"The Lord said to Moses, 'Tell Aaron,'Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt---over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs---and they will turn to blood.' Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone." (Exodus 7:19) The Egyptians worshiped gods of water, and we took a look at one of the Nile gods (Hapi) yesterday. The Lord is about to put the false gods of Egypt to shame and He begins with spoiling the river the king honors in worship every morning. Not only will the Nile turn to blood, but so will all the other water in Egypt, even water that's already been collected in buckets and jars. If an Egyptian placed a cup of water on his bedside table the night before, the water left in that cup is about to turn to blood.
"Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt." (Exodus 7:20-21) Some scientists believe what occurred in Egypt was a red algae bloom, also known as a "red tide". If you have time you might want to google some pictures of red algae blooms for an example of what the Nile may have looked like if this is what happened to it. The waters would have been the color of blood and the algae would have produced toxins resulting in the death of the fish. But whether all the waters literally turned to blood in Egypt or whether a red algae bloom occurred (causing the water to look like blood), something extraordinary is still happening here in Exodus 7. A red algae bloom in the Nile doesn't explain how every other water source in the land turns red as blood at the same time, including water that had already been collected in storage vessels in the homes. A lot of people would have brought jugs of water home the day before to use in the morning for bathing, cooking, or washing dishes. They would have collected pitchers of water for drinking during the night and in the morning. How does every drop of water turn red at the exact same time? Science falls short in providing an explanation. Something supernatural is clearly going on.
For further evidence that the water turns to blood by supernatural means, Pharaoh has to call on his occult practicians to produce similar results. He calls for the magicians to come out and engage in a showdown with Moses and Aaron. "But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts and Pharaoh's heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said." (Exodus 7:22) Where did the magicians obtain water that wasn't already affected? The Bible seems to indicate that only the water that was already above ground turned to blood: the waters flowing in the Nile and in streams, the waters in ponds, and the waters already collected in vessels. When we arrive at verse 24 we'll find the Egyptians digging for water to drink, which tells us that waters still underneath the ground were unaffected. This makes sense, for there's little point in the Lord turning unseen waters into blood. This plague had to be highly visible, all at once, in a dramatic fashion, to get the attention of Pharaoh and his officials.
Because Pharaoh's magicians are able to duplicate the plague on the waters, he dismisses the words of Moses and Aaron and goes on with his day. "Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart." (Exodus 7:23) Some of the commentaries I consulted suggested that if Pharaoh's magicians really wanted to produce a great sign they'd have undone what the Lord did. They'd have lifted the plague. But they can't. The only powers they have are the powers of darkness, and darkness can't make anything clean and pure. Darkness can only produce more darkness, more filth, more wickedness, more blood. If Pharaoh had really stopped to think about it, all his ministers of the occult did was compound the problem, not solve it. They turned more waters to blood in their attempt to say to Moses and Aaron, "See, our gods are just as great as your God. They are able to do the same things. Your God turned water to blood. So did our gods. Why should anyone listen to you or the God you serve?"
The king's own people are now forced into the hardship of digging new wells or digging deeper wells in order to obtain drinkable water. "And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river." (Exodus 7:24) Pharaoh has put them in this position by refusing to obey the Lord. He's hurting his own citizens with his stubborn rebellion. But he cares as little about that as he does about his cruelty toward the Hebrews. If his people have to suffer because of his pride, then they'll just have to suffer. He doesn't intend to budge an inch. He's insulated enough by his power and wealth at this time not to feel the effects of what has just happened. If Pharaoh or his family members want a drink of water, they'll be able to have it at no personal cost to themselves, for servants will be sent out to dig up fresh water for the king's household. Like many hard-hearted and wicked people, Pharaoh doesn't care about tragedies or hardships that don't affect him personally.
All the above-ground water remains bloody for a week before the Lord lifts the plague. "Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile." (Exodus 7:25) During that week I'm sure the citizens of Egypt wondered if the water would ever be drinkable again. Pharaoh must have wondered this himself. But still he does not relent.
No comments:
Post a Comment