Today we ask some deep questions about the issue of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart, and what that might actually mean, as well as how the order of the plagues of Egypt symbolizes a sort of “de-creation” of the land of Egypt.
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Debbie Young
OK … I’m not going to go into as much detail as what is going through my head. It would take too much time to explain. I just think there may be more to the Exodus and the plagues, particularly, the death of the first born son, than what was discussed (although I also recognize that you could have gone into much more but time limited the discussion). So, instead of going into detail here, I will shorten my comments to maybe add a different direction of thought to only the death of the first born son. First, let me say, I do not disagree with anything that was brought up in the podcast, and in fact, thought it was great info. But, maybe to add another element in reference to the deaths of the “first born” plague, might not the fact that the idioms of that time … “build a house”, “engender a son”, “make a name” “raise up a seed” … come into play here. My studies show that the culture of that day placed a huge importance on the first born son, not for just the Hebrews but for most of the cultures of that day, especially the Egyptians & Canaanites. So, it wasn’t just the heartbreak in loosing a son, the first born son was also extremely important to carry on their “house” … or family line. The family line was also tied to “resurrection.” Obviously, the Hebrew people were greatly influenced by the Egyptian culture. It would make sense that God, in addition to other reasons, would have to work with these influences and mindsets. The Egyptians, particularly the first born of a Pharaoh, tie into the Egyptian Gods and how the Pharaohs become Gods and are resurrected. And maybe God is using this to begin His work in “teaching” His chosen people what real resurrection is? Obviously, He has a long way to go … and is still working … but, He has to start somewhere. So … might not their inaccurate beliefs about resurrection then in some ways parallel the resurrection of Jesus? We have to remind ourselves, the Jewish “religion” in Jesus’s time, or as it is today, did not exist at that time. This was before the Ten Commandments, the Laws, and the structure of that society. And they weren’t looking for a “Savior” yet. At any rate … … … Just some thoughts.
Kyle
Great comments Debbie! You’re absolutely correct about the importance of the firstborn. And definitely interesting thoughts about God using this to begin teaching his people about resurrection. Things that make you go Hmmm. 🙂