So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
Exodus 7:10-13 NIV
In Exodus 7, there is a moment that reads almost like a test. The test, however, is not for Moses and Aaron — it is for Pharaoh. Indeed, it is the moment when God reveals his power openly and unmistakably. The sign is Aaron’s staff becoming a snake before Pharaoh’s very eyes. Yet Pharaoh turns not to acknowledge the one who sent that sign, but to call for his own sorcerers.
Pharaoh’s Question and What It Revealed
Earlier in the story, Moses declared that God had sent him to seek the release of the Israelites. Pharaoh’s response was a revealing question: “Who is the Lord?” (Exodus 5:2). He was not asking to know God — rather, he was looking to challenge his authority. So the Lord sent Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh with a sign. Aaron threw down his staff, and it became a snake (Exodus 7:10).
Instead of acknowledging what had just happened, Pharaoh summoned his wise men and sorcerers. The Egyptian magicians replicated the sign by their secret arts. Each one threw down his staff, and it became a snake. In doing so, they were not merely performing a trick. They were directly challenging the authority by which Moses and Aaron had come. It was a deliberate refusal to bow.
Yet God demonstrated his superior power. Aaron’s snake swallowed all of their staffs. Despite this, verse 13 records something important. “Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.” The phrase “just as the LORD had said” is significant. Indeed, it confirms that this hardening came from within Pharaoh himself. He was not willing to bend. The choice was entirely his own.
How We Respond When God Reveals His Power
So the question now turns to us. Indeed, how often do we behave like Pharaoh? God manifests himself in diverse ways, drawing our attention to himself and revealing his glory and authority. Yet in the midst of all of this, we find ourselves looking for other explanations. We try to reproduce what God has already done by our own effort and means.
Notably, our modern magicians and sorcerers may be our money — what we can purchase or arrange. They may be the people we rely on, or science and technology. When God reveals his power in clear and unmistakeable ways, we instinctively reach for familiar alternatives. We try to explain the miraculous away. We push by our own effort, as if the divine needs our assistance. Like Pharaoh, we call for our own sorcerers.
Meanwhile, God is reaching out to us — just as he once reached out to Pharaoh. He calls us to acknowledge him. He wants us to recognise his hand rather than look for other means. The response belongs to us. The question is: how will you respond to what God is doing in our own day and time? That response may ultimately be one of the most important choices we make.
Living It Out
When God reveals his power in your life, resist the pull towards other explanations or familiar alternatives. Pause and look clearly at what is happening. Acknowledge the one whose glory no magician or sorcerer can replicate.