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The DEEP

Denial

isn't just a river in Egypt.

Exodus 9:1-7 (ESV)

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, behold, the hand of the LORD will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.”’” And the LORD set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.” And the next day the LORD did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

This time, the Egyptian livestock gods get whacked – Apis (and the Apis bull – Ptah), Hathor and Khnum, just to name a few.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apis_%28god%29
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/bull.htm (see the 6th paragraph).
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/17.190.62
http://www.landofpyramids.org/hathor.htm
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Khnum

But the main point of this passage isn’t the gods; it’s Pharaoh’s intransigence. Moses gives him plenty of warning this time – “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.” He also gives the Egyptians an easy out; the plague will only fall upon your livestock that are in the field.

This is the first plague that does long-term damage, but it doesn’t have to be that way. All they have to do is bring the animals in overnight and they’re saved.

The Bible doesn’t say anything about whether Pharaoh got the word out to his people to save their animals. Given that, it seems unlikely that he did. The Bible does say that Pharaoh checked to see if the Israelis really had been spared the disaster. That’s creepy.

Pharaoh’s hard heart makes him incompetent. Everyone (especially Pharaoh himself) can see the damage accumulating. His denial is being hammered, and it’s affecting his emotional stability.


Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt – nor is it restricted to Egyptian kings. Our sinful nature causes us to operate in a kind of fog. This is one of the reasons a serious accountability relationship is so precious. A friend will tell us things that we should be able to see ourselves but don’t. We’re in denial.

For example, have you ever broken a promise to yourself? Of course you have. Does anyone ever keep New Year’s Resolutions? What’s up with that?

Part of growing in Christ is opening our eyes to how incredibly messed up we are.


The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Mike Slay

As a mathematician, inventor, and ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church in America, Mike Slay brings an analytical, conversational, and even whimsical approach to the daily study of God's Word.

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