24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river. 25 Seven days passed after the LORD struck the Nile.
The Lord tried to get Pharaoh’s attention. In the process Pharaoh made things worse by having his magicians multiply the poisoning of the water. Now for seven days the Egyptians have had to dig wells to get water to drink. They used to just go down to the Nile and draw water. Now they have to dig shallow wells to get water. Sand is a natural filter. By digging the holes along the banks of the Nile the people would be able to get drinkable water. They were not used to this extra step. I am sure they complained a lot during those days. Now Moses is told to go and tell Pharaoh that frogs are next on the agenda if he doesn’t obey the Lord. When word got out to the people I am sure they began to dread what was coming next. Their lives had been changed because of the first plague, and now a second one was on the way. The Nile stunk now; what would frogs do to it! I can imagine them starting to dread Pharaoh’s decisions. But God was using Pharaoh as a means to teach the Egyptians about the power of the Lord. The Egyptian gods didn’t interact with humans as the God of Israel did. Egyptian gods were distant, often in the past. Even Pharaoh, who was believed to be a god, couldn’t do these kinds of things. His power was limited since he was just human. When you have to endure the negative consequences of someone else’s actions, how do you feel? I usually feel as though I am getting the short end of the stick. I usually want to complain and finger point. I quickly become tired of the struggle. How about you? I like convenience. I don’t like having to struggle or wait. But this is very much a feeling present in the developed world. Much of the world’s population still draws water by hand. Most don’t know what a grocery store is. Most have never seen a restaurant, let along packaged food. What inconvenience are you going to complain about today?
The Arnold Journey 