1. When Moses and Aaron delivered their message to Pharaoh, what answer did they get? "And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go." (Exodus 5:1-2)
2. Of what did Pharaoh accuse them? "And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do you, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and you make them rest from their burdens." (Exodus 5:4-5)
3. What additional burden was placed on the Israelites in consequence? "And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, you shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, you shall lay upon them; you shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard vain words." (Exodus 5:6-9)
4. When Moses the second time repeated God's promise to the Israelites, how did they receive his words? "And Moses spoke so unto the children of Israel; but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage." (Exodus 6:9)
5. How did this make Moses feel about going again before Pharaoh? "And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?" (Exodus 6:12)
6. What assurance did the Lord give him? "And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet." (Exodus 7:1)
7. What was meant by this? "You shall speak all that I command you; and Aaron your brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land." (Exodus 7:2) "And he shall be your spokesman unto the people; and he shall be, even he shall be to you instead of a mouth, and you shall be to him instead of God." (Exodus 4:16)
8. What was Moses told to do when Pharaoh should ask for a miracle? "When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a miracle for you: then you shall say unto Aaron, Take your rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent." (Exodus 7:9)
9. When this miracle was performed, what did Pharaoh's sorcerers do? "And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents." (Exodus 7:10-12)
10. What manifestation of God's power followed this act of the magicians? "But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods." (Exodus 7:12)
11. What effect did the rejection of this evidence have upon Pharaoh? "And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had spoken." (Exodus 7:13, RV)
12. What were Moses and Aaron told to do next? "And the Lord spoke unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take your rod, and stretch out your hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone." (Exodus 7:19)
13. What was the result? "And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote 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. And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt." (Exodus 7:20-21)
14. What destroyed the effect of this miracle upon Pharaoh? "And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the Lord had said." (Exodus 7:22)
15. What plague was next threatened, if the king should refuse to let the people go? "And the Lord spoke unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus says the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. And if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your borders with frogs." (Exodus 8:1-2)
16. Was this done? "And the Lord spoke unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt." (Exodus 8:5-6)
17. How severe was this plague? "And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, and into your bedchamber, and upon your bed, and into the house of your servants, and upon your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneading-troughs: And the frogs shall come up both on you, and upon your people, and upon all your servants. And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt." (Exodus 8:3-4,6)
18. What did the magicians do? "And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt." (Exodus 8:7)
19. What request and promise did Pharaoh then make? "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Entreat the Lord, that He may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord." (Exodus 8:8)
20. Why did not his magicians and sorcerers remove the plague? See note.
21. What is a magician? "One skilled in magic; one who practices the black art; an enchanter, a necromancer; a sorcerer or sorceress."--Webster. See also definition of "magic."
22. What is sorcery? "Divination by the assistance or supposed assistance of evil spirits; or the power of commanding evil spirits; magic; enchantment; witchcraft."--Webster. See also definition of "witchcraft" and "enchantment."
23. Whom did the heathen worship? "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God; and I would not that you should have fellowship with devils." (1 Corinthians 10:20)
24. Then on whose side were Pharaoh and his magicians?
25. What does the Bible say is Satan's sole work? "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8)
Notes:
If in our version the word "Jehovah" were allowed to appear wherever it does in the corresponding place in the Hebrew, the sense would often appear more clearly. "Jehovah" is the distinctive title of the one true God. Paul says: "There be gods many, and lords many; But to us there is but one God." (1 Corinthians 8:5-6)
He is the one who made all things, and who exists by His own power. This God, Pharaoh did not know. When Moses and Aaron said: "Thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel, Let my people go," (Exodus 5:1, RV) he rudely exclaimed: "Who is Jehovah, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, neither will I let Israel go." (Exodus 5:2)
If Moses had said, as our version indicates, "Thus says the Lord," it would not have been distinctive, for the sun-god, which Pharaoh worshiped, corresponded to the Canaanitish Baal, which means "lord."
Pharaoh knew many lords and gods, and one above all, the sun-god, which was known as "the lord;" he knew Ra, and Osiris, and Isis, and Phthah, and Set, but he did not know Jehovah, the only Lord. He might have known God, but, like the other heathen, he did not like to retain God in his knowledge. (Romans 1:28) Still God gave him this opportunity to know and to recognize him; and when Pharaoh haughtily said, "I know not Jehovah," the Lord brought judgments upon him until he was forced to confess His power. "And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do you, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works?" (Exodus 5:4)
The word "let" is used in its primitive sense of hindering, or causing to cease. That this is so, is shown by the next verse, where the king continues: "Behold, the people of the land now are many, and yet make them rest from their burdens." (Exodus 5:5)
Whatever opinion may be held as to the reason, this much is certain, that in consequence of the coming of Moses and Aaron, and what they had said, the Israelites had to some extent ceased from their work. This is still further shown by the fact that Pharaoh said of them, "they be idle," (Exodus 5:8) and to them, "you are idle, you are idle." (Exodus 5:17)
It was because of this that the king increased their task, compelling them to make brick without straw. To the Jews Jesus once said: "Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you." (John 12:35)
Nothing is more evident than that when a person turns away from the light he goes into darkness. Light and darkness are opposite conditions, so that if a man is not in the light he is in the dark. That proposition needs no argument. It was on this principle that Pharaoh's heart was hardened.
Ample evidence of the superiority of God's power over that of Satan, as exhibited through the magicians, was given to Pharaoh, but when he refused to accept it, that very rejection was a hardening of his heart. The light which, if it were accepted, would acquaint him with God, was rejected, and by thus shutting himself farther away from God, hardness of heart and blindness of mind necessarily followed. For this, no one was to blame but Pharaoh himself. The Revised Version renders it thus: "And Pharaoh's heart was hardened." (Exodus 7:9, RV)
The only reason that can be given why the magicians did not remove the plague of frogs, is that they could not. That they would gladly have done everything in their power to destroy the effect of the miracle upon the mind of Pharaoh, and to make him believe that the power that was with Moses was no greater than that with them, there is no reason to doubt.
It is most reasonable, also, to conclude that as the king had called the magicians to his assistance for the purpose of withstanding Moses, he would first call upon them to remove the plague. But they could not. The fact that Pharaoh was obliged to call upon Moses and Aaron to remove the plague, was an additional humiliation, and emphasized the fact that the power that was with them was greater than the power that was with the magicians.--Signs of the Times, December 28, 1888--Exodus 5:1 to 7:8.
E.J. Waggoner