Upping The Ante Exodus 11:1-3

 

Here are lines from The New American Bible: “Then the Lord told Moses, ‘One more plague will I bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. After that he will let you depart. In fact, he will not merely let you go, he will drive you away. Instruct your people that every man is to ask his neighbor, and every woman her neighbor, for silver and gold articles and clothing.’ The Lord made the Egyptians well-disposed toward the people; Moses himself was very highly regarded by Pharaoh’s servants and the people in the land of Egypt.”

 

Note how the Lord has the power of foresight and knows that this plague will break the back of Egyptian resolve to disobey Yahweh. They kept competing and warring with God, upping the ante until God smashed them. What an arrogant, stupid, and foolish approach to God.

 

Here is the same passage from the Holy Bible: “And the Lord said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards, he will let you go, he surely shall thrust you out hence altogether. Speak now into the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver and jewels of gold. And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in sight of the people.

 

I have two thoughts. The Bible in these Plague stories reveals that God intervenes in the minds and wills of individual and whole peoples, likely without their knowledge or refusal or acceptance of God’s telepathic influence upon their minds, against goodness and God, and here in favor of God’s people, and God’s prophet, Moses.

 

I wonder if it would be appropriate today to pray that God or the Good Spirits provide a general spirit or psychological aura in society, in families and in our individual minds, not to overrule our free will, but to plant the seed to accept freely the option of receive God and God’s word into our hearts. It could be if we pray for a community aura of godliness, good will, and love in the air, it might help people leader better, more godly lives.

 

Second, notice how God psychologically tilts the Egyptians to be favorable towards the Hebrews just before refusing to let them go, and the first-born of the Egyptians are executed by Yahweh or Yahweh’s angel. Think of being for someone, and then viciously against them in treacherous reversal of attitude, just before their Lord, drops the hammer on you Egyptians by executing your first-born child. Think of how Yahweh understands to make pain and punishment maximally painful, by twisting the psyche of the Egyptian oppressors back and forth, pro and con, against the Hebrews until this horrible 10^th plague breaks their resolve and resistance.