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Exodus 18:11-Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them.”
We were having a Bible study in a small restaurant in another area of Kentucky.
My friend had made it known to me that she was a firm believer in and worshipper of the Egyptian gods and goddesses, and did not believe that the God of the Bible was the one eternal Creator. We had looked for some weeks at evidences that the Bible is the Word of God, but her allegiance to the Egyptian gods wouldn’t be moved. When it came to discussion of the Bible this particular night, here is our conversation went.
Mark: One of the reasons that I believe that Yahweh (one of the Names of the God of the Bible) is more powerful then the Egyptian gods is because of the Ten Plagues. You told me that your primary god you worship is named Bes, right? He was supposed to be the great god that protected Egyptian babies.
“It is said that the Egyptians of this time worshipped over eighty different deities. They would have only been rivaled by India in their polytheism. Like the Indian’s, they worshipped a large number of animals and anthropomorphic beings as gods. The animals considered to be sacred included many insects like the scarab and locust; many mammals like the lion, ox, ram, wolf, dog, and cat; many fowls like the falcon, and vulture; many aquatic creatures like fish, frogs, and crocodiles; and very prominently we find the worship of the cobra…Bes is probably one of the most unusual of all of the Egyptian gods (Figure 19). His appearance is very much that of something other than an Egyptian. Adding to his uniqueness is that he is almost always depicted from a full front view rather than the normal profile view of most gods. It was believed that during the birth of a child, Bes would dance about the room to protect the child from evil gods. He was also believed to stay nearby the child to entertain them. Egyptians attributed Bes as being the cause of the laughter or smile of a baby. This final plague shows that indeed it is the LORD who is the one true living God. None of the gods or goddesses of Egypt could stand before Him.” (Ron Knapp, Jr. When I Smite Egypt: The Ten Plagues Of Egypt, 380-2085 (Kindle Edition): CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform)
Sarah (not her real name): What is this supposed to prove?
Mark: In every one of the Ten Plagues, God demonstrated His power over the Egyptians gods in the very areas in which they claimed to be masters.
Exodus 12:12-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.
Sarah: But you can’t believe any of this because it is in the Bible! Why should I give up worshipping my gods for your God?
Mark: I’ve shared lots of evidences with you that the Bible is the Word of God. But if you want some more proof regarding the Ten Plagues…well, we could ask Ipuwer.
Sarah: Who is that?
Mark: He is the Egyptian sage who lived during the time of the Exodus and who wrote down a record of the Ten Plagues.
Sarah: Never heard of him.
Mark: That’s okay. I have his document saved here on my phone. Let me tell you a little about it, the Ipuwer Papyrus, before we get into the nitty gritty.
“Though the evidence for the Exodus has been slow to be gathered, there is good reason to believe that it actually occurred as described in the Bible. This thinking is based on the biblical testimony, Egyptian extrabiblical sources, and archaeological excavation in Egypt and neighboring regions. For example, one of the most well-known documents in Egyptology is the Ipuwer papyrus (officially known as Papyrus Leiden 344), which records an account remarkably similar to the plagues described in the book of Exodus. The papyrus was obtained by Swedish diplomat, Giovanni Anastasi, and sold to the Leiden Museum in Holland in 1828….Its contents are widely regarded by Egyptologists as a lamentation over the catastrophic conditions in Egypt written by a high Egyptian official named Ipuwer sometime prior to the thirteenth century BC (which is consistent with either an early or late chronology for the Exodus).* Ipuwer was known as one of the great wise sages in Egyptian history. His astonishing description of the conditions, to the surprise of Egyptologists, appeared remarkably similar to the biblical account of the ten plagues recorded in the book of Exodus. The date of the Ipuwer manuscript approximately fits the Exodus date….There is no scientific, linguistic, or historical fact that Egyptologists can point to that would decisively preclude the content of the papyrus being a lament over the Exodus plagues. A simple comparison of the content in both the book of Exodus and the Ipuwer papyrus leaves little doubt to their similarities (see table below).” (Joseph M. Holden & Norman Geisler, The Popular Handbook Of Archaeology And The Bible: Discoveries That Confirm The Reliability of Scripture, 2555-2568 (Kindle Edition); Eugene, Oregon; Harvest House Publishers).
Sarah: Okay, you got my attention. So what does this say about your God and my gods?
Mark: Let me share these examples of how the Ipuwer Papyrus confirms statements of the Bible regarding Yahweh versus the Egyptian gods.
Exodus 4:9-And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”
Ipuwer 7:5-Behold, Egypt is fallen to the pouring of water. And he who poured water on the ground seizes the mighty in misery.”
Exodus 7:20-21-20 And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the LORD commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21 The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
Ipuwer 2:10-The River is blood. If you drink of it, you lose your humanity, and thirst for water .”
Exodus 9:6, 23, 31-So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died….And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt….Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud.
Ipuwer 6:3; 3:3; 7:13-Gone is the barley of abundance . . . . Food supplies are running short. The nobles hunger and suffer . . . . Those who had shelter are in the dark of the storm .”
Exodus 10:15, 7-For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt….Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”
Ipuwer 3:13-“What shall we do about it? All is ruin! ”
Exodus 12:29-And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock.
Ipuwer 2:5, 6, 13; 4:3-“Behold, plague sweeps the land, blood is everywhere, with no shortage of the dead . . . . He who buries his brother in the ground is everywhere . . . . Woe is me for the grief of this time.”
Exodus 12:30-So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
Ipuwer 3:14-Wailing is throughout the land, mingled with lamentations.”
Sarah: Well, I gotta admit that is pretty surprising. But I’m not going to give up everything and serve your God!
(End Of Conversation)
Some final thoughts about how to put all this to good use.
First, let your faith in the Lord and His Word be strengthened. The Bible is built upon an unshakable foundation of evidence. Trust in the one true God to lead you in this spiritual warfare of life.
Second, see the danger of placing your hope and trust in any religion or government that is opposed to God and His Word. The Egyptians placed all their eggs in the wrong basket, and eventually things fell apart. But the good news is that some of them saw this and were saved by turning to the Lord! As a result, there were many Egyptians who converted to Yahweh and left Egypt with the Hebrews (more on this in an upcoming study).
Exodus 12:38 (ERV)-A great number of people who were not Israelites went with them, along with many sheep, cattle, and other livestock.
Finally, that brings us to this: do what you can to reach others. Prepare yourself by studying and learning. There will be some who refuse to care about the truth, but this should not stop us from trying to reach them. Just like some of the Egyptians were converted, so also may some of our neighbors who are not saved respond positively when they learn the certainty of God’s Word.
1 Peter 3:15-But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
Father, thank You for Your greatness and power. Thank You for triumphing over all the gods of the world. Thank You for Calvary that brings us redemption, and for the many proofs You have left us of Your victory over the powers of darkness. Please bless us today as we go forth and share these truths with those around us. Grant us opportunities to witness for You. Amen.