Finding Christ in the Old Testament - Exodus 7:17

Finding Christ in the Old Testament

Exodus 7:17

"Thus says the Lord, 'By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood.'"

The first plague upon Egypt—the turning of water into blood—foreshadows both judgment and redemption in Christ. As the Nile, the lifeblood of Egypt, was struck and became undrinkable, so too was Christ struck upon the cross, and His blood poured out as both judgment upon sin and the source of life for His people. The Nile, once a river of sustenance, became a river of death, just as the Law, apart from Christ, condemns and cannot give life. Yet, this judgment anticipates the greater miracle at Cana, where Christ, the true Deliverer, transforms water into wine—a sign of the new covenant in His blood. The contrast is clear: the plague against Egypt prefigures the death of those enslaved to sin, while the blood of Christ brings life to those redeemed by grace. In Him, judgment is turned to mercy, and death is overcome by the blood that speaks a better word than that of Abel.

Devotion

God’s power is shown in both judgment and redemption. The same God who turned water into blood in Egypt also gave His own blood for our salvation. The plagues remind us of sin’s curse, but Christ’s sacrifice turns judgment into grace. In Him, we drink the cup of salvation, not the cup of wrath.

New Testament Verse:
John 2:9-10 (ESV) “When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine… he said, ‘You have kept the good wine until now.’”

Collect
Almighty God, who brought judgment upon Egypt and deliverance to Your people, grant that we may flee from sin and find refuge in the blood of Christ, who has turned the cup of wrath into the cup of salvation, that we may rejoice in His mercy and abide in His grace; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn Verse:
"Glory be to Jesus,
Who in bitter pains
Poured for me the lifeblood
From His sacred veins!"

LSB 433:1, "Glory Be to Jesus"