There are only two main characters in the whole plague narrative: God (with Moses and Aaron being God's agents to do what God commands) and Pharaoh. And the whole point of the plague story is to impress us with one main lesson – that the Lord alone is God, and that everyone must know and accept that he alone is God. See for example Exodus 7:5, 17, 8:10, 22, 9:13-15, and 10:1-2.
In the plagues we see God doing several things to demonstrate his "God-ness." First, in sending the plagues God effectively executes the so-called Egyptian gods. Many, if not all, of the plagues are direct assaults against domains that the Egyptians thought were controlled by their gods. So for example, in turning the Nile into blood, God essentially destroyed the Egyptian river gods who were thought to rule over the Nile River.
Second, in sending the plagues God decreates the world, instead of creating and sustaining the world. The plagues were an unraveling of the created order. In doing this God showed how much the world depends on his sustaining power, and what would happen if God related to the world in a different capacity.
Finally, in sending the plagues God demonstrates his ability to bless and protect people or to judge people as he sees fit. God had complete control over every aspect of the plagues. This was especially shown in how he poured out the plagues on the Egyptians yet kept the Israelites free from them (see for example Exodus 8:23, 9:4-6, 26). Thus, the Israelites was set apart for protection and future blessing while the Egyptians were set apart for judgment and destruction.
Thus, in all this, God established the unique greatness of himself as Lord and God. And this unique greatness we later see in Jesus Christ. Jesus called himself "I am" (John 8:58), clearly identifying himself as the Yawheh of the Hebrew Scriptures, the one true Lord God of the universe. He showed his power over creation by commanding the wind and the rain, turning water into high quality wine, walking on water, and making trees wither on command (cf Col 1:16). Most especially, he showed his power over creation by displaying his power over death. He raised people from the dead and he raised himself from the dead.
And Jesus also protected and blessed some while others he judged. We often miss this aspect of Jesus, this aspect of him also judging people. For while Luke 19 does tell us that Jesus came to seek and save the lost, this only describes the intent of his first appearance in human history. In his second appearance, Jesus will come to judge and destroy all those who continue to defy him. He will come to "tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty" (see Rev 19).
This is the hard edge of the message of Jesus, namely, that his message is not just about saving people and bringing them to God but also about judgment and the warning that ultimately there are only two sides, either being with God or against God. When Jesus comes again we will either be standing with Jesus as part of his royal court and army, celebrating his reign as Lord and King, or we will be bound before him, being thrown into the depths of darkness because of how, like Pharaoh, we continued to defy him and his rightful Lordship.
The story of the plagues should startle us and warn us. Right now is the timee to respond to God and take the flag that is Jesus and plant it at the center of your life. In so doing, we worship God as the rightful Lord God, as we were meant to do, and as he rightfully deserves.
What are your thoughts? What do you think it means for God to be the one Lord God in your life?
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