The miracle of the staff turning into a serpent

Exodus 7:8-12; 1/18/2026; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang

Introduction

Why did God command Aaron to perform miracles?  And why did He even use a serpent as an illustration?  Paul says, “Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:22).  And you—dear brothers and sisters—what is it that you seek?  Let me ask you: are you willing to have Christ alone?  Let us now turn to the first point:

God commands miracles

Obviously, Moses and Aaron performed miracles because “the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron.” But what kind of new truth is this?  First, it is to respond rather than react.  When people face pressure, they usually choose denial, avoidance, or even lose their moral bottom line.  The underlying logic is flawed: everything is someone else’s fault, and only I am never wrong.  Pharaoh, as the one who held authority in Egypt—and who even controlled life and death—when he commanded you to do something, how could you refuse?  As for whether the matter was right or wrong, or whether it was in accordance with God’s will, such questions were not considered at all; in fact, there was no room to consider them.  When people submit merely to the tyranny of authority—lowering their heads, currying favor, abandoning principles, and even reacting emotionally instead of responding with the Word of God.  Thanks be to the Lord! Moses and Aaron performed miracles according to God’s command.

Secondly, a prerequisite—no impulsiveness.  Moses and Aaron did not take the performance of miracles as their personal satisfaction; rather, they took obedience to God’s word as their standard.  From God’s command we can see that it was not Moses and Aaron who took the initiative to perform miracles; it was Pharaoh who provoked the situation first.  The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Perform a miracle…’”  Here the prerequisite is twofold: first, there is God’s prophecy and foreknowledge, accompanied by His command; second, Pharaoh indeed acted exactly according to what God had foretold.  Moses and Aaron were not impulsive at all.  They simply and quietly followed God’s instructions and faced what was about to happen.  Therefore, there is one thing I do not want my brothers and sisters to miss: do not rush—take it slowly.

Finally, Moses instructed Aaron.  Here we see a principal for conduct in life: keeping order, observing boundaries, and acting according to God’s appointed sequence.  Indeed, it was Aaron who was to throw down the staff and turn it into a serpent.  However, Aaron had to wait—wait until Moses gave the command.  Why?  On what basis should Aaron, the older brother, listen to the instructions of his younger brother Moses?  Could it be, God, that You made a mistake?  Was I not Esau, the elder brother?  Why was Jacob allowed to take away my birthright?  Why did my own mother Rebekah favor the younger brother and deceive my blind and confused father Isaac with a bowl of game, stealing the blessing?  And yet that blessing was originally mine, Esau’s!  But thanks be to the Lord!  Moses and Aaron, these two brothers, passed the test.  They walked together in unity and experienced the grace of brothers standing together, whose unity is stronger than gold.  Let us now look at the second point:

 

Seeing Pharaoh perform miracles

As long as we firmly believe that what God has spoken will surely be fulfilled, our hearts can remain steadfast.  This steadfastness is the faith by which we live before God.  Moses and Aaron went to see Pharaoh carrying this steadfast confidence—that is, their faith.  First, Staff turns into a serpent.  The moment we mention a serpent, our minds immediately go back to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, don’t they?  As a result, the serpent unconsciously becomes a kind of totem, stepping into the courtroom of human judgment.  Once bitten by a snake, one fears a rope for ten years.  More than three thousand years have passed, and yet deep in our hearts we may still harbor doubts about God’s actions—might that be true?  “Lord, how could You allow Your servant to throw down the staff that symbolizes Your authority onto the defiled and filthy land of Egypt, and even let it become an evil serpent?”  Do you see it?  The deceitfulness of the human heart is, at its core, the desire to play a role more righteous and more correct than God Himself—even to instruct God on how He should act.  Little do we realize that God can even make it so that “everyone who is bitten, when he looks at the bronze serpent, shall live” (Numbers 21:9).

Secondly, the magicians and sorcerers.  Who were the Egyptian magicians and sorcerers?  They were those in Egypt regarded as extraordinary men—people with certain talents or abilities so great that they could rival God, even stand in opposition to Him.  Similarly, in modern times, when officials like Secretary Xia Baolong and his successors saw more crosses than national or party flags in Wenzhou, they were outraged.  They deployed powerful forces—public security, armed police, state security, and even plainclothes officers—rolling in with heavy machinery to destroy churches, tear down crosses, and arrest God’s people.  And this continues even today.  The heart of the antichrist must be rejoicing:  How dare they flaunt their power in the presence of God? How impressive!

Finally, acting in Imitation.  The deceit of the antichrists has learned to “do the same.”  For example, over twenty pastors from Pastor Jin Mingri’s Zion Church were arrested.  The authorities did not dare to use religious belief as the charge.  Instead, they invented all kinds of false accusations—economic crimes, fraud, disturbing the peace, and so on.  When demolishing churches, officials like Xia Baolong did not cite religion either, but claimed the buildings were illegal constructions.  These magicians and sorcerers of the antichrist regime, filled with evil spirits, perform all kinds of evil arts.  Particularly, some pastors who were persecuted during the Cultural Revolution, along with their descendants, are used to carry out shameless schemes—cooperating with foreign propaganda, organizing “Bible exhibitions” in Europe and the U.S.—all with the purpose of deceiving people into thinking there is religious freedom in an antichrist nation.  Let us now look at the third point:

 

Aaron’s staff swallows their staffs

Now it happened—Moses’ and Aaron’s staffs went up against the staffs of the Egyptian magicians and sorcerers!  Since God called Abraham over four thousand years ago, and from Moses until now—more than three thousand three hundred years—the spiritual battles have never ceased.  First, each one threw down their staff.  Everyone threw down their staff, but their purposes were different, their motives were not the same, and of course, what they relied on was entirely different.  The Egyptian magicians and sorcerers threw down their staffs as a habitual practice of sorcery, mixed with pride and showmanship.  In their hearts, they despised Moses and Aaron, thinking, Who are you?  Haven’t you heard of our Egyptian magic?  How mighty is our propaganda!  Who says Iran killed people?  Clearly, they were just some rioters!  And during June 4th, 1989  Beijing Party Secretary Yuan Mu claimed only 23 died.  Yet the truth cannot be hidden forever!  One day, the staffs of God’s servants—Aaron and Moses—will meet the staffs of the Egyptian magicians and sorcerers, and the victory will be clear. Just wait and see!

Secondly, each staff became a serpent.  When Moses and Aaron threw down their staffs, it signified that they had relinquished human authority.  If God’s people refuse to let go and surrender the authority of the staff to God, the staff will not become a serpent, much less be used for God’s purposes!  On the surface, it may have seemed that the Egyptian magicians and sorcerers were powerful, perhaps even stronger than the Hebrews.  For over four hundred years, only Joseph among the Israelites had ever served as a prime minister in Egypt.  Most of the time, the Israelites were under oppression and slavery, especially when the new Pharaoh came to power.  Thus, for God’s people, relying on God was their only option—otherwise, it would be a dead end.  Let go, surrender to God, and allow it to be used for His purposes!   No matter what the staff may become, it is entirely according to the Lord’s will.

 

Finally, Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs.  To Pharaoh’s astonishment, the Egyptian magicians and sorcerers were defeated!  Their staffs were swallowed by the staff of a Hebrew slave!  The economic loss was minimal, but the humiliation was immense.  Even to this day, Egyptians take pride in handling snakes and boast of their mastery of sorcery.  Satan’s pride has been the same throughout the ages.  In the final days of Moses’ life, God allowed him to ascend Mount Nebo to view the land of Canaan.   Then he quietly died, waiting for God to bring him home.  At that moment, Satan contended with the archangel over Moses’ body.  Yet little did Satan know that one day, “the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (Romans 16:20).”

 

Conclusion

Praise the Lord! This was the second time Moses and Aaron came before Pharaoh.  God’s command to perform miracles was, of course, intended to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into Canaan.  Yet, looking at God’s choice to use the method of turning the staff into a serpent, it seems that God also wanted to help the Egyptians. By using a practice they were familiar with—handling serpents—He would lead the Egyptians to recognize a God they did not know, a mighty God, and to know the name of the LORD.

 

Let us pray together……

 

8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’”

10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.

11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts.

12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.