Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Exodus 7:1) And the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.”
The Lord was answering Moses's objection from the end of the last chapter about why Pharaoh would even listen to him, Moses, a man of uncircumcised lips. I keep saying what Moses seems to have forgotten is that God already told him that Pharaoh would refuse to let the people go at first, so Pharaoh indeed may not listen to him now. However, God was ever-patient with answering Moses's objections (again). He told Moses that He had made Moses as God to Pharaoh, meaning God had given Moses the authority to speak to Pharaoh as God Himself. God had also given Moses the power to execute judgments on Pharaoh; at the word of Moses each plague God would send would come, and would be removed by him, as well; that would surely make Moses look as God to Pharaoh. Aaron was to be Moses's prophet. God was making Aaron to be more than merely a spokesman for Moses. He was to be his prophet--as God spoke to prophets who in turn declared God's will and purpose to men, so Moses would speak to Aaron who would then declare it to Pharaoh. This would also make Moses seem as God to Pharaoh with his personal prophet at his side. All this would surely have been great encouragement to Moses and would at last silence his discouragement. What greater power and authority could possibly be bestowed upon Moses than what God had given him?
(2) “You shall speak all that I command you; and Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. (3) And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. (4) But Pharaoh will not hearken to you, that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring forth My armies, My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. (5) And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”
The Lord told Moses to convey to Aaron to speak to Pharaoh all that He commanded him to speak, primarily to let the children of Israel go out of Pharaoh's land. However, once again, God told Moses upfront what to expect--Pharaoh would NOT listen to him. Therefore, this should not become a discouragement for Moses. GOD would harden Pharaoh's heart, so that His signs and wonders may be witnessed in the land of Egypt. It was by God's will that Pharaoh refuse Moses at first. The fact that God would be the One to harden a heart so as to judge it, was explored and answered beautifully in the post on Exodus 4, especially 4:21. Basically, this meant that God would allow Pharaoh's stubbornness to remain, that he might have the greater opportunity to multiply His wonders in the land so that the Egyptians (and the Israelites) would know that He only was Jehovah, the eternal self-existent God. Again, Pharaoh would not listen to Moses, but that was God's will, so that He might bring His people out of Egypt by His great judgments. God once again called His people "armies", probably because of the great number of them that were divided and organized by twelve tribes. By what God would do, the Egyptians would know that He alone was Lord, and that was a good thing for them. Again, this was studied and discussed in the post on Exodus 4, but basically, imagine it this way--by observing and knowing the one true God, the Egyptians might be saved, and they might never have had the opportunity otherwise.
(6) And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so they did.
Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord told them to do. It was Dr. John Gill in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, who wrote that "so they did" was not "a superfluous and redundant expression, but very emphatic, showing with what care and diligence they did every thing, and how exactly they conformed in all things to the divine will." Additionally, he wrote, "After this they never showed any reluctance, or made any objection to any message they were sent with, or any work they were ordered to do, but went about it at once, and performed it with all readiness and cheerfulness..."
(7) And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Moses was now 80 years old. That means he had lived in banishment in Midian for 40 years before this present call from God to deliver His people from Egypt. Aaron was three years older, at 83, and we can assume that their sister Miriam was even older, as she was an old enough child to stand on the shore and watch what would become of her baby brother in the basket and then report and mediate on it. It must be noted that Moses and Aaron were in a rather advanced age to be serving God in this monumental task. Moses was to be as God to Pharaoh, so I'm sure this would be better accepted from a man with age and wisdom, not to mention the fact God had probably been preparing Moses for this task his entire life. This should give great encouragement to all of us that God can use us in any and every stage of life, and that what might feel like an uneventful rather useless time in life might actually be a time of preparation for what is to come.
(8) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (9) “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.’” (10) And Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD commanded; and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
The Lord told Moses and Aaron what to do when they appeared before Pharaoh and he had occasion to ask for a miracle, or a sign that they had indeed come from Jehovah. Aaron was to take his rod, which undoubtedly must have been Moses's now passed to him for this occasion, and cast it before Pharaoh and it would become a serpent. Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh and did just what the Lord had told them to do. Evidently, Pharaoh did ask for some sign as Aaron did indeed cast down his rod before Pharaoh and his servants, and it did indeed become a serpent.
(11) Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. (12) For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents; but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
Pharaoh called "chakam", "wise men"; "kashaph", "sorcerers"; and all these "chartom", "magicians" (the word actually meaning more like astrologers or horoscopists, those who drew magical lines and charts); and they were able to do the same with their rods with their "lahat", or "enchantments", as translated by KJV. The word actually means "flame, flaming, blaze", which to me conjures up the picture of one striking a wand and a flaming smoke appears. There is much discussion among the old commentaries about whether these magicians actually made their rods turn into serpents or whether it was by tricks and illusions. A lot of descriptive words were used to describe people who definitely did something to imitate what Aaron had done. Since we are told many times in scripture that there are other spirits in the world, I do believe it's possible that these magicians conjured up "magic" by evil spirits. I also believe that their magic was probably not always reliable, and that it's possible that God allowed their magic to work this time so that Aaron's rod could be shown superior to theirs. Pharaoh may or may not have believed in a real transforming of a rod into a serpent, depending on whether he believed his magicians could actually do something like that or not. Therefore, allowing their magic to work and then making God's work superior, would make the greatest impression on Pharaoh with regard to God's true power and superiority.
(13) And He hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he did not hearken to them, as the LORD had said. (14) And the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go."
It's important to make the point that God didn't harden an otherwise good and generous heart. Pharaoh's heart was already hardened against God and against the Israelite people; he had been cruel and oppressive. However, the wonders of God could and would soften his heart, but the timing wasn't right for God at this point, so He allowed Pharaoh's heart to remain hardened. There is a much lengthier and beautiful discussion of this in Exodus 4:21 in this blog post. Interestingly, the word translated as "hardened" in verse 13 above is different from the word "hardened" in verse 14. God hardened Pharaoh's heart, "chazaq", meaning "strengthened" or "prevailing" or "resolute", etc. In verse 14 the word is "kabed", and means "heavy" as in "slow, thick, difficult, stupid", etc. Pharaoh's already difficult and stubborn heart was allowed to withstand or prevail against God's first miracle.
(15) “Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you
shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and the rod which was
turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand."
The Lord told Moses to go to Pharaoh the next morning when he went out to the river Nile, which sounded as if it was a regular ritual of his. Of course, God would have known the particular morning that Pharaoh would be going to the river and could have directed Moses to go then, but it is probable that this was a daily ritual. It would have to be something important to him for the miracle spoken about to have the most impact. Pharaoh either went out for daily walks or baths, or even to worship the rising sun or the Nile. It was also written that Egyptian kings measured and recorded the daily rise of the water as the "Nilometer" was "the symbol of stability and providential care" (Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible). Moses was to stand by the river's bank to meet Pharaoh with the rod of God that he had previously turned into a serpent.
(16) "And you shall say to him, ‘The LORD
God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that
they may serve Me in the wilderness”, and, behold, until now you would
not hear. (17) Thus says the LORD, “In this you shall know that I am the LORD; behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is
in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood. (18) And the fish that
are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians
shall loathe to drink the water of the river.”’”
God instructed Moses on what to say to Pharaoh when he saw him. He was to tell Pharaoh that it was Jehovah, the Lord God of the Hebrews, who had sent him. He was to remind Pharaoh that it was God's command that Pharaoh let His people go so that they could serve Him in the wilderness, but he had refused to listen. So now, "thus says the Lord", Pharaoh would know that it was Jehovah, the eternal Lord, who had sent Moses, and was at that moment, giving him His words to speak--Moses would strike the waters in the river with his rod and they would be turned to blood. The fish in the river would die, the river would stink, and the Egyptians would be disgusted by it and would grieve over the fact that their pure wholesome water was now stinky blood. Whether Pharaoh came out to bathe in the Nile or to worship or measure it, it suddenly being turned to blood would certainly make it abundantly clear that Jehovah God was more powerful than any god or force in this river. Again it was Albert Barnes who made a great argument against any naysayers who would try to say that the river turning red was nothing more than a natural occurrence. I believe it IS very possible that God could work by His own created "natural" means, but with it being done so instantaneously and so completely as to kill all the living fish, there could be no doubt it was God acting at that moment. Here is what Barnes had to say about it:
"This miracle would bear a certain resemblance to natural phenomena, and therefore be one which Pharaoh might see with amazement and dismay, yet without complete conviction. It is well known that before the rise the water of the Nile is green and unfit to drink. About the 25th of June it becomes clear, and then yellow, and gradually reddish like ochre; an effect due to the presence of microscopic cryptogams and infusoria. The supernatural character of the visitation was tested by the suddenness of the change, by its immediate connection with the words and act of Moses, and by its effects. It killed the fish, and made the water unfit for use, neither of which results follows the annual discoloration."
(19) And the LORD spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.’”
The Lord told Moses to tell Aaron what to do next. He was to take the rod and stretch his hand out over the waters of Egypt, and they would become blood. For any naysayers who would still believe this would be only a natural phenomenon, not only would the Nile turn instantly to blood, but so would every stream, river, and pond, as well as any water held in any bucket or pitcher!
(20) And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. (21) And the fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded them. Aaron struck the waters with his rod in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants so that there would be no doubt that the waters were instantly turned to blood upon the action of the rod striking the waters. Additionally, it is important to note that the waters indeed turned to blood, not just the color of blood, but they were actually blood. That is what made the fish die and made the water unfit to drink. The blood was throughout the land of Egypt.
(22) And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not hearken to them, as the LORD had said.
Once again Pharaoh's magicians conjured up something to mimic what Moses and Aaron with the rod of God had done. But if all the water in Egypt had been turned to blood, where did the magicians get the water that they supposedly turned to blood? There are two possible answers. One is answered a couple of verses later when it is said that the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink. It seems as though buried water under the surface had not been turned to blood. They could have dug up some fresh water and performed their "magic" on it. Another possibility is that all the water in the land had not yet been turned into blood. Although God had told Moses to tell Aaron to stretch out his hand over all their streams, rivers, ponds, and over all
their pools of water, including any water in buckets and water in pitchers, verse 20 states only that Aaron struck the waters that were in the river. The blood was throughout Egypt, but if Aaron was to strike every body and bit of water, that may have taken a little time, and the magicians could have been trying to imitate the miracle on thus far untouched water. In whatever manner it was done, Pharaoh chose to ignore Moses and Aaron and the miracle they performed, just as the Lord had told Moses he would do.
(23) And Pharaoh turned and went into his house; neither was his heart moved by this. (24) And all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink of the water of the river. (25) And seven days were fulfilled, after the LORD had struck the river.
Pharaoh turned away from Moses and Aaron and went into his palace, having no more regard for this miraculous plague than he had for the miracle of the rod being turned into a serpent that devoured the rods of his magicians. He was unmoved by this and evidently stubbornly endured for seven days until the plague was removed. Verse 24 is where we were told that the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink. I do believe God, in His mercy, probably allowed them to find some drinking water, as this plague was meant to demonstrate the power of God, but not to totally destroy the Egyptian people at this point. I do have to take note that verse 27 speaks of when "the Lord had struck the river", and doesn't speak of all the waters of Egypt. Once again, it makes it seem possible that Aaron didn't strike every single body of water, but then again, had there been good water in streams and ponds, etc., why would the Egyptians have had to dig around the river for fresh water? This is more than likely a case of Moses not being redundant in his writing to point out every single body of water that Aaron struck. No matter what way one interprets it, it was a miraculously created plague that widely affected all the Egyptian people for seven days, but their king chose to ignore it.
Adam Clarke in his Commentary on the Bible wrote a beautiful thought-provoking commentary on why God would allow the Egyptian magicians the ability to perform real magic that imitated and attempted to invalidate God's miracles. I feel like this topic has already been explored in the post on Exodus 4, but following are some other thoughts. Actually, it appears Mr. Clarke borrowed some thoughts from an earlier writer as he noted, but he added to them and discussed them beautifully:
“...it seems strange that God should enter into any contest with such persons as the Egyptian magicians; but a little reflection will show the absolute necessity of this. Mr. Psalmanazar, who wrote the Account of the Jews in the first volume of the Universal History, gives the following judicious reasons for this: 'If it be asked,' says he, 'why God did suffer the Egyptian magicians to borrow power from the devil to invalidate, if possible, those miracles which his servant wrought by his Divine power, the following reasons may be given for it:
1. It was necessary that these magicians should be suffered to exert the utmost of their power against Moses, in order to clear him from the imputation of magic or sorcery; for as the notion of such an extraordinary art was very rife, not only among the Egyptians, but all other nations, if they had not entered into this strenuous competition with him, and been at length overcome by him, both the Hebrews and the Egyptians would have been apter to have attributed all his miracles to his skill in magic, than to the Divine power.
2. It was necessary, in order to confirm the faith of the wavering and desponding Israelites, by making them see the difference between Moses acting by the power of God, and the sorcerers by that of Satan.
3. It was necessary, in order to preserve them afterwards from being seduced by any false miracles from the true worship of God.'
To these a fourth reason may be added: God permitted this in mercy to the Egyptians, that they might see that the gods in whom they trusted were utterly incapable of saving them; that they could not undo or counteract one of the plagues sent on them by the power of Jehovah; the whole of their influence extending only to some superficial imitations of the genuine miracles wrought by Moses in the name of the true God. By these means it is natural to conclude that many of the Egyptians, and perhaps several of the servants of Pharaoh, were cured of their idolatry; though the king himself hardened his heart against the evidences which God brought before his eyes. Thus God is known by his judgments: for in every operation of his hand his design is to enlighten the minds of men, to bring them from false dependencies to trust in himself alone; that, being saved from error and sin, they may become wise, holy, and happy. When his judgments are abroad in the earth, the inhabitants learn righteousness.”
How wonderful to see God's love and mercy for all sinners throughout the Bible!
