Where else can you read about so many miracles in such a short space as in Exodus 7 – 12? People often make the mistake of concluding that the Bible is full of miracles. While there are many miracles in the Bible most of them are clustered around certain mountain size figures like Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Jesus and the Apostles. There’s no question about it – Moses’ ministry was a miracle ministry. It required the miraculous intervention of God to get Israel out of Egypt. But have you ever stopped to think that God could have done it with a single miracle? Why did he use ten? Perhaps we will never fully understand the ways of God in this life but here are some suggestions.
God wanted to offer proof to Israel of His might. As we have already seen four centuries of enslavement had left Israel numb to the things of God. They needed several wake up calls. God wanted to provide reminders of His power which would be repeated through the generations leaving even the most skeptical convinced He was a God to be trusted. Alas, Israel still often doubted her Lord.
God wanted to punish Egypt in an unforgettable way. Closer investigation reveals that each of the plagues was in reality an assault on one or more of the Egyptian deities. The Egyptians needed to know conclusively that our God is God alone. Alas, the Egyptians proved fickle sometimes asserting God’s sovereignty and sometimes reverting to their false religion.
God wanted to leave the world a picture of His coming judgment. At least six of the plagues are repeated in God’s final judgments on the world (Rev. 8: 8; 16: 4 – 5; 16: 13; 16: 2; 8: 7; 9: 1ff; 16: 10). God in his great mercy warns the planet and its people of His impending judgment.
God wanted the church to remember His promise. Just as He remembered His covenant promise to Israel and delivered her so He will be faithful to His promise to deliver His church. If God were not to keep His promises to His nation how could we expect Him to keep His commitment to his church? He has kept His promise to Israel and He will keep His promise to us.