“Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.”
In this verse, we find God speaking to Moses, instructing him on what to do before Pharaoh in order to demonstrate God’s power and deliver His message to the Egyptian ruler.
To understand the context of this verse, we need to look at the preceding events. God had chosen Moses as the leader to deliver the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt. Moses, accompanied by his brother Aaron, was sent to Pharaoh to demand the release of the Israelites from slavery. However, Pharaoh refused to let them go.
In Exodus 7:15, God directs Moses to go to Pharaoh in the morning, at a specific location by the river’s brink. The statement “he goeth out unto the water” refers to Pharaoh’s regular practice of going to the Nile River, which was considered sacred in Egyptian culture. It was a place of religious significance, and Pharaoh likely visited it as part of his daily rituals.
God instructs Moses to position himself by the river’s edge before Pharaoh arrives. Furthermore, Moses is told to take the rod that had previously been transformed into a serpent. This rod held great symbolic and miraculous significance. It was the instrument through which God performed signs and wonders in order to convince Pharaoh of His power and authority.
By instructing Moses to take the rod, God is equipping him with a physical reminder of the supernatural events that had already occurred. This rod would serve as a powerful symbol of God’s presence and the authority He had bestowed upon Moses.
Through this passage, we see God’s sovereignty and His desire to demonstrate His power to Pharaoh. The confrontation between Moses, armed with the rod, and Pharaoh would ultimately lead to a series of ten plagues that God would bring upon Egypt, each one escalating in severity. These plagues would serve as signs and judgments, showcasing the superiority of the God of Israel over the false gods of Egypt and revealing His determination to deliver His people.
Overall, Exodus 7:15 highlights God’s guidance to Moses:providing specific instructions on how to approach Pharaoh and what to bring with him. It showcases God’s power and sets the stage for the dramatic events that would follow as the story of the Exodus unfolds.
