Exodus 7 – The Staff of God and the First Sign
In Exodus 7, God empowers Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh with divine authority. The chapter marks the beginning of the plagues as Egypt’s false power is exposed by the hand of God.
God’s Power Begins to Break Egypt
The confrontation escalates. God tells Moses that Pharaoh will resist—but that resistance is the platform for God’s glory and judgment. Exodus 7 sets the tone for what’s coming: a divine battle between the true God and Egypt’s counterfeit powers.
✔ Moses and Aaron are sent again to Pharaoh.
✔ God makes Moses “as a god” to Pharaoh.
✔ The rod becomes a serpent.
✔ The first plague turns water to blood.
📖 Key Verse: “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” – Exodus 7:5
🔎 God’s purpose is not just to deliver Israel—but to reveal Himself to the world.
Exodus Chapter 7 Overview
Exodus 7:1–7 – Divine Authority and Obedience
📖 Exodus 7:1 – “See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy prophet.”
🔎 This verse is explosive in its implications:
🔹 “I have made thee a god” – God delegates divine authority and representation to Moses. Not in essence—but in function. Moses now stands before Pharaoh as an embodiment of God’s will and power.
🔹 Aaron thy prophet – Just as God speaks through prophets, Moses now speaks through Aaron. This mirrors a heavenly structure:
God → Prophet → People
Moses → Aaron → Pharaoh
🔹 This moment previews the coming office of prophet, and foreshadows Christ’s divine-human mediation.
➡️ Prophetic Parallel: In the end times, God’s people will be called to stand before the world with the authority of Heaven (Luke 21:12–15). Like Moses, they won’t stand alone.
📖 Exodus 7:2 – “Thou shalt speak all that I command thee… let the children of Israel go.”
🔎 Moses’ mission is clear: Speak only what God commands.
🔹 There’s no room for compromise or personal agenda—just pure obedience.
🔹 This models true prophetic ministry—not speaking to please men, but to declare divine truth.
➡️ Modern Application: Are we willing to speak God’s Word as He gives it—not watering it down for Pharaoh’s approval?
📖 Exodus 7:3–4 – “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart… and bring forth mine armies, and my people… out of the land of Egypt.”
🔎 God openly declares: Pharaoh will resist, but that resistance will serve My glory.
🔹 “Harden his heart” – In Hebrew (chazaq) – to strengthen or stiffen. Pharaoh’s natural pride is intensified as judgment sets in.
🔹 “My armies” – Israel is no longer described as slaves—but as God’s military force, a spiritual army in formation.
🔹 God brings them out, not sneaks them out—this is a public display of victory.
➡️ End-Time Echo: God will again bring out His people in open triumph, after the enemy has hardened his heart beyond repentance (Revelation 18:4–8).
📖 Exodus 7:5 – “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD…”
🔎 This is the mission behind the miracles—revelation:
🔹 Not just Israel—but Egypt will know. God uses confrontation to make Himself known even to the enemy.
🔹 Pharaoh’s resistance becomes the backdrop for God’s identity to be declared to the world.
🔹 The phrase “shall know that I am the LORD” will repeat over a dozen times in the plague narrative.
➡️ Prophetic Pattern: Every judgment, miracle, and deliverance in Scripture aims to lead people to the same truth: “I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 38:23)
📖 Exodus 7:6–7 – “And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them… Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three.”
🔎 These two verses show the silent strength of obedience:
🔹 “Did as the LORD commanded” – No debates, no hesitation—just action.
🔹 Age isn’t a limitation—it’s a credential. Moses and Aaron are called in the twilight of life, reminding us that God uses the available, not the young.
🔹 Obedience is more powerful than eloquence. Action preaches louder than ability.
➡️ Spiritual Insight: Revival doesn’t start with strength—it starts with surrender. The leaders who shake empires are often those who simply do what God says.
Prophetic Themes & End-Time Parallels
🔮 Godly Representation – Moses as “a god” to Pharaoh points forward to Christ, the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).
🔮 Spiritual Authority Structure – Mirrors how the Holy Spirit speaks what the Father and Son declare (John 16:13).
🔮 Hardened Hearts in the Last Days – Just as Pharaoh resisted repeated warnings, so will the world resist truth before the return of Christ (Revelation 16:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:10–12).
Exodus 7:8–13 – The Staff Becomes a Serpent
📖 Exodus 7:10 – “And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh… and it became a serpent.”
🔎 This is not just a miracle—it’s a direct spiritual challenge:
🔹 The serpent was a sacred symbol in Egypt, representing royalty, protection, and divine power. Pharaoh’s crown bore the Uraeus, a cobra, symbolizing dominion.
🔹 By turning a shepherd’s staff into a serpent, God declares: Your gods are powerless. Your symbols bow to Me.
🔹 The staff is the same one from the burning bush (Exodus 4)—a rod of revelation, leadership, and judgment.
➡️ Spiritual Insight: What God places in your hand, when surrendered in obedience, becomes a tool of divine confrontation.
📖 Exodus 7:11–12 – “Then Pharaoh also called the wise men… and they did in like manner… but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.”
🔎 This moment is layered with spiritual warfare and prophetic imagery:
🔹 Egypt’s magicians imitate the sign—this is not parlor trickery. It shows real demonic imitation through occult power (2 Timothy 3:8).
🔹 But imitation is not victory. Aaron’s serpent-rod devours theirs.
🔹 Swallowing = Total dominance. God doesn’t just compete—He consumes false systems.
➡️ Prophetic Echo: In the last days, false signs and wonders will deceive many (Matthew 24:24, Revelation 13:13–14)—but God’s truth will always devour the counterfeit.
📖 Exodus 7:13 – “And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart… as the LORD had said.”
🔎 Despite witnessing divine power, Pharaoh closes his heart:
🔹 His pride prevents submission. He sees signs—but rejects the Sign-giver.
🔹 Hardened hearts are not always atheistic—they can witness miracles and still resist.
🔹 This verse echoes a tragic pattern: God’s glory shines, but man clings to rebellion.
➡️ Warning: Exposure to truth without submission produces greater hardness (Hebrews 3:15).
Symbolic & Prophetic Themes
🔮 The Rod Becomes a Serpent – Fulfillment of Exodus 4, but now in public. It prefigures Jesus confronting Satan—taking on the serpent at the cross and swallowing death in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54).
🔮 Counterfeit Power – Satan’s kingdom mimics God’s miracles to mislead. But imitation always falls short of transformation.
🔮 The Swallowing – A picture of Christ’s final triumph, when all earthly powers are consumed and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord (Revelation 11:15).
Exodus 7:14–24 – Water Turned to Blood
📖 Exodus 7:14 – “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.”
🔎 The pattern of resistance continues:
🔹 Pharaoh is not ignorant—he is defiant.
🔹 The hardness of his heart positions Egypt for judgment, not mercy.
🔹 This verse sets the tone: God will no longer plead—He will act.
➡️ Spiritual Principle: Rejection of God’s Word opens the door to plagues, not peace.
📖 Exodus 7:15–17 – “Thou shalt stand by the river’s brink… Thus saith the LORD… I will smite with the rod… and the water shall be turned to blood.”
🔎 The location and method are deliberate:
🔹 The Nile River – Egypt’s source of life, fertility, trade, and worship. It was seen as a deity (Hapi)—the giver of abundance.
🔹 God strikes what they trust most.
🔹 “With the rod that was turned to a serpent” – This connects the earlier spiritual victory to the natural judgment. God is saying: “You saw My authority in Pharaoh’s court—now see it in your land.”
➡️ Prophetic Echo: In Revelation 16:4–6, waters are again turned to blood as judgment against the enemies of God.
📖 Exodus 7:18 – “The fish… shall die, and the river shall stink… and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink.”
🔎 The consequences are layered:
🔹 Dead fish = Ecological and economic collapse. Egypt’s food supply is hit.
🔹 Stench = A symbol of defilement and desecration. Their sacred river now reeks of death.
🔹 Loathing to drink – What once brought joy now brings nausea. Sin poisons what once seemed pure.
➡️ Spiritual Truth: False systems may appear life-giving—but when judged, they reveal death beneath the surface.
📖 Exodus 7:19–20 – “All the waters… were turned to blood… in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.”
🔎 This is total saturation:
🔹 Not just the river, but pools, streams, even water stored indoors—everything turns to blood.
🔹 Vessels of wood and stone = Human-made containers, often used in religious rituals. Even their sacred tools are contaminated.
➡️ Prophetic Layer: No part of society is untouched when God sends judgment. It reaches from the natural world to the religious center.
📖 Exodus 7:22–23 – “The magicians of Egypt did so… and Pharaoh turned… neither did he set his heart to this also.”
🔎 Pharaoh doubles down:
🔹 The magicians reproduce the sign—again showing demonic imitation.
🔹 But note: They cannot reverse the blood. They can only copy the curse, not cancel it.
🔹 Pharaoh sees judgment, but refuses to repent. He returns home—unmoved by death.
➡️ Warning: Hard hearts can witness devastation and still choose denial.
📖 Exodus 7:24 – “All the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink…”
🔎 This verse is heartbreaking and ironic:
🔹 Egypt must now labor just to survive.
🔹 Their “god” the Nile has failed them.
🔹 It’s a reversal: once they forced Israel to labor for life—now they dig in desperation.
➡️ Spiritual Insight: When judgment falls, people will dig anywhere for truth and life—but only God can restore what’s been struck.
Prophetic Patterns & Symbolism
🔮 Water to Blood – A judgment repeated in the bowls of Revelation (Revelation 16:4–6). In both cases, blood symbolizes accountability for violence and sin.
🔮 Strike on Egypt’s god – God begins by defeating false deities. Each plague will systematically crush a different Egyptian idol.
🔮 Imitation without power – A pattern throughout history and prophecy. Satan can replicate signs, but never redeem souls.
🔮 Digging for water – Foreshadows the spiritual famine in Amos 8:11–13, where people wander looking for the Word, but find none.
Exodus Chapter 7 - Deeper Study
Overview: The Battle Begins
🔹 Timeframe: Moses and Aaron return to confront Pharaoh with power.
🔹 Setting: Egypt’s royal court and the banks of the Nile.
🔹 Theme: The authority of God begins to dismantle Egypt’s false system.
Key Takeaways
🔑 God uses hardened hearts to reveal His glory.
🔑 Obedience activates divine power.
🔑 Satan can counterfeit signs—but never truth.
🔑 God strikes the idols of culture to expose their weakness.
🔑 Even judgment is an invitation to repentance.
Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment
🔮 Rod and serpent – Foreshadows Christ crushing the serpent (Genesis 3:15).
🔮 Blood in the water – Mirrors judgment in Revelation 16:4–6.
🔮 Counterfeit miracles – Prophesied again in the last days (2 Thessalonians 2:9).
Historical & Cultural Context
📜 The Nile River – Worshiped as a deity in Egypt. Turning it to blood was a direct blow to Egypt’s god-system.
📜 Magicians in Egypt – Often priests who practiced occult arts. Their imitation shows the reality of spiritual warfare.
📜 Blood as a symbol – Both death and redemption. Here, it is judgment, but it foreshadows Christ’s redeeming blood.
💡 Final Reflection: Are You Trusting Rods—or the Redeemer?
God is not intimidated by Pharaoh’s power or Egypt’s signs. He has a plan—and it starts with obedience, power, and separation.
📌 Are you willing to obey even when it seems like nothing changes?
📌 Are you trusting God’s rod to swallow up every counterfeit?
📌 Can you discern between real power and imitations?
🚀 God’s glory is just beginning to rise. Let the signs awaken your faith—not harden your heart.
Moses and Aaron Before Pharaoh
Exo 7:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
Exo 7:2 Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.
Exo 7:3 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
Exo 7:4 But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
Exo 7:5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.
Exo 7:6 And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.
Exo 7:7 And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.
Exo 7:8 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Exo 7:9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
Exo 7:10 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.
Exo 7:11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
Exo 7:12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.
Exo 7:13 And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
The First Plague: Water Turned to Blood
Exo 7:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.
Exo 7:15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.
Exo 7:16 And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.
Exo 7:17 Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.
Exo 7:18 And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.
Exo 7:19 And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine 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.
Exo 7:20 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.
Exo 7:21 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.
Exo 7:22 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.
Exo 7:23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.
Exo 7:24 And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.
Exo 7:25 And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.
Date Written
1446-1406 BC
Written By
Moses
Language
Hebrew
Verses
25