As It Is Written . . .
Ashes & Idolatry
by Patrick Henry Reardon
Everybody, I suppose, has his own favorite among the plagues inflicted on Egypt. Mine is number six. On the outside chance, however, that its finer details may have slipped the reader's mind, let us quickly rehearse the account:
So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a kiln, and let Moses scatter them toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt. (Ex. 9:8–9)
Several features of this plague . . .
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Patrick Henry Reardon is pastor emeritus of All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church in Chicago, Illinois, and the author of numerous books, including, most recently, Out of Step with God: Orthodox Christian Reflections on the Book of Numbers (Ancient Faith Publishing, 2019).
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Everything You Need to Know About Morality & the Bible by David Mills
27.4—July/August 2014
The Bible, Sacred Theology & the Mind of Christ by Patrick Henry Reardon
24.3—May/June 2011
The Making & Endurance of the King James Bible, 1611-2011 by Barton Swaim
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