What other biblical instances show God's power over false gods? Setting the Scene: Exodus 7:12 “Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up the other staffs.” In a single swallow, the LORD made it unmistakably clear: every competing power is powerless before Him. Scripture repeats this theme again and again. Ten Plagues—Toppling Egypt’s Pantheon (Exodus 7–12) • Water to blood—humiliates Hapi, god of the Nile. • Frogs—mockery of Heqet, frog-headed goddess of fertility. • Gnats and flies—expose the impotence of Geb and Khepri. • Livestock plague—strikes Apis and Hathor. • Boils—shames Sekhmet and Imhotep, deities of healing. • Hail and locusts—defy Nut and Osiris, controllers of sky and crops. • Darkness—silences Ra, the sun god. • Death of firstborn—judgment on Pharaoh, thought to be divine. “...on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments.” (Exodus 12:12) Dagon Bows to the Ark (1 Samuel 5:1-5) • Philistines place the captured ark beside Dagon. • Two mornings in a row, Dagon is found fallen; the second time his head and hands are broken off. • God doesn’t need an army—His presence alone topples idols. Fire on Carmel (1 Kings 18:20-39) • 450 prophets of Baal cry out; no answer. • Elijah’s simple prayer brings fire that consumes altar, sacrifice, stones, and water. • People cry, “The LORD, He is God!” (v. 39). Gideon vs. Baal (Judges 6:25-32) • Gideon tears down Baal’s altar and the Asherah pole beside it. • Dawn reveals Baal’s helplessness; the townsmen rename Gideon “Jerub-Baal”—“Let Baal contend”—but Baal never does. Victory in Babylon (Daniel 3 & 6) • Fiery furnace—Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image can’t save its worshipers; the LORD rescues Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. • Lion’s den—Darius confesses, “He is the living God … He delivers and rescues.” (Daniel 6:26-27). Sennacherib Silenced (2 Kings 19:15-37) • Assyrian king boasts that no god has ever resisted him. • One angel of the LORD strikes 185,000 soldiers overnight. • Sennacherib returns home, only to fall by the sword in his own temple. New-Testament Echoes • Demons beg Jesus not to send them into the abyss (Luke 8:31). • Sorcerer Elymas is struck blind before Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:8-12). • In Ephesus, “the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” (Acts 19:20) despite devotion to Artemis. The Coming Finale (Revelation 19–22) • Every rival—dragon, beast, false prophet—is cast into the lake of fire. • A loud voice in heaven declares, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.” (Revelation 19:1). From Aaron’s staff swallowing serpents to the final triumph in Revelation, Scripture consistently demonstrates that the LORD alone is God, and every false deity—ancient or modern—crumbles before His matchless power. |
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