In Genesis 6-9, we see that God’s judgement on a sinful and wicked world is also an act of de-creation. Where the creation of Genesis 1-2 had seen forming and structure so that light was divided from darkness and sea from land and sky, we see a descent into chaos as the form and structure is lost, the waters merge in together. We see something similar here . We may view Egypt as a mini world, or creation. This was the world created by powers, hostile to God. Not only did Egyptians have their own creation myths and believe that their gods were responsible, in reality, it was a world formed and structured around that ideology.
The plagues involve a breaching of boundaries, water animals break out onto the land, there is no separation. Clean is contaminated by unclean. Darkness returns, extinguishing light. The Egyptian world is unmade.
Creation was about life, not only was the world structured but God filled it with living beings. The Flood brought death on the earth. The Exodus plagues bring death too. The fish in the Nile die, livestock is killed, locusts devour plant life and finally the firstborn sons die.
Enns puts it this way:
“Creation is at God’s command both to deliver his people and destroy his enemies. The plagues are creation reversals. Animals harm rather than serve humanity, light ceases and darkness takes over, waters become a source of death rather than life, the climax of Genesis 1 is the creation of humans on the last day, whereas the climax of the plagues is the destruction of human beings in the last plague.”[1]
[1] Enns, Exodus, 231.
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