Chapter 7
My wife and I took a trip to Manhattan for our first wedding anniversary. It was our first time in New York, and it was a blast! Of course, being in late January, it was very cold. We visited Central Park, 5th Avenue, and had a special dinner overlooking Times Square before watching the classic Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. (Here’s a tip: it’s an actual opera, where everything is sung—it’s not just a play! Who knew? Haha!)
While walking through Times Square, I encountered a man standing on the side of the street. He waved me over and showed me some items he was selling—watches! Now, most people don’t know this, but I love watches. It’s one of the few types of jewelry for men. He showed me a particularly stunning piece: a gold Presidential Rolex, with diamonds around the bezel and even diamonds marking the hours. It was beautiful, and he told me it could be mine for only $30. Considering these watches go for around $25,000, I thought it was quite a bargain.
Yes, of course I knew it wasn’t real. I wasn’t born yesterday! But it was a pretty impressive replica. I thought to myself, “What better souvenir could I get from New York City? It seems ironically fitting.”
I wore that watch for years, and surprisingly, it kept great time. One day, at church, I was in the sound booth when a fellow “soundman” noticed my watch. He took a glance at it and said, “Rolex Presidential, huh?” I smiled and replied, “You bet.” He asked to see it, so I handed it over, knowing the truth was about to come out. As soon as he held it, he chuckled. Then he took off his own watch, handed it to me, and said, “Here, this is what the real deal feels like.” I joked that I’d offer to trade since his was just gold and didn’t have the diamonds, but for some reason, he declined. We both laughed.
A fake Rolex is easy to spot, but how do we navigate life and identify all the counterfeit versions of the truth that surround us? That’s essentially what this chapter is about.
The world is full of fakes, which shouldn’t be surprising since the ruler of this world is, himself, the master of deception. We often get lured into imitations of God, attracted by their sparkle, the glitches, and sometimes even the seemingly unexplained wonders. The enemy of God will do everything he can to resemble God in order to mislead us. He might even do “good” things to confuse us and nudge us just a degree off-center. It worked on Pharaoh. One reason it succeeded was because his heart was not positioned correctly from the start. When the imitators appeared, Pharaoh failed to recognize that they could only reproduce—they couldn’t resolve or overpower God’s true work.
My final thought for my friends: remember, if you encounter something that makes you wonder, pay close attention to the results. Is Jesus being lifted up, or is something else taking center stage? If it’s anything other than Jesus, take that as a warning sign. We are created to praise and honor Him, not ourselves or anything else. Anything from God will always lead you back to the Cross.
1 And Jehovah said to Moses, “See, I have made you like a God to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you; and Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 3 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. [It is important to remember that God did not harden Pharaoh’s heart against Pharaoh’s own desires. Pharoah revealed his heart when he refused the humble request of Moses in Chapter 5. Now, God would strengthen the evil he already chose. God gave him over to his own sinful desires. (Romans 1:24)] 4 But Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my multitudes, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. 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 ultimate goal is for all mankind to recognize God. Some to the Promise, some to the Darkness. But to all: every knee shall bow; every tongue will confess: Jesus is Lord.]
6 And Moses and Aaron did as Jehovah commanded them.
Aaron’s Staff becomes a Snake
7 And Moses was fourscore years old [80 years old], and Aaron fourscore and three years old, [83 years old] when they spoke to Pharaoh. 8 And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh shall speak to you, saying, ‘Show me a miracle’, then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent.’”
10 And Moses and Aaron went in to 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. [Literal word is more akin to a dragon, or crocodile, (to which the Egyptians worships) than a snake.] 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. 12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: [same word used] but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. [The question isn’t in the how the “wisemen” were able to do this; for in so doing it they only proved they understood the super-natural world. The key take away is that God’s rod prevailed! All supernatural forces are not made equal.] 13 And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them; as Jehovah had spoken.
The Plague of Blood
14 And Jehovah said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn, he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning. As he goes out to the water; and you shall stand by the river’s brink to meet him, and the rod which was turned to a serpent shall you take in your hand. 16 And you shall say to him, “Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you saying, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: but, behold, you still have not listened.’ 17 So says Jehovah, ‘In this way you shall know that I am Jehovah: I will strike with the rod that is in my hand on the waters which are in the river, and it shall be turned to blood. 18 And the fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river.’”
19 And Jehovah said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.” [Each plague that will be seen confronts a specific Egyptian god. Answering Pharoah’s earlier question, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him?” There are ten in total. The last one stands alone. Prior to it, there will be three set of three. In all sets, the first two will give a call of repentance, and the third will come without warning. If Egypt is a shadow of the World, then Pharaoh is a shadow of Satan. Here, we begin to see a shadow of the book of Revelation and God’s ultimate plan of redemption.]
20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as Jehovah commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and struck 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 were in the river died; and the river became foul, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river; and the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt.
22 And the magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their enchantments: [Satan will always try to imitate God. But they cannot turn the blood back into water. Satan has limitations.] and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them; as Jehovah had said. 23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, he did not take this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.
The Plague of Frogs
25 And seven days were fulfilled, after that Jehovah had smitten the river.
