Exodus 7:8-13

8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

The Bible tells of an unseen realm; today, we would call it the spiritual world. In this spiritual world there are evil influences and powers—one of the terms the New Testament writers use for these kinds of powers is “demons.”

There are demonic powers at work in Egypt, which is how the Egyptian sorcerers can turn their staffs into serpents. However, the Bible is very clear that there is one Lord, and these evil powers are not equal to God— they are just fallen angels. So, there is really no contest between the Lord and the gods of Egypt. In fact, Aaron’s staff swallows up the Egyptian staffs.

Unfortunately, Pharaoh refuses to heed the lesson. Over and over again, Pharaoh refuses to turn back from his path of destruction. He is completely committed to evil, and ultimately, he, like the serpents here, will be swallowed up in the judgment of God.