Turing all the waters of Egypt into blood, especially that of River Nile, was the first sign God inflicted on Pharaoh and the Egyptians. More accurately, all the signs inflicted on the Egyptians were actually plagued. Because this word “plague” describes better the reason each one was sent. The word plague is derived from a Latin word that means a blow or wound. Every plague is a blow on the Egyptians. But we need to know that the real reason why the ten plagues were sent was not so much to torment the Egyptians but to demonstrate the superiority of the LORD God. Egypt’s eight major deities were grouped around three major natural forces – the River Nile, the land and the sky. Hence the first two plagues were intended to deal a blow on the Egyptian gods represented by the Nile. The next four plagues were against the gods of the land and the last four were against the gods of the sky. The final one of the plagues was the death of all the firstborn.
The first plague of turning the water of the River Nile into blood literally paralyzed the whole of Egypt. This river was the lifeline of everything in Egypt. It was not only their major transportation route but also their major source of food supply. The River Nile was also a key object of their worship. So, turning the water of the Nile into blood was an ingenious way of showing the power God had over the gods of Egypt. So, in Exodus 7:14-18, God said to Moses that “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go.” And ordered him saying, “Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he is going out to the water, and station yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile; and you shall take in your hand the staff that was turned into a serpent. You shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened until now.” Thus says the Lord, “By this, you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood. The fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become foul, and the Egyptians will find difficulty in drinking water from the Nile.”’” God wasn’t negotiating a deal, He was making a demand. Why not? He is the sovereign LORD. Remember the earth is His and everything therein belongs to Him.
Take note of verse 16, the one true reason for the redemption has always been for God’s own glory. He wanted a people that would worship Him and Him alone. Like the Israelites, we are all made to worship and serve God. The reason we exist is not to serve the world or for personal embellishment. Simply put, we exist to worship and serve God. It was two times already that Pharaoh had hardened his heart against God. He had considered himself as god and hence, it was hard for him to submit to the true God. Isn’t this true of us too? Know this also that like Pharaoh, whenever we are bent to do our will, we set ourselves up as our own god and doubtlessly will need to pay dearly for it ultimately. Let us worship the Lord our God and Him only shall we serve!
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