Exodus 7:1-13 - Exegesis
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. 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." 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. 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.'" 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. 13 Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
The tension has built to a crescendo. Moses and Aaron, still stinging from Pharaoh's cavalier dismissal of their initial efforts to call for Israel's release as well as from Israel's fury at the increased misery of their situation after that first effort, dare to believe again that God will indeed do as God promised He would. Even though they will have to walk a painful path, and even though obedience was not the nice, clean, simple cause-and-effect relationship that they assumed it might be, they dare to believe and will come to see that God is faithful even when obedience isn't easy.
Their belief and willingness to try again is predicated on a renewed, divine expression of God's sovereign plan and authority in this difficult situation.
I. God's Call to Act is God's Permission to Speak With His Authority. (v.1-5)
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. 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."
The Lord begins this reassertion of His saving plan by saying something very interesting to Moses.
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.
What does this mean, Moses will be "like God to Pharaoh"? It certainly does not mean that the Lord has somehow deified Moses. Moses is not God and that is not the intent of the saying. What it means is that Moses will be God's representative before Pharaoh. But it means even more than that. It means that, as God's representative, and as Moses speaks the words of God, Moses will indeed speak with the authority of God. This is why we see the link between "I have made you like God to Pharaoh" in v.1 and "you shall speak all that I command you" in v.2. That is a vital connection. Moses will be like God only insofar as He speaks God's Word.
It is an important truth that Moses and that we need to understand: when we speak the truth of God we
speak with the authority of God. In an interesting way, there is a kind of parallel between this passage and
Jesus' words in Matthew 18 about the church's authority to bind and loose:
18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."
These have sometimes seemed like difficult verses for Protestants to interpret. How are we to understand them? To be sure, we do not see any inherent authority within the church to bind and loose, to proclaim either forgiveness or condemnation. Yet Jesus does position this authority in the church. But we must understand (against some faulty understandings that seem to grant the church these powers innately) that the church only has the power to bind and loose as it binds and looses in harmony with the reality of God's own binding and loosing. In other words, when the church, like Moses, speaks the truth of God to a person, be it a word of forgiveness or condemnation (depending on the other's posture towards the gospel) it, too, speaks with the authority of God.
It is an amazing and humbling thought. No doubt it was humbling to Moses and Aaron. It is also amazing to hear the sovereign certainty of the Lord's revelation concerning what is about to happen.
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."
We have already addressed the issue of God's hardening of Pharaoh's heart. It bears repeating, however, that Exodus speaks of two realities: Pharaoh's hardening of his own heart and God's hardening of Pharaoh's heart. Some have suggested that the latter is simply a euphemism for the former, but it seems that more is happening here than just that. The Lord indeed hardens Pharaoh's heart. God is sovereign and can do as He intends for the furtherance of His own glory. Even so, it cannot be denied that this divine hardening is somehow connected to Pharaoh's own sin and Pharaoh's hardening of his own heart.
Regardless of how it is understood, the justice and goodness of God cannot be impugned. God is just in what He does, and the sinfulness of Pharaoh, like our own sinfulness, deserves divine justice. It is this fact that makes the grace we receive through Jesus Christ so very amazing indeed.
II. God's Call to Act Must, Sooner or Later, Be Embraced or Rejected. (v.6-7)
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.
There is a subtle but powerful statement at the beginning of v.6:
6 Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.
"Moses and Aaron did so." Despite all of Moses' protests, despite all of Moses' fears, despite Moses' debilitating lack of confidence, he did so. He did what God called him to do. Friends, God's call to act must, sooner or later, be embraced or rejected. You cannot forever argue with the Lord. We must either walk in His will or walk away...and, as His children, the choice must be that walk in His will.
Moses also offers an interesting biographical detail about himself and Aaron.
7 Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
This stating of their ages is intentional. The significance of having an 80 and 83-year-old undertake this arduous task cannot be lessoned or diluted with some appeal to the old ages to which many ancient people lived, for Moses only lived to be 120. This means that, while 80 at that time admittedly did not directly parallel our 80, it was still a significantly advanced age that was worthy of note. I agree with A.W. Pink's observation that this reference to the ages of Moses and Aaron was "brought in here in order to magnify the power and grace of Jehovah. He was pleased to employ two aged men as His instruments."[1]
One of the great tragedies of modern American society is the subtle and not-so-subtle way that our culture communicates an almost expected insignificance for the elderly. Even the retirement culture contains a debilitating idea: that the retired should content themselves with games and diversions and that the crux of their great contribution to society is finished. This false notion is also sometimes communicated by churches as well, though nothing could be further from the truth.
It is important that we think biblically about aging and about the contours of life as a whole. An anonymous person has penned the following charming little tale about the length of man's days:
God created the mule, and told him: "You will be a Mule, working constantly from dusk to dawn, carrying heavy loads on your back. You will eat grass and you will lack intelligence. You will live for 50 years."
The mule answered: "To live like this for 50 years is too much. Please, give me no more than 30." And it was so.
Then God created the dog, and told him: "You will hold vigilance over the dwellings of Man, to whom you will be his greatest companion. You will eat his table scraps and live for 25 years."
And the dog responded: "Lord, to live 25 years as a dog is too much. Please, no more than 10 years." And it was so.
God then created the monkey, and told him: "You are a Monkey. You will swing from tree to tree, acting like an idiot. You will be funny, and you shall live for 20 years."
And the monkey responded: "Lord, to live 20 years as the clown of the world is too much. Please, Lord, give me no more than 10 years." And it was so.
Finally, God created Man and told him: "You are Man, the only rational being that walks the earth. You will use your intelligence to have mastery over the creatures of the world. You will dominate the earth and live for 20 years."
And the man responded: "Lord, to be Man for only 20 years is too little. Please, Lord, give me the 20 years the mule refused, the 15 years the dog refused, and the ten years the monkey rejected." And it was so.
And so God made Man to live 20 years as a man, then marry and live 20 years like a mule working and carrying heavy loads on his back. Then, he is to have children and live 15 years as a dog, guarding his house and eating the leftovers after they empty the pantry; then, in his old age, to live 10 years as a monkey, acting like a fool to amuse his grandchildren.
And it was so.
Well, that's humorous in its way, and it causes us to chuckle, but it should also cause us to shudder. Surely the Lord God did not intend for us to end our days as a monkey, amusing and acting clownish before our grandchildren. But our culture almost expects such nonsense. Neither are you a mule, a dog, or a monkey. You are a child of the living God and you have work to do for the Kingdom!
Brothers and sisters, it is never to late to be of service to your King! It is never too late to try to accomplish great things for the Kingdom! Paul Dekar has pointed to the example Louis Lyautey as encouragement not to quit attempting great things because of old age.
Having retired to a farm, [Louis Hubert Lyautey] was into his eighties when he approached his gardener about planting an orchard. "But," protested the gardener, "the trees will not bear fruit for twenty years." Lyautey responded, "Then we must begin planting at once."[2]
We should die in the midst of attempting great things for God. Moses was 80. Aaron was 83. What are you attempting for your King? Have you embraced a mission that will transcend your earthly years? We must, or we are not attempting enough for the Lord!
III. The Path of Obedience is Surrounded by Opposing Powers, but None as Strong as the Power of God. (v.8-13)
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.'" 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. 13 Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
So Moses and Aaron act, and, in doing so, they face great opposition.
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.'" 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. 13 Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
This episode has led to no small degree of comment. The miraculous transformation of Aaron's staff into a snake is less difficult than the magical transformation of the Egyptian magicians' staffs. Some try to explain their magic away on rationalistic grounds, suggesting that this was a mere parlor trick or illusion. I have read a fascinating theory that there is a way to paralyze a cobra, making it go rigid like a staff, then to revive it again. Apparently you can see this trick performed in Egypt to this very day. It has been suggested that this is what is happening here and that there is no real power being demonstrated.
Personally, I disagree with this. For one thing, there is nothing in the way this is written to suggest that the magicians of Egypt were practicing some mere slight of hand. On the contrary, it sounds as if actual power is being demonstrated here. But how can this be? It can be because, though limited and always existing only insofar as God allows it, the devil does indeed have power. This is why we are warned to avoid occultic practices, because there really are diabolical powers at work.
What we see in the conflict between Moses and Pharaoh is, in reality, a microcosm of the great conflict between the Lord God and Satan. The magicians are reflecting the devil's power. But what is truly noteworthy is the fact that though Moses and Aaron face these hostile powers, they are nonetheless inferior powers that they face. The power of Satan is no match for the power of God. Thus, the Lord's serpent eats the magicians' serpents.
The magicians do have a kind of power, but it is merely a mimicking power posturing to convince Moses and Aaron that they were more powerful than they really were. Interestingly, Paul gives us the names of the two magicians who opposed Moses and Aaron in 2 Timothy 3, and he does so to make a particular point.
1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
Paul uses the example of the Egyptian magicians, Jannes and Jambres, to speak of people who pose as authentic believers but who really are not. These are people who have a type of power, but not the genuine power of God. He is warning that people like this will come into the church, pretending, like the magicians, to be more than they are. In commenting on this passage, Charles Henry Mackintosh made this observation:
There is nothing which so tends to deaden the power of the truth as the fact that persons who are not under its influences at all do the self-same things as those who are. This is Satan's agency just now. He seeks to have all regarded as Christians.[3]
There have always been people like Jannes and Jambres. They can impress with their tricks, convincing the gullible that they have real power, but they are not of God. Even so, these magicians do have limited power, though it fails to match the true power of God. "But Aaron's staff," we are told, "swallowed up their staffs." This is a powerful moment, this devouring of Pharaoh's serpents. It is a statement of the superiority of God, but probably in more ways than we realize.
Philip Ryken has offered some interesting insights into the Egyptians' fascination with snakes.
The Egyptians were fascinated with snakes, partly because they were so afraid of them. Many of them carried amulets to protect them from Apophis, the serpent-god who personified evil. Egyptian literature contains various spells and incantations to afford protection from snakebite. It was this fear of snakes that led Pharaoh to use the serpent as the symbol of his royal authority. His ceremonial headdress - like the famous death mask of Tutankhamen - was crested with a fierce female cobra. The idea was that Pharaoh would terrorize his enemies the way a cobra strikes fear into her prey. This is how a relief at Karnak describes one of Shoshenk's victories in battle: "Thy war-mace, it struck down thy foes...thy serpent crest was mighty among them."
Despite their fear of snakes, the ancient Egyptians nevertheless were drawn to worship them. This is how Satan generally operates, using fear to gain power. Serpent worship was particularly strong in the Nile Delta, where the Hebrews lived. There the Egyptians built a temple in honor of the snake-goddess Wadjet, who was represented by the hieroglyphic sign of the cobra. Some of the Pharaohs believed that she had brought them to the throne and invested them with her divine powers. Others considered her to be their protector. In an inscription found at Tanis, Pharaoh Taharqa claimed, "I had taken the diadems of Re, and I had assumed the double serpent-crest...as the protection of my limbs." According to another ancient text, "His gods are over him; His uraeus-serpents are over his head." After surveying this and other evidence, John Currid concludes, "the serpent-crested diadem of Pharaoh symbolized all the power, sovereignty, and magic with which the gods endued the king."
By finding his security in the serpent-god, Pharaoh was actually making an alliance with Satan. The ancient manuscripts are explicit about this. When Pharaoh first ascended the throne of Egypt, he would take the royal crown and say,
O Great One, O Magician, O Fiery Snake!
Let there be terror of me like the terror of thee.
Let there be fear of me like the fear of thee.
Let there be awe of me like the awe of thee.
Let me rule, a leader of the living.
Let me be powerful, a leader of spirits.[4]
This helps us see what exactly the Lord is saying to Pharaoh, as well as the fascinating way in which He chooses to say it. The Egyptians feared and worshipped the serpent. It was the symbol of Pharaoh's power and his kingdom. Thus, the transformation of the staff into a serpent and, even more so, the single serpent of God eating the serpents of Pharaoh, was a provocative act filled with symbolic importance. It was a blatant statement to Pharaoh that the source of his strength and the source of his power, as he and the Egyptians' perceived it, was nothing to God. These serpents before whom Egypt trembled and worshipped were mere puppets in the hand of the one true God.
What we see in all of this background, and in God's dramatic statement to Pharaoh through the obedience of His servants, Moses and Aaron, is simply an Old Testament demonstration of the beautiful truth communicated by John in 1 John 4:4, "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."
Yes, obey the Lord in a fallen culture and you will face the spiritual opposition of the devil. But be encouraged! The powers of darkness do not match the powers of light. The power of the devil does not compare to the power of God. He is not an equal opposite. He is but a creation whose time draws near. He has the power to frustrate us, to be sure, but he cannot overcome the Jesus to whom we have pledged allegiance and who dwells within us.
Take courage! The staff of a living God is mightier than the staff of the devil. There is no comparison. We can therefore obey in the steady confidence that our God is indeed God! Our God reigns. He has never been defeated. He never will be.
May we, like Moses and Aaron, stand in the halls and arenas of this fallen world order and announce the liberation we have through Jesus Christ, knowing in doing so that we speak God's truth with God's blessing and authority.
He is for us. Who could be against us?
1. (7:1-2) The re-affirmation of the work of Moses and Aaron.
So the LORD said to Moses: "See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. 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."
2. (3) God promises to harden Pharaoh's heart.
"And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt."
3. (4-7) Why God will harden Pharaoh's heart.
"But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them." Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the LORD commanded them, so they did. And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.
B. Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh.
Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, "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 let it become a serpent.'" So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the LORD commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
2. (11-13) Pharaoh's magicians imitate the miracle of Aaron's rod.
But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. And Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said.
Exodus Chapter 7
Verses 1-13: (Verse 3), says "I will harden Pharaoh's heart," but (verse 4), says "Pharaoh shall not hearken unto" [obey, listen to] "you". Then (verse 13), is to be translated "and Pharaoh's heart was hardened" meaning by the setting of his own will against God. The miracle worked in verse 12 gains additional significance through the fact that the word of "serpent" (tanim) is used in later prophecies as a symbol of Pharaoh (the monster of Isaiah 30:6; 51:9; Ezek. 29:3; 32:2). The names of the two sorcerers here (Jannes and Jambres), were preserved in a Targum (an Aramaic paraphrase of a portion of the Hebrew Old Testament), and mentioned by Paul (2 Tim. 3:8). The tremendous miracles God performed through Moses in Egypt called forth the fullest display of Satan's "lying wonders," even as it shall be at the end of this age (Matt. 24:24; 2 Thess. 2:9).
Exodus 7:1 "And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet."
"A god to Pharaoh": Moses, as the spokesman and ambassador for God, would speak with authority and power. "Thy prophet": Aaron, as the divinely appointed spokesman for Moses, would forthrightly deliver the message given to him (Acts 14:11-13), where Barnabas and Paul were so perceived in a similar situation.
This simply means that Moses would represent the One who sent him to Pharaoh, not that Moses would be God to him.
We see an unusual statement here. God was not annoyed with Moses and his lack of faith in his ability to do enough to get Pharaoh to let them go. God encouraged Moses by telling him that Pharaoh would believe he was a god. Moses would be allowed of God to do such fantastic miracles in the sight of Pharaoh. At some point Pharaoh would realize he was no match with Moses' God.
Moses was a little bit in awe of Pharaoh because of his worldly power, but now God had reassured Moses that through the power of the Spirit, Pharaoh can't win. Aaron would be Moses' spokesman. Moses would receive the message from God and Aaron would speak it to Pharaoh in the presence of Moses.
Exodus 7:2 "Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land."
That is, to Aaron his prophet, whatever the Lord made known to him in a private manner as his will to be done.
"And Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh": Whatsoever should be told him by Moses, as from the Lord:
"That he send the children of Israel out of his land": This was the principal thing to be insisted upon; and all that was said or done to him was to bring about this end, the dismissal of the children of Israel out of Egypt.
We can easily see the chain of command here. God commanded Moses, Moses gives the message to Aaron and Aaron spoke to the Pharaoh. Every message and every miracle done would be to cause Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go.
Exodus 7:3 "And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt."
"Signs" were miracles done as credentials, to prove a mission (Exodus 4:8-9; 4:30).
"Wonders" were miracles generally; niphle'oth, also translated "wonders". (Exodus 3:20), were miracles, brought in the way of punishment. These are called also "judgments" (see Exodus 7:4).
In a previous lesson, we discussed why God would harden Pharaoh's heart. I personally believe that these ten plagues had to come so that God could show these Egyptians that their gods were false gods, and were no match for the real God. "Ten" has to do with world government. God was dealing against the world system here and that is why we will see ten plagues. The ten plagues that come would each be in direct attack of one of Egypt's false gods.
Exodus 7:4 "But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, [and] my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments."
"Mine armies ... my people": The first term in this double-barreled designation of Israel occurred originally (in 6:26). The nation was seen as organized like an army with its different divisions (its tribes), and also as God's military instrument upon the Canaanites. The second term with its possessive pronoun revealed the incongruity of Pharaoh's acting as though these people belonged to him.
You see, this could not be done quietly and unnoticed. This was to be done in judgment and by force to discredit the worldly ways of the Egyptians. This force of God was to show not only Egypt, but all of the surrounding countries, the power of Almighty God (JEHOVAH). Pharaoh was allowed to set his will against God, to show the overwhelming power of God.
Exodus 7:5 "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."
"Know that I am the Lord": This purpose of the Exodus finds repeated mention in God's messages to Pharaoh and in God's descriptions of what He was doing (7:16; 8:10, 22; 9:14, 16, 29; 14:4, 18). Some of the Egyptians did come to understand the meaning of the name Yahweh, for they responded appropriately to the warning of the seventh plague (9:20), and others accompanied Israel into the wilderness (12:38). In the final analysis, Egypt would not be able to deny the direct involvement of the God of Israel in their rescue from bondage and the destruction of Egypt's army.
Here again, this was a show of power so great that it discredited all the false gods of Egypt, and all the false gods forever. The Lord is a translation here of JEHOVAH. This is JEHOVAH the Lord. He proclaimed by this, that He is the only God who truly exists.
Exodus 7:6 "And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they."
The reluctance and resistance of Moses from this time ceased. He subdued his own will to God's, and gained the praise of being "faithful as a servant in all his house" (Hebrews 3:5). Aaron's obedience continued until Sinai was reached, but there failed before the frenzy of the people (Exodus 32:1-6).
Here, we see that there was no more doubt, or regret, on Moses' and Aaron's part. From this moment on, they never wavered. The power of God had come and done away with all their fears.
Exodus 7:7 "And Moses [was] fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh."
Joseph, who was to be only a servant to Pharaoh, was preferred at thirty years old; but Moses, who was to be a god to Pharaoh, was not so dignified till he was eighty years old. It was fit he should long wait for such an honor, and be long in preparing for such a service.
Here we see two brothers, 80 and 83 years old, who had been called into service of the Lord. You ministers take note. You are never too old to carry the truth to a dying world.
Exodus 7:8 "And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,"
This is the first time we read of the Lord speaking to both brothers. When the Lord defied the gods of Egypt and the power of Pharaoh, it was a message to Egypt's ruler and to the Hebrew people that the Egyptian gods were incomparable to Him.
Exodus 7:9 "When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast [it] before Pharaoh, [and] it shall become a serpent."
"Shew a miracle": Pharaoh's desire for accreditation would not go unanswered. That which God had done for Moses with the staff (4:2-9), and Moses had copied for Israel (4:30-31), also became the sign of authority before pharaoh (7:10).
God had paved the way for this interview with Pharaoh. When Moses and Aaron said that they were from the only true God, it would be necessary to prove it. Pharaoh was used to magicians who had power from Satan doing miracles and wonders; so it was not unlikely that Pharaoh would check out Moses and Aaron by the miracles they performed. Miracles many times, speak much louder than words for a man of God. Jesus Himself said (in John 14).
John 14:11 "Believe me that I [am] in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake."
You see, most people believed Jesus because of the miracles He did. It must be correct to believe miracles or else Jesus would not tell them to believe for that reason. The disciples performed miracles in Jesus' name. Men and women of God, who God has endowed with Power, even now can pray in Jesus' name and have a miracle. So miracles are, many times, signs from God that He is with the person the miracle comes through. God had already demonstrated the miracle of the rod turning to a serpent in the wilderness. Moses knew this miracle would work, so God told them to use this miracle first.
Exodus 7:10 "And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent."
This was proper, not only to affect Pharaoh with wonder, but to strike a terror upon him. This first miracle, though it was not a plague, yet amounted to the threatening of a plague; if it made not Pharaoh feel, it made him fear; and this is God's method of dealing with sinners; he comes upon them gradually.
Moses and Aaron did no miracle the first time they saw Pharaoh, because he didn't ask for one; but this time he would ask. God was good for His word. When Aaron cast the rod down, it truly became a serpent. Now we will see the power of evil against good.
Exodus 7:11 "Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments."
"Magicians": Magic and sorcery played a major role in the pantheistic religion of Egypt. Its ancient documents recorded the activities of the magicians, one of the most prominent being the charming of serpents. These men were also styled "wise men" and "sorcerers," i.e., the learned men of the day and the religious as well (the word for sorcery being derived from a word meaning "to offer prayers"). Two of these men were name Jannes and Jambres (2 Tim. 3:8). Any supernatural power came from Satan (2 Cor. 11:13-15).
"Enchantments": By means of their "witchcraft," the wise men, sorcerers, and magicians demonstrated their abilities to perform a similar feat. Whether by optical illusion, sleight of hand, or learned physical manipulation of a snake, all sufficiently skillful enough to totally fool Pharaoh and his servants, or by evil supernaturalism, the evaluation given in the inspired record is simply "they also ... did the same". However, the turning of rods into snakes, and later turning water into blood (7:22), and calling forth frogs (8:7), were not the same as trying to create gnats from inanimate dust (8:18-19). At that point, the magicians had no option but to confess their failure.
We see here, that Pharaoh had called in the representatives of their false gods. Satan himself, furnishes the power for these false gods. No one denies that Satan has power, as we see here, when the magicians throw their rods down. Note these wise men above, are not wise in the ways of God, but were worldly wise. There are many sorcerers and magicians in our world today and they still have power, but their power is from Satan.
Exodus 7:12 "For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods."
"Aaron's rod": The loss of the magicians' staffs in this fashion gave evidence of the superiority of God's power when Aaron's staff gulped down theirs.
You see here that these false gods truly did have power, but notice also that their power was no match for God. There was more than one of these serpents from Satan, but it just took the one serpent from God to swallow up all these other serpents.
There is one thing that Christians must always remember, in fact, two things. Satan has worldly power, but the most important thing to remember is that God has much more power than Satan, as we read (in 1 John).
1 John 4:4-6 "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." "They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them." "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error."
You see in all of this, that truly Satan has power in this world but God's power is greater in this world than Satan's; and God's power is not limited to this earth, but is the greatest power in the universe. One other thing that we need to see in this, God defeats the enemy at the enemy's level. Pharaoh trapped himself in all of this when he asked Moses for a miracle. Here was the first battle between Pharaoh's false gods and the one true God, and God won.
Exodus 7:13 "And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said."
This is a miss-translation. The verb is intransitive, and "Pharaoh's heart" is its nominative case. Translate, "Pharaoh's heart hardened itself." It is essential to the idea of a final penal hardening that in the earlier stages Pharaoh should have been left to himself.
Or, "notwithstanding the heart of Pharaoh was hardened"; though he saw the rods of his magicians devoured by Moses rod; or "therefore" his heart was hardened, because he saw that the rods of his magicians became serpents as well as Aaron's; in which there was a deception of sight. And which was suffered for the hardening of his heart, there being other wonders and miracles to be wrought, for showing forth the divine power, before Israel must be let go:
"That he hearkened not unto them": To Moses and Aaron, and comply with their demand, to dismiss the people of Israel.
"As the LORD had said": or foretold he would not.
Ex. 7:1-13 PULPIT COMMENTARY
Exodus 7:1
And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
Verses 1-9. - Once more God made allowance for the weakness and self-distrust of Moses, severely tried as he had been by his former failure to persuade Pharaoh (Exodus 5:1-5) and his recent rejection by the people of Israel (Exodus 6:9). He made allowance, and raised his courage and his spirits by fresh promises, and by a call upon him for immediate action. The process of deliverance, God assured him, was just about to begin. Miracles would be wrought until Pharaoh's stubbornness was overcome. He was himself to begin the series at once by casting his rod upon the ground, that it might become a serpent (ver. 9). From this point Moses' diffidence wholly disappears. Once launched upon his Heaven-directed course, assured of his miraculous powers, committed to a struggle with the powerful Egyptian king, he persevered without blenching or wavering until success crowned his efforts. Verse 1. - I have made thee a god to Pharaoh. Moses was diffident of appearing a second time before Pharaoh, who was so much his worldly superior. God reminds him that he is in truth very much Pharaoh's superior. If Pharaoh has earthly, he has unearthly power. He is to Pharaoh "as a god," with a right to command his obedience, and with strength to enforce his commands. Aaron shall be thy prophet, i.e. "thy spokesman" - the interpreter of thy will to others. Compare Exodus 4:16.
Exodus 7:2
Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.
Verse 2. - Thou shalt speak. The Septuagint and the Vulgate have, "Thou shalt speak to him," which undoubtedly gives the true sense. Moses was to speak to Aaron, Aaron to Pharaoh. (See Exodus 4:15, 16.)
Exodus 7:3
And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
Verse 3. - I will harden Pharaoh's heart. See the comment on Exodus 4:21. And multiply my signs and my wonders. The idea of a long series of miracles is here, for the first time, distinctly introduced. Three signs had been given (Exodus 4:3-9); one further miracle had been mentioned (ib. 23). Now a multiplication of signs and wonders is promised. Compare Exodus 3:20, and Exodus 6:6, which, however, are not so explicit as the present passage.
Exodus 7:4
But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
Verse 4. - That I may lay my hand on Egypt. Pharaoh's obstinacy was foreseen and foreknown. He was allowed to set his will against God's, in order that there might be a great display of Almighty power, such as would attract the attention both of the Egyptians generally and of all the surrounding nations. God's glory would be thereby promoted, and there would be a general dread of interfering with his people. (See Exodus 15:14-16; Deuteronomy 2:25; Deuteronomy 11:25, etc.) Bring forth my armies. See the comment on Exodus 6:26. Great judgments. See above, Exodus 6:6.
Exodus 7:5
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.
Verse 5. - The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. Rather, "that I am Jehovah" - i.e. that I answer to my Name - that I am the only God who is truly existent, other so-called gods being nonentities. They will know this and feel this when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, as I am about to stretch it forth.
Exodus 7:6
And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.
Verse 6. - Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them. This statement is general, and anticipative of the entire series of interviews beginning here (verse 10), and terminating (Exodus 10:29) with the words, "I will see thy face no more." The obedience of Moses and Aaron was perfect and continuous from this time forward until Egypt was quitted.
Exodus 7:7
And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.
Verse 7. - Fourscore years old. This age is confirmed by the statement (in Deuteronomy 31:2; Deuteronomy 34:7) that Moses was a hundred and twenty at his death. It is also accepted as exact by St. Stephen (Acts 7:23, 30). Moderns are surprised that at such an age a man could undertake and carry through a difficult and dangerous enterprise; but in Egypt one hundred and ten years was not considered a very exceptionally long life, and men frequently retained their full vigour till seventy or eighty.
Exodus 7:8
And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Exodus 7:9
When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
Verse 9. - When Pharaoh shall speak to you, saying, Shew a miracle. It is obvious that there would have been an impropriety in Moses and Aaron offering a sign to Pharaoh until he asked for one. They claimed to be ambassadors of Jehovah, and to speak in his name (Exodus 5:1). Unless they were misdoubted, it was not for them to produce their credentials. Hence they worked no miracle at their former interview. Now, however, the time was come when their credentials would be demanded, and an express command was given them to exhibit the first "sign." CHAPTER 7:10-13
Exodus 7:10
And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
Verses 10-13. - THE FIRST SIGN, AND ITS FAILURE TO CONVINCE. Obeying the command given them (vers. 2, 9), Moses and Aaron went to the court a second time, and entering into the royal presence, probably repeated their demand - as from God - that the king would let the Children of Israel go (Exodus 6:11), when Pharaoh objected that they had no authority to speak to him in God's name, and required an evidence of their authority, either in the actual words of verse 9 ("Shew a miracle for you"), or in some equivalent ones. Aaron hereupon cast down on the ground the rod which Moses had brought from Midian, and it became a serpent (ver. 10). Possibly Pharaoh may have been prepared for this. He may have been told that this was one among the signs which had been done in the sight of the elders and people of Israel when the two brothers first came back from Midian (Exodus 4:30). If he knew of it, no doubt the "magicians" knew of it, and had prepared themselves. Pharaoh summoned them, as was natural, to his presence, and consulted them with respect to the portent, whereupon they too cast down the rods which they were carrying in their hands, and they "became serpents; but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods" (ver. 12). (For the explanation of those facts, see the comment below). Pharaoh was to some extent impressed by the miracle, but not so as to yield. His heart remained hard, and he refused to let the people go. Verse 10. - Aaron cast down his rod. The rod is called indifferently "Aaron's rod" and "Moses' rod," because, though properly the rod of Moses (Exodus 4:2), yet ordinarily it was placed in the hands of Aaron (vers. 19, 20; Exodus 8:5, 17, etc.) It became a serpent. The word for "serpent" is not the same as was used before (Exodus 4:3); but it is not clear that a different species is meant. More probably it is regarded by the writer as a synonym.
Exodus 7:11
Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
Verse 11. - Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers. That magic was an object of much attention and study in Egypt is abundantly evident from "The tale of Setnau" ('Records of the Past,' vol. 4. pp. 133-148), "The Magic Papyrus" (ibid. vol. 10. pp. 137-158), and many other writings. It consisted, to a large extent, in charms, which were thought to have power over men and beasts, especially over reptiles. What amount of skill and power the Egyptian magicians possessed may perhaps be doubted. Many commentators believe them to have been in actual communication With the unseen world, and to have worked their wonders by the assistance of evil spirits. Others, who reject this explanation, believe that they themselves were in possession of certain supernatural gifts. But the commonest view at the present day regards them as simply persons who had a knowledge of many secrets of nature which were generally unknown, and who used this knowledge to impress men with a belief in their supernatural power. The words used to express "magicians" and "enchantments" support this view. The magicians are called khakamim, "wise men," "men educated in human and divine wisdom" (Keil and Delitzsch); mekashshephim, "charmers," "mutterers of magic words" (Gesenius); and khartummim, which is thought to mean either "sacred scribes" or "bearers of sacred words" (Cook). The word translated "enchantments" is lehatim, which means "secret" or "hidden arts" (Gesenius). On the whole, we regard it as most probable that the Egyptian "magicians" of this time were jugglers of a high class, well skilled in serpent-charming and other kindred arts, but not possessed of any supernatural powers. The magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their enchantments. The magicians, aware of the wonder which would probably be wrought, had prepared themselves; they had brought serpents, charmed and stiffened so as to look like rods (a common trick in Egypt: 'Description de l'Egypte,' vol. 1. p. 159) in their hands; and when Aaron's rod became a serpent, they threw their stiffened snakes upon the ground, and disenchanted them, so that they were seen to be what they were - shakos, and not really rods.
Exodus 7:12
For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
Verse 12. - But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. Aaron's serpent turned upon its rivals and devoured them, thus exhibiting a marked superiority.
Exodus 7:13
And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
Verse 13. - And he hardened Pharaoh's heart. Rather, "But Pharaoh's heart was hard." The verb employed is not active, but neuter; and "his heart" is not the accusative, but the nominative. Pharaoh's heart was too hard for the sign to make much impression on it. He did not see that Moses had done much more than his own magicians could do. As the Lord had said. See ver. 4.
