Pharaoh wasn't impressed with the first sign he was given: the staff turning into a snake. He still refuses to believe in or obey the Lord and let the people go. As a result of his wicked hard-heartedness, the first plague is about to fall upon Egypt.
"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Pharaoh's heart is unyielding; her refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river.'" (Exodus 7:14-15a) It sounds as if Pharaoh is in the habit of beginning each day by going down to the Nile. I think he does this as part of a pagan religious practice to honor or appeal to a god named Hapi who was believed to be the god who ruled over the Nile River. Hapi was credited by the ancient Egyptians for causing the Nile to flood every year and inundate the dry desert land to make the land fertile enough to support the growing of crops. Sometimes Hapi was depicted in paintings and statuary as being attended by groups of frogs, which is important to remember since the second plague upon Egypt will involve frogs. But we see Pharaoh going down to the Nile first thing in the morning, every morning, to perform some type of observance related to the god Hapi. But the God of Israel is about to show Pharaoh who is in charge of the Nile River! There is no Hapi to which to appeal, but there is a God who created all things and He is going to demonstrate His power over the Nile.
When Moses finds Pharaoh at the Nile he is to repeat his request to let the people go. The Lord says, "Confront him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. Then say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened." (Exodus 7:15b-16) The king is being presented with a fresh opportunity on this new day to do the right thing. While he stands beside the river that means life or death for Egypt (agriculturally speaking) he's presented with a choice by the God who gives life and who holds all power over all things. But the king doesn't feel any differently than he did yesterday. He's still unwilling to let the people go.
Moses continues, "This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in My hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.'" (Exodus 7:17-18) The king is being asked, "Is this really what you want for your people? All of Egypt depends on the Nile for agriculture and for the fishing industry. But its waters are about to be rendered unusable for a time. If you'll treat the Hebrew people right, your own people won't have to endure a time of distress. Your own people won't turn against you in their hearts and blame you for their hardships. I'm laying out for you everything that's about to go wrong with these waters if you continue to refuse to obey Me, but right here and now you have an opportunity to make everything go right."
When Moses wrote the book of Exodus he didn't mention anything Pharaoh says during the passage we're studying today. I wonder if that's because Pharaoh says nothing at all. I can't help picturing him standing there with his arms stubbornly crossed and his heart closed off to feeling any decency or compassion toward the Hebrews whom he's oppressing. I think he stands there with his head lifted high in pride, confident in the ability of his god Hapi to protect the waters of the Nile, confident in his own ability to maintain control over the land of Egypt.
Join us tomorrow when, upon Pharaoh's continued refusal to let the people go, the Lord follows through with the plague of blood.
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