The plagues upon Egypt have been dramatized for literary and cinematic purposes. Though much of their original meaning has been lost to overpopularized versions, we can learn from the original story. The plagues were essentially a judgment upon the so-called “gods” of Egypt and a display of God’s power. The plagues also mention several animals upon which we will focus this study.
There were four plagues that included animals as the focus of the plague. The plagues of frogs, gnats, flies, and the death of the livestock (firstborn) were all plagues God used upon animals. The plagues of frogs, gnats, and flies were invasive plagues in which an overabundance of these animals invaded human homes and overrun human affairs. The plague of the firstborn was a destructive plague in which all firstborn of human and animal were killed. These plagues provide us with two principles:
- They demonstrate God’s sovereignty over his own creation. They also claim God’s power over the Egyptian gods. They were signs of divine judgments. The plagues of the flies and livestock demonstrated this well.
- These acts were also a sign of de-creation. Instead of humans ruling the earth as they should, animals were being used to subdue human rule and authority. It was an inverse of what the six days of creation were all about.
I will say one final word about these plagues. There is one more animal associated with these plagues that doesn’t appear until the Passover. The lamb, the Passover lamb to be exact, was a sign and seal of the promise God made with Israel that the angel of death would pass over their homes. The lamb becomes the single most important animal in this story as its blood saves the people from death. The lamb of course would eventually become the sign of Jesus, as he would become our sacrificial lamb on the cross.
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