Often Imitated, Never Duplicated

Day 58:  Exodus 8, Psalms 58, 1 Samuel 9

We're in the first four plagues that God brought on Egypt through Moses and Aaron.  And something interesting is taking place that is just too strange to pass over.

The first Plague was the staff turning into a snake, then the Nile turned to blood.  In chapter eight its the frogs and the gnats.

But what is strange is the way it all played out with the Egyptian magicians.  In the first plague the magicians were able to turn their staffs into snakes, but Moses staff/snake ate the snakes of the magicians. And it just gets more strange from there.

When the Nile is turned to blood so that the Egyptians could not drink it or bathe in it the Egyptian magicians turned a bunch more of the limited water of Egypt to blood (remember this is a desert environment).

Then the frogs came, millions of them hopping out of the waters of the Nile and covering the land.  They didn't have homes like we do so there were frogs everywhere.  Open the door and you'd step on frogs as you went to work.  Frogs in your house, on your furniture in your bed on your body they could not get rid of them or keep them from getting into every nook and cranny in their homes.  They were in their tubs and pots and pans, everywhere.  Then the Egyptian magicians also made frogs appear.

But when God brought that gnats on the land the Egyptian magicians could not duplicate that plague and finally admitted that it was God who was bringing the plagues.

Here's the thing.  The Egyptian magicians were able to imitate these plagues of God by the limited power of Satan.  They could imitate the staff to snake but their snakes were eaten up.  They could imitate water turning to blood and they could imitate the frogs.

But consider this, if you were an Egyptian magician trying to prove that these men were not from the all powerful God wouldn't you want to EASE the suffering of your people instead of increasing it?  Wouldn't you turn some of the bloody water back to drinkable water?  Wouldn't you want to somehow kill the frogs so the plague was not as bad?  Instead these brilliant magicians actually make the situation WORSE!

If I were Pharaoh I would not be very happy with my magicians.  Satan can imitate some of the power of God but he can not duplicate it.

Instead of being enamored with Satan's power I would suggest your look at what is really going on.  Is God's power being imitated or duplicated - there is a huge difference.  Satan's power is limited and that means those who would wield that power are limited also.  Don't give Satan more power than he actually has.  He can imitate but he can not duplicate.  And he always makes matters worse instead of better!