SNAKES, BLOOD, AND FROGS

“Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, ‘When Pharaoh says to you, “Perform a miracle,” tell Aharon to take his staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh, so that it can become a snake.’”
Exodus 7:8-9

Adonai spoke to Moshe and Aharon once again, leading Moshe to a place before Pharaoh. Again Moshe and Aharon came on behalf of the Hebrews, wanting their freedom from Pharaoh’s tyrant hand. But as Aharon placed his staff down as ordered by Adonai, the staff became a snake. Pharaoh didn’t seem moved, but rather called his sages, sorcerers and magicians over to him and had them perform the same trick. It seemed to be child’s play. Yet something happened. Aharon’s snake swallowed the snakes of the others before turning back into a staff. This action did not seem to change Pharaoh’s decision to let the people go, and even Adonai knew that Pharaoh was being stubborn.
In the morning Moshe went right back to the palace and demanded that Pharaoh let Adonai’s people go again. Again the stubbornness of Pharaoh was the reply. To this, Moshe heard from Adonai that Aharon was to stretch his staff over the Nile. Once he did this, the river began to turn to blood. And it wasn’t just the river, but every container and ounce of fresh water turned to blood. Fish began to die, stink began to be present, and although Pharaoh’s men were able to replicate the water into blood, they were not able to reverse it. But why was the water attacked? To show Adonai’s power of the god of the Nile, Hapi. The nourishment that this god portrayed in his stomach and breasts, and the growth that he showed displayed in the papyrus stemming behind his head were both effected in the turning of water to blood. In this, Adonai showed He had dominance over Hapi.
Seven days later, Adonai showed His power once again. It was the custom of the Egyptians to serve the goddess Heket. Heket was shown as a female human body, but having the face of a frog. Is it any wonder then that the next plague would show Adonai’s power over her by releasing a hoard of frogs on Egypt? And although, once again, the men of Pharaoh were able to replicate, they were not able to cease the plague. Finally Pharaoh summoned Moshe and Aharon to request they have the plague stopped in exchange for letting the people go. Moshe agreed and even gave him the ability to name the date the plague would stop. I have a hard time understanding why he requested the next day as opposed to the current day, but either way Adonai showed His power by ceasing the next day just as requested.
Yet as we will continue to see, Pharaoh was bluffing. Once the plague lifted, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened again.

Exodus 7:8 – 8:6