1-2 And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. 4-5 Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgement. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” 6-7 Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them. Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

8-10 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle’, then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11-13 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. Exodus 7:1-13 English Standard Version

Did you notice the ages of Moses and Aaron in today's reading? Moses would eventually live to be 120, but it was at a time when people were usually dying much younger than in earlier generations. We have a reminder here that age itself should not make us think we are 'too old' for God to use in some way. Nor 'too young' for that matter. God called a man named Samuel at a very young age, and he became a godly leader in Israel. It's not age that matters, but our willingness to be obedient to God's word.

In this chapter the stage is set for the battle that lay ahead to set the Israelites free from their bondage in Egypt. God was going to enable Moses and Aaron to do a number of amazing signs to show that He had sent them. But a difficulty for our human understanding of the events that follow arises when we read in vs 3 that God would 'harden Pharaoh's heart' so that he would not allow them to go. What do vs 4-5 tell us as to why God was doing that?

The end result would be that the Egyptians would see God's power, and they would know for sure that it was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who had rescued Israel. By implication, it would also mean that this God was greater than any of the idol gods they worshipped. Keep in mind that, right from the start, Pharaoh had no intention of releasing those he could use as slaves in his kingdom.

The contest of whose God was greater is seen already in vs 11-13. The wise men, sorcerers, and magicians of Egypt, were able to do the same sign by their secret arts. For anyone who grew up with little exposure to the dark arts, and things like 'black magic' or sorcery, this comes as quite a surprise. Many magician performances today are more about sleight of hand. The tricks are performed so quickly and deftly that it looks like magic. But what we have here in Exodus is something far more sinister and dangerous.

1 Samuel 28 tells of a woman who was a medium and able to call up spirits, and Acts 8 tells of a man named Simon who had practised magic and amazed the people of Samaria. So what we refer to as 'the occult' is not just mumbo-jumbo. There are parts of the world where witchcraft is a powerful force. There are also many reports these days of a renewed interest in the occult in Western countries, hence the success of the Harry Potter stories. Later on, in the journey out of Egypt, Moses told the Israelites that those who practised divination or sorcery, interpreted omens, are engaged in witchcraft, casts spells, were a medium or spiritist, or who consulted the dead, were “detestable to the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12) So too, those who follow Christ should have nothing to do with the dark arts, even such things as fortune telling, Ouija boards and seances. Let us walk in the light as Christ is in the light.