[And He Walks With Me] Exodus 7
1 In Exodus 4:16, God said Moses would be as God to Aaron. Now, he says he has made [Moses] like God to Pharaoh. See note on Exodus 4:16 for the significance of this.
3 It is imperative to recognize that God often explains things based on where a person is in their own spiritual development, and this scene occurred very early in the process of progressive revelation. Thus, God’s full character was not yet revealed. Neither was the full scope of the spiritual realm. Consequently, Moses knew of the serpent that deceived Eve, but he did not yet fully understand the spiritual nature of our enemy, the devil; the ongoing conflict between the devil and God; or the magnitude of the devil’s influence in the world and upon people. Thus, from Moses’ perspective, it would seem that God would harden Pharaoh’s heart, and rather than try to explain the theological nuances which would be lost on Moses and his contemporaries, God simply went with it: I will harden Pharaoh’s heart. Over the next few chapters, however, it will become clear that Pharaoh initiated the hardening (e.g., 7:13, 22; 8:15, 32; 9:12, 34). God does not harden hearts that are not already hardened against him.
4-5 While Moses had no power in and of himself to back up the words he spoke, God here reiterated that he was about to act (see note on 6:1).
6 Complete obedience will become a critical theme throughout Exodus and the rest of the Pentateuch. It appears in Exodus 7:6, 20; 16:34; 36:5; 38:22; 39:43; Leviticus 8:34; Numbers 1:19; 2:34; 3:42, 51; 4:49; 8:20; 16:40; 17:11; 20:27; 27:11; 27:22; 31:31; 36:10. Other times, the reader is given an account of what God commanded followed by an account of how the command was obeyed. The theme is also picked up in Joshua as a way to show the continuity of faithfulness between Moses’ and Joshua’s generations. When Israel was completely obedient, they achieved unmitigated success. The slightest compromise, however, invariably led to failure.
7 Normally in ancient cultures, the eldest was given primacy. Moses’ supersession of his older brother, Aaron, however, continued a string of biblical examples which defied this norm. For example, God chose Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Judah and Joseph over Reuben. Other notable examples from later in Scripture would include David and Solomon.
10 In English, it would appear this is simply a repetition of the sign God gave Moses for Israel in 4:3, but in Hebrew, the words are different. In 4:3, the word was nāḥāš (לְנָחָשׁ – H5175). Notably, this was the same word used in Genesis 3:1 to describe the serpent which deceived Eve. This term was used of an ordinary snake which was relatively innocuous.[31] Here, however, the word used was tannîn (לְתַנִּין – H8577), meaning “dragon, serpent, sea monster” or “dinosaur.”[32] It may even refer to a crocodile.[33] Clearly, this is a much more sinister, powerful, intimidating figure. The use of such a creature may have doubled as an attack on one of the more prominent symbols of Egyptian power. In Egyptian lore, the god Apophis, an evil serpent, regularly attacked the sun-god Re and, if he was not defeated, would bring disaster.[34] So also, the goddess Wadjit was portrayed as an up-reared cobra who protected the delta region of Lower Egypt.[35] Therefore, to show that such a serpent obeyed Moses was a profound statement.
11-12 The same word is here used to describe the serpent which was Moses’ staff and the serpents conjured by the magicians of Egypt. Different scholars offer different ideas of how these magicians were able to accomplish this. However, the author was far more interested in how Moses’ serpent dominated the magicians’, even eating them.
13 In vs 3, God warned Moses he would harden Pharaoh’s heart, but here, Pharaoh’s heart already was hard. At some point, God may act to harden hearts or, as in 1 Timothy 4:2, sear consciences, but he will never initiate such things.
14-24 There are different theories concerning the mechanics of this first plague. Some suggest the water was not really turned to blood but affected by an algae bloom which made the water appear red, reduced the oxygen content of the water, and killed the fish. Because Egypt was so utterly dependent upon the Nile River for agriculture, drinking, etc., this would have been profoundly disruptive to the nation. Many Egyptian religious writings concern the Pharaoh’s responsibility to preserve maat, “a state of proper order and justice.” The disruption of the Nile and all Egypt would have been seen as a supernatural indicator that Pharaoh failed in this responsibility and some deity was angered.[36]
22 It is not revealed how the magicians of Egypt were able to reproduce this plague other than that it was by their occult practices. Neither does the account describe the scope of the magicians’ impact. Were they able to turn a vessel of water red? Did they make the entire river worse? Did they really do anything, or did they merely claim to have done something. It is interesting that, rather than fixing the Nile and restoring order, they instead reproduced the plague. At best, they claimed responsibility for something God already did. At worst, they compounded the trouble rather than fix it. There are many cheap substitutes for God in the world, but they will never fix problems. They may even make them worse.
[31] “H5175 – nāḥāš – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV)”, n.d.
[32] “H8577 – tannîn – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV)”, n.d.
[33] Keener and Zondervan 2016, Exodus 7:10
[34] Keener and Zondervan 2016, Exodus 7:10
[35] Keener and Zondervan 2016, Exodus 7:10
[36] Keener and Zondervan 2016, Exodus 7:20