“On their gods also the Lord executed judgment.”
The Faithlife Study Bible points out that the ten plagues were considered God waging war on the gods of Egypt. This makes sense, especially since the magicians could reproduce the first plagues.
Personally, though, I still wonder if this is literal or metaphorical. Did God pass judgment on their beliefs, or were there actual powers that God opposed? After all, there are powers at work in the world. We traditionally call them demons, the fallen angels. I’ve often wondered how many of the false gods in global mythologies were heavenly beings, actual ‘fallen angels’ setting up shop and pretending to be the One they failed to overthrow.
I’m not sure that it matters, theologically, or to the narrative, whether God was opposing ideology or beings. Either way, he clearly demonstrates his superiority. If it were beings, it’s interesting to consider God judging them here, much ‘sooner’ than others left to roam the world a while longer. But other than that, I don’t think it affects much of anything.
I just find it interesting, it just catches my attention, because of the history of magic in the world, the various mythologies. Does it change anything to believe that those stories were based on actual events? That magic, at least in some ways, has been real? Not science before it was understood, like herbalism, but reality altering magic. Dark, but real?
What does that do to your worldview? Anything? I don’t know. This is just a record of where my mind goes as I prayerfully read, as I prayerfully write.
