WHEN Moses and Aaron returned to Egypt from the wilderness of Sinai, armed with the authority with which God had entrusted them, Aaron outlined to the Israelites the plans made for their deliverance. He repeated the signs that had been shown to Moses, which must have included the turning of his rod into a serpent and the rod's return to its normal condition and Moses' swift healing of an equally sudden indication of leprosy. In response, "the people believed: . . . then they bowed their heads and worshipped" (Ex. 4:31).
But when the two brothers approached Pharaoh and asked that the Israelites be permitted to go "three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord" (Ex. 5:3), this request was bluntly refused; and the unreasoned demands made upon the Hebrews were so increased that they now accused Moses and Aaron of contributing to their trials instead of alleviating them. In spite of the opposition thus encountered from friend and foe alike, Moses and Aaron bravely persisted in reminding Pharaoh of the Lord's demand, "Let my people go, that they may serve me" (Ex. 7:16), only to encounter increased obduracy shown by the king.
This chronic stubbornness paved the way for the ten plagues, which speedily harassed the Egyptians. The first plague is said to have turned into blood the waters of the Nile, a river considered essential to the economy of Egypt, but the pollution of which was now threatening the lives of the Egyptians by cutting off their basic water supply. This situation might well have brought Pharaoh to his senses, had not his magicians persuaded him that they too were capable of working such a miracle.
