Likutei Sichos – Vol 26 p 049 – Stick / Serpent / Stick (01)

VaEra Exile and Redemption (089) The event of the stick becoming a serpent and then a stick again and only then swallowing the sticks of the Egyptian magicians goes to the core of all the ten Makkos to show Hashem’s dominance over the Pharaoh. This explains why so much of the miracle remained un-predicted.