Exodus 7 ... Viewing the works of God through scripture

1 And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh:and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. 

2 Thou shalt speak all that I command thee:and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. 

3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. 

4 But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. 

6 And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them, so did they. 7 And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.
 
8 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you:then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
 
10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded:and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers:now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents:but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. 


(There are imitators, copiers of the gifts of God ... but the real gifts and the real people will, in the end, swallow up the counterfeit.  Also false prophets, false teachers in the end times ... false Christians coming to the church as members of the body of Christ but failing to have the Spirit of God ... copies, imitations, mockers of the real things of God, but having not the Spirit, putting themselves in church groups without having the Spirit, even trying to imitate the Spirit of God.  But their end will be according to their works.  Jude ...17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 How that they told you there should be mockers (imitating the people of God but not being the people of God)  in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. )

==========

Exodus 7


13 And HE (God) hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.
 
14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. 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. 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. 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. 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.
 
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. 

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. 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. 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. 

23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also. 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. 

25 And seven days were fulfilled, after that the Lord had smitten the river.

==========

Comments by Joan Boney 

v. 19 ... God says ... Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt,

There are several times in the OT where God stretched out HIS hand and when HE did judgment fell.  And it speaks of those times when God continued to stretch out HIS hand.  And when God withdrew HIS hand the judgment ended.


Isaiah 23:11 He stretched out HIS hand over the sea, HE shook the kingdoms: the LORD hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof.

 2 Samuel 24:16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.

 Isaiah 9:21 Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all this HIS anger is not turned away, but HIS hand is stretched out still.

When we are angry with someone, we, too, "stretch out our hand", maybe not physically but our words and thoughts are often against that person.

Then we finally say, "It is enough", and we stop and return to peace.  Our anger is stayed.

We release that person who angered us.

Mt. 16 ... Jesus said ...  19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven:and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.