Exodus 7:8

_AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES AND UNTO AARON, SAYING,_ No JFB commentary on this verse....

8._And the Lord spake. _No wonder that Moses often repeats the same thing, because he wrote for persons of rude and dull minds. But it behooves us, lest we should be disgusted by his simple and popular style, diligently to examine how little we are inclined to be acute and earnest in our consideration of the works of God. No doubt there is here related what we have already heard respecting the change of the rod into a serpent, except that he now tells us that the miracle which had before been performed in the wilderness of Midian, and afterwards in Egypt, in the sight of the people, was likewise performed once more before Pharaoh. Moreover, we gather from hence that at the request of Pharaoh the servants of God had proved and testified their vocation; and therefore that his pertinacity was the less excusable, since he despised the power of God so manifestly shewn forth. For this is usual...

8-13 What men dislike, because it opposes their pride and lusts, they will not be convinced of; but it is easy to cause them to believe things they wish to be true. God always sends with his word full proofs of its Divine authority; but when men are bent to disobey, and willing to object, he often permits a snare to be laid wherein they are entangled. The magicians were cheats, trying to copy the real miracles of Moses by secret sleights or jugglings, which to a small extent they succeeded in doing, so as to deceive the bystanders, but they were at length obliged to confess they could not any longer imitate the effects of Divine power. None assist more in the destruction of sinners, than such as resist the truth by amusing men with a counterfeit resemblance of it. Satan is most to be dreaded when transformed into an angel of light....

EXPOSITION EXODUS 7:1 Once more God made allowance for the weakness and self-distrust of Moses, severely tried as he had been by his former failure to persuade Pharaoh (Exodus 5:1) and his recent rejection by the people of Israel (Exodus 6:9). He made allowance, and raised his courage and his spirits by fresh promises, and by a call upon him for immediate action. The process of deliverance, God assured him, was just about to begin. Miracles would be wrought until Pharaoh's stubbornness was overcome. He was himself to begin the series at once by casting his rod upon the ground, that it might become a serpent (Exodus 7:9). Fr

AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES AND UNTO AARON,.... After he had given them their commission, and instructions to go to Pharaoh, and a little before they went in to him: SAYING, as follows....

CHAPTER S 6:28-7:13 THE RENEWED COMMISSION AND BEFORE PHARAOH AGAIN _ 1. Renewed commission and renewed hesitation (Exodus 6:28)_ 2. Jehovah's instructions (Exodus 7:1) 3. Before Pharaoh and the sign of the rod (Exodus 7:10) Once more Moses received his commission, and again he hesitated on account of his poor speech. After all the gracious words Jehovah had spoken he pleads again his weakness. It shows what the unbelieving heart is. Twice Jehovah said that Moses should be a god. A god to Aaron (4:16) and a god to Pharaoh (7:1). He received divine authority and power over Pharaoh, while he was to his spokesman Aaron a god, because the word he uttered to him to communicate to Pharaoh was the word of

EXODUS 7:8 P. AARON AND THE MAGICIANS: HARDENING OF PHARAOH'S HEART. Magic and religion are, in the last analysis, fundamentally diverse; for, while magic claims to put a compelling constraint upon occult powers, religion implies a relation and dependence upon a personal Being of which prayer is the characteristic expression (p. 187). But the two have been, and are still, almost inextricably intermingled. It is not surprising, therefore, to find magical powers, in all good faith, claimed for the servants of Yahweh, and allowed, in inferior degree, to exist among His enemies. Magic has been called the science of primitive times, and its obvious success is due to a mixture of bluff, shrewd prognostication, cunning contrivance (_cf._ secret arts, Exodus 7:11 _mg._), and sleight-of-hand. Serpent-charmi

THE LORD (Hebrew. _Jehovah._ spake. See note on Exodus 6:10, and compare note on Exodus 3:7....

THE TEXT OF EXODUS TRANSLATION 7 AND JE-HO-VAH SAID UNTO MO-SES. SEE, I HAVE MADE THEE AS GOD TO PHA-RAOH; AND AAR-ON THY BROTHER SHALL BE THY PROPHET. (2) THOU SHALT SPEAK ALL THAT I COMMAND THEE; AND AAR-ON THY BROTHER SHALL SPEAK UNTO PHA-RAOH, THAT HE LET THE CHILDREN OF IS-RA-EL GO OUT OF HIS LAND. (3) AND I WILL HARDEN PHA-RAOH'S HEART, AND MULTIPLY MY SIGNS AND MY WONDERS IN THE LAND OF E-GYPT. (4) BUT PHA-RAOH WILL NOT HEARKEN UNTO YOU, AND I WILL LAY MY HAND UPON E-GYPT, AND BRING FORTH MY HOSTS, MY PEOPLE THE CHILDREN OF IS-RA-EL, OUT OF THE LAND OF E-GYPT BY GREAT JUDGMENTS. (5) AND THE E-GYP-TIANS SHALL KNOW THAT I AM JE-HO-VAH, WHEN I STRETCH FORTH MY HAND UPON E-GYPT, AND BRING OUT THE CHILDREN OF IS-RA-EL FROM AMONG THEM. (6) AND MO-SES AND AAR-ON DID SO; AS JE-HO-VAH COMMANDED THEM, SO DID THEY. (7) AND MO-SES WAS FOURSCORE YEARS OLD, AND AAR-ON FOURSCORE AND THREE YEARS...

THE ROD OF MOSES TURNED INTO A SERPENT. THE FIRST PLAGUE 1. A god to Pharaoh] see on Exodus 4:16. THY PROPHET] A prophet is a spokesman. The prophets of God are those who declare His will. In doing this they may foretell His judgments and predict the future; but prediction is a secondary feature of prophecy, and is not contained in the original and proper sense of the word in which it is used here, where Aaron is called the prophet or mouthpiece of Moses. To prophesy sometimes means to declare God's praise in song. Thus Miriam is called a prophetess in Exodus 15:20, Eldad and Medad are said to have prophesied in Numbers 11:25 (see note there), Deborah was a prophetess ...