people. Imagine how exhausted mentally, emotionally, and physically the people were and now their own bodies were turning against them. Boils are very painful. They get pussy, bust, itch and burn, and leave hideous scars. It was an impactful way for God to show the people that they are not their own gods.
The seventh plague was hail. Sounds small compared to the others, but this was no ordinary hail. It was large and it was a storm of it. It destroyed anything it hit. It came with thunder and fire. It was like God was trying to speak to them, but they were refusing to hear Him. It killed people, animals, beast, and crops. It destroyed homes. It was no ordinary storm. Only God's people were spared.
The eighth plagues was locust. Farmers can appreciate the destruction that locust cause. They swarm in and consume everything. They had a way to make the clothes on the people's body literally disappear. They came in like a huge cloud and destroyed things in minutes. It was so thick that it turned the day into the darkness of night. Can you imagine the fear that everyone had at this point? They probably were getting to the point where they thought it would never end. They destroyed the last of the life in the nation (vegetation, comfort, and beauty).
The ninth was am all consuming darkness. If you ever have been in a cave where without artificial light, it is all consuming darkness. This darkness feels heavy and cold. It can be very scary when you can't see anything next to you. It is easy to get lost and if you go in the wrong direction, it can be deadly. This darkness lasted three day. I imagine some people wanted to get under the covers and hide, but the locust ate all the covers.
The tenth and final plague was by far the worst. It was the death of the first born son. That means it was the death of all hope. A lot rode on the first born sons. They were the heir. They carried their father's name. They were the most valuable thing in almost all homes. El Shaddai showed that He is God now and always. Everything is possible through El Shaddai.
Genesis 17:1-2, Exodus7-10, Psalm 131, & Matthew 19:25-30
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