7:14 耶和華對摩西說:「法老心裡固執,不肯容百姓去。
7:15 明日早晨,他出來往水邊去,你要往河邊迎接他,手裡要拿著那變過蛇的杖,
7:16 對他說:『耶和華─希伯來人的上帝打發我來見你,說:容我的百姓去,好在曠野事奉我。到如今你還是不聽。
7:17 耶和華這樣說:我要用我手裡的杖擊打河中的水,水就變作血;因此,你必知道我是耶和華。
7:18 河裡的魚必死,河也要腥臭,埃及人就要厭惡吃這河裡的水。』」
7:19 耶和華曉諭摩西說:「你對亞倫說:『把你的杖伸在埃及所有的水以上,就是在他們的江、河、池、塘以上,叫水都變作血。在埃及遍地,無論在木器中,石器中,都必有血。』」
7:20 摩西、亞倫就照耶和華所吩咐的行。亞倫在法老和臣僕眼前舉杖擊打河裡的水,河裡的水都變作血了。
7:21 河裡的魚死了,河也腥臭了,埃及人就不能吃這河裡的水;埃及遍地都有了血。
7:22 埃及行法術的,也用邪術照樣而行。法老心裡剛硬,不肯聽摩西、亞倫,正如耶和華所說的。
7:23 法老轉身進宮,也不把這事放在心上。
7:24 埃及人都在河的兩邊挖地,要得水喝,因為他們不能喝這河裡的水。
7:25 耶和華擊打河以後滿了七天。
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let
the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the
river. Confront him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff
that was changed into a snake. 16 Then say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people
go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. But until now you have not
listened. 17 This
is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the
Nile, and it will be changed into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will
stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’”
19 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and
stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals,
over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.’ Blood will
be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels[a] of wood and stone.”
20 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. 21 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.
22 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. 23 Instead, he turned and went
into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. 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.
************
上帝因為法老心硬開始了第一個災害,就是使所有的水變成血!而那些形邪術的也照做,弄到法老仍然心硬,不肯讓以色列人到曠野去敬拜上帝!然而真正可憐的是埃及的百姓,他們沒有水好喝,還要去挖井,好得水喝!
說到這裡,讓人感覺為政者很重要,他們的決定不只是影響自己,更是影響千千萬萬的人,也因為這樣,我們在選舉的時候,要好好的聽聽政見,要將神聖的一票投給合適的人,這是基督徒該盡的公民責任,不可以輕乎!
因此,我們選舉各樣的行政長官和民意代表時,要想到這些人要代表上帝,「行正義、好憐憫,存謙卑的心與上帝同行」是十分重要的條件,要選就要選這樣的人!而《韋斯敏斯德信條 第廿三章 論民事長官》是民主政治很好指標,其內容如下:
一、為全世界至高的主宰與君王的上帝,為了他自己的榮耀和人類的公益任命了民事長官,使他們在上帝以下,在百姓以上;為了這個目的,上帝以刀劍的勢力裝備他們,用以擁護和獎勵善人,處罰行惡者。
二、基督徒被召執行民事長官的職務時,接受並執行此職,乃屬正當之事,當執行職務時,應照各國家健全的法律來維持敬虔、正義與和平:所以為了這個目的,現今在新約之下,他們可以為了正當與不得已的理由從事合法的戰爭。
三、民事長官不可擅自講道並施行聖禮,或執掌天國鑰匙之權;或干涉有關信仰的事。然而他卻有權,也是他的本分去保持教會內的一致與和平,維持上帝真理的純正無缺,禁止褻瀆和異端,防止或改革在禮拜與教規中所有的腐敗和濫用,並正當地規定、執行和遵守所有的宗教儀式。為了更生實效的目的,他有權召集教會會議,出席會議,並規定在會議中所處理的一切事,乃為合乎上帝的旨意。
四、為民事長官祈禱,尊敬他們的人格,給他們納稅或繳交其他費用,服從他們合法的命令,並為良心的緣故服從他們的權威,乃是人民的義務。不信上帝或具有不同宗教的長官,並不因此使他正當而合法的權威失效,也不能使人民不順從他:教會人員亦當順從;教皇無權統治他們,或管轄他們的百姓。更不能判定他們為異端者,或任何其他藉口來剝奪他們的領土或生命。