The
Egyptians had to suffer as a result of Pharaoh’s willful disobedience. God was
not just threatening Pharaoh, He meant business. So, in Exodus 7:20 we
read, “So Moses and Aaron did even as the Lord had commanded.
And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the
Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all
the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood. The fish
that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became foul so that the
Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all
the land of Egypt.” Moses finally came around and obediently did what he
was instructed. This teaches us that the sooner we obey God the sooner we will see
the accomplishment of His promise. Hence, if we want to see God’s plan being
fulfilled in our life, let us be quick to obey.
Without
a doubt, what happened was God’s judgment on Egypt. Blood was found everywhere
in Egypt. Every fish in the water died, rot and decomposed till the whole Nile
literally became putrefied. This was the first fatal judgment God had inflicted
on Egypt. Many who deny God had doubted this incidence. They even tried to explain
away this sign. But Psalm 78:44 and Psalm 105:29 affirm that this event
actually took place in history. Knowing how dependent on the Nile the
Egyptians were, it was understandable Egypt’s normal life was upset. The whole
nation was paralyzed. The whole land was devoid of water almost like a desert
without an oasis. The Egyptians used the Nile for transportation. With the
river becoming bloody, the use of this route was hampered. They also depended
on the water of the Nile to irrigate their land and with it becoming bloody,
this function became impossible. Soon crops would also die. Egypt literally
came to a standstill. More than just stopping the economy of the country,
Egypt’s gods of the river were defeated by this one judgment from Yahweh. It was
as if God was punishing their idolatry. In one stroke, the shortage of
water became so acute and the whole nation became a major disaster. It is clearly
shown that the gods of the Nile could not do a thing when it comes to dealing
with the Lord God Almighty. This again highlights the one important goal that we
all must go for in life. It is to know this true God and to worship and serve
Him alone.
Pharaoh’s
hardened heart would not bend to God despite the clear show of His hand. He got
his magicians to replicate the same thing. We are not told where they got the
water to turn into blood. But they did. One wonders how could they be so silly
to replicate the same thing that God through Moses and Aaron just did. Doesn’t
it make more sense for them, if they had the capacity to turn the blood back
into drinkable water? But obviously, they could not. This then shows us what a
blinded and stubborn heart would cause one to act foolishly. With the
magicians replicating the sign, Pharaoh’s heart became even more hardened. This
was permitted by God whose hand was working to cause the king to finally let
His people go.
This
episode shows us that worshiping other gods has its attending consequences. In
the same way ultimately, God will judge all who worship other gods. It behooves
us, therefore, to turn to the one true God and worship Him alone. Jeremiah
9:24 is a great verse to remember. And in it, the Lord is declaring His
desire for each of us: “…let him who boasts boast of this,
that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who
exercises loving-kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight
in these things.”
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