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 of All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church in Chicago, Illinois. He is the author of Christ in the Psalms, Christ in His Saints, and The Trial of Job (all from Conciliar Press). He is a senior editor of Touchstone.
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