What we have come to call the Plagues of Egypt were miraculous signs performed by the power of God. As with many of the nature miracles performed by Jesus, these signs showed God’s control of creation. This was particularly important for the Egyptians who believed that their many gods controlled the forces of nature. They were about to learn that only God is sovereign over creation.

It is significant that the first plague involved the river Nile. Even today, the Nile is the spine of Egypt, and creates a strip of green and fertile land in the heart of the desert. In ancient times, the Nile was considered sacred. Pharaoh would have had his morning devotions on the banks of the river. Egyptian poetry called it the “creator of all good.” Many Egyptian gods were associated with it and the creatures that lived in and around it.

Egyptians believed that the Nile was the bloodstream of Osiris, god of the underworld, so it is appropriate that the Lord turned the waters to blood. It’s as if the Lord was saying, “You think the river brings life? No, both the river and life itself is my gift.”

James tells us that “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,” (James 1:17) and Paul told the cautionary tale of those who “worshipped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself” (Romans 1:25). Our God has filled creation with things of beauty and wonder, but he alone is worthy of praise and worship.

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH