Holy Cows

Stephen P. Ammons

Exodus Study • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

Exodus 9:1–7

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Pestilence

disease fell on all livestock

Exodus 9:1 NASB95

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

The Hebrew original uses the same word that it often uses to describe Pharaoh’s heart: kabed or “heavy.” In other words, the plague was as hard as Pharaoh’s hard, hard heart. 1

1 Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 259–260.

caused great hardship

cattle usd from food, and clothing

horses used for transportation, battle, cultivating crops

Donkeys used in work and transportation

Camels same as donkeys

Herds and flocks

food and sacrifice

economic situation

huge impact

conflict

where did the cattle for later plagues come from (hail: bring your cattle in to the barn)

Exodus 9:3 NASB95

behold, the hand of the Lord will come with a very severe pestilence on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks.

On a careful reading, verse 3 limits the plague to “livestock in the field.” This explanation is confirmed by our knowledge of Egyptian agriculture. Late in the year, as the floodwaters receded, farmers put their livestock out to pasture. However, since the recession was gradual, during the month of January the animals were divided between field and stable.1

1 Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 262.

Egyptain gods

Exodus 9:3 NASB95

behold, the hand of the Lord will come with a very severe pestilence on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks.

The symbolism of the fifth plague is especially potent because many of Egypt’s gods and goddesses were depicted as livestock. Some Egyptians worshiped the bull, which they viewed as “a fertility figure, the great inseminator imbued with the potency and vitality of life.” Cults dedicated to the bull were common throughout Egypt. There was Buchis, the sacred bull of Hermonthis, and Mnevis, who was worshiped at Heliopolis. Sometimes bulls were considered to embody the gods Ptah and Ra. But the chief bull was Apis. At the temple in Memphis, priests maintained a sacred enclosure where they kept a live bull considered to be the incarnation of Apis. When the venerable bull died, he was given an elaborate burial. Archaeologists have discovered funeral niches for hundreds of these bulls near Memphis.1

1 Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 262–263.

goddesses. Isis, the queen of the gods, was generally depicted with cow horns on her head. Similarly, the goddess Hathor was represented with the head of a cow, sometimes with the sun between her two horns. Hathor was a goddess of love and beauty, motherhood and fertility. One of her sacred functions was to protect Pharaoh, and on occasion she was depicted as a cow suckling the king for nourishment.1

1 Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 263.

Protection

Charles Spurgeon, “God has promised to protect his people, and he will keep his promise.”

this would have agrivated the Egyptian people

certainly did for Pharaoh

saw that the animals there were unharmed and got angry

Why was he mad?

Shows God’s ultimate power

Shows that God will protect his people completely

he knows that the Hebrew people are divinely protected

(Ps. 91)

Psalm 91 NASB95

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes And see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the Lord, my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the serpent you will trample down. “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. “With a long life I will satisfy him And let him see My salvation.”

5 lessons in the 5th plague

meaning of salvation

purpose of life

glorify God

Folly of idolatry

superiority of Faith

only for those who trust and have faith in God

Consequenses of rebellion

harened his heart toward God and the Hebrew people

such defiance always brings divine judgement

Exodus—Saved for God's Glory Exodus 9:1–7

We must recognize that Christian education is complete only when the result is an understanding heart” in which “the mind is informed by the authoritative statements of Holy Scripture; the emotions are moved to love the Lord with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength; and the will does acknowledge Jesus Christ as both Savior and Lord.”11

1 Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 267–268.