We are in chapter eight of Exodus with our word for today. נָגַף injure by striking, strike, strike one’s foot, stumble, smite, push, be beaten, plague. It is used 49 times in the Old Testament. The basic idea of our word is strike to injure causing defeat. We see it used in the sense of ultimate defeat death of individuals. 1 Samuel 25:38 About ten days later, the Lordוַיִּגֹּ֧ף struck Nabal and he died. 1 Samuel 26:10 As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will יִגָּפֶ֑נּוּ strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. This is usually the result of sin as in the case of David. 2 Samuel 12:15 After Nathan had gone home, the Lord וַיִּגֹּ֣ף struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill. We also see God striking armies so much that they are defeated. 1 Samuel 7:10 While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were וַיִּנָּגְפ֖וּ routed before the Israelites. Exodus 12:23 When the Lord goes through the land to לִנְגֹּ֣ף strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and לִנְגֹּֽף strike you down. This is how our word is used in our chapter today. Exodus 8:1-4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will נֹגֵ֛ף plague all your country with frogs. The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”’” Throughout church history we have categorized God striking Egypt in order to defeat it with our word Plague which is what our word means. We will see ten of these attacks, strikes or plagues in these ten forms: water turned to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, pestilence on livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the killing of the firstborn. Like we saw a couple of days ago the first plague of water to blood was God attacking the Nile river directly. The Egyptians were worshiping this river because it gave them life so God attacked their god because it was not the true God who gave them the Nile river. All of these plagues are attacks against the gods of Egypt. We will look at frogs tomorrow when we look at that word. All of these forms God is brining judgment on Egypt as he clearly says. Exodus 12:12 I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. As we have seen and will see throughout the Bible God loves us and does everything he can to bring us back to himself but there is a point where God will say that’s it. This is where God is with Egypt and in our chapter we see the beginning of the end of Egypt being the major powerful nation of the world at that time. I’ll close with this reminder of God’s character we get to decide how we want God to treat us. Exodus 34:6-7 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Romans 11:22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.
