Mensa Otabil - Enchanters Mimic God's Work (10/10/2025)
Exodus chapter 7, verses 22 to 23: Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments, and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house; neither was his heart moved by this. This guy is a stubborn man, and God had warned Moses ahead of time that this Pharaoh is a tough nut, but he will crack.
So, as had happened earlier when the rod turned into a serpent, Pharaoh called his magicians, his sorcerers, and enchanters to come and show their power. They came and mimicked what God had done. Remember, I said the power of the enemy or the devil mimics what God has done; God is the original, and Satan mimics it to Pharaoh. All of this was a power contest. Insofar as his magicians could replicate what was being done by Moses, he felt safe. He thought, after all, we can also do it, and he became more and more stubborn and intransigent.
Now, I want you to note something very peculiar here: Pharaoh’s magicians did not stop what Moses had done. If they had stopped it, then you would say they had power, but they couldn’t stop it; they couldn’t stop the act of Moses or the plague. What they did was mimic it, and what does that mean? They made a bad situation worse. So, that just shows you how Satan works: you think he’s going to help you; he makes a bad situation worse.
What happened was Moses went to places, touched the water, and it turned to blood, and aquatic life died. While there were places Moses had not touched that were fine, the magicians of Pharaoh went to those areas, touched the water, and it also turned to blood. So, what remained good, they just messed it up; they destroyed the livelihood of the people. If they were powerful, then they could have reversed the plague. If they could reverse the plague, then they would show that they were powerful.Now, I want you to bear in mind, right from Exodus chapter 3, when God met Moses, he showed him two signs: the rod turned into a serpent and back to a rod; his hand became leprous and back to normal. God was telling him, «I can make and unmake. I contain bad, and I can make right also.» So, that’s going to be the theme of what God is doing with Israel in Egypt.
In this plague, the waters turn bad or turn to blood; fish die. But Pharaoh’s magicians have no power to reverse it. The only person who has the power to reverse it is God himself. He can turn the rod into a snake and turn it back, and he can turn the waters to blood and turn them back to normal. This particular plague went on for seven days, and after seven days, the waters returned to normal, and the magicians of Egypt couldn’t do anything about what God had done.
Now, you must be very mindful of every demonic activity; it mimics the power of God but doesn’t bring life. It doesn’t make things better. It can show power, but it doesn’t improve life, and that is the hallmark of Satan. He can demonstrate power but doesn’t improve life. That is why, in some places, especially in our villages, people seem spiritually powerful, but there is no improvement, because that is what we are seeing here. They can’t turn the plague back.
When you trust in God, he is able to reverse all the plagues in your life. Let us pray: say with me, «Heavenly Father, open my eyes to the deception of the enemy. You are my restorer and life giver. In Jesus' name, amen.»