Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"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 he goes 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 say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert. But until now you have not listened. This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.' " The Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs'-and they will turn to blood. Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in the wooden buckets and stone jars." Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt. But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh's heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river. Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile." Exodus 7:14-25
Moses and Aaron have just performed the first of what will be several magnificent acts of God intended to convince Pharoah to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt. You’ll recall that the staff of God was cast down in front of Pharoah and became a snake which then swallowed up all the other snakes that came from Pharoah’s wise men, sorcerers and magicians. Yet, despite what he witnessed, Pharoah refused to allow Israel free. So the Lord sends Moses and Aaron to show yet another sign of His Almighty Power, this time turning the Nile and all streams, canals, ponds, reservoirs…into blood. They were instructed to wait until Pharoah goes out into the water and then change it. So Moses and Aaron do just as God commanded and all the water in Egypt turned to blood.
Can you imagine this? Think of what it must have been like to have no water to drink…just blood. We also read where all the fish died. Water and fish, two life sustaining resources were now gone. Scripture also states that the waters and dead fish gave off a terrible stench. Indeed, death was in the air as Pharoah’s stubbornness had brought great suffering on his people. The blood of Israel, so harshly treated under Pharoah’s oppression, was now visible to all, represented in the bloody waters of Egypt.
Another important point to consider is that the Egyptians worshipped the Nile. They treated the river as a god and now their god was rendered useless by the true God. What once was full of life and promise was now full of death and destruction. And this is what happens to those who choose to worship false idols today as well. God always has the final word and exposes the powerless nature of any other purported power.
Well, despite the mighty sign that God had sent, we read where the "Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts" leading to Pharaoh's heart hardening once again. He "would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said" and "instead…went into his palace and did not take even this to heart." Just as Pharoah had been unimpressed by the staff turning into a snake and swallowing all the created snakes, neither was he impressed by the waters of blood. We’re told that his magicians were able to do the same thing but senses it was all a farce. If the magicians had true power, couldn’t they have turned the waters back into water from the blood. The truth of the matter was that the magician were just that…illusionists who could turn a good trick but did nothing of substance.
So Pharoah returned to his palace, no doubt where he had some clean water stashed away to drink. He need not be concerned about his people as long as he and his family were cared for. Such is the attitude of someone with a hardened heart.
Question: Do you know someone who has a hardened heart? Maybe you have had one at some time in your life. I know I have. A hardened heart refuses to allow you to love another. A hardened heart takes a person into a bad attitude about life. A hardened heart can create a selfish spirit…one with little or no compassion for the welfare of others. And a hardened heart can lead one to refuse to trust in the only one who can take their hardened heart away.
Pharoah’s hardened heart took away the life sustaining water needed by the Egyptian people. Our hardened heart today takes away Jesus from our life…the only One who can bring us life sustaining water…the only One who can quench our thirst for life and lead us to help others to the water as well. For we are doomed in death without the living water found in Christ Jesus. For Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." And the woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." (John 4:13-15)
Question: Where are you in your life today? Are you closer to Pharoah’s hardened heart and the bloody, death-filled, stenching waters of Egypt? Or have you found the living water of Jesus Christ…through which you will never thirst again…through which you will find eternal life? Come to Jesus who has just come to us in Bethlehem…and live forever. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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