How did God cause the Egyptians to show favor to the Israelites in Exodus 12:36? Canonical Text and Immediate Setting Exodus 12:36 : “And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted their request; so they plundered the Egyptians.” The verse closes a narrative already anticipated in Exodus 3:21-22 and 11:2-3, where the LORD promised that His people would not depart empty-handed. Progression of the Ten Plagues 1. Judgment on Nile deities (water to blood) 2. Frogs, gnats, flies—humiliation of Heket, Geb, Khepri 3. Livestock pestilence—mockery of Hathor and Apis 4. Boils, hail, locusts—defeat of Sekhmet, Nut, Neper 5. Darkness—reversal of the sun-god Ra 6. Death of the firstborn—denunciation of Pharaoh’s supposed divinity Each plague intensified psychological distress and theological disillusionment. Papyrus Leiden I 344 (Ipuwer) echoes, “The River is blood… the children of princes are dashed against the walls,” a secular witness to nationwide catastrophe consistent with the biblical sequence. Psychological and Sociological Dynamics • Terror: After the tenth plague every household mourned a death (Exodus 12:30). Fear of further calamity produced compliance. • Cognitive Reappraisal: When a worldview is publicly shattered, new data—here the power of Yahweh—can flip opposition into acquiescence. • Reciprocity Norm: For months the Israelites had prayed for release; Egyptian neighbors, now helpless, seized an opportunity to mitigate wrath by generosity. These dynamics, while observable in human behavior, were orchestrated by God’s providence, as Proverbs 21:1 affirms: “The king’s heart is a watercourse in the hand of the LORD; He directs it wherever He pleases.” Divine Sovereignty Working through Human Agency Scripture routinely attributes a change of heart to God: • Genesis 39:21—The LORD gave Joseph favor (ḥēn) with the prison warden. • 1 Kings 8:50—He causes the captors to have compassion. • Nehemiah 1:11—Artaxerxes’ goodwill follows prayer. Exodus 12:36 fits this pattern: God moved political and social elites to act contrary to their self-interest. Archaeological Corroboration of Semitic Presence and Sudden Departure • Tell el-Dabʿa (ancient Avaris) excavations reveal a high concentration of Asiatic material culture abruptly abandoned late in Egypt’s 13th Dynasty, aligning with a 15th-century BC Exodus chronology. • The Brooklyn Papyrus lists 40% Semitic household servants contemporaneous with the period. • Tomb 1 at Avaris shows a high-status Semite honored by an Egyptian official, paralleling Joseph’s ascent and later Israelite prosperity before oppression. These data points do not “prove” favor transfer but create a plausible historical matrix in which large gifts of precious metals could change hands rapidly. Plundering without Violence: Legal and Theological Dimensions • Legal: In ANE treaties, departing vassals often received “presents” signaling the end of indenture (cf. Deuteronomy 15:13-14). • Theological: The silver and gold funded God’s sanctuary (Exodus 25:1-7). What Egypt meant for loss became a means for Israel’s worship, showcasing Romans 11:36—“For from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things.” Typological Foreshadowing The transfer anticipates Christ’s victory: Colossians 2:15 speaks of disarming and triumphing over powers. Just as Israel left with Egypt’s riches, believers share in the spoils of Christ’s resurrection—righteousness, inheritance, spiritual gifts (Ephesians 4:8). Miraculous Yet Ordinary Means The event is miraculous in origin (God’s direct action) yet ordinary in mechanism (voluntary gifts). Scripture frequently blends the two: Elijah’s drought ends via natural rain; Jesus raises Lazarus but men loosen the grave-clothes. Here, divine causation uses human fear, social custom, and urgent timing. Practical Implications 1. Trust: God can reverse adversarial systems for His people’s benefit. 2. Stewardship: Wealth gained through Providence must be dedicated to worship. 3. Evangelism: Historical acts of God validate the promise of ultimate deliverance through the resurrected Christ. Conclusion God caused the Egyptians to show favor by supernaturally turning their hearts, employing the cumulative impact of the plagues, fulfilling an earlier promise, and setting up Israel to serve Him in the wilderness with resources obtained without force. Archaeology, linguistics, psychology, and consistent manuscript testimony converge to confirm the biblical record: Yahweh sovereignly grants favor, and no earthly power can hinder His redemptive purposes. |
    |