Picture: “Sahara Desert” by James Barker on Freedigitalphotos.net

Why did the Exodus magicians have such great power? What compiled the secret arts which they used to perform their tricks?

In Exodus, Moses, with Aaron’s help, pleaded with Pharoah to let his people (Israel) go into the desert so that they could worship the Lord. The Lord hardened Pharoah’s heart, and He also struck Egypt with many plagues

Exodus 7:10-13New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ 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: ¹² Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

What, exactly, were the secret arts? Were the magicians’ snakes merely illusions? After all, Aaron’s staff swallowed up the magicians’ staffs.

Exodus 7:20-23New International Version (NIV)

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.

Again, I wonder about the magicians’ secret arts. How in the world could they turn water into blood, and make frogs appear in Egypt unless it was merely an illusion? This dreaded power almost seems to be a battle between Satan and God as they struggle with the tug of war between the Egyptians and the Israelites.

Exodus 8:17-19New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. ¹⁸ But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not.

Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, ¹⁹ the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said.

The magicians say that the gnat infestation was from the finger of God – so they are obviously aware of the Lord’s power. This scripture is proof that their secret arts had no power over God. Would they not fear Him, no longer wanting to perform these secret arts which seem to go against God?

Exodus 9:10-12New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals. ¹¹ The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians.

Again, the magicians’ power is minimized because they are now covered with boils, no match for God’s power.

I wonder if these magicians realized how small and insignificant their power was when compared to God? I wonder if they still relied on these secret arts, and if they made a habit of deceiving others using their false power? How did they manage to conjure up this secret power? What did they say and do to make these things happen?

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