Slices
Prepare
Pray that the Lord will make you teachable always.
Bible passage
The plague of blood
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river. Confront him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. 16 Then say to him, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened. 17 This is what the Lord says: by this you will know that I am the Lord: with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.”’
19 The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron, “Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt – over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs – and they will turn to blood.” Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone.’
20 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.
22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. 23 Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river.
Explore
Lately, the newspapers have been full of stories of the pollution in Britain’s rivers. Repeated warnings have been ignored and now life in the rivers is threatened. This is nothing compared with what happens to the river Nile when Pharaoh ignores God’s command to send out the people of Israel. The mighty Nile is the secret of Egypt’s wealth and power; a reliable source of water made agriculture possible in an otherwise arid part of the world. Making the water unusable is a devastating blow to Pharaoh’s realm.
Some commentators have sought to find natural explanations for a change in the appearance of the river, but the passage makes clear that this was a sudden occurrence brought about by the action of Aaron at the Lord’s command, even in stored water (v 19). Egyptian magicians are somehow able to duplicate the changing of water to blood, which will not have helped the situation (v 22). Pharaoh refuses to listen to the Lord. His heart becomes harder, and he embarks on a battle of wills with the Lord.
The Egyptians are able to access clean water only by digging for it along the banks of the river, where no doubt the sand acts as a natural filter. Pharaoh simply retreats to his palace (v 23); he presumably has others to do the digging and bring him water.
Respond
Do you know anyone who seems very resistant to the gospel? Pray for the Lord to soften their heart.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Judges 15,16; Proverbs 9,10
Pray for Scripture Union
April for SUMT (SU on the Isle of Man) is taken up with preparation for the year’s biggest event, Lifepath. Pray for Linda and Laura as they lead preparations and for the wider team as they coordinate volunteers and create the many resources.
Thursday
Looking for a holiday this summer? We can help!
We have been organising holidays and activities for children, young people and families for more than 100 years. With a huge range of fun on offer, from camping in tents to sleeping in log cabins, and from outdoor activity centres to luxury boarding schools, we're confident that there is something that is right for the children and young people you know!