Exodus 7:14 – 25 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning as you see him walking out to the water. Wait on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. Then say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me in the wilderness. But you have not listened until now. This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD. Behold, with the staff in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will turn to blood. The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink its water.’”
And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over their rivers and canals and ponds and reservoirs—that they may become blood.’ There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in the vessels of wood and stone.” Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded; in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials, Aaron raised the staff and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was turned to blood. The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. And there was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
But the magicians of Egypt did the same things by their magic arts. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said. Instead, Pharaoh turned around, went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they could not drink the water from the river. And seven full days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile.”
If there was one thing the Egyptians really relied on, it was the Nile River. The Nile provided drinking water, fish, transportation, commerce, and a host of other benefits. When the Nile flooded, it would bring fresh new dirt to help rejuvenate farm lands. The Egyptians had a whole series of irrigation canals to divert water from the Nile into their fields. Everybody in Egypt depended on the Nile, until the morning that Aaron stretched out his hand, struck the waters, and all the Nile water turned to blood. Not only did the water in the river turn to blood, but every bit of water that had been collected from the river, including all the water in every storage vessel. The water smelled like rotting blood, and all the fish died, making the stench far worse. The only means of getting drinking water was to dig shallow wells away from the river and hope the water would be fresh.
This miracle is the first plague to hit Egypt at the hands of Moses and Aaron. From now on, the plagues will escalate. What must Moses and Aaron have thought when they saw that water turn to blood? “WHOA!!! IT REALLY WORKS! GOD WASN’T KIDDING!” The poor Egyptian commoners probably were frightened and confused. The Israelite elders were probably amazed, although they too may have had to dig wells to get water. But the one man in the situation who had control refused to acknowledge that there was anything wrong.
APPLICATION: Sometimes you may find yourself caught in a dilemma: you know there’s something major wrong, but you cannot convince the people over you to re-examine the situation. James 1 tells us that God does not tempt us but that we are led away by our own desires; in other words, we choose to believe false concepts. During our missionary careers, we have witnessed several examples of wishful thinking. In one case, the mission group knew ahead of time that the businessman with whom they were working was not really a Christian; however, this group wanted so much to get that particular project going that they ignored all the warning signs, including warnings from knowledgeable people who visited the project. In another case, an outside NGO (Non – governmental organization) failed to thoroughly investigate before channeling money into a project.
Another problem is the “Big Man” syndrome, as in “The Big Man is always right!” There are many reasons that someone reaches a post of superiority and control over others. Sometimes these positions are earned honestly; however, in the case of the Egyptian Pharaoh, his post was a hereditary one. The Pharaoh with whom Moses and Aaron contended had been groomed from childhood to assume that position. At the same time, those teaching the young Pharaoh had also deferred to him and had made sure that he was aware that he would be an all – powerful ruler. When two scruffy old Hebrews showed up with their requests, Pharaoh was not impressed; besides, his magicians could duplicate the first two miracles that these men performed. No, these two were just trouble makers. Of course, the Egyptian commoners might have had a different view, but who cared about them? From the time of Joseph, the land of Egypt had become Pharaoh’s property, and he controlled all the people anyway. At this point, all Aaron and Moses could do was to hang on and see what God wanted to do next.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you that YOU are the Lord of the Universe and not some man! Thank you that you care for us, that you are the very embodiment of light and truth. Cause your face to shine upon us and let your truth be known in our lives. And help us to continue to follow you, even when we meet stiff opposition. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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