Aaron's Staff

I recently had a conversation with someone about The Ten Commandments movie (clip below). It involved the staff that Moses threw down in front of Pharaoh. In the movie, Moses says, "Aaron, cast down my staff." and hands his staff to his brother Aaron, who threw it down. What does the Bible say happened?

"The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ⁹“When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”

¹⁰So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake." - Exodus 7:8-10

It was Aaron's staff that turned into a snake, not the staff of Moses.

Later on, when God instructed Moses and Aaron to turn the water into blood in front of Pharaoh, God told Moses, "Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt." - Exodus 7:19

Once again, it was Aaron's staff.

What about the plague of frogs? That came next.

"Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’”

⁶So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land." - Exodus 8:5-6

Now, there was no staff involved at all! It was just Aaron! And he keeps going! Exodus 8:16 and the plague of gnats - Aaron and his staff. But things changed at this point. Now, in Exodus 8:21, God alone performs His wonders with a plague of flies.

‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. ²¹If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them.

²²“‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. ²³ I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’” - Exodus 8:20-23

Finally, in Exodus 9, Moses' staff gets involved.

"When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground." - Exodis 9:23

My point is this: we should not be getting our theology from Hollywood.

Did you ever see Aaron with HIS staff in the movie clip? No. Yet God had Aaron to use it extensively in the Bible. It was Aaron's staff that budded in Numbers 17, not the staff of Moses. But whether it was Aaron or Moses that Pharaoh encountered, it was ALL the power of God at work.

Finally, in my opinion, any movie about biblical times and people should be watched with a Bible in your lap and a steaming cup of discernment in your hand.

Let My People Go - Ten Commandments movie