This week we will look at why God sent the plagues upon the Egyptians. On the one hand it was to bring about the release of Israel from their captivity. But two more reasons will also be explored: first, the plagues were for God to make himself known to Pharaoh, to the Egyptians and to the Israelites, and second, the plagues were God’s way of taking on the gods of Egypt, through which he showed his outright superiority over them.