Appendix
475
The ninth plague was directed against one of their greatest gods,
the sun god Ra.
Exodus 10:21
. The tenth plague (
Exodus 12:29
) was
directed against Pharaoh as a god, who was considered to be Horus,
the son of Osiris.
Note 3, page 220: When the Israelites worshiped the golden calf,
they professed to be worshiping God. But it was like the Egyptians‘
worship of Osiris, by means of an image. The Egyptians‘ worship
of Apis was immoral, and the Israelites‘ worship of the golden calf
apparently was the same. Moses says the Israelites “sat down to eat
and to drink, and rose up to play.”
Exodus 32:6
. The Hebrew word for
“play” denotes singing and dancing, which among the Egyptians was
sensual and indecent. The Hebrew word for “corrupted” in verse 7 is
the same as that in
Genesis 6:11, 12
, which refers to the people before
the Flood corrupting themselves. This explains the terrible nature of
this apostasy.
Note 4, page 229: The Ten Commandments were the basis of
the covenant the Lord made with His people. But the covenant itself
was the Lord‘s promise to write the law in their hearts (see
Jeremiah
31:31-34
), so that it would be their joy to obey.
Note 5, page 246: There were two ways in which the sin (or the
record of its forgiveness) was transferred to the sanctuary from the
sinner: by some of the blood of the sin offering being sprinkled before
[551]
the veil behind which was the ark; or by the flesh being eaten by the
priest. See
Leviticus 4:1-21
;
6:24-26
;
10:17, 18
.
Note 6, page 256: The Ten Commandments were given by Christ.
See
1 Corinthians 8:6
;
Acts 7:38
;
Isaiah 63:9
;
Exodus 23:20-23
;
John
1:1-3, 14
;
1 Peter 1:10, 11
.
Note 7, page 437: The government of Israel was a theocracy, that
is, government by God directly. When Israel and Judah repeatedly
violated God‘s law and rejected His rulership, the Lord finally with-
drew from them His direct government and left them to what they
desired—subjection to man. Thus they came under the successive
dominion of Babylon, Medo-Persia, the Greek Empire, and finally
Rome.
Since then, there has been no government anywhere to which God
has delegated the authority that He gave to the king of Israel in the days
of the theocracy. The Bible teaches a separation of church and state
(
Matthew 22:17-22
), and therefore religious liberty for all. Earthly