The Plague of Addiction

It is very interesting how my time of studying counseling has influenced my perspective on a lot of things—including what I see when I read Scripture. Today I was reading Exodus 7 – 15, the account of the plagues and the Israelites deliverance from Egypt. As I was reading about the various plagues and Pharaoh’s reactions to them, it occurred to me that this whole episode is very similar to the cycle of addiction. At first, Pharaoh is not impressed with the plagues and the hardships they present, then he begins to start bargaining with Moses. He says, “Take away the frogs and I will let you go.” But of course, as soon as the plague is gone, he changes his mind. As the plagues get progressively worse, he actually comes to the place where he admits that he has sinned, says that Moses and the Israelites can leave but, as soon as the hardship of the plague is removed, changes his mind once again.

So it is with addiction. Addicts will bargain and agree to whatever is demanded to get relief from the hard consequences, but as soon as the pressure is off, they return to the addiction. It is only when the addict “hits bottom” that true change and healing can occur. There were several “bottoms” for Pharaoh. In Exodus 10:7—after the plagues of the water turning to blood, the frogs, the gnats, the flies, the livestock dying, the boils, and the hail—Pharaoh’s officials say to him “Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?” Everyone else could see the bottom, but Pharaoh could not and continued to insist on his own way. That brought the plague of the locusts and finally the death of the firstborn of all of Egypt, including Pharaoh’s son. That was finally the “bottom” for Pharaoh and he allowed the Israelites to leave.

But was it really the “bottom?” Unfortunately, no. Once the Israelites were gone, Pharaoh wonders how his country will function without the labor force that was represented by all of those people and he goes after them. That’s when he really hits bottom. His entire army is wiped out. There is no way to tell unequivocally, from what the Scriptures reveal, whether Pharaoh himself, was lost in the Dead Sea. We are told that Pharaoh pursued them with his army (Exodus 14:6) and “not one of them survived” (14:28). Regardless, his actions brought widespread death and destruction of a nation.

So what was Pharaoh’s addiction? When we think of addictions, our first thought goes to alcohol or drugs but in reality, there are a lot of non-substance addictions that are just as destructive. Whether it is work, food, shopping, gambling, sex, fame, relationships, risky behavior, or whatever—all of these things can wreak havoc and bring utter devastation to our lives. Pharaoh’s addiction—and understandably, since he was regarded as a deity—was power. Truly it is the same for all of us. “Our greatest addiction is our own personality.” We want what we want, when we want it, how we want it, and we will do whatever it takes, sacrifice whatever is demanded, to get it.

Ed Welch has written an excellent book, the title of which describes the circumstance of addictions extremely well. It is called Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave. The addiction seems to be providing all the good things we desire in life—security, significance, belonging, love—right up until it becomes the doorway to death. There is only one thing that can fulfill the longing and emptiness in our hearts. It is knowing God and knowing ourselves as He created us to be and living in all the richness, completeness, and fulfillment of what that really means. What is holding you back from experiencing that today?