Exodus 9:14 the Preeminence of God

6/8/10

Time Spent: 15 min

Main Idea: God brought upon the plagues on Egypt to show that there is none other like Him throughout all the earth.

What I Learned about God: God is God over all

Summary: By the time of the 7th plague upon Egypt, God tells Moses why He is doing these plagues. He states plainly in verse 14 that it is to show that there is none like Him throughout the earth. The plagues throughout Egypt was to show YHWH's dominance over the fake gods that the Egyptians worshiped during that time. When Moses initially asked Pharaoh for freedom on behalf of YHWH, Pharaoh states that he had never heard of such a god. Surely, his experiences will change his minds.

The plagues bring about a total upside-down shift in the mentality of the people. They feel the great force of the reality that this God is greater than all, as He continually destroys religioius motifs such as the sun and the Nile through miracles. Also, the plague of the firstborn which slays Pharaoh's son would've struck a huge cord upon the people, as the son is seen as divine. Surely, there is no one like our God throughout all the earth.

Application: Expect great things from a great God is a Puritan quote that I will always hang onto. When we acknowledge the size and reality that our God is greater than all, it helps us in encapturing the lifestyle in which we ought to live. Problems seem smaller, self-dignity seems less important, and grace seems that much greater when taking upon who God is. I can read how the Puritans thought about God through their readings and I wonder if my life reflects that. Do I really envision I am ruled by a God that is greater than all science, philosophy, moralism, etc? If I did, then how I react to certain situations and problems would be different.