May 15, 2016
The people of Israel had spent 400 years with Egyptians who continually and collectively worshipped a pantheon of gods that represented various aspects of nature and Egyptian life. Because of this, Egyptian worship of any particular god was not dishonor to any other god as they were disconnected deities. Israel’s God however, was not made up by men or bound by nature but was the Creator and Sustainer of all things. This meant that no other true ‘gods’ existed and Israel’s worship would be appropriately monotheistic.
The Egyptians had depictions of gods on palace walls, pottery, tombs and made large statues or small images made from silver and gold. Because the Egyptians gave the Israelites many gifts as they left, undoubtedly Israel had many of these images with them (Ex. 12:35, 36). Because of their background, Israel was prone to polytheism.