Exodus 7:14-25 NKJV
14 So the Lord said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear! 17 Thus says the Lord: “By this you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood. 18 And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river.” ’ ”
19 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.’ ” 20 And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21 The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
22 Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said. 23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this. 24 So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river. 25 And seven days passed after the Lord had struck the river.
Pharaoh is such a thorough example of the unwise sternness of man’s pride! To not gain an understanding of how great and mighty God is to be feared, and to arrogantly walk away unfazed by Moses’ words is, honestly, just astounding. After the plague of blood is carried out, Holy Scripture states: “And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this.” (vs. 23) Pharaoh preferred to heed the acts of his sorcerers, who wove a mist before his eyes. Oh, how a majority, sadly, continue to fall for this mystic thinking through the centuries, to today, and will up unto the Last Day.
But this is not shocking to God, for He knew Pharaoh’s heart and plans (as He does everyone’s). Listen to the way Valerius Herberger, (an early Lutheran theologian from the 16th & 17th centuries) brings this to light:
“Who would dare say that God does not know all things? History proves it with sun-like clarity. God knew Pharaoh’s heart, mind, attitude, thoughts, plans, and aspirations. He knew when Pharaoh went out to the water. He had all his steps surrounded. Therefore stubborn, pharaonic hearts should take heed. God sees their sinister deeds with accuracy and precision. He will certainly put them to shame. We, on the other hand, may take comfort in God’s omniscience and defy our foes to draw one step closer to us than God permits. Let them be mighty, fierce, and cunning. Pharaoh too was all of these, but God thwarted his plans. What good is it for us to be told of God’s omnipotence, wisdom, and grace if we refuse to trust in them? To fear the strength and shrewdness of man more than the omniscience and wisdom of God is a faith not Christian but worse than the Turk’s.” (The Great Works of God, parts Five and Six, translation. by Matthew Carver, pg. 125, CPH)
Let us pray: Gracious, heavenly Father, kill our pride and grant us a steadfast, rightly focused faith, that we may not doubt but be brought to take comfort in Your omnipotence and wisdom against all the gates of hell. Amen.