God told Moses to go to the river’s edge and wait for Pharaoh to come down. There Moses was to warn him of the judgment which God was going to bring upon Egypt, but Pharaoh refused to listen. He still hardened his heart, so Moses took his rod and smote the rivers so that they became blood. All the fish in the rivers died and a terrible odor came over the land. Even the water in the pails and jugs turned into blood, so that the Egyptians began to dig new wells in order to get water to drink. This has a lesson for us, too. How many are digging in this world trying to find refreshment? It is a scene of death, represented by the blood. It has nothing for you; only the Lord can bring you any real or lasting happiness. Notice, too, that the magicians could turn the water into blood, but they could not turn it back into water again. Satan had the power of death, but he cannot deliver anyone from its power. Only the Lord can do that, for He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).
This terrible plague lasted seven days, but Pharaoh refused to humble himself and give in. How stubborn he was. Are you still rejecting the grace of God while He waits in long suffering patience to save you? Why not yield your heart to the Lord Jesus today?
The Plague of Frogs
When Pharaoh still refused to let the people go, God sent another plague. He sent frogs throughout the whole land. This would remind us very forcibly of the power of Satan which will be felt in all its horribleness after the Lord has come and taken His church to heaven (Revelation 16:13). These frogs went through the whole land, even going into their bedrooms, their ovens, and into everything they had. It must have been an awful plague; but how much worse it will be for this whole world in the future when Satan is cast down having great wrath (Revelation 12:7-12). Satan’s power is bad enough today, but in that day his terrible activities will be unhindered by the presence of the Spirit of God, who will have gone back to heaven with the church (John 14:16, 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). Satan will be able to deceive the lost at his pleasure. Men and women little realize how quickly the storm clouds are gathering, and how soon judgment is going to fall on this Christ-rejecting world.
Once again the magicians imitated Moses. They, too, brought up frogs upon the land, but, as before, they were powerless to remove the plague. Pharaoh, feeling how horrible these frogs were, called for Moses and promised to let the people of Israel go if God would remove them. How often we see things like this today! When people are made to feel the sorrows which their sins bring, they cry to God to deliver them, and make all kinds of pledges and promises to live a different life. But when God hears their cry and delivers them, they soon go back to their old ways again. Not being the result of true conviction of sin before God, the results are never permanent. Promises of living differently are useless — new birth is what is needed. “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). Those who are born again will show good works, without those pledges and promises which an unsaved man cannot carry out anyway.
Further Meditation
1. What does the plague of blood show us about this world?
2. In other passages of Scripture, how did Satan use his power to bring death and destruction?
3. There are some wonderful stories of true repentance in the book Jimmy Moore of Bucktown.