“The Bloody Nile” (Exodus 7:14–24)

“The Bloody Nile” (Exodus 7:14–24)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, August 6, 2017

Exodus 7:14–24 (NIV)

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river. Confront him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. 16 Then say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened. 17 This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’ ”

19 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.”

20 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. 21 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.

22 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. 23 Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river.

Recurring Themes:
Emphasis #1: Obedience
Emphasis #2: God’s superior power over Egypt’s gods
Emphasis #3: Counterfeit signs
Emphasis #4: Perpetual hardening of Pharaoh’s heart (Merida, Exalting Jesus in Exodus)

One Main Theme: The LORD (Yahweh) will be known as the one true God.

Structure: The first nine plagues are arranged in three groups of three plagues each.

Background: The Nile was the life source of Egypt. It was the center of their economic, cultural, and religious existence.

Outline:
1.    God directs his servants with his Word (14–18).
2.    God’s servants obey the Lord’s Word (19–21).
3.    The unbelieving and hard-hearted reject the Lord’s Word (22–24).

Theology and Application:
a)    In judgment, God shows mercy. Even to those who deserve judgment, God may send warnings to prompt a change of heart.
b)    Miracles are possible, but not all miracles originate with God. And people who ask for signs may not want to believe.
c)    The first plague brought upon Egypt revealed the power of God and the impotence of Egyptian deities.
d)    To whom are you looking to provide for your needs? People are tempted to trust in other things to provide for them, instead of God alone.