Sticks & Snakes - Exodus 7:1-13

7:1-13 - After the disastrous encounter M&A had with Pharaoh, Moses is devastated and turns to God for, I don’t know maybe instruction, chastisement, encouragement, at this point it’s basically a “what happened?!” kind of conversation. God again lays out the plan, that Moses is playing the role of God here because he is the one directing Aaron on what to say to Pharaoh, and assures him that ultimately Pharaoh will not just allow the Hebrews to leave Egypt, but will demand that they go. God again points out that Pharaoh’s heart will be hardened, either by God or by himself maybe both, and that that God will “multiple my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.”

I think something important to remember here is that this show of force is not necessarily for Pharaoh’s benefit, but for the Hebrew people. Yes, all these miracles will eventually convince Pharaoh to comply, but the main purpose is to convince the Hebrew people that this God, their God, is the most powerful of all time and the one that must be followed and obeyed. We see that hundreds of years later even Nephi references the “great things” that the Lord had done for his fathers. In fact, multiple millennia later we still have the Passover which is a direct reference to this event, so the more that I learn about everything that goes down here with Moses and Pharaoh, the more I’m convinced that this was a pivotal moment for humanity on par with Noah’s flood.

God sends M&A back to Pharaoh for again demand release of His people, but God says that Pharaoh will request to see a sign, so God tells them to do the old “stick on the ground that turns into a snake” thing as the sign. They go to Pharaoh and it plays out exactly the way that God says that it will except that when Aaron’s staff turns into a snake, Pharaoh isn’t as impressed as he probably should have been and calls for his own “wise men and the sorcerers” to come and do the same thing and I’m sure to M&A’s astonishment, these Egyptian sticks turn into snakes as well, “for the cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents.” Now the question of the day becomes, “how is this possible?” The IM points out that throughout human history there have been Soothsayers, Magicians, and astrologers who “have exercised great occult and mystical powers, even to the healing of the sick and the performing of miracles.”

The IM further points out “the Savior declared that Satan had the power to bind the bodies of men and women and sorely afflict them (see Matthew 7:22-23; Luke 13:16). If Satan has power to bind the bodies, he surely must have power to loose them. It should be remember that Satan has great knowledge and thereby can exercise authority and to some extent control the elements, when some greater power down not intervene.” I would imagine that M&A were completely unprepared for the other sticks to turn into snakes as well and I’m sure that both of them had their hearts sink when they saw it, but the kicker is that their rod that had turned into a snake, “swallowed up” the rod/snakes of the Egyptian magicians.

Despite seeing all this, Pharaoh hardened his heart “that he hearkened not unto them,” just like God said that he would. TB makes an interesting point about just what was at stake for Pharaoh when M&A asked for the Hebrews to be let go, even if it was just for three days, Pharaoh wasn’t convinced that the people would come back. TB suggests that requesting the leave of absence, “Egypt stood to lose 25% of it’s population, and almost its entire work force, if Israel was to go.” Comparing that to our situation in the US, he guestimates that it would be as if the US were “to suddenly lose 75 million people… and that these people were our construction workers, factory workers, automobile assemblers, field workers, steel makers, electricians, plumbers, heavy equipment operators, cargo handles, truck drivers… the effects would be devastating. Our entire economy would collapse. Food distribution, construction, automobile repair, utilities… all the most basic services we take for granted would be interrupted… The US would, overnight, become a 2nd rate power and a bankrupt nation unlikely to ever regain its former greatness.”

The stakes were very high for Pharaoh, and he knew it which, along with ego and personal pride, was one of the reasons why he held on to the Hebrews for dear life.