LESSON 7
THE FIRST PLAGUE UPON EGYPT
Exodus 7:1-25
—by E. L. Bynum
Memory Verse: v. 5, “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”
Introduction:Moses must have been somewhat discouraged by the failure of his first audience with Pharaoh (5:1-5). Then when his own people reject his leadership (5:20-21; 6:9), he was in great need of encouragement from the Lord. In our lesson today, we find that God revealed to him the coming struggle and the miracles, and from this point on Moses forged ahead without wavering. The conflict is between God and the Egyptians and this spelled doom for the Egyptians. All who fight against God will lose.
I. THE MIRACLE OF THE ROD vv. 1-13
A. Moses Given Assurance and Instruction, vv. 1-9.
1. The EXALTED PLACE of Moses, v. 1 (God put him there).
Please note that Moses is to be as "A god" to Aaron and to Pharaoh, and NOT "the God." Moses was the VICEREGENT [a person who acts in the place of a ruler, governor, or sovereign] of God, and Pharaoh was the emissary of Satan.
2. He was TO GIVE God's WORD TO AARON, v. 2; 2 Timothy 4:2-3, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.”
a. Hold fast in FAITH and LOVE, 2 Timothy 1:13, “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”
b. The FALSE prophet is one who CAUSES STRIFE, 1 Timothy 6:3-4, “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings.”
c. What is the WORK of a TRUE prophet? Exodus 4:15-16, “And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. 16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.” A prophet speaks for another.
3. God will HARDEN Pharaoh's heart, v. 3.
a. This DOES NOT make God the AUTHOR of sin, Exodus 4:21, “And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.”
b. The same sun that melts the wax, hardens the clay; God hardens some for DESTRUCTION, Deuteronomy 2:30, “But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.”
1) God CHOOSES what to do ACCORDING TO His PURPOSE, Romans 9:18, “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.”
2) God HARDENS hearts AT TIMES, Joshua 11:19-20, “There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle. 20 For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.”
c. WE are WARNED against the HARDENING OUR HEARTS against His voice, Hebrews 3:7-15, “Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.” Hebrews 4:7, “Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”
4. The REASONS for hardening his heart and prolonging the contest, vv. 4-5.
a. It gave God an OPPORTUNITY TO WORK, v. 4; Psalms 105:37, “He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.”
b. It gave Egypt a CHANCE TO KNOW He was Jehovah, v. 5.
1) The plagues were used as judgments on the gods of Egypt PROVING THEM to be POWERLESS and FUTILE, Exodus 12:12, “For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.”
01. Jehovah is GREATER than all gods, Exodus18:11, “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.”
02. The Lord EXECUTED JUDGMENT upon their gods, Numbers 33:4, “For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the LORD had smitten among them: upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments.” All the false gods of Egypt could do nothing to stop the plague.
2) It is TRAGIC that some Israelites WORSHIPPED the DEFEATED GODS of Egypt, Ezekiel 20:7-8, “Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
3) One EXAMPLE of this was the building and WORSHPPING of the GOLDEN CALF, Exodus 32.
c. It gave FULL OPPORTUNITY for the complete TESTING of human responsibility.
d. It was for the TRYING OF THE FAITH of the saints.
e. It gave opportunity for the MANIFESTATION of all the PERFECTIONS AND ATTRIBUTES of Deity.
Note: This is apparently why God suffers the continuance of evil in His domain. Some people object to God hardening Pharaoh's heart. They fear that God hardened his heart so he could not be saved. We need to realize that the subject is not salvation. The man was a rascal and a reprobate.
5. The OBEDIENCE of Moses and Aaron, v. 6; Psalms 119:4, “Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.”
6. Their AGES, v. 7. This shows that God could use the aged men.
7. Moses and Aaron INSTRUCTED TO USE the miracle of the ROD, vv. 8-9. Satan produces COUNTERFEITS, and there are many INSTANCES OF IT IN THE BIBLE:
a. False BRETHREN, 2 Corinthians 11:26, “In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren.”
b. False GOSPEL, Galatians 1:8, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”
c. False MINISTERS, 2 Corinthians 11:13, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.”
d. A False CHRISTS, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”
B. The Rod Becomes A SERPENT, vv. 10-13.
1. The miracle VIEWED by Pharaoh, v. 10.
2. The sorcerers DUPLICATE the miracle, vv. 11-12. These occult religionists who had the power of Satan, did indeed work a miracle.
a. The ANTI-CHRIST will have POWER TO WORK MIRACLES, Matthew 24:24, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
b. Satan LENDS his power to FALSE CHRISTS, 2 Thessalonians 2:9, “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.”
c. During the Tribulation period Satan WILL SHOW HIS POWER, Revelatian 13:12-15, “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”
3. Their serpents SWALLOWED by Aaron's rod, v. 12. This shows the superiority of the true God over the false gods of Egypt, and points to the final triumph over evil. Some of these evil magicians are named, 2 Timothy 3:8, “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.”
a. Men of corrupt minds that RESIST the TRUTH, Romans 13:2, “Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”
b. These are REPROBATE [morally depraved; unprincipled] concerning the faith, Jeremiah 6:30, “Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them.”
4. Pharaoh's heart HARDENED TO ACCOMPLISH God’s PURPOSE as the Lord had said, v. 13; Note: vv.3-4.
II. The First Plague -- WATER TURNED TO BLOOD vv. 14-25
A. Moses Instructed by the Lord, vv. 14-19.
1. Pharaoh's heart hardened, v. 14; Proverbs 21:11, “When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.”
2. Moses was to meet Pharaoh at the river, v. 15.
Note: Whether Pharaoh was going to bath or to offer a sacrifice to the river god, it matters little, for God knew he would be there.
3. Moses was TO DEMAND that Israel be let go, v. 16.
4. The plague would CAUSE Pharaoh TO UNDERSTAND that the GOD of the Hebrews was JEHOVAH, v. 17; Psalms 9:16, “The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.”
Note: The Nile was in the strictest sense regarded as divine, and was worshipped under a variety of names. As the bountiful Osiris, and under many other divine names, the Nile was the beneficent god of Egypt-the representative of all that was good.
“Osiris also called Usiri, one of the most important gods of ancient Egyptian religion. Osiris was a local god of Busiris, in Lower Egypt, and may have been a personification of Underworld fertility, or possibly he was a deified hero. By about 2400 BCE, however, Osiris clearly played a double role: he was both a god of fertility and the embodiment of the dead and resurrected king within the Egyptian concept of divine kingship. The king after his death became Osiris, god of the Underworld, and the dead king's son, the living king, was identified with Horus, a god of the sky. The goddess Isis was the mother of the king and was thus the mother of Horus and consort of Osiris. The god Seth was considered the murderer of Osiris and adversary of Horus.” ---World Religions, Encyclopedia Britannica.
5. Their WATER for drink and fish for food was TO BE CUT OFF, v. 18.
6. All the PONDS, STREEMS, and RIVERS were to be AFFECTED, v. 19.
B. The First Plague of JUDGMENT, vv. 20-25.
1. The water turned to BLOOD IN THE SIGHT of Pharaoh, vv. 20-21.
Note: We believe exactly what the Bible says about this. It was not red from soil or from some plant growth, but literally turned to blood. The Nile river was a god of the Egyptians. Hapi was the god of the Nile, and Isis was the goddess of the Nile.
2. The ENCHANTMENTS of the magicians, v. 22.
3. The MEANING of this miracle.
a. Water is an EMBLEM of the WORD, John 15:3, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” Ephesians 5:26, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.”
b. Blood POURED OUT speaks of DEATH, and death is the WAGES of sin, Revelation 6:12, “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.”
c. The water turned to blood REVEALS that the Word of God is EITHER a savour of LIFE unto life, or DEATH unto death, 2 Corinthians 2:15-16, “For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?”
4. Pharaoh UNCHANGED, v. 23.
5. The Egyptians DESPERATE SEARCH for water, v. 24.
6. The LENGTH of the plague was SEVEN DAYS, v. 25.
Note: The duration of the first plague was the longer because Pharaoh made no submission at all in consequence of it. Obtaining sufficient water for his own ablutions from the wells and drinking a more generous liquid, he thought little of its continuance. ---Eclectic Note from Exodus
Note: "The plagues of Egypt are founded on the natural features which Egypt presents, so that they are unprecedented and extraordinary, not so much in themselves, as on account of their power and extent, and their rapid succession when Moses simply gives the command. As they are, consequently, both natural and supernatural, they afford both to faith and to unbelief the freedom to choose (in Pharaoh, unbelief prevailed); they are, besides, adapted to convince the Egyptians that Jehovah is not merely the national God of the Israelites, but a God above all gods, who holds in his hand all the powers of nature likewise, which Egypt was accustomed to deify." ---J. H. Kurtz, quoted in the Annotated Bible.
—Outline by E. L. Bynum; Revison by Art Davison
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. What is the meaning of Moses being a god to Aaron and to Pharaoh?
2. Explain the purpose of God in hardening the heart of Pharaoh.
3. Give the age of Moses and the age of Aaron.
4. How did the sorcerers duplicate the miracle of the rod turning into a serpent? Where did they get their power?
5. Which waters of Egypt turned to blood?
6. Where did the magicians get clear water to turn into blood?
7. Where did the Israelites get water during this plague?
8. What is water a symbol of in the Scriptures?
9. What is poured out blood a symbol of in the Scriptures?
10. How long did the plague last?
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