LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil

 Saturday 18th April 2026

A SPIRITUAL CONFRONTATION

And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord commanded. So he lifted the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. Exodus 7:20
 
Many ancient cultures considered the rivers that watered their lands as sacred bodies. Some saw those rivers as the abode of the gods. The Nile River was the lifeblood of the Egyptians. They considered the Nile to be the sacred bloodstream of their chief god, who was the ruler of the realm of the dead.  
 
This first plague was a sign of God’s justice and jurisdiction. It showed that God punishes wickedness and also rules over the wicked.
 
In the years past, when the Egyptian Pharaohs ruled, all Hebrew-born boys had to be killed. Many children were thrown into the rivers of Egypt and died. It is believed that those who killed the Hebrew children threw them into the rivers around. Moses, himself, was cast into a river by his mother.
 
When the waters of Egypt turned into blood and death was unleashed, it was a just retribution for all the lives that had been destroyed by the Egyptians. Also, the Lord was showing the Egyptians that He had power over all their gods and that He alone was God.

Moses struck the waters.

Moses and Aaron not only stretched the rod over the waters of Egypt, but they also touched the waters with the rod. The water changes in colour and content. As they did so, the aquatic life in the Nile suffered. It is most likely that this sign occurred in the places where Moses touched the waters with the rod in his hand. In other places where the rod did not touch, the water remained normal.

In the sight of Pharaoh.

Moses and Aaron acted in obedience before Pharaoh and his servants. Like the turning of Aaron’s rod into a serpent, this sign did not happen in secret. It was direct, confrontational and a public display of God’s power and displeasure for the wickedness of the Egyptians. 

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, open my eyes to the deception of the enemy. You are my restorer and life-giver. In Jesus’ name, Amen!