Author: cackywalker@yahoo.com

Then the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and raise your hand over the waters of Egypt-all its rivers, canals, ponds, and all the reservoirs. Turn al the water to blood. Everywhere in Egypt the water will turn to blood, even the water stored in wooden bowls and stone pots.'”

So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. As Pharaoh and all his officials watched, Aaron raised his staff and struck the water of the Nile. Suddenly, the whole river turned to blood! The fish in the river died, and the water became so foul that the Egyptians couldn’t drink it. There was blood everywhere throughout the land of Egypt. But again, the magicians of Egypt used their magic, and they, too, turned the water into blood. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted. Pharaoh returned to his palace and put the whole thing out of his mind. Then all the Egyptians dug along the riverbank to find drinking water, for they couldn’t drink the water from the Nile.

Seven days passed from the time the Lord struck the Nile. (vv. 19-25, NLT)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pay close attention to this. I will make you seem like God to Pharaoh, and your brother, Aaron, will be your prophet. Tell Aaron everything I command you, and Aaron must command Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his country. But I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. Even then Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will bring down My fist on Egypt. Then I will rescue My forces-My people, the Israelites-from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment. When I raise My powerful hand and bring out the Israelites, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”

So Moses and Aaron did just at the Lord had commanded them. Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three when they made their demands to Pharaoh.

Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Pharaoh will demand, ‘Show me a miracle.’ When he does, say Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh, and it will become a serpent.'”

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had commanded them. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh called in his own wise men and sorcerers, and these Egyptian magicians did the same thing with their magic. They threw down their staffs, which also became serpents! But then Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. Pharaoh’s heart, however, remained hard. He still refused to listen, as the Lord had predicted. (vv 1-13, NLT)

“Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgement. I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord you God who has freed you from you oppression in Egypt. I will bring you into the land I swore to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord!'”

Then the Lord told Moses “Go back to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and tell hi to let the people of Israel leave his country.”

“But, Lord!” Moses objected. “My own people won’t listen to me. How can I expect Pharaoh to listen: I am such a clumsy speaker!:

But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them the orders for the Israelites and for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. (vv. 6-13, NLT)

After this presentation, to Israel’s leaders, Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh. They told him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: Let my people to so they may hold a festival in My honor in the wilderness.”

“Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the Lord? Why should I listen to Him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”

But Moses and Aaron persisted. “The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they declared. “So let us take the three-day journey into the wilderness so we can offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don’t He will kill us with the plague or with the sword.”

Pharaoh replied, “Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work! Look, there of so many of your people in the land, and you are stopping them from their work.” (vv. 1-5, NLT)

Now the Lord had said to Aaron, “Go out into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So Aaron went and met Moses at the mountain of God and embraced him. Moses then told Aaron everything the Lord had commanded him to say. And he told him about the miraculous signs the Lord had commanded him to perform.

Then Moses and Aaron returned to Egypt and called the elders of Israel together. Aaron told them everything the Lord had told Moses, and Moses performed the miraculous signs as they watched. Then the people of Israel were convinced that the Lord had sent Moses and Aaron. When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped. (vv. 27-31, NLT)

So Moses went back home to Jethro, his father-in-law. “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt,” Moses said. “I don’t even know if they are still alive.”

“Go in Peace,” Jethro replied.

Before Moses left Midian, the Lord said to him, “Return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you have died.”

So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to the land of Egypt. In his hand, he carried the staff of God.

And the Lord told Moses, “When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go. Then you will tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son. I commanded you, “Let my son go, so he can worship Me.” But since you have refused, I will now kill your firstborn son!'” (vv 18-23, NLT)

But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very goog with words. I never have been, and I’m now not, even though you have spoken to me, I get tongue-tid , and my words get tangled.”

The the Lord asked Moses, “Who make a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see and not see? No go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you what to say.”

But Moses pleaded again,”Lord, please! Send someone else!”

Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” He said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct both of you in what to do. Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say. And take you shepherd’s staff with you and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.” (vv. 10-17, NLT)

But Moses protested again. “what if they won’t believe or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you?'”

Then the Lord asked him,”What is in your hand?”

“A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.

“Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.

Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” . So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand.

“Perform this sign,” the Lord told him. “Then they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob-really has appeared to you.

Then the Lord asked ot Moses, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with a severe sin disease. “Now put your hand back into your cloak,” the Lord said. So Moses put his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign. And if they don’t believe you or listen to you after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile Rifer and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do , the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.” (vv.1-9, NLT)

“The elders of Israel will accept your message. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Israel and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So please let us take a thee-day journey into the wilderness and offer sacrifices to the Lord, our God.’

“But you know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a might hand forces him. So I will raise My hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then at last he will let you go. And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably upon you. They will give you gifts when you so so you will not go empty-handed. Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from foreign women in their houses.You will dress your sons and daughters with these, stripping the Egyptians of the wealth.” (v 18-22, NLT)

Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of Egyptians and lead then out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with mik and honey-the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jeusites now live. Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached Me , and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. No go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead My people our of Egypt.”

But Moses protested to God, “”Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?

God answered, “I will be with you. An this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”

But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask, ‘What is His name?’Then what shall I tell them?”

God replied to Moses, ” I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, ” Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors-the God of Abraham. the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob- has sent me to you. This is My eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.” (vv. 7-15, NLT)