In Exodus chapter seven, verse twenty, Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded: To destroy the waters in the river by turning them into the blood in the sight of Pharoah and his servants. God instructed them to go to the King of Egypt and explain to their leader and the Egyptians what He intends to do and demonstrate it. Turning the waters into blood was the first of ten plagues to follow because of the hardness of Pharoah’s heart. God prompted Moses to have Aaron raise his staff over the Nile River. The water turned into blood. This plague made the fishes die and the land with an awful odor. Then, to prove his power, Pharaoh had his sorcerers turn more water into blood. They eventually had to dig wells to get fresh water. The plague lasted a week.
The reaction of the King of Egypt indicates that he did not let the first plague change his attitude because why would a king contend with a living God and get his magicians to mimic what God did through Moses and Aaron? Pharoah did not realize that he challenged the God of Israel and not a deity similar to what they worship. He went into his house after the incident instead of pleading with Moses and Aaron. The Egyptians dug around to find another means of obtaining fresh water. This reaction shows the hardness of the Pharoah’s heart and the Egyptians.
The plague against Egypt had several purposes. They were signs and wonders to show Egypt, and Israel, that the Lord is God above all gods and human beings and to exalt His name throughout all the earth. The performance is to establish Israel’s faith and convince them of God’s power, love, and supremacy. Israel was to tell their children about these events so that they might serve the Lord as God. They were divine judgments upon Egypt and their gods to compel Pharoah to let God’s people go.