A Lesson on “I am God and There is No Other” (Isaiah 46:9)

Exodus 7:14-11:10

There is exactly one God. The Scriptures are clear about this truth in many places. One example is in the Old Testament book of Isaiah: “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is no one like me” (46:9).

Observing what is written about the plagues, we see that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 7:3; 9:12; 10:1,20,27; 11:10; 14:4,8,17). We also see that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Exodus 7:13; 22; 8:15,19,32; 9:7, 34; 11:9). Which one was it?

Metonyms

A metonomy is a literary device used many times in scripture. It is a figure of speech where a word or phrase is substituted for another word or phrase to paint a vivid picture. Examples would be like, ‘The White House will make an announcement today’, or ‘That person’s life is a train wreck’. When the Bible says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, it is the same concept as when God ‘opened the heart’ of Lydia. He didn’t physically ‘open’ her heart, just like God didn’t physically ‘harden’ the Pharaoh’s heart. The conditions were made such that each one was able to exercise their free will and choose how they would respond.

Irony

Irony is another literary tool used in the Bible to make specific points. Irony is the use of words or circumstances to convey a meaning that is opposite – with the intent of exposing folly, foolishness, error or evil. The ludicrous nature of the attitude or action is brought to light and undermined.

Examples of Irony in the Bible

1). Haman: Hung on his own gallows in Esther 7.
2). David: A young shepherd boy defeats the champion Goliath with a sling and stone in 1 Samuel 17.

The Plagues

The plagues in Exodus were ironic in nature when we consider that they were were directed at the false gods that governed the whole of Egyptian life. In three aspects, the people looked to the gods of the Nile, the gods of the land and gods of the sky. God’s plagues exposed that the false gods of the Egyptian people were ludicrous. They had no ability to act on behalf of the people that worshiped them. They were indeed ‘nothing’.

Plague	Scripture
Water Turned to Blood	Exodus 7:14-25
Frogs	Exodus 8:1-15
Gnats	Exodus 8:16-19
Flies	Exodus 8:20-32
Dead Cows	Exodus 9:1-7
Boils	Exodus 9:8-17
Hail	Exodus 9:18-35
Locusts	Exodus 10:1-20
Darkness	Exodus 10:21-29
Death of the First Born	Exodus 11:1-12:32

False gods of the Nile River
Osiris
Name means ‘the powerful’; ‘the one who sees the throne’; the one who presides on his throne’. He was the ruler of the dead. He was also the one that supposedly granted power of life from the underworld, which caused the sprouting of vegetation. He was important to the Egyptians because he was the god of fertility (agriculture fruitfulness due to the cycle of death and rebirth).

Khnum
He was the ‘water god’, ruling over all water sources. Associated with the source of the Nile and responsible for the depositing of black silt onto the river banks and delta to make them fertile. He was also responsible for creating the soul and body of every newborn child (creating them on a potters wheel). He also was the protective deity of the dead, seeking favorable judgments on their souls. He was married to Heqet, the frog goddess associated with conception and childbirth. He was sometimes referred to by terms which ironically mean ‘purify’.

Hapi
A deity of fertility, providing water, food and the yearly innundation of the Nile River (which was important for providing water for crops). He was known as the ‘Lord of the Fishes and Birds of the Marshes’. The Egyptians had no idea how or why the Nile flooded every year, but they put their confidence in Hapi who was in charge of the waters during the floods. Hapi was thought to come with the help of the crocodile gods and the frog goddesses, and sacrifices were made so that the water wouldn’t be too much (damage to mud brick houses) or too little (not enough water for livestock and crop irrigation).

False gods of the Land
Geb
The god of the earth. He supposedly supplied the minerals and precious stones found in the earth. He was often depicted as having vegetation growing from his body.

Apis
The bull god, symbolizing fertility and strength during war. Not only did bulls die, but so did cows. Where was Apis to protect them?

Hathor
The goddess of dance and music. She was also the ‘cow’ goddess and often depicted as a cow or a woman with a cow head.

Imhotep
The god of medicine and healing. Depicted with a scroll on his lap. The scroll contains treatment for 48 cases of trauma, which has amazed modern medical professionals. Was there a treatment plan for boils?

Thoth
The god of wisdom and knowledge. He allegedly wrote 42 books that contained all the knowledge needed by humanity (except for how to heal the boils?)

Sehkmet
The goddess of plagues, but also of medicine and healing. Known as the “Lady of Pestilence”, but also a ‘master of the art of medicine, providing cures to various ailments’. She was the goddess of all healers and physicians. Her priests were supposed to be very skilled doctors.

Nepit (locust plague)
The goddess of grain – a source of nourishment.

Min (locust plague)
The deity of the harvest and protector of the fertility of nature. How well did he protect the harvest against the locusts?

False gods of the Sky
Shu
The god of the atmosphere, creator of the wind. The god of light and space between the skies (is this where the lightning would be?)

Nut
The sky goddess.

Ra
The greatest of all gods; the sun god. Where was he during the three days of pitch blackness?

What is the message God is delivering to Pharaoh and the Egyptians (and to Moses and us)? I am God. There is no other!

What is the application in our lives?
What gods / idols is God tearing down in our lives? Freedom? Health/safety?