The sermon also put me in mind of Revelation 9, where an angel opens the abyss and lest out creatures that resemble locusts with scorpion tails. At the end of all the plagues, Pharaoh would have to let God’s people go. Gnats. *Mnevis ~ Egyptian god associated with bulls and cows *Hathor ~ Egyptian god associated with bulls and cows *Amon ~ Egyptian god associated with bulls and cows Egyptian God killed: Ra, the God of the Sun was symbolically killed by the God of Israel, as darkness reigned in Egypt. Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. The Egyptian god Kheper was depicted as a man with a dung beetle in place of his head. God didn’t want … To date, we do not have information that proves the Egyptians worshiped a “gnat god.”Perhaps, instead of targeting a certain Egyptian god, this plague was designed to frustrate the religious system of the day. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. a. Geb: Egyptian god of the Earth; also. Among the ancients, there was often a misperception concerning the nature of God. Some Egyptologists (specifically Jan Bergman, Terence Duquesne or Richard H. Wilkinson) have stated that Geb was associated with a mythological divine creator goose who had laid a world egg from which the sun and/or the world had sprung. This question cannot be definitively answered. Gold foil amulets dating to the early dynastic have been mosquitoes. Her Egyptian name was Wadjet; she was the … Whatever they were they came from the dust and were troublesome to people and animals. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Exodus 8:18-19 And the magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not; so there were gnats on man and beast. The locorpions are a demonic swarm of locusts, also a swarm of very large gnats. Plague #2: Frogs. In Ancient Greek, the god's name is given as Sēth (Σήθ). You only have Khepri who was connected to the scarab beetle and he was probably one of the most famous insect gods. But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. The third plague of gnats was a judgment on Set, the god of the desert. Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." Egyptian gods humiliated: Seth (an earth god) God used Aaron and his staff for this. “God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD. ♦ Lice [Fleas or Gnats] (Exodus 8:16-19) *Seb ~ the earth god of Egypt ♦ Disease on Cattle (Exodus 9:1-7) *Ptah ~ Egyptian god associated with bulls and cows. Log in. Swarming things form into clouds, and clouds are associated with garments. This Week in The Daily Article The underlying question of this week’s... "The Christian evidence for Christ begins with the letters ascribed to Saint... Walter Moberly's The God of the Old Testament--... Q. Yesterday, I heard a highly stimulating sermon on gnat theology (Exodus 8:16-18) from my friend, Pastor David Deutsch of Grace Reformed Church in Camarillo, California. The ten plagues from God on the King of Egypt consisted of: blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and finally the death of the firstborn. Priests covered with gnats, or gnat-bites, would be too contaminated to carry out their work in Egyptian temples. This then is to be an attack on the Egyptian god Set, the god of the desert, and another god of Egypt I’ll mention in a while. ... By "gnats" many commentators mean "mosquitoes," which in and around the water of Egypt were abundant (and the translators of the Greek text were familiar with Egypt). EGYPTIAN GOD(S) Set, god of the desert. Set / s ɛ t / (Egyptological: Sutekh - swtẖ ~ stẖ) or (Greek: Seth / s ɛ θ /) is a god of deserts, storms, disorder, violence, and foreigners in ancient Egyptian religion. Instead, the gnat plague was an assault on all the gods of Egypt, insofar as it interrupted the liturgical service that kept the gods happen so they could keep Israel happy. Not quite sure where did you get that from. 4 . So there were gnats on man and beast. The magicians make an amazing proclamation — “finger of God.” Synecdoche… a portion is used to denote the totality (of His power). Background Reading: 1. Later in Egyptian history, Ra was merged with the god of wind, Amun, making him the most powerful of all the Egyptian gods. God wanted us to know that He was more powerful than any Egyptian god. That passage clearly links to the plague of locusts in Exodus, but it might also be a riff on the plague of gnats. God sent to swarms of insects as the third and fourth plagues of Egypt—first gnats and then flies. The gnats were so numerous it seemed every speck of dust in Egypt had turned into a tiny bug. Throughout Exodus, tabernacle curtains and priestly robes are associated with Day 5. And David pointed out that this included the Egyptian priests who ministered to the Egyptian gods (which Israel also worshiped). Identity Politics vs. Transactional Politics. Kheper was viewed as the god who pushed the sun across the sky. Gnats arise from dust; dust is cursed, a symbol of death. Also, send me the Evangelical Newsletter and special offers. The priests mimicked the other signs– staff into snakes, in Nile to blood, frogs from the water. With an all-seeing eye, she could see trouble coming and warn him. (Exodus 8:5-14) The third plague confounded the magic-practicing priests, who were unable to duplicate Jehovah’s miracle of turning dust into gnats. The plagues attacked the demons behind the gods the Egyptians worshiped. But Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said. That linkage is strengthened when we recall that gnats, as swarming things, were created on Day 5. It doesn’t work. 4. This plague strikes Geb, the god of the earth and father of Osiris. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. From Moses to You: Lesson 1: The Bible – What Is It? THE PLAGUE OF GNATS/LICE Exodus 8:16-19 In this plague, all the dust of Egypt becomes a swarm of gnats/lice. The locorpions rise from the ground, like the gnats, they cause pain until men seek death and cannot find it. goddess Neith (Lesko, 1999) (one of the oldest Egyptian god, believed that she was originally a goddess of war). Pharaoh promise to let the Israelites go. Israel herself multiplied to “fill” the land of Egypt (Exodus 1:7, 12), swarming over the earth and alarming Pharaoh enough to take severe population control measures. a. Heket, Hekhet, or Heqt: Egyptian goddess of Fertility, Water, Renewal; frog-headed. As Aaron, the spokesman for Moses, touched the "rod" of the Lord to the Nile River it immediately turned to blood, all the fish died, and the river stank. And they too cover everything with death, though without offering the relative relief that death brings. Church and ministry leadership resources to better equip, train and provide ideas for today's church and ministry leaders, like you. Nothing would be left unscathed, The phrase, “dust of the earth,” highlights the idea that they would be innumerable. Because of the gnat plague, everything is clothed in death, covered with dust in insect form, as if mourning the dead. As an instrument in the Lord's hand he performed many signs, or "wonders", attempting to Instead, Israel becomes living, flying, biting dust, and gnaws on Pharaoh. All the dust of the earth became gnats through all the land of Egypt. He was associated with the dung beetle because dung beetles would roll manure into spherical balls and push these around on the ground, similar to how the Egyptians thought Kheper pushed the sun across the sky. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Finally, though, God has gnats come as a plague and cover the land. When Aaron stretched out … Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! The third plague, gnats, was a judgment on Set, the god of the desert. EFFECT. Fleas, aphids, lice, mosquitoes and gnats abound in great numbers in certain areas. This was the first of the plagues to only fall upon the Egyptians as the … The priests admit this is of divine origin. The Plague: The third plague afflicting Egypt was lice. Ex 8.17 The “gnats came upon men and animals” because Aaron stretched out his staff, Ex 8.18 The “gnats were on men and animals” because the magicians “could not.”. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. Text: Comments.1 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, ... An Egyptian deity, Heqa, was a goddess with a frog head. Moses was a great prophet, called by God with a very important job to do. What? BLOOD: It is commonly circulated that the Egyptians deified the Nile, and this point is not particularly … Attributes of God: Lesson 12: Other Attributes, In Ex 7.15, Moses was told to “go to Pharaoh” and warn about the Nile River turning to Blood, In Ex 8.1, Moses was told to “go to Pharaoh” and warn about the Frogs, The two nouns, “man and beast,” when used together, includes every creature. Set had a positive role where he accompanies Ra on his barque to repel Apep, the serpent of Chaos. Get updates from Leithart delivered straight to your inbox. Also, send me the Evangelical Newsletter. The dust of the desert turned to gnats and swarmed over everything—the first plague that the Egyptian sorcerers couldn’t duplicate. Set had a vital role as a reconciled combatant. And the magicians tried with their arts to bring forth gnats but they could not. The first plague that was given to the Egyptians from God was that of turning the water to blood. The plague of gnats, or flies, is tied to the goddess Uatchit, who is called the goddess of flies in many sources. Exodus 8:20-32 describes how the fourth plague, swarms of … 10_Eqyptian_gods_10_Plagues.doc 1 of 7 Ten Egyptian Plagues For Ten Egyptian Gods and Goddesses The God of Israel is greater than all other Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. Unlike the previous plagues, the magicians were unable to duplicate this one and declared to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19). Plague 10: The death of Egypt’s firstborn. Yahweh sent swarms of Flies. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Do you see the two “bookends” in this passage? Egyptian Gods Against Whom the Plagues Were Possibly Directed. Uatchit was supposed to be Pharaoh’s protector. As the god of the earth, Geb was thought to handle the crops growing out of the earth. Please also opt me in for Exclusive Offers from Patheos’s Partners. The fact that the gnats rise from the dust not only links to the curse but to Adam’s original creation from dust (Genesis 2:7) and Yahweh’s promise that He would raise an Adamic nation as numerous as dust from the dry ground of Abram (Genesis 13:16). I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.””(Exodus 6:2) Now He was going to step in to time and history in a unique way and it was a process. Sky goddess Nut and Geb with the head of a snake. 18 But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. But none of that mattered, because this false god was impotent against the One True and Living God of our Bible. 3. Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, 19 the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said. From that association, David drew the inference that gnats on man and beast is a figure of the spread of death. (Exodus 8:16-19) The Egyptian god Thoth, credited with the invention of magical arts, was unable to help those charlatans. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Individual Lessons & Bible Studies for Adults, Individual Sunday School Lessons for Youth, Proverbs 29.25: When People Seem Bigger Than God. The gnats covering man and beast thus form a clothing of death, an anti-priestly garment. Here is a great diagram of the 10 Egyptian gods that God defeats in the 10 plagues. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." Gnats are flying decay, death gone mobile. The plague would show that the Egyptian gods were without power when facing the true God. Unlike the previous plagues, the Egyptian magicians were unable to duplicate this one and said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19). Controlling the rain and water, lion-headed Tefnut was the goddess of moisture. The fourth plague, flies, was a judgment on Uatchit, the fly god. Amun-Ra was so mighty that even the Boy King, Tutankhamun, was named after him – translated his name means “Living image of Amun”. If they want to worship 8700 different gods, He would go head to head with their top 10. There was no Egyptian god of flies. The third plague of the 10 plagues that the God of the Israelites sent as judgment upon Egypt, through Aaron, … It is then to be a lesson that Yehovah is not merely God over the waters, but He is also God over the land. “It is the finger of God!” they cried. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh ‘This is the finger of God,’ but Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen as the Lord had said. Priests covered with gnats, or gnat-bites, would be too contaminated to carry out their work in Egyptian temples. And they did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and there were gnats upon man, and upon beast; all the dust of the earth became gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.-- Exodus 8: 12-13. I was once on my way to an important meeting, when one... Jesus the Master Physician: Every Patient an Exception... Every patient, who is also a person, is the exception to the... What happened this week at Denison Forum? Gnats or Lice from dust. Plagues of frogs, gnats, and flies. Related Egyptian god: Anuket - goddess of the Nile . The gnat plague didn’t attack a particular Egyptian gnat-deity, as the frog plague mocked Egyptian worship of frogs and the Nile plague attacked Egyptian worship of the Nile. Egyptian Plague- Water Turned to Blood. These bookends highlight the thorough decimation of the powers of Egypt.