The Magicians of Pharoah’s Court

 

Characters from the movie, The Prince of Egypt. I do not claim any rights to this picture.

Miracles without Faith, part 1

 

Introduction

In the apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he addresses the problems with false teachers of the gospel and connects them to two names found no where else in scripture. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was (2 Timothy 3:8-9).

These two names are connected to the magicians who went up against Moses in regard to the ten plagues. The names are found only in traditional Jewish manuscripts, but I suggest to you that they were given to Paul by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. To know their names is irrelevant but, to Paul, it is not above him to name names of those who opposed him (1 Tim. 1:20; 2 Tim. 2:17).

This article is not about false teachers but the miracles that were done where faith was not present. The magicians were simply charlatans who held themselves as someone great like Simon in Acts 8.

 

A Brief History in Egypt

Jacob, his sons, their families, and livestock, travelled to Egypt as a famine had occurred (Gen. 47:1-28). There they dwelled even until, Jacob, Joseph, and all of his brothers had died.

When a new king rose to power; one who didn’t know Joseph (Ex. 1:8), he had the Israelite people enslaved. It wasn’t until Moses, coming of age, were to lead his people out of Egypt by the hand of God.

During a conversation with God, through the burning bush (Ex. 3-4), Moses was encouraged that signs would be wrought upon the people of Egypt (Ex. 7:1-5) to prove that there was one, and only one, God.

 

Moses Vs. The Magicians

Rods to Serpents— (Ex. 7:9-12) As instructed by God in in Ex. 4:1-3, Moses had Aaron cast his rod to the ground to become a serpent. The magicians, summoned by Pharoah, came and did the same. The purpose of this, as well as the first few plagues, is to convince Pharoah that these were parlor tricks that even his magicians could imitate.

Water to Blood— (Ex. 7:17-22) Once again, the magicians were able to duplicate what Moses and Aaron did, causing Pharoah’s heart to harden. God allow these magicians to create these miracles themselves but, as you can see, there was no faith in the One True God. They did them as if they were mere tricks and, perhaps, maybe they were.

Frogs— (Ex. 8:1-7) You will notice that these early signs (miracles) were easy for the magicians to duplicate. It was God’s intention for this to happen as He continued to harden Pharoah’s heart. But as the plagues progressed, they became more intense, and the magicians had to yield.

Dust to Lice— (Ex. 8:16-19) Here is where the plagues change and become more difficult. Even the magicians, failing to duplicate it, admit the truth. Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God” But Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had said (verses 18-19).

The magicians admitted defeat stating that it wasn’t Moses and Aaron who brought about the lice but, rather, a divine being. Up until this point, the magicians treated Moses and Aaron as simply performers whereas they, Jannes and Jambres, claimed to be the “real deal”.

Much like Simon the Sorcerer, they used their chicanery to prove to Pharoah, and those in Egypt, that they were powerful men and that they were to be feared. But when they couldn’t duplicate the lice, they had to admit defeat.

 

A Lack of Faith

Contrary to what “Faith Healers” tell you today, there is no need for faith to be present for miracles, positive or negative, to occur. It’s usually after the signs and wonders take place that faith is established.

While it’s true that both Moses and Aaron had faith, you would assume that those who perform these miracles would have that faith. Which further calls into question these so-called “Miracle Workers” of the modern era. If they have the faith to perform them, then it’s irrelevant if other do not.

In our example, Pharoah didn’t heed to Moses and Aaron until the final plague, the death of the firstborn, came to pass (Ex. 11:1-6; 13:17ff). Yet, it doesn’t say he obtain faith, or belief, but had reached his breaking point to finally let the Israelites go.

 

Conclusion

As I’ve stated often in these articles, as Paul writes, So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). If you want to develop your faith, as well as others, stick to reading the scriptures and not looking for miracles, signs, and wonders. The gospel is the power of salvation (Rom. 1:16) not miracles.