In Moses' confrontation with Pharaoh and his magicians, the Egyptians were able to duplicate the miracles and wonders of God only up to a point. The introductory example was with the first miraculous sign God commanded Moses to perform in Exodus 7:

"So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said."

In this example, the Egyptian magic appears the same in the beginning, but it is quickly seen that the miracle of the LORD is more powerful. In fact, in the following series of supernatural plagues, the Egyptian gods are defeated one by one, culminating in God showing his power over the sun god Ra and even Pharoah, the son of heaven himself.

In the beginning, the wise men can keep up:

"Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.
But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said."

So it went with the plague of frogs--the magicians were able to produce these by their secret arts. But beginning with the plague of knats and continuing through the plagues of flies, livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and death, the wonders of God are not duplicated by the Egyptians and their magic arts. Pharaoh sometimes asks for prayer and makes promises in the heat of the moment, but he continues to harden his heart--and at some points it is written that God hardens Pharaoh's heart.

One point to be noted here is that God is making a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites, and part of that process is the use of miraculous signs and wonders. The LORD has an escalating show of power and a plan of attack that will climax in the crossing of the Red Sea and the birth of the nation of His people. Interestingly, many of these happenings find parallels in the Book of Revelation.

While fairy tales and folklore often blur the distinction between magic and miracles, proffering so-called "white magic" and "good witches," the Bible seems to draw a clear line between the power of God and the powers of darkness.

Very interesting Alan

The title was supposed to be "Moses versus the Magicians." It might be good food for thought regarding magic characters and presentations. I talked to a children's pastor recently who is planning to do a VBS on "The Miracles of Jesus: More Than Magic" in which the kids would learn about miracles, maybe learn some tricks, and see a professional magic show on the last day for a grand finale'.

Ever consider why in the world the Egyptian magicians would WANT to duplicate turning water to blood and bringing MORE frogs into their land? If they had any real powers, wouldn't it have made more sense to turn the water back to water, and to rid their land of frogs? Seems like a pretty foolish game of one-up-man-ship.

In Jewish and Christian traditions, Jannes and Jambres (Hebrew: ???? Yo?anai, ?????? Yambres) are the names given to magicians mentioned in the Book of Exodus. This naming tradition is well-attested in ancient and medieval literature.

Happy CHRISTmas and Blessing to ALL