WinAce

[Note: this is only for the hyper-literalists who insist every bit of the Old Testament was 100% factual. Christians who think it contains important theological messages beneath all the bizarre stuff need not answer.]

Exodus 11
1 Now the LORD had said to Moses, "I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely. 2 Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold." 3 (The LORD made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh's officials and by the people.)

Here, the background of the story is set. Even after all the previous plagues endured by the Egyptians, the people are easily made favorable towards the Hebrew slaves and freely give them silver and gold.

Only Pharaoh remains as the sole stumbling block for the two nations to reconcile their relationships and move on.

Of course, the immediate question is why God "hardened his heart" in previous verses, as opposed to "making him favorably disposed" like the rest of the Egyptian citizens...

But no matter. For failing to abide by Yahweh's demands (conveniently passed on via Moses), the following decree is made:

5 Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt-worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. 7 But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal.' Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.

Because Pharaoh failed to relent, the god of Israel sweeps down on the rooftops and kills every firstborn child of the entire populace:

29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.

God kept his word. Pharaoh himself, the root of the problem, was physically unscathed (although his innocent child was conveniently struck down). All throughout Egypt, people sympathetic to the Israelites were forced to endure one of most nightmarish horrors imaginable for a parent.

Those who were not only completely uninvolved in the whole affair, but couldn't do anything about the status quo even if they desperately tried, the Egyptian slaves and prisoners, didn't escape the wrath of God. Their kids were struck down as well with a Bronze Age paranormal weapon of mass destruction.

Verse 30 completes the story with an unambiguous statement that Yes, Virginia, Yahweh will indiscriminately kill one group of his children to prove that he likes them less than another.

I submit that the depicted actions of Yahweh in the "Exodus 11 Affair", as it shall heretofore be known, are fully consistent with being the vengeful superstitious wet dreams of a P.O.'ed Bronze Age tribe but are otherwise morally indefensible.

Rousseau_CHN

of course this is not for me...i'm not a "hyper-literalists ". But the story is just so provocative.


I don't believe in God, and so I believe this story was written by the Jews to comfort them that their oppresors might be punished one day, if not them, their children.

[edited to remove inflammatory remarks]

WinAce

Anyway, I extend my heartfelt thanks for turning this thread into a soon-to-be flamewar.

winstonjen

Shouldn't this be in BC&A?

Anyway, what about the first-born that were adults then, like (possibly) Pharoah? Doesn't that mean that YHWH broke his word? Anyway, no real surprise there.

WinAce

Good point. Also, this thread seems dead in this forum, so would a mod move it to BC&A? I thought to put this here because it didn't bear directly on criticizing the Bible, but certain unsavory aspects of Yahweh. And I thought more Magusites would see it =)

Bree

Moving to BC&A...

Magus55

I'm a Jew, but i'll forgive you for the insult... You can definately tell you have no clue what a Jew is, and haven't met any with that kinda preconception. You present the same attitude Hitler did... /sigh - how things never change.

Magus55

Why do you care if I see it? Just because you don't agree with God's actions means didly. Everyone has an opinion - why would I care what you say? I know you are wrong, so don't need to even bother.

Babylon Sister

Did you stomp your foot, plant your hands on your hips and say "So there!" after you wrote that?

CX

A note to everyone. If the tone and content of this thread continues to deterioriate, it will be closed. Please stick to the discussion at hand.

Thanks,

CX - B,C&A Moderator