After Moses voiced his frustrations to God (which only exposed his lack of faith brought on by interpreting God’s words), God responded by reminding him of the promise to redeem the Israelites. He reassured Moses that he would soon witness God’s power in leading the Israelites out of Egypt. God also reminded Moses of how He had led his ancestors but also emphasized that He had not revealed Himself to them in the same way He had to Moses.
I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself fully known to them. – Exodus 6:3 (NIV)
When God says He had not revealed Himself to the ancestors (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) in the same way as He had to Moses, He is emphasizing a deeper and more personal revelation. To the patriarchs, God was known as God Almighty (El Shaddai), but to Moses, He revealed Himself as the LORD (Yahweh). This signifies a more intimate understanding of God’s nature and His covenantal promises. Perhaps God was letting Moses know that they were about to witness His power and faithfulness in an entirely new and unprecedented way as He led them out of Egypt. While Abraham was given the promise, Moses would be the one to see it fulfilled.
Unable to Listen to the Voice of God
God instructed Moses to speak to the Israelites on His behalf and reassure them of His promise to deliver them from Egyptian bondage. God told Moses to convey that He, the LORD, would free them from slavery with mighty acts of judgment and take them as His own people. He promised to bring them to the land He swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Israelites ignored Moses because they were discouraged, as they were still facing the consequences of the last intervention by Moses.
Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor. – Exodus 6:9 (NIV)
When we face the pressures of life, we don’t want to listen to anyone, even to the voice of God. The psalm written by the sons of Korah gives us the advice we need during such times: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). In times of stress, the best approach is to remain calm and trust in God. This sense of peace and trust can only come from a deep-rooted, genuine faith. It requires us to pause, quiet our minds, and seek solace in the belief that God is in control. Whether we choose to remain calm and allow God to work in our lives, or exhaust ourselves trying every possible solution before finally surrendering to stillness, we ultimately realize that our help comes only from the LORD.
God instructed Moses to go to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and demand the release of the Israelites. Moses expressed his doubts, questioning why Pharaoh would listen to him when even the Israelites wouldn’t, citing his faltering speech. God reassured Moses, asserting His identity as the LORD, and commanded Moses to relay His message to Pharaoh. In front of Pharaoh, Moses would seem like God (or a proxy for Yahweh) with Aaron being his prophet. God forewarned that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart, ensuring he wouldn’t listen until God demonstrated His power through mighty acts of judgment. Moses and Aaron obeyed God’s commands, confronting Pharaoh as directed. At this time, Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three.
Snakes in the Palace
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle, ’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.” – Exodus 7:8-9 (NIV)
Aaron and Moses did as the LORD commanded, and the staff turned into a snake. The word for snake in the original Hebrew text is ambiguous and could mean a larger reptile similar to a crocodile. Pharaoh, however, called his own magicians, who replicated the feat with their secret arts, each of their staffs also becoming a snake (or a larger reptile). However, Aaron’s staff swallowed theirs. Despite witnessing this, Pharaoh remained stubborn and refused to listen, fulfilling the LORD’s warning.
The magicians in Pharaoh’s court mimicked the miracle of the staff turning into a snake through deceptive arts, intended to rival God’s power and mislead Pharaoh and his people. This act illustrates how, when God reveals signs to guide people toward truth, satan often presents counterfeit miracles to create confusion and keep people spiritually enslaved. However, Aaron’s snake swallowing the magicians’ snakes demonstrated God’s absolute authority, showing that His miracles were aimed at freeing the Israelites, while the magicians sought to maintain their bondage—mirroring satan’s intent to keep mankind in chains. We too, can be deceived by “wolves in sheep’s clothing” if we focus solely on immediate relief rather than the lasting purpose behind actions. It’s crucial to discern the true direction a sign or teaching leads us: if it draws us closer to God, it aligns with His purpose, as satan’s goal is always to divert us from God, not draw us nearer.
Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said. – Exodus 7:13 (NIV)
Pharaoh’s heart was hardened after witnessing the miraculous signs because, although he saw the power of God, several factors contributed to his resistance. First, God had foretold this hardening of Pharaoh’s heart as part of the divine plan, suggesting that his stubbornness served a larger purpose in revealing God’s power. Additionally, when Pharaoh’s own magicians were able to replicate the miracle, even if to a lesser degree, it diminished the impact of the original sign, leading Pharaoh to rationalize or dismiss it rather than surrender to its authority.
At the end of a heated sermon, despite a powerful message that challenges and “cuts” to the heart, a dismissive or irrelevant question from someone might undermine the message and cause listeners to reject the main point that they need to understand completely. Similarly, Pharaoh’s skepticism was reinforced by these distractions from Satan, leading him to follow his heart’s desire and reject God’s message of warning.
There Will Be Blood
God commanded Moses to confront Pharaoh at the River Nile and demand the release of the Israelites to worship in the wilderness. This confrontation held deep significance for Moses, as he had been found on the banks of this very river as a baby; now, he was returning to challenge the Egyptian king at that same location, carrying God’s warning. Taking the staff that had once turned into a snake, Moses was to warn Pharaoh that if he continued to refuse, God would strike the Nile, turning its waters to blood. Such an act would devastate Egypt: the Nile was its lifeblood, essential for food, water, and trade, and any threat to it would strike at the core of Egyptian civilization. If the river were to be tainted, not only would the fish die and the water become undrinkable, but Pharaoh’s authority would also be shaken, as his people would likely blame him for the disaster affecting their most vital resource.
God instructed Moses to have Aaron stretch out his staff over all the waters of Egypt, turning them to blood. Aaron obeyed, and as he struck the Nile, all the water throughout Egypt, from rivers to reservoirs, turned to blood. The fish died, and the river became foul, leaving the Egyptians unable to drink from it. Despite this miracle, Pharaoh’s magicians replicated the act through their own arts, which hardened Pharaoh’s heart. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, ignoring the severity of the plague. Desperate for water, the Egyptians began digging along the Nile for drinkable sources.
And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river. – Exodus 7:24 (NIV)
Perhaps digging along the Nile provided the people with new sources of water, but God had been clear that the curse extended to all water sources, even those stored in containers. How, then, could people drink that water? The simplest explanation is that, over time, they learned to live with the polluted water, having no other choice and gradually becoming accustomed to it. Today, in modern cities with heavy greenhouse emissions, people adapt in similar ways, wearing masks and replacing air filters in their cars and homes to cope with the situation. In towns near chemical factories, residents often grow used to the constant stench in the air. Rather than changing our lifestyle, we adapt to the ailments caused by this exposure.
Rather than yielding to God’s warnings, Pharaoh ignored the plague, and his people learned to live with its consequences. Jesus came to free us from our sins, but tragically, like Pharaoh, we have hardened our hearts to His cleansing power and instead have learned to live with the sin polluting our souls. Rather than changing our ways, we allow our souls to be corrupted, day by day, by the polluted “air” around us. Let us not wait for difficult times to seek God’s help; instead, let us invite Him to work in our lives now, guiding us back to Him each day.
Discussion Questions
- In what unique way did God reveal Himself to Moses compared to His encounters with Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac?
- When we face intense pressure, it can be challenging to hear anyone, including God. How can we remain receptive to His voice during such moments?
- How did Pharaoh’s magicians replicate the miracle of the staff turning into a serpent?
- Why did Pharaoh’s heart remain hardened despite witnessing such a powerful sign?
- How were people able to consume the polluted water of the Nile?
The Jordan Valley 
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