Exodus:7

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* Verse 1-7 - God glorifies himself . He makes people know that he is Jehovah . Israel is made to know it by the performance of his promises to them , and the Egyptians by the pouring out of his wrath upon them . Moses , as the ambassador of Jehovah , speaking in his name , laid commands upon Pharaoh , denounced threatenings against him , and called for judgments upon him . Pharaoh , proud and great as he was , could not resist . Moses stood not in awe of Pharaoh , but made him tremble . This seems to be meant in the words , Thou shalt be a god unto Pharaoh . At length Moses is delivered from his fears . He makes no more objections , but , being strengthened in faith , goes about his work with courage , and proceeds in it with perseverance . * Verse 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 . * Verse 14-25 - Here is the first of the ten plagues , the turning of the water into blood . It was a dreadful plague . The sight of such vast rolling streams of blood could not but strike horror . Nothing is more common than water : so wisely has Providence ordered it , and so kindly , that what is so needful and serviceable to the comfort of human life , should be cheap and almost every where to be had ; but now the Egyptians must either drink blood , or die for thirst . Egypt was a pleasant land , but the dead fish and blood now rendered it very unpleasant . It was a righteous plague , and justly sent upon the Egyptians ; for Nile , the river of Egypt , was their idol . That creature which we idolize , God justly takes from us , or makes bitter to us . They had stained the river with the blood of the Hebrews ' children , and now God made that river all blood . Never any thirsted after blood , but sooner or later they had enough of it . It was a significant plague ; Egypt had great dependence upon their river , * Verse Zechariah - strkjv @14:18 . so that in smiting the river , they were warned of the destruction of all the produce of their country . The love of Christ to his disciples changes all their common mercies into spiritual blessings ; the anger of God towards his enemies , renders their most valued advantages a curse and a misery to them . Aaron is to summon the plague by smiting the river with his rod . It was done in the sight of Pharaoh and his attendants , for God 's true miracles were not performed as Satan 's lying wonders ; truth seeks no corners . See the almighty power of God . Every creature is that to us which he makes it to be water or blood . See what changes we may meet with in the things of this world ; what is always vain , may soon become vexatious . See what mischievous work sin makes . If the things that have been our comforts prove our crosses , we must thank ourselves . It is sin that turns our waters into blood . The plague continued seven days ; and in all that time Pharaoh 's proud heart would not let him desire Moses to pray for the removal of it . Thus the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath . No wonder that God 's anger is not turned away , but that his hand is stretched out still . **** Matthew Henry 's Commentary ****

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