# Overview Exodus Chapter 7 marks the beginning of #Moses and #Aaron confronting #Pharaoh to demand the release of the #Israelites from #Egyptian bondage. #God speaks to Moses, reinforcing his divine appointment and assuring him of His authority by making Moses "like God" to Pharaoh, with Aaron as his prophet. The chapter emphasizes God's sovereignty and the hardening of Pharaoh's heart, foretelling the display of many signs and wonders to demonstrate God's power. This divine plan is meant to reveal to the Egyptians the identity of the Lord as the true God, contrasting the impotence of their own deities. Moses, at the age of eighty, and Aaron, eighty-three, obediently execute God’s commands, setting the stage for the forthcoming plagues that would lead to the deliverance of the Israelites. The narrative progresses with Moses and Aaron performing the first miraculous sign before Pharaoh: Aaron's staff turning into a serpent. Though Pharaoh's magicians replicate this feat through their secret arts, Aaron's staff swallows their staffs, symbolizing the superiority of God's power over Egyptian sorcery. Despite this demonstration, Pharaoh's heart remains hardened, fulfilling God's earlier warning. Subsequently, God instructs Moses to meet Pharaoh at the Nile River in the morning, where Aaron stretches out his staff over the waters, turning them into blood. This first plague results in a dire situation for the Egyptians as their primary water source becomes unusable, showcasing God's ability to control nature. Yet, Pharaoh's heart remains unyielded, setting the stage for further divine interventions. ## Theological Insights In #Exodus Chapter 7, the narrative of #Moses and #Aaron before #Pharaoh unfolds, highlighting several theological themes central to the #Exodus narrative. 1. **Divine Sovereignty and Authority**: This chapter emphasizes God's sovereignty over the natural world and His authority over human rulers. God instructs Moses and Aaron to perform signs before Pharaoh, beginning with Aaron's rod turning into a serpent. This act is a demonstration of God's power, contrasting His divine authority with Pharaoh's earthly power. The fact that the magicians of Egypt could replicate this sign, but Aaron's rod ultimately swallowing their rods (Exodus 7:12), serves as a powerful symbol of God's supreme authority and the futility of opposing His will. 2. **The Hardening of Pharaoh's Heart**: The hardening of Pharaoh's heart is a recurring theme throughout the plagues narrative. In Exodus 7:3, God explicitly states that He will harden Pharaoh's heart, which raises important theological questions about divine justice and human free will. This hardening serves to magnify God's power and glory as He delivers His people, showing that even the obstinance of human rulers cannot thwart His redemptive purposes. 3. **Judgment and Deliverance**: The plagues are not merely punitive but serve as acts of divine judgment against the gods of Egypt, demonstrating Yahweh's supremacy over all false deities. The first plague, turning the Nile into blood (Exodus 7:20), directly challenges the Egyptian belief in the Nile as a source of life and fertility, underscoring the truth that all life and sustenance ultimately come from the one true God. 4. **God's Faithfulness to His Covenant**: God's actions in Egypt should be viewed against the backdrop of His covenant promises to the patriarchs. In this chapter, God begins to fulfill His promise to deliver the Israelites from bondage, which reflects His faithfulness to the covenant made with #Abraham, #Isaac, and #Jacob. The plagues are part of God's strategy to compel Pharaoh to release the Israelites, fulfilling the promise of liberation and leading them towards the #PromisedLand. 5. **Human Agency in Divine Mission**: Moses and Aaron's obedience to God's commands highlights the role of human agency in God's redemptive plan. Despite Moses' earlier reluctance (Exodus 3-4), this chapter shows Moses and Aaron faithfully executing God's instructions, illustrating how human cooperation with divine will is crucial in the unfolding of God's purposes. This partnership between the divine and human agents serves as a template for understanding the role of believers in the mission of God throughout the scriptures. This chapter sets the stage for the subsequent plagues and the eventual deliverance of the Israelites, reinforcing God's power, the inevitability of His purposes, and His covenantal faithfulness to His chosen people. ## Thematic Connections ### Divine Authority and Sovereignty In #Exodus 7, the display of #God's power over #Pharaoh and the gods of #Egypt underscores the theme of divine authority and sovereignty. The transformation of #Aaron's rod into a serpent (Exodus 7:10) and the subsequent miracles performed by Moses and Aaron demonstrate God’s supreme power over creation and human rulers. This theme is echoed in other scriptures such as the plagues in [[Exodus/Exodus Chapter 12]], which further illustrate God's control over natural and supernatural events. ### Hardening of the Heart The repeated hardening of #Pharaoh’s heart in Exodus 7 (Exodus 7:3, 13, 22) introduces a theme that continues throughout the plagues narrative. This concept highlights the tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Similar themes are found in the New Testament, where individuals resist or accept divine revelation, as seen in the responses to Jesus’ ministry in [[John/John Chapter 12]]. ### Signs and Wonders as a Testament to God's Power The signs and wonders performed by #Moses and #Aaron serve as a testament to God's power and are a means of validating their divine mission (Exodus 7:9). This theme is comparable to the miracles performed by [[Jesus Christ (Multiple)|Jesus Christ]] in the New Testament, where signs and wonders confirm his divine authority and mission, as seen in [[John/John Chapter 2]]. ### Deliverance and Judgment Exodus 7 sets the stage for the unfolding narrative of deliverance and judgment. The plagues that begin with the turning of the Nile into blood (Exodus 7:20) are both acts of judgment against Egypt and steps towards the deliverance of the Israelites. This dual theme of deliverance and judgment is also evident in the story of the flood in [[Genesis/Genesis Chapter 7]], where God's judgment on wickedness leads to the preservation of #Noah and his family. ### The Role of Prophets Moses and Aaron's roles as God's messengers to Pharaoh emphasize the theme of prophetic ministry. Their obedience to God’s instructions and their role as mediators between God and Pharaoh parallels other prophetic figures in Scripture, such as #Elijah confronting #Ahab in [[1 Kings/1 Kings Chapter 18]] and #John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus in [[Matthew/Matthew Chapter 3]]. This theme highlights the importance of prophets in communicating God’s will and purpose to humanity. ## Prophetic Fulfillments ### The Sovereignty of God In Exodus 7, we see the fulfillment of God's promise to demonstrate His power over the gods of #Egypt and to deliver #Israel from bondage. This theme resonates with the prophecy given to #Abraham in [[Genesis/Genesis Chapter 15|Genesis 15:13-14]], where God foretold that his descendants would be enslaved in a foreign land but would eventually be delivered with great possessions. The unfolding events in Exodus 7 are a direct fulfillment of God's sovereign plan to redeem His people and establish His covenant with them. ### The Judgment of the Nations The plagues beginning in Exodus 7, starting with the turning of the Nile into blood, foreshadow the judgments prophesied to come upon the nations. This theme is later echoed in prophetic books such as [[Isaiah/Isaiah Chapter 13|Isaiah 13:9-13]] and [[Joel/Joel Chapter 3|Joel 3:19]], where God promises to execute judgment on the wicked and vindicate His people. The plagues serve as a profound demonstration of God's power over creation and His authority to judge nations, a theme that reverberates throughout biblical prophecy. ### The Role of the Mediator Moses and #Aaron's role as mediators between God and #Pharaoh foreshadows the prophetic role of Christ as the ultimate mediator. This is aligned with the prophecy in [[Deuteronomy/Deuteronomy Chapter 18|Deuteronomy 18:15]], where Moses speaks of a prophet like himself who will come. The mediating role of Moses and Aaron points to the greater fulfillment in Christ, who stands as the true mediator between God and humanity, as highlighted in the New Testament in [[Hebrews/Hebrews Chapter 9|Hebrews 9:15]]. ### The Hardening of Hearts The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, as seen in Exodus 7:3, reflects the prophetic elements seen in later scriptures where God allows human hearts to become hard as a demonstration of His justice and sovereignty. This theme is expounded upon in [[Isaiah/Isaiah Chapter 6|Isaiah 6:9-10]] and [[Romans/Romans Chapter 9|Romans 9:17-18]], illustrating God's control over the human heart to fulfill His purposes. The hardening of Pharaoh's heart serves as a precursor to the many instances where God uses the hardness of hearts to bring about His divine will and judgment. ### The Promise of Deliverance Exodus 7 sets the stage for the deliverance of Israel, fulfilling God’s promise to rescue His people. This deliverance is a precursor to the ultimate deliverance promised through the Messiah, as prophesied in [[Isaiah/Isaiah Chapter 53|Isaiah 53]] and realized in the New Testament through the life and work of Jesus Christ. The liberation from Egypt serves as a typology of the spiritual deliverance from sin and death, a central theme of God’s redemptive plan throughout Scripture. ## Verses - **Exodus 7:1** - "Then the Lord said to #Moses, 'Pay close attention to this. I will make you seem like God to #Pharaoh, and your brother #Aaron will be your prophet.'" - **Exodus 7:2** - "Tell #Aaron everything I command you, and #Aaron must command Pharaoh to let the people of #Israel leave his country." - **Exodus 7:3** - "But I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of #Egypt." - **Exodus 7:4** - "Even then Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will bring down my fist on #Egypt. Then I will rescue my forces—my people, the Israelites—from the land of #Egypt with great acts of judgment." - **Exodus 7:5** - "When I raise my powerful hand and bring out the Israelites, the #Egyptians will know that I am the Lord." - **Exodus 7:6** - "So #Moses and #Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded them." - **Exodus 7:7** - "Moses was eighty years old, and #Aaron was eighty-three when they made their demands to Pharaoh." - **Exodus 7:8** - "Then the Lord said to #Moses and #Aaron," - **Exodus 7:9** - "Pharaoh will demand, ‘Show me a miracle.’ When he does this, say to #Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh, and it will become a serpent.’" - **Exodus 7:10** - "So #Moses and #Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had commanded them. #Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent." - **Exodus 7:11** - "Then Pharaoh called in his own wise men and sorcerers, and these #Egyptian magicians did the same thing with their magic." - **Exodus 7:12** - "They threw down their staffs, which also became serpents! But then #Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs." - **Exodus 7:13** - "Pharaoh’s heart, however, remained hard. He still refused to listen, just as the Lord had predicted." - **Exodus 7:14** - "Then the Lord said to #Moses, 'Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn, and he still refuses to let the people go.'" - **Exodus 7:15** - "So go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes down to the river. Stand on the bank of the Nile and meet him there. Be sure to take along the staff that turned into a snake." - **Exodus 7:16** - "Then announce to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you, "Let my people go, so they can worship me in the wilderness." Until now you have refused to listen to him.'" - **Exodus 7:17** - "So this is what the Lord says: 'I will show you that I am the Lord.' Look! I will strike the water of the Nile with this staff in my hand, and the river will turn to blood." - **Exodus 7:18** - "The fish in it will die, and the river will stink. The #Egyptians will not be able to drink any water from the Nile." - **Exodus 7:19** - "Then the Lord said to #Moses: 'Tell #Aaron, ‘Take your staff and raise your hand over the waters of #Egypt—all its rivers, canals, ponds, and all the reservoirs. Turn all the water to blood. Everywhere in #Egypt the water will turn to blood, even the water stored in wooden bowls and stone pots.’" - **Exodus 7:20** - "So #Moses and #Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. As Pharaoh and all of his officials watched, #Aaron raised his staff and struck the water of the Nile. Suddenly, the whole river turned to blood!" - **Exodus 7:21** - "The fish in the river died, and the water became so foul that the #Egyptians couldn’t drink it. There was blood everywhere throughout the land of #Egypt." - **Exodus 7:22** - "But again the magicians of #Egypt used their magic, and they, too, turned water into blood. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He refused to listen to #Moses and #Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted." - **Exodus 7:23** - "Pharaoh returned to his palace and put the whole thing out of his mind." - **Exodus 7:24** - "Then all the #Egyptians dug along the riverbank to find drinking water, for they couldn’t drink the water from the Nile." - **Exodus 7:25** - "Seven days passed from the time the Lord struck the Nile."