The Anticipation of Evacuation: Plagues

Transcription

1 The Anticipation of Evacuation: Plagues Summary and Goal In an effort to demonstrate God s sovereign rule and the hardness of Pharaoh s heart, God allowed nine plagues, with each plague representing an idol the Egyptians worshiped. God will confront whatever you worship other than Him. Main Passages Exodus 7:1-13 Session Outline 1. The Role for Moses and Aaron in the Plagues (Exodus 7:1-2) 2. God s Role in the Plagues (Exodus 7:3-5) 3. The Roles at Work in the First Sign (Exodus 7:6-13) Theological Theme The plagues demonstrate God s power over all things. Christ Connection Just as God s might on display in the plagues brought both judgment for Egypt and deliverance for Israel, God s might on display in the atoning work of Christ redeems His people and brings judgment on those who harden their hearts. Missional Application Believers must live and speak as testimonies to God s ability and desire to deliver those who do not harden their hearts toward Him. 87 Leader Guide

2 Historical Context of Exodus Purpose To record the events of Israel s deliverance from Egypt and development as a nation Author Moses Date Written B.C., approximately the same as Genesis Where Written In the desert during Israel s wanderings, somewhere in the Sinai peninsula Setting Egypt. God s people, once highly favored in the land, are now slaves. God is about to set them free. Key Verses 7 Then the Lord said, I have observed the misery of My people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I know about their sufferings Therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. Exodus 3:7,10 Key People Moses, Miriam, Pharaoh, Pharaoh s daughter, Jethro, Aaron, Joshua, Bezalel Key Places Egypt, Goshen, Nile River, Midian, Red Sea, Sinai Peninsula, Mount Sinai Special Features Exodus relates more miracles than any other Old Testament book and is noted for containing the Ten Commandments. Date of My Bible Study: 88

3 7 For Further Discussion Why do you think accounts of such destructive events hold such a draw for us? Do you share that draw? For Further Discussion When you consider the conditions of such a powerful event, where do you perceive God in the midst of it? What impression does it give you of Him? Session Plan The Anticipation of Evacuation: Plagues Introduction Describe a moment in your journey with God when you felt overwhelmed by His presence with you. In that moment, how did God compare to the other people or things in life to which you attribute value? This week s passage marks the beginning of the plagues that led to Pharaoh s release of Israel. The plagues were horrific and increased in severity as they progressed. However, there was nothing random about them. The specific forms the plagues took were reflections of the religious life of Egypt. Each of the plagues demonstrated, with increasing clarity, God s sovereignty over the impotent pantheon of gods that the Egyptians worshipped. All of this would demonstrate with irrefutable force that Yahweh was not just the God of the Israelites, but sovereign over all. 1. The Role for Moses and Aaron in the Plagues (Exodus 7:1-2) God reminded Moses that the power came from God, not Moses abilities. To further cement that point, God more specifically indicated Aaron s crucial role in communicating to Pharaoh. God was establishing a chain of communication to Pharaoh so that, through Moses and Aaron, Pharaoh would have an increasingly powerful understanding of who Yahweh was. That chain of communication would model the manner in which God spoke to Moses and sent him to Pharaoh. God could have chosen a limitless number of ways to free His people. What does it indicate that He repeatedly used Moses and Aaron? What does that mean about the way He wants to use you today? Moses was to communicate the words that God gave him. What is the best way for believers to know God s Word today? How do you apply that in your daily life? 89 Leader Guide

4 2. God s Role in the Plagues (Exodus 7:3-5) As God explained His role in the coming plagues, part of that role would be the hardening of Pharaoh s heart. This can be a difficult thing to understand. Why would God intentionally harden Pharaoh s heart so that His will is rejected, causing Israel to remain in slavery even longer? It is critical, at this juncture, to understand that the highest priority in this series of events is God s glory. So when God said that He would harden Pharaoh s heart and multiply My signs and wonders, the reason was so that His glory would be magnificently evident to everyone in Egypt. How does repeatedly needing God s help in a similar situation drive home the reality of His presence and might? How is it different from only experiencing a situation once? Describe an aspect of your spiritual growth that God has brought about in your journey with Him through repeated need or desperation? How often do you tell others of your experiences? Why is it important to do so? 3. The Roles at Work in the First Sign (Exodus 7:6-13) Exodus 7:6-13 describe the first sign. This event was an introduction to the coming plagues in that they both use the same medium to emphasize God s presence: the supernatural miracle. The sign, initially given to Moses, was that the staff (this time Aaron s), thrown to the ground, would become a living snake. The power of Yahweh through Moses and Aaron overcame the matched miracle when Aaron s rod devoured those of the sorcerers. Even in light of the incredible spectacle, Pharaoh remained unconvinced, opening the door to the coming ten plagues through which God would deliver His people. What impact do you think God s foretelling of the events of their meeting with Pharaoh had on Moses and Aaron? How often do you consider the events of your life from the perspective of God s omniscience (all-knowing)? Why do you think it was important for Moses and Aaron to each have a part in the events of the signs and plagues? Conclusion Read Romans 6: How would you explain the difference between being enslaved to sin and the things of the world and being a slave of Christ? For Further Discussion Who in your life helps your heart remain humble toward the Lord, instead of experiencing the hardhearted stubbornness in our passage? Do they have permission to ask you difficult questions? How often does that happen? What ways have you found to be most effective at keeping the things that would seek to enslave you at bay? What do you see that lures you the most? Session 7 90

5 Expanded Session Content 7 Pharaoh s Land In outlining, once again, how the communication from God to Pharaoh would pass through Moses and Aaron, God described Egypt as Pharaoh s land. Referring to Egypt in this way, which happens multiple times in Exodus, underscored the fact that Egypt was not home to Moses or the Israelites. The distinction is important because, after 430 years of slavery, the Israelites had never known another home. Even more so, Moses was raised in the palace. The reason the underscoring is necessary is because it ties all of what is happening to the Israelites in Egypt to the covenant given to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14: Know this for certain: Your offspring will be foreigners in a land that does not belong to them; they will be enslaved and oppressed 400 years. However, I will judge the nation they serve, and afterward they will go out with many possessions. The Anticipation of Evacuation: Plagues Introduction There is an odd fascination in our culture with natural disasters. We see the evidence of it in a variety of ways, but perhaps it is most noticeable in our media. From television programming documenting storm chasers and telling the stories of survivors of horrific disasters, to the proliferation of movies about cataclysmic, end-of-the-world events, our culture is fixated on the unthinkable and how to survive it. We have board games challenging players to survive the worst-case scenarios, and even zombie apocalypse is a part of our culture s glossary. As gruesome and harrowing as all of these offerings can be, the reality is that the depiction of these events is actually quite tame in comparison to the horror and panic of the events that occurred in Egypt thousands of years ago. When we see movies of volcanic eruptions that threaten the globe, tsunamis, epidemic disease outbreak and the like, there is a part of us that wonders what it would be like to have to endure such tragedies. However, when we read the account of what it took for Israel to be set free, it s difficult not to tremble in the wake of the power of the Almighty. Why do you think accounts of such destructive events hold such a draw for us? Do you share that draw? When you consider the conditions of such a powerful event, where do you perceive God in the midst of it? What impression does it give you of Him? Describe a moment in your journey with God when you felt overwhelmed by His presence with you. In that moment, how did God compare to the other people or things in life to which you attribute value? Session Summary This week s passage marks the beginning of the plagues that led to Pharaoh s release of Israel. The plagues were horrific and increased in severity as they progressed. However, there was nothing random about them. The specific forms the plagues took were reflections of the religious life of Egypt. Each of 91 Leader Guide

6 the plagues demonstrated, with increasing clarity, God s sovereignty over the impotent pantheon of gods that the Egyptians worshipped. In this section, God laid out the specific ways that He desired for Moses and Aaron to be a part of what He was doing to liberate His people. He also made it clear what He would do as a result, so that Moses and Aaron knew what to expect. All of this would demonstrate with irrefutable force that Yahweh was not just the God of the Israelites, but sovereign over all. 1. The Role for Moses and Aaron in the Plagues (Exodus 7:1-2) The opening of chapter 7 makes it clear that God was responding to Moses. His response was, once again, to Moses complaining of his lack of speaking ability. Moses had reverted to focusing on his own limitations in carrying out the monumental task of liberating Israel. In His response, God reminded Moses that the power came from God, not Moses abilities. To further cement that point, God more specifically indicated Aaron s crucial role in communicating to Pharaoh. The description of Moses and Aaron s roles can be difficult to understand, given that God told Moses that He would make Moses like God to Pharaoh. In addition, Aaron was to be like a prophet to him. God was establishing a chain of communication to Pharaoh so that, through Moses and Aaron, Pharaoh would have an increasingly powerful understanding of who Yahweh was. That chain of communication would model the manner in which God spoke to Moses and sent him to Pharaoh. God could have chosen a limitless number of ways to free His people. What does it indicate that He repeatedly used Moses and Aaron? What does that mean about the way He wants to use you today? Moses was to communicate the words that God gave him. What is the best way for believers to know God s Word today? How do you apply that in your daily life? In Context The first five verses of chapter 7 serve a two-fold purpose in the narrative of Exodus. They are both summative and predictive. While recapping the interactions thus far between Moses, and in some instances Aaron, so as to bring the reader to a flush understanding of the redemptive work of God, the verses are also preparatory. In verses 3-5 God explains why there will be such a piling up of signs and wonders as the text literally indicates. Those verses, then, prepare the reader to read the horrific details of the coming plagues, armed already with the answer to why such a lengthy season of judgment was needed and how Pharaoh could possibly be so stubbornly recalcitrant. The reiteration of Moses and Aaron s roles was to prepare them for what was to come. Specifically, as the plagues unfolded, an incredible and repeated obstinance would characterize Pharaoh. While Pharaoh continually refused to yield to Yahweh, Moses and Aaron would encounter repeated rejection as Yahweh s emissaries. 2. God s Role in the Plagues (Exodus 7:3-5) As God explained His role in the coming plagues, part of that role would be the hardening of Pharaoh s heart. This can be a difficult thing to understand. Session 7 92

7 The Snake The Hebrew word used for snake in Exodus 7 is a departure from the typical word used for snake. The word used can also be used in other parts of the Old Testament to describe a much larger creature. When Moses demonstrated this feat at his calling in Exodus 4:3, the word for snake was the more often used word that indicates what we would consider a snake. In this passage, with Aaron s rod, the word is generally translated snake but [the term] occurs in the OT a dozen times and refers in most of these occurrences to a reptile of terrifying size, a sea-monster, even a dragon. (John Durham, Word Biblical Commentary on Exodus) The serpent intended, then, was one of terrifyingly enormous size. Why would God intentionally harden Pharaoh s heart so that His will is rejected, causing Israel to remain in slavery even longer? It is critical, at this juncture, to understand that the highest priority in this series of events is God s glory. So when God said that He would harden Pharaoh s heart and multiply My signs and wonders, the reason was so that His glory would be magnificently evident to everyone in Egypt. Precisely because Pharaoh would not listen, Egypt would receive eleven signs of God s might. While the English Bible speaks of ten plagues, the reality is that the initial sign happened prior to the plagues, as discussed below. As scholar John Durham explains, Thus Yahweh is orchestrating, in a combination of opposing and unlikely forces, a deliverance that will above all be a proof of his active Presence. A reluctant Moses, an unbelieving Pharaoh, a crushed and dispirited Israel, a proud and ruling Egyptian people, a non-nation against the greatest of nations, are brought together, and the opposing sides are set still more firmly in their respective ways so that Yahweh s presence is unquestionably established. How does repeatedly needing God s help in a similar situation drive home the reality of His presence and might? How is it different from only experiencing a situation once? Describe an aspect of your spiritual growth that God has brought about in your journey with Him through repeated need or desperation? How often do you tell others of your experiences? Why is it important to do so? The repeating of the anthropomorphism, My Hand in verses 4-5 reemphasizes (as also occurred in Exodus 6:1) the singular source of power in the series of signs and plagues that were soon to befall Egypt. The point was clear: no one, especially Moses and or Aaron, was to take credit for the delivery of the people of Israel, save God alone. Only His power and His covenantal favor would deliver Israel. Any power of word or deed exhibited by Moses and Aaron was to be understood as originating from God, using Moses and Aaron as tools. Likewise, Pharaoh was also to be used as a tool. His repeated stubbornness would be the instrument that God would use to thoroughly judge Egypt. The role of judgment in the plagues must not be overlooked. The plagues were not merely to convince Pharaoh to let the people go; rather, the plagues were also to judge the Egyptians for their torturous treatment of God s people and their pagan idolatry. The Egyptians idolatry would include, as we find out in the sign of the rods turning into snakes, occult practices. 93 Leader Guide

8 3. The Roles at Work in the First Sign (Exodus 7:6-13) After a brief description of Moses and Aaron s ages at the time of their obedience, Exodus 7:6-13 describe the first sign. Once again, God demonstrated His omniscience by revealing to Moses and Aaron exactly how their next meeting with Pharaoh would play out. Specifically, God prepared them to respond when Pharaoh asked them for a sign to validate their words to him. It is important to realize that when the sign, which God had given to Moses at his calling in Exodus 3-4, was executed, it was Aaron that did so, not Moses. That often-overlooked fact is important because it emphasizes how intentional God was to decentralize Moses in the deliverance of His people, so that no one be tempted to give him sole credit. This event was an introduction to the coming plagues in that they both use the same medium to emphasize God s presence: the supernatural miracle. The sign, initially given to Moses, was that the staff (this time Aaron s), thrown to the ground, would become a living snake. In a telling response, Pharaoh invited his best men to match the sign, which they did. What impact do you think God s foretelling of the events of their meeting with Pharaoh had on Moses and Aaron? How often do you consider the events of your life from the perspective of God s omniscience (all-knowing)? Why do you think it was important for Moses and Aaron to each have a part in the events of the signs and plagues? The entire point of this particular section of the events concerning the plagues is the miraculous works performed by Yahweh. Many times when this passage is summarized, the note about the magicians and sorcerers of Pharaoh duplicating the miracle is overlooked. The text is particularly careful to identify that this was done, by their occult practices. This sinister description gives important insight into the religious darkness of Egypt. In a moment in which the drama of the event seemed thwarted by Moses and Aaron s miracle being duplicated by occultic sorcery, God once again had the victorious last word. Verses feature a shocking juxtaposition. First, the power of Yahweh through Moses and Aaron overcame the matched miracle when Aaron s rod devoured those of the sorcerers. Instead of God s power being matched, His supremacy was demonstrated in a final way. Second, even in light of the incredible spectacle, Pharaoh remained unconvinced, opening the door to the coming ten plagues through which God would deliver His people. Yahweh s Superiority The effects of Satan in the world are not often specifically mentioned in the Old Testament, with a few notable exceptions (the Garden of Eden, the testing of Job, and inciting David to take a census of his fighting men). Other than those instances, there are only hints of the enemy s work. So here, with the repeated qualifier that the methods of the sorcerers were occult practices, does the reader get a sense of the real spiritual battle that was occurring. To that end, it is helpful to note that the shape of the plagues was based on the occultic pantheon of gods that the Egyptians worshipped. While an exhaustive list would exceed the parameters of this study, the first plague of the water turning to blood was a refutation of the God of the Nile, Osiris, whose blood was believed to be the Nile. The second plague of frogs was a refutation of the Egyptian goddess of fertility Hapi, whose depiction included the face of a frog. There are corresponding gods for each of the plagues, all to demonstrate Yahweh s irrefutable superiority. Session 7 94

9 The Sorcerers As the plagues progress, the sorcerers of Pharaoh would match the effects of the first two plagues (water turning to blood and the plague of frogs). However, two things should be carefully noted. First, as the plagues increased in severity, the sorcerers were found to be powerless to match the miracles of God, beginning with the third plague of gnats. Second, even when the sorcerers were able to duplicate the effects, they were powerless to change or refute the effects of God s miracles. In other words, they were not able to turn the blood back into drinkable water. They were no less able to get rid of the frogs, but only to add more. They could not undo what God did they could only imitate His decreed will. Conclusion In this section that serves as a prologue to the ten plagues, God demonstrated His unrivaled sovereignty. As the plagues unfolded, God showed the most prominent gods in Egypt the most prominent of which was Pharaoh to be fraudulent and devoid of power in His presence. God was also careful to make sure that Moses and Aaron were not in a place to take credit for any of the marvelous works performed to lead to the liberation of His people. The cases were different: Pharaoh positioned himself as an enemy of God, and Moses and Aaron were learning to be obedient and humble. But the tendency for humanity to take credit for things that would bring them acclaim is not to be underestimated. Of greatest importance, God s glory was to go forth and be experientially known throughout Egypt. This was true whether the experience of His glory meant salvation (Israel), or judgment (Egypt). God would tolerate nothing usurping the glory that was rightfully His. Because God does not change, this is equally true today. Our culture is no less littered with idols than Egypt s was in the day of Moses. Every direction we turn in, something is desperately trying to take the rightful place of God as the sole authority and object of worship in our lives. The variety of idols is limited only to the number of people in the world (not much of a limit). Perhaps the most common fall in the categories of family, wealth, education, power, sex, and technology; that is not to say they are the only ones, though. When left unchecked, any of them can enslave us to their merciless seduction and false claim to provide significance. God would not tolerate His people, living in a land that was not their own, being enslaved to Egypt. God takes our enslavement no less seriously. Jesus came to free us from enslaving sin: Jesus desired our freedom so that we may experience the glory of God for ourselves and no longer be satisfied with sinful counterfeits of His glory. Read Romans 6: How would you explain the difference between being enslaved to sin and the things of the world and being a slave of Christ? What ways have you found to be most effective at keeping the things that would seek to enslave you at bay? What do you see that lures you the most? Who in your life helps your heart remain humble toward the Lord, instead of experiencing the hard-hearted stubbornness in our passage? Do they have permission to ask you difficult questions? How often does that happen? 95 Leader Guide

10 Prayer of Response Pray that God would lead us away from those things that would entice us with empty promises of significance and satisfaction. Ask the Holy Spirit to remind those in your group daily of God s great love for them and His rightful claim to their worship. Additional Resources We Become What we Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry by G. K. Beale Identity and Idolatry: The Image of God and its Inversion by Richard Lints Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller For Next Week Session Title --The Means of Evacuation: Passover Main Passages --Exodus 12:1-16 Session Outline 1. Preparing and Eating the Passover (Exodus 12:1-11) 2. The Passover as Salvation from Judgment (Exodus 12:12-13) 3. The Passover as a Reminder (Exodus 12:14-16) Memorize 12 Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron s staff swallowed their staffs. 13 However, Pharaoh s heart hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said. Exodus 7:12-13 Session 7 96

11 Extended Commentary Exodus 7:1-13 7:1-2 This is also summative material, essentially repeating the main concepts, in somewhat different words, of 4: The largest difference is that in contrast to 4:14-16 the emphasis here is not on Aaron s speaking to the people (4:16) but to Pharaoh, and the goal is not merely to get the people to accept God s plan but to get the king to do Yahweh s will. The purpose of these words was, once again, to remove from Moses any reason for resistance. As we have already noted, Moses would, in the event, actually do most of the talking; but the promise that Aaron could be the spokesperson was a reassurance that took away the ground of Moses pro forma objection about his speaking skill. The reference to Egypt as his country, that is, Pharaoh s country, is not new: it occurred in 6:1, 11 and occurs again in 11:10, always in the exact wording out of his country. It is only a detail of diction in the narrative, but it underscores the fact that Moses and the Israelites were to think of Egypt as someone else s country, not theirs. Your land is the term given to Canaan, the land of Israel s promise in Exodus (23:26, 33; 34:24) and thereafter repeatedly in the Pentateuch. 7:3-6 These verses also contain much that is summative. In v. 3 the prediction of the hardening of Pharaoh s heart recalls 4:21 (q.v.), and although the use of the expression signs and wonders is new here to Exodus, the empowerment of Moses and Aaron with proof signs had already appeared as a significant theme (4:9, 17-18, 30), and the promise of wonders in 3:20 and 4:21 uses much of the same language as appears here. What is somewhat new in v. 3 is the intention of God to multiply his signs and wonders an adumbration of the multiple plagues that will successively humiliate Egypt and her gods and increasingly demonstrate that Yahweh alone controls the supernatural world. The concept of mighty acts of judgment in v. 4 recalls 6:6, and departure by armies (NIV divisions ) recalls 6:26. God s designation of the Israelites as my people has been seen already in 3:7, 10; 5:1; 6:7. 97 Leader Guide Verse 5 contains something of a transformation of a previously encountered theme. In 6:7 ( then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians ) God predicted a promise fulfillment in the sense of the Israelites eventually realizing who he really was and how great was his power. Now that language is applied to the Egyptians. It is one thing when a people acknowledges the greatness of their own God. It is yet another when grudgingly yet inescapably a pagan people acknowledges the supremacy of a god they previously had never even heard of. The remainder of v. 5 closely links to what was already said in 3:20. Our repeatedly calling attention to ways in which the language of the present passage relates to what has already been introduced in the narrative should not be misunderstood. These are all great themes, and the fact that they are

12 repeated here does not diminish their significance but rather enhances it. The current passage is a powerful review of the truly big issues the very opposite of a needless tautology. 7:6-7 It is possible that v. 6 is referring only to the past, that is, to the fact that Moses and Aaron had, in their one encounter with Pharaoh so far (5:1-5), been fully faithful in delivering God s message to Pharaoh. It is even more likely, however, that both vv. 6 and 7 are intended to lead into the entire set of stories that describe encounters with Pharaoh, especially in light of the immediately following account (7:8-13) in which v. 10 once again says that Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded referring to their overall faithfulness during the remainder of their service in Egypt. That is, because v. 7 describes their ages when they spoke to Pharaoh, and since they spoke to Pharaoh on many subsequent occasions, we take these verses as programmatic for the entire following set of encounters with Pharaoh, namely chaps The figure given for Moses age is confirmed by Deut 34:7, Moses death coming forty years later than the present events, at age one hundred and twenty. That Aaron was the older brother is confirmed in part by the (culturally proper) precedence given to Aaron within the genealogy (6:20) and as well in its wrap-up sentence (6:26). Aaron s age at death is given in Num 33:39 ( Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old wheb he died on Mount Hor ), a figure that is, again, consistent with what is stated here. That Aaron s death (Cf. also Num 10:28; Deut 10:6) and Miriam s death (Num 20:1) came somewhat before that of Moses is also consistent with the evidence that they were the older siblings. 7:8-13 This account describes Aaron s enactment of one of the signs Moses had been given to convince the Israelites of his call from God (4:5, that they may believe ) and also one of the signs that would demonstrate God s power to Pharaoh (4:21, See that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do ). The text seems clearly to say, however, that the Egyptian magicians summoned by Pharaoh were able to duplicate this staff-to-snake miracle, and the reader may well wonder any of the following: What sort of miracle is it that can be duplicated by all the magicians ( each one, v. 12) in a group of pagans? Are we to assume that they too had supernatural powers? Or did God give Moses and Aaron nothing more than a simple magic trick (i.e., not a miracle at all) that other magicians could also perform? Was Satan perhaps helping the magicians; was that the source of their ability to replicate a miracle? Did God actually think that a low-quality miracle that was so easily replicated would convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go? Session 7 98

13 Four considerations provide the resolution to these questions. First, Moses and Aaron were not magicians. What God did through them was genuine turning a piece of wood into an animal. The Egyptians, on the other hand, were magicians, and the simplest reading of the text is one that assumes they imitated by magical deception what Aaron had done by divine power. For a Pharaoh eager not to be persuaded to believe in a foreigner s God, their ability to produce snakes from staffs (perhaps using boxes and curtains, in the usual manner of magicians doing substitution tricks) would be enough to allow him to follow his predilections and doubt Moses and Aaron and thus disregard their God. Second, the text states that the magicians accomplished their imitation by their secret arts ( trickery, v. 11) rather than by any sort of supernatural means or with the help of Satan or any other similar nonworldly mechanism. Third, the end of v. 12 states that Aaron s staff swallowed theirs, a performance they could not and apparently did not even try to duplicate. They were at that point trumped because a substitution trick is nothing compared to causing one snake to eat a group of other snakes. Clearly, the power of the God of Moses and Aaron was vastly superior to their ability. Fourth, it was God s purpose to start small. This preplague miraculous portent was intentionally a simple, small-scale miracle to test the will of Pharaoh and to show Moses and Aaron what they were up against. It was one thing to use these sorts of miracles to convince the Israelites (4:31); it was very much another to use them to convince Pharaoh. Egypt s king, as predicted (3:19; 4:21), was not going to be so easy to impress, and that fact was clearly part of the divine plan. Impressed though the Egyptian magicians themselves may actually have been once Aaron s rod ate theirs, Pharaoh, his mind made stubborn by God, now had an excuse for resisting, even if a lame one; he could for the time being content himself with the comforting belief that what Aaron had done was just a magic trick. Session 7 99