Miracle or magic
A local church has drawn people from all over the world because it emphasizes the "supernatural". Learning of the power of God is good if we also learn to avoid the enchantments of the world and the devil. The local newspaper was quick to write about three drunk students who attended this "supernatural" church. Unfortunately the truth is often mixed with the error. It only takes a little mixture to make the message false and it only takes one false one to tarnish a reputation. Moses was to represent the one who sent him, but he would be challenged by the magicians.
Exo 7:1 And Jehovah said unto Moses, See, I have made thee as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
Exo 7:2 Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.
The LORD made Moses as a god to Pharaoh and Aaron his prophet, his voice. A prophet is to speak the message of God.
Exo 7:3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
Pharaoh's heart was already hardened, but the LORD would harden it more to show the glory of God. He would show sign after sign of the power of God.
Rom 9:13 Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.
Rom 9:14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Rom 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.
Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy.
Rom 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, For this very purpose did I raise thee up, that I might show in thee my power, and that my name might be published abroad in all the earth.
Rom 9:18 So then he hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will be hardeneth.
As people, from our childhood we tend to be selfish, thinking that we are the center of things. God made us and he made all things for HIS glory. Thank him for his mercy and grace. LORD may we bring glory to you, for this is your will. The LORD would bring down the god's of Egypt until Pharaoh himself would submit. God can even use hard hearts for his purpose. He knows our heart and our ways.
Exo 7:4 But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
Exo 7:5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.
The deliverance of God will be with might and power.
Psa 9:16 Jehovah hath made himself known, he hath executed judgment: The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
Exo 7:6 And Moses and Aaron did so; as Jehovah commanded them, so did they.
Exo 7:7 And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.
Moses was eighty and Aaron was four years older than Moses.
Exo 7:8 And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Exo 7:9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a wonder for you; then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent.
Exo 7:10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so, as Jehovah had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
Exo 7:11 Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers: and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their enchantments.
enchantments: lahat, to hide, hence to use occult or magical powers, the counterfeit of the power of God. The word is used in Genesis 3:24 as the flame (light, power,) of the sword of God.
Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life
Exo 7:12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
The power of God is greater than the power of satan. We must be careful to not confuse the power of God with magic.
1Jn 4:4 Ye are of God, my little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
Exo 7:13 And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as Jehovah had spoken.
Exo 7:14 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is stubborn, he refuseth to let the people go.
Exo 4:21 And Jehovah said unto Moses, When thou goest back into Egypt, see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand: but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.
The same word for the flame of a sword of God was used for the enchantments of the magicians. This causes me to think about God's swords, what are they? and enchantments? Can we know if a miracle is of God or of the devil's magic?
Let's look at other references for the swords of God in the Bible.
The Angel of Jehovah
Num 22:31 Then Jehovah opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of Jehovah standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face.
Num 22:32 And the angel of Jehovah said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I am come forth for an adversary, because thy way is perverse before me:
The angel or "messenger" is thought to be Jesus, before his incarnation. He wielded a sword, and accepted worship.
The angel of the LORD came to Jerusalem
1Ch 21:15 And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was about to destroy, Jehovah beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the destroying angel, It is enough; now stay thy hand. And the angel of Jehovah was standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
1Ch 21:16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of Jehovah standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
1Ch 21:17 And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, O Jehovah my God, be against me, and against my father's house; but not against thy people, that they should be plagued.
1Ch 21:18 Then the angel of Jehovah commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and rear an altar unto Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
1Ch 21:19 And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of Jehovah.
This would be the sight of the temple in Jerusalem.
The word of God
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
The two edged sword, the word and the spirit.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.
We see the sword representing the power and word of God, Jesus will judge the world by the word.
Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.
What about enchantments and magic?
Another word; nachash, is used for enchantment, to practice divination, divine, observe signs, learn by experience, diligently observe, practice fortune telling, take as an omen.
The magicians in Egypt used enchantments, halal, to copy the miracles of God. The devil is a copier, never a creator and his copies are to deceive and to do evil. The devil wants to be worshipped instead of the Almighty God. So enchantments give glory to the devil.
Israel had turned from God to worship idols
2Ki 17:16 And they forsook all the commandments of Jehovah their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
2Ki 17:17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger.
2Ki 17:18 Therefore Jehovah was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
Judah also turned to idols
2Ki 21:11 Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, that were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols;
2Ki 21:12 therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Behold, I bring such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.
The use of drugs, astrology and delving into magic will bring the judgement of God. Has our nation come to this point?
Isa 47:8 Now therefore hear this, thou that art given to pleasures, that sittest securely, that sayest in thy heart, I am, and there is none else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:
Isa 47:9 but these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood; in their full measure shall they come upon thee, in the multitude of thy sorceries, and the great abundance of thine enchantments.
Isa 47:10 For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness; thou hast said, None seeth me; thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee, and thou hast said in thy heart, I am, and there is none else besides me.
Isa 47:11 Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know the dawning thereof: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it away: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou knowest not.
Isa 47:12 Stand now with thine enchantments,(cheber, spell, charmer, enchantments) and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast labored from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.
Isa 47:13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels: let now the astrologers, the star-gazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from the things that shall come upon thee.
Isa 47:14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: it shall not be a coal to warm at, nor a fire to sit before.
The sword of the LORD is for correction and I suppose it is best described as the power of the word and will of God. Enchantments are false copies of God's power, no truth but lies and the end is to be judged by God. Follow the word and will of God and avoid these things that are called magic; do not be enchanted by them. Do not give glory to the devil, but give all glory to the Most High God.
Paul warned of the counterfeit apostles
2Co 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light.
2Co 11:15 It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.
Follow the true light that is Jesus.
Joh 1:9 There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world.
Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world knew him not.
Joh 1:11 He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not.
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Follow Jesus, the Word and truth of God.
The first plague
Exo 7:15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.
Exo 8:20 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
I have had many walks by our river in the early morning at sunrise. There is a special glow of the rising sun and often a mist would cover the water, I suppose a worshipper of the river would see this as enchanting or magical. Did Pharaoh go out in the early morning to worship the river and the rising sun? The Nile was their chief deity and the source of their abundance of crops, fish and navigation for commerce. It was in the Nile that Moses was tossed as a baby in a basket and probably other Hebrew children were tossed into the river. It was a place of life and a place of death. Soon it would be a place of death as Moses the god, through Aaron his prophet,turns the water into blood. The LORD shows Moses what was to happen.
Exo 7:16 And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.
Exo 7:17 Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.
The rod was to smite the river in judgement. The Egyptians had three river gods, so this judgment was to be against these false gods.
Exo 7:18 And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.
Exo 7:19 And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.
Exo 7:20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.
Exo 7:21 And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
Exo 7:22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.
Why would the magicians do the same plague? Were they pretending? Would it not have been more useful to reverse the process and purify the water? Satan can only deceive and do evil, he is not able to restore or to make pure. Blood was required as the atonement for sins. The blood water was symbolic of the sins of Pharaoh and the idol worshippers. It brought death to the fish and was not drinkable. The fish have to be restocked from elsewhere. The LORD rendered the god of the river powerless. All of Egypt was plagued, it does not say here that God's people were spared. I assume that they were spared because the wrath of God does not fall on his own people, but he does correct them.
Exo 7:23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.
Pharaoh did not show any change in his stubborn refusal of Moses' request. He didn't even think about it. What did he drink? There was wine, he could get drunk perhaps?
Exo 7:24 And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.
Apparently there was still water if they digged for it. Perhaps it was this well dug up water that the magicians turned to blood? How useless is that? Serving satan is a useless endeavor that can only do harm.
Exo 7:25 And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.
Seven days, a full week and perhaps there was restoration of the water. The seventh day was a day of rest. This was the first of the ten plagues; each one was against a god of Egypt. Ten represents the law of God.
Exodus 8
Exodus 6
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