Êxodo 7
David Guzik · Citado em PreceptAustin
Êxodo 7
Guzik applies this principle noting that "God can do the same today. In our rebellion, we may reach the place where God will strengthen us in the evil we desire: Therefore God also gave them up to their uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts … and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting (Romans 1:24, 28+)." That I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt - The repeated instances of Pharaoh's heart being hardened would fulfill God's purpose which was to demonstrate his supernatural mathematics in the land of Egypt. Signs are miracles that have special significance, that point to something, and so we see that all of the plagues ultimately point to God's sovereignty which superseded and subjugated the so-called sovereignty of the Pharaoh. Wonders are miracles that produce astonishment and awe in all who witness the miracles. PLAGUE - Although we commonly refer to the "Ten Plagues," the actual word "plague" is only used 3 times in Exodus to refer to the "Ten Plagues" (Ex 9:14, Ex 11:1 and Ex 12:13). Our English word plague is from the late 14c., plage, "affliction, calamity, evil, scourge;" early 15c., "malignant disease," from Old French plage (14c.), from Late Latin plaga, used in Vulgate for "pestilence," from Latin plaga "stroke, wound," probably from root of plangere "to strike, lament (by beating the breast)," from or cognate with Greek (Doric) plaga "blow." And so the main idea behind the word plague is a blow or a wound inflicted on another. It is not a good thing when the one inflicting the blow is God Himself! See Table of the 10 Plagues.
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Guzik points out that "Even as God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, He also gave him reasons to believe and surrender to God—if he wanted to. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee.J. R. MILLER. To every one of us God gives something that He wants us to say to others. We cannot all write poems or hymns, or compose books which will bless men; but if we live near the heart of Christ, there is not one of us into whose ear He will not whisper some fragment of truth, some revealing of grace or love, or to whom He will not give some experience of comfort in sorrow, some new glimpse of glory. Each friend of Christ, living close to Him, learns something from Him and of Him which no one has learned before, which he is to forth-tell to the world. Exodus 7:4 "When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments. then I will lay - Ex 9:3 10:1 11:9 Jud 2:15 La 3:3 bring out My hosts- Ex 6:26 12:51 great judgments - Ex 6:6 Pr 19:29 Isa 26:9 Eze 14:21 25:11 30:14,19 Rev 15:4 16:7 Rev 19:2 Exodus 7 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries GOD'S SIGNS ARE ALSO GREAT JUDGMENTS When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments - My hosts recalls the description of Ex 6:26 "Sons of Israel...according to their hosts." My people shows God's claim on Israel, a claim Pharaoh was usurping by making them his slaves. The signs, the plagues, would be great judgments on Egypt. NET on lay My hand - Literally “put my hand into.” The expression is a strong anthropomorphism to depict God’s severest judgment on Egypt. The point is that neither the speeches of Moses and Aaron nor the signs that God would do will be effective. Consequently, God would deliver the blow that would destroy. NET on My hosts - Often translated “hosts” (ASV, NASB) or “armies” (KJV), צְבָאוֹת (tséva’ot) is a military term that portrays the people of God in battle array. In contemporary English, “regiment” is perhaps more easily understood as a force for battle than “company” (cf. NAB, NRSV) or “division” (NIV, NCV, NLT), both of which can have commercial associations. The term also implies an orderly departure.
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Guzik - This is retirement age for many, but Moses knew that God’s will was more important than retirement. We also see from this that Aaron was Moses’ older brother, so God went against the conventional customs of that day by making the younger brother more prominent. Cassuto has an interesting observation that “It is a common feature of biblical narratives for the age of their heroes to be stated at the time when some momentous event befalls them." (A Commentary on the Book of Exodus) “D. L. Moody wittily said that Moses spent forty years in Pharaoh’s court thinking he was somebody; forty years in the desert learning he was nobody; and forty years showing what God can do with somebody who found out he was nobody." -- Bernard Ramm How fitting that it was Moses who would pen the following words in Psalm 90.... "As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away."
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Guzik adds "The first time Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh everything seemed to go wrong (Exodus 5:15–19). It took courage for them to go to Pharaoh again, but Moses simply obeyed God." And Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent - Aaron carried the staff in Ex 7:19, Ex 8:5, 16,17. The first time this miracle had apparently been performed by Moses before the Jewish elders and people, but here it is Aaron who receives the honor of carrying out this miracle. Guzik points out that "This was not exactly the same miracle that Moses experienced on Mount Sinai and performed before the elders of Israel (Exodus 4:2–5 and Ex 4:29–30). That saw the rod of Moses turn into a serpent (ED: serpent = nachash - used in Ex 4:3 and again below in Ex 4:15), but a different Hebrew word is used here (ED: Hebrew = tannin)—something like a crocodile, which was something of a symbol of Egypt itself. NET on serpent - The noun used here is תַּנִּין (tannin), and not the word for “serpent” or “snake” used in chap. 4. This noun refers to a large reptile, in some texts large river or sea creatures (Gen 1:21; Ps 74:13) or land creatures (Deut 32:33). This wonder paralleled Moses’ miracle in 4:3 when he cast his staff down. But this is Aaron’s staff, and a different miracle. The noun could still be rendered “snake” here since the term could be broad enough to include it. Serpent (08577)(tannin) is "A masculine noun meaning a serpent, a dragon, and a sea monster. It can connote a creature living in the water (Gen. 1:21; Job 7:12; Ps. 148:7). When the word is used this way, it is also used figuratively to represent the crocodile, which was the symbol of Pharaoh and Egypt (Ps. 74:13; Isa. 27:1; 51:9; Ezek. 29:3). This imagery may help us better understand the confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh, when Aaron's staff became a serpent and then swallowed the staff-serpents of Pharaoh's magicians (Ex. 7:9, 10, 12). God was providing a graphic sign of what was to come. It can also connote a creature that lives on the land (Deut. 32:33; Ps. 91:13; Jer. 51:34). There is one other occurrence of this term in the Old Testament where it is used as a descriptor or part of a proper name for a well or a spring (Neh. 2:13). In all its occurrences, this term has either a neutral (Gen. 1:21; Ps. 148:7); or a negative meaning (Isa. 27:1; 51:9; Jer. 51:34). In a few instances, the negative meaning is somewhat lessened, as when God provides a serpent to save His people (Ex. 7:9, 10, 12); or when a serpent was divinely restrained (Ps. 91:13)." (Complete Word Study Dictionary – Old Testament) Tannin - 28v - AV - dragon 21, serpent 3, whale 3, sea monster 1 Gen. 1:21; Exod. 7:9; Exod. 7:10; Exod. 7:12; Deut. 32:33; Neh. 2:13; Job 7:12; Job 30:29; Ps. 44:19; Ps. 74:13; Ps. 91:13; Ps. 148:7; Isa. 13:22; Isa. 27:1; Isa. 34:13; Isa. 35:7; Isa. 43:20; Isa. 51:9; Jer. 9:11; Jer. 10:22; Jer. 14:6; Jer. 49:33; Jer. 51:34; Jer. 51:37; Lam. 4:3; Ezek. 29:3; Ezek. 32:2; Mic. 1:8 Dwight
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Guzik - this first plague was directed against the numerous Egyptian river deities. The Nile itself was virtually worshipped as a god by the Egyptians, and the LORD God shows that He has complete power over the Nile, not some river god. The Egyptian god Khnum was said to be the guardian of the Nile, and this showed he was unable to protect his territory. The god Hapi was said to be the spirit of the Nile, and was brought low by this plague. The great god Osiris was thought to have the Nile as his bloodstream; in this plague he truly bled. The Nile itself was worshipped as a god, and there are papyri recording hymns sung in praise of the river. There is a significant mention of something like this in a papyrus from this general period known as the Ipuwer Papyrus (link to a skeptical Wikipedia note!). It actually says (Ipuwer 2.10) that the Nile was blood and undrinkable. The same papyrus repeatedly mentions that servants left their masters. Mattoon on the beloved Nile - What was loved was now loathed. What was desired was now despised. What was worshiped was now wretched. The object of adoration was an abomination. Exodus 7:19 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, that they may become blood; and there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.'" stretch - Ex 8:5,6,16 9:22,23,33 10:12,21 14:21,26 their pools , Ge 1:10 Exodus 7 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Water Is Changed into Blood, James Tissot Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, - Again note the pattern of Jehovah speaking to Moses who speaks to Aaron. Take your staff - A command to take your staff - was this a separate staff that Aaron possessed or was it Moses' staff, the staff of God? I don't think it was another staff, but was Moses' staff, the one he had used to perform the miracle turning the staff into a serpent. Why? Because if we compare Scriptures, the staff seems to be the same staff described in Ex 7:15 ("the staff that was turned into a serpent" - which would have been Moses' staff) and which is then described by Aaron as "the staff that is in my hand" (Ex 7:17). J Ligon Duncan - The next time there will be a judgment of blood in the water, it will be at the Red Sea, and it will be the armies of Egypt filing the Red Sea with death. So God is showing a picture of things to come as Pharaoh is stubborn, as he will not turn back, so God will bring death to Egypt. The whole point here is that God is sovereign over Pharaoh, God is sovereign over the Nile, God is sovereign over all creation, and God is sovereign over Egypt. So the plagues are both judgments and signs. They are punishments and ways in which God is revealing the fact that He is Lord. And stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, that they may become blood - In Ex 7:17 the reference was just the Nile River, but now it is all the tributaries as well as potable water in every vessel in Egypt. Notice that while we see here that God commands Aaron "stretch out your hand," we see in other passages God says "I will stretch out My hand strike Egypt with all the miracles (Ex 3:20+, cf Ex 7:5), so clearly we see man's responsibility intimately integrated with God's sovereignty. THOUGHT - This pattern of human responsibility and Divine sovereignty permeates the pages of the Old and New Testaments. I love Paul's beautiful description of the "real" power behind his ministry - "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, YET NOT I, but the grace of God with me." (1 Cor 15:10+, cf 2 Cor 3:5,6+). Notice the key confession "Yet not I but the grace of God with me." O, for all of us to be able to fulfill the work He has prepared beforehand for each of us to walk in (Eph 2:10+), leaning wholly on the supernatural power of the indwelling Holy Spirit of grace (Heb 10:29+), so that the glory solely and wholly goes to God, "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen."(Ro 11:36+) Let it be so Lord. In Jesus' Name. Amen. And there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone - The text says blood not like blood, so it sounds to me like literal blood. Does this include red and white blood cells, etc? I cannot say, but it sounds like literal blood, even I cannot fully understand how this was manifested. Blood in the vessels indicates this was a true miracle, not a natural phenomenon. Note that the translation adds the word "vessels" so the literal reading is "in wood" and "in stone." (see note by Currid below). Guzik - There are nine in total (the tenth is the slaying of the firstborn, which is in a class by itself), and they are grouped together in threes. In this structure of threes, the first two plagues only come after warning and a call to repentance; the third plague in each set comes without warning.
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Guzik - Some say the plagues each have a naturalistic explanation. In the case of this first plague, some point out that when the Nile reaches an extremely high flood stage, it collects finely powdered red earth, and this red earth carries organisms that color the water and kill fish. But if this were the cause, it is hard to explain how Pharaoh could possibly be impressed. It is important to understand that these plagues were all literal; there was nothing symbolic about them. Each plague pointed to a greater meaning than the event itself, but they really happened. This guides our understanding about the plagues in the Book of Revelation; there is no reason to see them as merely symbolic either. Exodus 7:21 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. Ex 7:18 Rev 8:9 Exodus 7 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Note explaining the three pictures above taken on May 29, 2020 in Jamaica Beach, Texas. Click on each one to enlarge. The pictures are from the shore where I ride my bicycle. What I saw this morning blew me away. I could hardly stand the smell as I got close and realized it was a tremendous number of fish, probably in the thousands! All I could think about was the smell in the Nile river with all of the dead fish (and later the stench of the rotting frogs). This natural disaster probably was the result of the 55 mph winds which blew up waves of water that trapped thousands of small fish on the shore! Magnify that last picture and see the small fish eyes and then use your sanctified imagination to consider the horrid scene in Egypt (not to mention the overwhelming smell) several thousand years ago! This even in Texas was natural (albeit God still controlled the winds and waves!), but that event in Egypt was supernatural! 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 - Dead fish made the Nile loathsome and literally undrinkable. Thompson - Now some liberals and also the pseudo-intellectuals of the History Channel have tried to convince people that this was not really a miracle, but was just something that typically happened toward the end of June that made the Nile look reddish. What they say is that toward the end of June, the waters of the Nile begin to rise and are colored dark red by the silt carried down from the headwaters. For about a three-month period the water looks reddish. But we may easily disprove the secular scoffers and prove that what is recorded in Exodus 7:17-21 is, in fact, a miracle of God by offering six evidences: (Evidence #1) - The text says God would turn the water into blood , not the water into the color red (Ex 7:17, 19). The Hebrew “blood” (dam) is not “red” (adom). (Evidence #2) - The water is changed by Moses striking the water with his staff (Ex Ex. 7:17) - not by the rising of the water level of the Nile. (Evidence #3) - All the water was totally undrinkable (Ex 7:18, 24), which never happened when the Nile was just some reddish color. (Evidence #4) - The condition of the Nile lasted just seven days, not three months (Ex 7:25). (Evidence #5) - All the fish in the river died (Ex 7:18, 21), which never happened when silt ran into the river. (Evidence #6) - God, at different times, displays His power by transforming water into something else. He turned water into wine in John 2 and water into blood in Exodus 7. The only sane way to interpret this is that God did perform a judgment/sign/miracle on the Nile in that He literally turned it into blood. (Sermon) Here is a link to another foolish attempt to try to explain away the supernatural with a "scientific explanation" of blood in the Nile! One is reminded of the words of Paul in Romans 1 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. (Romans 1:20-23+) Exodus 7:22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said. magicians - Ex 7:11 8:7,8 Jer 27:18 2Ti 3:8 and Pharaoh's - Ex 7:13 as the - Ex 7:3 Exodus 7 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries SATAN'S MEN COUNTERFEIT MIRACLE But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts - I do not fully understand this passage. If the water was already turned to blood, how would the magicians replicate the plague? However it occurred, it would certainly caused Pharaoh to minimize the miracle of Aaron and Moses. Where did they get the water? The only source would have been water dug up (cf Ex 7:24). Alternatively some propose that there were a few areas where Aaron had not stretched out his staff and the magicians used these for their counterfeit miracle. The miracle they should have done but could not do was turn the blood back to fresh water.