How does Exodus 7:15 demonstrate God's authority over Pharaoh and Egypt's gods? Verse at a Glance “Go to Pharaoh in the morning when he goes out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was turned into a snake.” (Exodus 7:15) Pharaoh at the Nile: Daily Worship Exposed • Egyptian kings claimed divinity and performed sunrise rituals at the Nile, honoring the river-god Hapi—source of life, fertility, and economic power. • By sending Moses “when he goes out to the water,” the LORD steps directly into Pharaoh’s sacred space and sacred moment, declaring, “I, not the Nile, control life.” • Exodus 5:2 had Pharaoh scoffing, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice?” Now God answers on Pharaoh’s own turf. Yahweh Sets the Terms, Not Pharaoh • “Go … Stand … Take”—three commands that leave Pharaoh no choice about time, place, or agenda. • God chooses the confrontation; Pharaoh merely shows up and reacts. • This mirrors later statements: “so that you may know there is no one like Me in all the earth” (Exodus 9:14) and “against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD” (Exodus 12:12). The Staff: Portable Proof of Sovereignty • The staff “that was turned into a snake” (cf. Exodus 7:8-12) had already swallowed the magicians’ staffs—an unmistakable sign that the LORD devours rival powers. • Carrying the staff to the Nile visually declares, “The same God who ruled in the palace corridor now rules over the river.” • It prefigures every plague: ordinary creation elements (wood, water, dust, insects) become instruments of divine authority. Confronting Egypt’s Theology Head-On • Nile worship: God strikes at the heart of Egyptian religion by confronting Pharaoh beside the very water they deified. • Royal divinity: By commanding Pharaoh rather than negotiating, the LORD shows TRUE kingship; Psalm 135:5—“For I know that the LORD is great; our Lord is above all gods.” • Cosmic hierarchy inverted: The supposed god-king must now answer to a shepherd with a wooden staff, illustrating 1 Corinthians 1:27—“God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” Foreshadowing the First Plague • The meeting sets up verse 17: “By this you will know that I am the LORD … I will strike the water of the Nile with the staff … and it will be turned to blood.” • Turning water to blood unmasks Hapi as powerless and confronts Pharaoh’s claim to sustain his people. • Each subsequent plague will dismantle a segment of Egypt’s pantheon, but Exodus 7:15 is the opening salvo. Timeless Implications • God’s authority is literal, immediate, and public; He still confronts every false source of security. • No cultural power—political, economic, religious—stands outside His jurisdiction. • He invites His people to speak His word boldly, confident that the outcome rests on His sovereignty, not on human prestige or setting. |
    |