Contemplative Bible Reading

Exodus 7:10-13 (New Living Translation)

¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had commanded them. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent! ¹¹ Then Pharaoh called in his own wise men and sorcerers, and these Egyptian magicians did the same thing with their magic. ¹² They threw down their staffs, which also became serpents! But then Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ Pharaoh’s heart, however, remained hard. He still refused to listen, just as the Lord had predicted.

Notice the second half of verse 11. There were magicians in Egypt who performed magic. I am guessing that these were not slight-of-hand tricks, but actually supernatural acts that could not be explained by science and nature.

How did the magicians do this magic? Were they powered by Satan? I can speculate all day.

Another question for which I don’t have an answer:

Are there magicians today who perform magic like those in Egypt?