EXODUS 7

THE START OF THE PLAGUES 

God warns Moses and Aaron that Pharaoh’s heart will be hardened, and he will not listen to them when they ask him to free the Israelites from slavery.

God instructs Moses and Aaron on what to do when Pharaoh asks for a sign from them. God tells Aaron to throw down his staff in front of Pharaoh and it will turn into a snake.

When they go before Pharaoh, they do exactly what God had instructed. Pharaoh has some magicians who are also able to turn their staffs into snakes. When this happens, Aaron’s staff swallows up the snakes made by the magicians. Other powers may exist, but nothing compares to God’s power! Even after seeing this, Pharaoh is stubborn and does not listen to God’s messengers because his heart is hardened. 

In the presence of Pharaoh, Aaron raises his staff over the Nile River and the water turns to blood, exactly as God said that it would. In John 2, the first miracle of Jesus was turning water into wine and here the first plague is water into blood. 

Again, the magicians are able to do the same thing. The magicians can do some of the same things as God, trying to counterfeit Him, but they can’t prevent God’s work or reverse it. Pharaoh has a hardened heart and still does not listen to Moses or Aaron.