MOSES AND AARON BEFORE PHARAOH.
THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT.
Yet think not thou, amidst thy warlike bands,
They lie beyond redemption in thine hands.
The God in whom they trust may help them still,
They know He can deliver, and He will:
Whether by life or death afflicts them not;
On His decree, not thine, they rest their lot.
—Montgomery.
God gave to Moses and Aaron power to do wonderful things, miraculous things, that through them Pharaoh might know that the power of God was with them.
Aaron went before Pharaoh, and, throwing down his rod before him, it turned to a serpent.
But Pharaoh only laughed. "My wise men can do as much," he said. So he called them. They also did in like manner, but the rod of Aaron swallowed up the rods of Pharaoh's wise men.
Now, it is the river Nile that makes Egypt the fertile, fruitful country that it is. Without it Egypt would be a burning desert. The Egyptians well knew this. One day Moses went down to the waters, and, stretching his rod out over them, turned them to blood. The people were frightened.
The fish died; and no man could drink of the water.