Exodus 8:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
2 And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs:
3 And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs:
4 And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.
5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.
6 And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.
7 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.
8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD.
9 And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?
10 And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.
11 And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.
12 And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh.
13 And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields.
14 And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank.
15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
The LORD had made a promise to Moses and to the children of Israel and He was not going to break that promise. He had also demanded that Pharaoh let the children of Israel go, and Pharaoh was not going to win this battle. No one ever wins against God.
In verse 1 the LORD’s demand is that His people need to be able to serve Him. Pharaoh had forced them to serve him. There was no room left for them to serve the LORD. However, they were the LORD’s people. They were chosen back in the day of Abraham.
In verse 2 the LORD added a new threat to the situation. Egypt had just come through the pollution of the water being turned to blood. In that plague, all the fish died and the river stank. The only water available to the people was that which they could find in wells.
Now the LORD was going to plague the land with frogs. Frogs are an important part of the ecosystem. Frogs eat flies along with other creatures such as moths. An overabundance of frogs is not good. It is interesting how God controls the populations of the different creatures He has created. The LORD declared that the same river that had recently been turned to blood and stank with dead fish, was now going to produce an abundance of frogs. These frogs would enter into the houses and into the beds of all the people. They would be in their ovens and in their kneadingtroughs.
In the first few verses God warned about what He would do. In verse 6 Aaron stretched forth that rod again and the frogs came. The LORD is in charge of the environment and He created the frogs in the first place and He controls the number of them.
In verse 7 we see again that the magicians were called to try to disprove the power of God. We read that they also brought forth frogs with their enchantments. We note again that this was not anything spectacular. They did not prove their equality with the true God through their evil actions.
In verse 8 we see that Pharaoh did not ask his magicians to get rid of the frogs. He asked Moses to remove the frogs. The magicians did not have the power to remove the frogs. We see here that Pharaoh spoke of God as the LORD. He addressed Him with the right name, but he did not grasp the importance of knowing the LORD. To him, it was just a matter of convenience. He just wanted to be rid of the frogs.
In verse 9 Moses asked Pharaoh when he wanted the frogs removed. Interestingly, Pharaoh was willing to put up with the frogs for that entire day and night. He was willing to sleep with the slimy frogs in his bed and crawling all over him.
Pharaoh paints a very clear picture of how many people look at their sin. They are so in love with it that they want it for just a little longer. They do not want to give it up. They are so deluded, thinking there is pleasure in it, and they do not want to miss out on the pleasure of that sin. Many, just like Pharaoh, hold on to that attitude until they find themselves in hell.
We read in verse 13 that the frogs died out of the houses and the villages and the fields. We read in verse 14 that the people were now occupied with having to clean up the mess of dead frogs. We read that the land stank. What a trial Pharaoh was willing to put the people through. It is interesting how the people remained loyal to him even though he was the cause of their misery. We do not read of a mutiny against Pharaoh.
As we continue to observe the nation of Israel, we see they were not nearly as tolerant with Moses or with the LORD. They were quite quick in complaining about the LORD. What a shame.
In verse 15 we read that once the frogs were gone, Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not listen to the demand of Moses and Aaron. He did just as the LORD said he would. We are constantly reminded that the LORD knows us better than we know ourselves. We see again how important it is to submit to the LORD and not assume that we can negotiate our own terms of knowing Him.
There are so many people who have set their own terms of salvation and of what a Christian looks like. They convince themselves that they are right and that the Bible is wrong. It is amazing to observe the power of the human mind to rebel against the truth. The devil is quite convincing in the hearts and minds of the lost. No one can blame the devil for their false ideas. Every person has the opportunity to hear and respond favourably to the Lord. The Holy Spirit is working in the hearts of the lost to bring them to salvation.
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
No lost person will have any excuse for being deceived. God’s Word is sure. The Holy Spirit is doing exactly what Jesus said He would do. Lost people know they are not doing right. That is why there is ungodly music and various drugs to try to dull the senses. There are multitudes of distractions to suit every wicked mind out there.
Pharaoh tried to play games with God. He knew he was wrong, but he did not take his sin seriously. From our text, we see that he knew his magicians could not remove the frogs. He knew he was dealing with something much bigger than himself.
Those who want to try to play around with God today can look at the Bible and see that it never turns out well for those who do that. God’s Word is true. The wise person listens to God. He or she sees their way does not work. They humble themselves in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. They don’t play games with God.
As we will continue to see, Pharaoh was a fool. I trust each one reading these devotionals will take the time to consider their actions in the light of God’s sure Word. Don’t play games with God. Believe what He says and trust in Him.
Pastor Bartel
