Psalm 78:44

Psalm 78:44

Rivers into blood

We are going back to the beginning of the story of the Israelites and to their time of slavery in Egypt. However, the subject of the writer’s recall is not the chosen people but Egypt, their aggressors. Instead of a story of deliverance and hope, the events that are about to unfold speak of trouble and God’s wrath revealed by His plagues upon the Egyptians. 

It all started with the River Nile, the place where Pharoah’s daughter bathed, where Moses had been saved from certain death and where God’s first judgement upon the land was carried out. The Nile was the “lifeblood” of the country, there was no other source of fresh water, it irrigated the crops, watered the animals and allowed the people to drink, wash and live civilised lives. The first plague, turning the Nile to blood, was a judgment against Apis, the god of the Nile, Isis, goddess of the Nile, and Khnum, guardian of the Nile. The Nile was also believed to be the bloodstream of Osiris, who was reborn each year when the river flooded. When Moses’s rod touched the water, it turned to blood and remained in this state for 7 days. The river, which formed the basis of daily life and the national economy, was devastated, as millions of fish died, and the water was unusable. It was not just the Nile but all streams leading to it were affected. The Lord God was showing that He was vastly superior to the demonic gods of the Egyptians. Pharaoh was told, “By this you will know that I am the LORD”.Exodus 7:17. No one messes with this God!

 

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