Messengers of God and the Purpose of the Plagues
Exodus 7:1–4 (NASB95)
1Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2“You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. 3“But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4“When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments.
Commentary - Messengers of God and the Purpose of the Plagues
Exodus 6:26-30 is a crucial moment in the story of Moses and Aaron. The genealogy has just confirmed their legitimacy and preparation to lead God’s people, and now the narrative returns to the task at hand: confronting Pharaoh and demanding freedom for the Israelites. God reminds Moses and Aaron of their role as His messengers and sets the stage for His power to be revealed through the ten plagues.
The Hebrew word navi, often translated as “prophet,” is key to understanding Moses and Aaron’s roles. When most people hear the word prophet, they think of someone who predicts the future. While prophets do occasionally foretell events, their primary role is simpler and more direct: they serve as God’s spokespersons. A prophet delivers God’s message to the people or to the person to whom God directs it. Specifically, Aaron’s role was to speak God’s words to Pharaoh as they were given to Moses. In this sense, both Moses and Aaron functioned as prophets, not because they were predicting what would happen, but because they faithfully delivered God’s message. Their role was not to convince Pharaoh with eloquence or charisma but to speak exactly what God commanded. This is a powerful reminder that their success was never dependent on their ability but on God’s authority.
God also reassures Moses here, as He has throughout this process, that Pharaoh will not listen. This refusal is not because Moses is ineffective or Aaron lacks eloquence. Pharaoh’s heart has been hardened. This hardening is not arbitrary but is rooted in Pharaoh’s own pride and rebellion. Pharaoh could not admit that there was an authority greater than his own. To do so would undermine everything he claimed as a god-king of Egypt. God tells Moses to expect resistance and assures him that this resistance is part of the plan. The plagues that will follow are not just about forcing Pharaoh to release the Israelites. They have a much larger purpose.
The ten plagues serve three major purposes:
1. To force Pharaoh and the Egyptians to release the Israelites. The plagues will bring Egypt to its knees, making it impossible for Pharaoh to continue holding the Hebrews in slavery. This is the most immediate and obvious purpose of the plagues.
2. To punish Pharaoh and Egypt for their cruelty. This is not just about freeing the Israelites. It is about justice. Egypt had oppressed God’s people for centuries. They had enslaved them, treated them brutally, and even murdered their newborn sons. The plagues are an act of divine judgment on a nation whose sins had reached their full measure.
3. To demonstrate that Yahweh is the One True God. The plagues are not random acts of destruction. Each one is a direct challenge to the gods of Egypt. For example, the Nile turning to blood challenges Hapi, the god of the Nile. The plague of darkness challenges Ra, the sun god. Pharaoh himself was considered a god, and his inability to stop the plagues reveals his impotence before Yahweh. Through these signs, God demonstrates to both the Israelites and the Egyptians that He alone is sovereign. In the coming chapters, we will explore how each plague dismantles the false gods of Egypt one by one.
For us today, these verses remind us of the weight and responsibility of being God’s messengers. Like Moses and Aaron, we are called to deliver His message faithfully, even when we face resistance. God does not ask us to be perfect speakers or to rely on our own strength. He simply asks us to trust Him and speak the truth He has revealed to us. This passage also prepares us for the reality that we will encounter opposition in our faith journey. Just as Pharaoh resisted God, we will face people, systems, and spiritual forces that set themselves against God’s purposes. Yet, we can take heart, knowing that God’s power is greater than any opposition, and His plans will not fail.
In His Service,
Ryan Goodnight