One of the main reasons God brought plagues upon Egypt was to judge their pagan deities.
"And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch forth My hand upon Egypt . . ." (Exodus 7:5).
"For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night... And I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt..." (Exodus 12:12).
The Egyptians worshiped at least 1,400 deities and likely far more!
* Sample Judgments *
Egypt's second plague, that of a huge swarm of frogs (Ex. 8:1-15), was a judgment against Heqet. She was a frog-headed goddess of fertility associated with the Nile River.
* Egyptian Goddess Heqet *
The sixth plague was one of open sores (boils) on both man and beast (Ex. 9:8-12). It was a judgment against the goddess Sekhmet, who had the head of a lioness. She was believed to have the power to ward off diseases.
The last plague upon Egypt was the death of its firstborn (Exodus 11:1-12:30). This was a direct judgment against Pharaoh himself, who was considered a living deity. He was shown to be incapable of saving his firstborn, the heir to the throne, from the wrath of the true God.
* Conclusion *
God's miraculous outpouring of his power upon Egypt conclusively proved that their countless deities were both powerless and useless. It was also a profound testament that He alone was worthy of mankind's worship.
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