So That You May Know (Exodus 8)
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| "I will plague your whole country with frogs" (Ex 8:2) |
In response Yahweh, rendered as "The LORD" in most English translations, turns up the heat. If Pharaoh will not let the Hebrews slaves go free, Yahweh will inflict plagues upon all Egypt. First The waters of the Nile River and all lakes and pools, wells and streams turn to blood. The Egyptians had to cleanse the bloody waters through earthen filters along the river banks. But because the Egyptian magicians could also turn water to blood, Pharaoh would not let the people go. So Yahweh sent frogs to cover the land and leap onto the laps of the people. They would be so vexed by the multitude of frogs that Pharaoh would let the people go. Pharaoh asked Moses to pray to God to remove the frogs from Egypt and he would let the slaves go free to worship their God. Here's how it reads in Exodus.
Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, “Pray to the Lord to take away the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” Moses said to Pharaoh, “Kindly tell me when I am to pray for you and for your officials and for your people, that the frogs may be removed from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.” And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “As you say! So that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God, the frogs shall leave you and your houses and your officials and your people; they shall be left only in the Nile.” (Exodus 8:8-11)
I am most interested in Exodus 8:10, where Moses says that the reason he wants Pharaoh to pick a specific time for the frogs to dissipate is so that Pharaoh may know there is no other like their God, Yahweh.
So that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God... (Ex 8:10)
That same sentiment about the uniqueness of the God of Israel is all throughout the Old Testament.
Jeremiah 10:6-7 says,
There is none like you, O Lord;
you are great, and your name is great in might.
Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
For that is your due;
among all the wise ones of the nations
and in all their kingdoms
there is no one like you.
Psalm 86:8-10 says,
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
All the nations you have made shall come
and bow down before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
After barren Hannah receives the promise of a son, she praises Yahweh before His tabernacle.
“There is no Holy One like the Lord,
no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God. (1st Samuel 2:2)
When King David is told by the prophet Nathan that his dynasty will be established forever, a prophecy that lent to messianic hopes in a Son of David to lead Israel in peace and plenty, righteousness and justice, He knelt before the God and prayed.
There is no one like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. Who is like your people Israel, one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making for yourself a name for great and terrible things, in driving out nations before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt? (1st Chronicles 17:20-21)
Throughout time the mighty works of Yahweh are celebrated among the people of Israel, and now among the Gentiles (that's us non-Jews) who believe in Jesus the Christ, the Son of David. God's miraculous works are recorded for us in scripture so that we too might know there is no other god like Yahweh.
We often pray for God to act in our lives and in the events that unfold in the world we all share. But do we acknowledge that when God acts it is to reveal His holiness, His glory as the one and only creator God of the universe? Pagans worship a multitude of gods. Hinduism reportedly has over 330 million deities they acknowledge.(see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_deities#Millions,_one_or_one-ness)
What pluralistic society finds so distasteful about monotheism is the assertion that our belief is the only true belief. Christians believe there is only one God, revealed to us through Israel and most recently through Jesus of Nazareth. All other faiths in other gods are false. Christians owe their monotheism to Israel's faith in one God who created heaven and earth. Islam shares our faith in one God, the God of Abraham.
In recent years there has been growing interest in polytheism and paganism. A recent survey revealed that 40% of Americans experience God through nature, a form of pagan practice that honors spirits or spiritual powers inherent in nature. Japanese paganism are part of anime cartoons, like Pokemon, Digimon, or Airbender, which introduce pagan ideas to our children. Each person can have a spiritual power available to control if they learn to tame it. A pluralism that refuses to acknowledge faith in Christ as the solitary means for salvation is a dangerous idea that has infiltrated the Church. In the well-intentioned desire to not offend others, we have fallen away from scriptural truth. We have embraced a cultural norm in lieu of divine revelation.
Look at what the author of Hebrews says of the revelation through Jesus Christ.
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word... Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the message declared through angels was valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty, how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? (Hebrews 1:1-3, 2:1-3)
Critics will say it's just the nonsensical claims of a religious sect. What makes Christian claims any more true than the claims of the Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Satanist or Atheist?
I would offer that it is the action of God, the miracles that still occur today in the community of faith. These give authority to our faith claims. The apostle's proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ was accompanied with signs and wonders. (Acts 5:12) Cynics will dispute any claim of miracles, but people of faith have a different kind of sight, a spiritually empowered set of eyes. We see the wonders wrought by our God as a result of prayer. We behold God's glory in the beauty of the skies above and the earth below. These compel us to sing "How Great Thou Art!" Signs and wonders are given so that we may know there is no one like our God!
This doesn't mean we behave with arrogance toward someone who thinks differently. It does mean we hold unswervingly to the good news of Jesus Christ, for the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. (Romans 1:16)
Jeremiah 10:6-7 says,
There is none like you, O Lord;
you are great, and your name is great in might.
Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
For that is your due;
among all the wise ones of the nations
and in all their kingdoms
there is no one like you.
Psalm 86:8-10 says,
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
All the nations you have made shall come
and bow down before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
After barren Hannah receives the promise of a son, she praises Yahweh before His tabernacle.
“There is no Holy One like the Lord,
no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God. (1st Samuel 2:2)
When King David is told by the prophet Nathan that his dynasty will be established forever, a prophecy that lent to messianic hopes in a Son of David to lead Israel in peace and plenty, righteousness and justice, He knelt before the God and prayed.
There is no one like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. Who is like your people Israel, one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making for yourself a name for great and terrible things, in driving out nations before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt? (1st Chronicles 17:20-21)
Throughout time the mighty works of Yahweh are celebrated among the people of Israel, and now among the Gentiles (that's us non-Jews) who believe in Jesus the Christ, the Son of David. God's miraculous works are recorded for us in scripture so that we too might know there is no other god like Yahweh.
We often pray for God to act in our lives and in the events that unfold in the world we all share. But do we acknowledge that when God acts it is to reveal His holiness, His glory as the one and only creator God of the universe? Pagans worship a multitude of gods. Hinduism reportedly has over 330 million deities they acknowledge.(see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_deities#Millions,_one_or_one-ness)
What pluralistic society finds so distasteful about monotheism is the assertion that our belief is the only true belief. Christians believe there is only one God, revealed to us through Israel and most recently through Jesus of Nazareth. All other faiths in other gods are false. Christians owe their monotheism to Israel's faith in one God who created heaven and earth. Islam shares our faith in one God, the God of Abraham.
In recent years there has been growing interest in polytheism and paganism. A recent survey revealed that 40% of Americans experience God through nature, a form of pagan practice that honors spirits or spiritual powers inherent in nature. Japanese paganism are part of anime cartoons, like Pokemon, Digimon, or Airbender, which introduce pagan ideas to our children. Each person can have a spiritual power available to control if they learn to tame it. A pluralism that refuses to acknowledge faith in Christ as the solitary means for salvation is a dangerous idea that has infiltrated the Church. In the well-intentioned desire to not offend others, we have fallen away from scriptural truth. We have embraced a cultural norm in lieu of divine revelation.
Look at what the author of Hebrews says of the revelation through Jesus Christ.
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word... Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the message declared through angels was valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty, how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? (Hebrews 1:1-3, 2:1-3)
Critics will say it's just the nonsensical claims of a religious sect. What makes Christian claims any more true than the claims of the Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Satanist or Atheist?
I would offer that it is the action of God, the miracles that still occur today in the community of faith. These give authority to our faith claims. The apostle's proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ was accompanied with signs and wonders. (Acts 5:12) Cynics will dispute any claim of miracles, but people of faith have a different kind of sight, a spiritually empowered set of eyes. We see the wonders wrought by our God as a result of prayer. We behold God's glory in the beauty of the skies above and the earth below. These compel us to sing "How Great Thou Art!" Signs and wonders are given so that we may know there is no one like our God!
This doesn't mean we behave with arrogance toward someone who thinks differently. It does mean we hold unswervingly to the good news of Jesus Christ, for the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. (Romans 1:16)
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