Chapter Seven
Moses and Aaron Boldly Return to Face Pharaoh
7:1 And the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land.
God makes Moses as “a god” to Pharaoh, someone who will command Pharaoh and bring judgment upon him if he rebels against those commands. God then makes Aaron, Moses’ prophet, the one who will speak to Pharaoh all the words that Moses tells him. God then clearly states to Moses, who then is to tell Aaron who, when they are in the presence of Pharaoh, is to tell him to let the people of Israel go out of Egypt.
7:3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”
God tells Moses once again that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart[1] and that he will not listen to them, even as each sign and wonder escalates in pain and suffering for the Egyptians. Once all the signs and wonders of God are done, it will be clear to all, especially the Egyptians, that the children of Israel were released through the power and might of YHWH and not the charity of Pharaoh!
7:6 Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the LORD commanded them. 7 Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Moses and Aaron did as God told them to do, they boldly approached Pharaoh. The narrative again stops briefly to give us Moses’ and Aaron’s age, in the same fashion we were told Joseph’s age when he became second in charge of Egypt (see Genesis 41:46). Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83 years old when they confronted Pharaoh.
7:8 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’ ”
God knew Pharaoh would want proof that they speak for God, so He told them to cast Aaron’s staff at his feet and it will become a serpent. This is not the same demonstration God had Moses perform in front of the Israelite elders (see Exodus 4:1-5, 30). The Hebrew words translated as ‘serpent’ are different. In Exodus 4:3, the word was ‘nā·ḥāš’, the usual word for a snake. Here the word is ‘ṯǎn·nîn’,[2] first seen in Genesis 1:21 and generally refers to a large reptile, like a crocodile, and is often translated as a dragon or monster.
7:10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.
Moses and Aaron did exactly as God had instructed them to do. When Pharaoh asked for proof, Aaron threw his staff before Pharaoh, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh called his “wise men” (Hebrew ‘ḥǎḵā·mîm’,[3] first encountered in Genesis 41:8, regarding those that are skilled) and “the sorcerers,” (this is the first use of the Hebrew word ‘meḵǎš·šepîm’,[4] it refers to the practice of sorcery or witchcraft, later forbidden in Exodus 22:18), who are further identified as “magicians,” (Hebrew ‘ḥǎr·ṭǔm·mě’,[5] referring to those that have knowledge of the occult, divination, or astrology). Two of which may have been the Jannes and Jambres, the apostle Paul many years later wrote about, “Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.” (2 Timothy 3:8) It appears that they had some form of supernatural assistance or was it just some form of “super normal?” Regardless of what power or effect that was used to make their staffs turn into serpents, Aaron’s staff demonstrated superiority by swallowing up the other serpents. Impressive, but not enough to convince Pharaoh.
7:13 Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go.
Just as God said, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and as a result refused to let the Israelites go. Then God again reassures Moses that this was indeed expected and okay. This sign in a sense sets the stage for the coming Ten Plagues, these plagues will demonstrate God’s authority and dominion over all-natural phenomenon and certainly over all false gods.
Considerations
There is significant debate over whether Pharaoh’s magicians had supernatural powers, able to conjure power from either Satan or his fellow dark angels. Here is a response from authors Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe, from their book, “When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties”
The Bible indicates that one of Satan’s tactics in his effort to deceive humankind is to employ counterfeit miracles (see Rev. 16:14). Exodus 7:11 states, “But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.” Each of the other verses makes a similar claim. The passage states that the feats of Pharaoh’s magicians were performed “by their [magical] enchantments.”
Some commentators assert that the feats of the magicians were merely tricks. Perhaps the magicians had enchanted snakes so that they became stiff and appeared to be rods. When cast down upon the floor, they came out of their trance and began to move as snakes. Some say these were acts of Satan, who actually turned the rods of the magicians into snakes. This, however, is not plausible in view of the fact that only God can create life, as even the magicians later recognized (Ex. 8:18–19). Whatever explanation one might take regarding these feats, one common point holds for every account and is found in the text itself. It is clear that by whatever power they performed these feats, they were not accomplished by the power of God. Rather, they were performed “by their enchantments.” The purpose of these acts was to convince Pharaoh that his magicians possessed as much power as Moses and Aaron, and it was not necessary for Pharaoh to yield to their request to let Israel go. It worked, at least for the first three encounters (Aaron’s rod, the plague of blood, and the plague of frogs). However, when Moses and Aaron, by the power of God, brought forth lice from the sand, the magicians were not able to counterfeit this miracle. They could only exclaim, “This is the finger of God” (Ex. 8:19).
There are several points by which one can discern the difference between a satanic sign and a divine miracle.
DIVINE MIRACLE SATANIC SIGN
Supernatural Supernormal
Connected with truth Connected with error
Associated with good Associated with evil
Never associated with the Occult Often associated with the Occult
Always successful Not always successful
These differences can be seen in these passages in Exodus. Although the magicians appeared to turn their rods into snakes, their rods were swallowed up by Aaron’s rod, indicating superiority. Although the magicians could turn water to blood, they could not reverse the process. Although the magicians could bring forth frogs, they could not get rid of them. Their acts were supernormal, but not supernatural.
Although the magicians could copy some of the miracles of Moses and Aaron, their message was connected with error. Basically they copied the miracles of God’s chosen men in order to convince Pharaoh that the God of the Hebrews was no more powerful than the gods of Egypt. Although Pharaoh’s magicians were able to copy the first three miracles performed by God through Moses and Aaron, there came a point at which their enchantments were no longer able to counterfeit the power of God.[6]
What Makes a Sign or Wonder a Plague?
There are several Hebrew words that are generally translated as ‘plague’ in the Old Testament, including ‘ḏě’·ḇěr’[7] (first encountered in Exodus 5:3, as pestilence, next seen in Exodus 9:3); ‘mǎg·gē·pā(h)’[8] (a disastrous blow); ‘mǎk·kā(h)’[9] (a blow, or ‘to hit’); ‘ně’·ḡǎ’[10] (blemish, mark, strike, or plague); and ‘nāḡap’[11] (plague, stumbling, being smitten). In the following narrative regarding these plagues, we see how God shows His authority over the natural world and the supernatural world, making them truly signs and wonders. But due to sin in the world and the resultant depravity of man, God needs to respond in ways that can inflict pain and added burden to get man’s attention, especially someone like Pharaoh. Each of the following ten plagues, while demonstrating God’s strength, create pain and added burden to the Egyptians. That is when a God-given sign or wonder becomes a plague. Even though the Pharaoh quickly dismissed and remained unimpressed with each plague, that doesn’t mean that they were minor or had minimal impact to Egypt. The citizens of Egypt had to endure tremendous strain and grief, with no help or guidance from their leader.
The First Plague: Water Turned to Blood
7:15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed. 17 Thus says the LORD, “By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood.
The Nile River was highly revered and considered the source of Egypt’s fertility and plays a significant role in Egyptian mythology. It was central to both their culture and their religious life. Many Egyptian rituals were performed in the Nile River, several involved Pharaoh’s participation. Moses was to confront Pharaoh in the morning near the river, probably a daily bathing ritual.
As pointed out earlier,[12] both water and blood are essential for life. This first plague would demonstrate God’s authority over these elements of life as well as authority over any ‘deity’ associated with the Nile River.
7:18 The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.” ’ ”
This plague will be far-reaching, all the fish in the river will die, the river will stink (probably as a result of the fish dying), but more importantly, the river will no longer be drinkable, making the Egyptians desperate for water. The Hebrew word translated here as ‘weary’, (‘nil·’ǔ’)[13] also implies frustration, exhaustion, and impatience.
7:19 And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’ ”
Aaron is to raise his staff over the waters of Egypt, including water in rivers, canals, ponds, pools, and various vessels. In other words, all water in Egypt. All water will become undrinkable and unusable.
7:20 Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. 21 And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
Moses and Aaron did as they were instructed to do and all the water in Egypt was turned into blood. While blood can be consumed to prevent dehydration, it certainly is no substitute for water. Apparently, this only affected surface water as the Egyptians found they could drink water below the surface (see verse 24).
There is no mention about the effect of all the fish dying besides their smell. This must have had an enormous impact on their food supply, let alone their local economy.
7:22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart.
The magicians were able to change water into blood as well, but where did they find water to change? The text does not mention where the water was found. However, it is only a minor point as water seems to be available under ground, while others say it was rainwater. It is interesting to note that the Midrash Rabbah reports how the Israelites were able to sell water to the Egyptians.
This is the first time we see the Hebrew word ‘lā·ṭê’,[14] translated here as “secret arts,” which conveys the idea of mysterious or secret knowledge only known by a select group. Since Pharaoh’s magicians were able to recreate this effect, even though they apparently could not reverse it, he remained unimpressed and walked away, perhaps even a bit bored.
7:24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile. 25 Seven full days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile.
Here we read that the Egyptians found a way to get some water. They dug around the river where the subterranean water apparently was unaffected. Something they had to do since God allowed the blood to remain for seven days.
Considerations
Did the Plagues Affect the Israelites?
The purpose of the plagues was to punish Pharaoh and to demonstrate to the surrounding world that the God of the Israelites, was indeed the true God. But what about the Israelites? Were they to suffer as well? While this issue has been debated for many years, the answer is likely no because God is a consistent God (see Psalm 102:25-27; Malachi 3:6-7). For example, during the fourth plague God prevented the swarms of flies to enter the land of Goshen where the Israelites were living (see Exodus 8:22, although some say this separation was unique to show that it came from God), and later the livestock owned by the Israelites will not be harmed in the fifth plague (see Exodus 9:4). Why protect them for few plagues and not the others? Since God has the ability to be selective, and we know His punishment was not meant for the Israelites, we can conclude that the Israelites did not suffer in these plagues. However, for the tenth and final plague, their involvement in preventing themselves from suffering is crucial and essential, as Passover ultimately points to the Savior Himself, Jesus Christ.
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[1] See commentary under Exodus 4:21.
[2] Strong’s Hebrew 8577.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 2450.
[4] Strong’s Hebrew 3784.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 2748.
[6] Geisler, N. L., & Howe, T. A. (1992). When critics ask : a popular handbook on Bible difficulties (pp. 71–72). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.
[7] Strong’s Hebrew 1698.
[8] Strong’s Hebrew 4046.
[9] Strong’s Hebrew 4347.
[10] Strong’s Hebrew 5061.
[11] Strong’s Hebrew 5062.
[12] See commentary under Exodus 4:9.
[13] Strong’s Hebrew 3811.
[14] Strong’s Hebrew 3909.