Summary of Plagues https://slideplayer.com/slide/10805112/
"After the first plague God inflicts on the Egyptians, Pharaoh does not let the Israelites leave Egypt. As a result, God plagues all Egypt with frogs. Pharaoh cons Moses, saying that he will free the Israelites as soon as God removes the frogs from the land of Egypt. God does so, but Pharaoh does not free the Israelites God then plagues Egypt with swarms of gnats. Pharaoh's heart hardens and he still does not let the Israelites go. Swarms of flies are then summoned by God to infest the land. Pharaoh deceptively says that he will let the people go if God stops the flies. He lies again, his heart becomes hardened, and he does not let the Israelites go."
Exodus 8 - The Second, Third and Fourth Plague: Frogs, Lice, Flies
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+8&version=AMP
"Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 2 However, if you refuse to let them go, hear this: I am going to strike your entire land with frogs. 3 The Nile will swarm with frogs, which will come up and go into your home, into your bedroom and on to your bed, and into the houses of your servants and on your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 4 So the frogs will come up on you and on your people and all your servants.”’” 5 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the streams and canals, over the pools [among the reeds], and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand [with his staff] over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 But the magicians (soothsayer-priests) did the same thing with their secret arts and enchantments, and [a]brought up [more] frogs on the land of Egypt.https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+8&version=AMP
- FROGS ALL OVER THE LAND. I didn't know before that each plague had a specific, significant meaning to it-- each one demonstrated the power of God (the Creator), opposing the 'so called powers' of made-up false gods/idols of Egypt. Indeed, there is nothing random with God. Everything has a purpose. I am thankful for all the resources available to help us understand deeply the word of God, as most things were not directly explained or elaborated in the texts. Praise God for all the wisdom He revealed to His instruments!
- God continued to use Moses (as a God to Pharaoh) and Aaron (as a prophet to Moses). Every word and message that Moses will deliver, came from the mouth of God. Aaron will not act or do something without Moses' instruction (that came from God).
- Apparently, frog was sacred to the Egyptians, and it symbolized birth or fertility(?). It somehow makes me wonder how it all started, how they came up these stories or mythologies. I looked up where the Egyptians descended from, going back after the Great Flood during Noah's time, Table of the Nations, and Tower of Babel confusion-- and I found out that they came from Ham (youngest son of Noah). "It is interesting to note that the Biblical record defines Egypt as the Land of Ham. -- Psalm 105: 23 "Israel also came into Egypt...the land of Ham." https://www.freemaninstitute.com/RTGham.htm
- Imagine all the frogs croaking, jumping around!😱 I don't like frogs, but God was so amazingly powerful-- out of nothing, God sent out frogs from the rivers, pools, streams and canals. The Egyptian magicians copied the miracle (using powers from a different spirit, evil obviously), and they made the situation worse by bringing up more frogs in the land-- just to prove to Pharaoh that they (or the gods of Egypt) could do the same.
10 Then Pharaoh said, “[b]Tomorrow.” Moses replied, “May it be as you say, so that you may know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs will leave you and your houses and leave your servants and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.” 12 So Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to the Lord [as he had agreed to do] concerning the frogs which God had inflicted on Pharaoh. 13 The Lord did as Moses asked, and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards and villages, and out of the fields. 14 So they piled them up in heaps, and the land was detestable and stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was [temporary] relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen or pay attention to them, just as the Lord had said.
- PLEAD WITH THE LORD. It may seem that Pharaoh believed in the power of God by asking Moses to plead with the Lord, to take away the frogs. With this, he promised to let the people go, but it was not really true. Moses may have doubts with Pharaoh, still, he asked him 'when' he wanted for all the frogs to go away. I would have said, 'right now!" But Pharaoh said "Tomorrow". Maybe he was contemplating the thought of letting the people go? If he said "right now", then he must also fulfill his promise to let the people go right then and there. I somehow thought of the quote/line "Justice delayed is justice denied." I also thought that when we delay our obedience (like praying, reading the word. forgiving, running away from sin, etc.) to God, we also have the great tendency to harden our hearts (just like the Pharaoh).💔
- I like how Moses declared to Pharaoh what God has previously said to him, "so that you may know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that there is no one like the Lord our God." The point is that not only Pharaoh (and the Egyptians) would let the people go, but that they would also know God's power personally, so they could believe and follow Him.
- God was continually developing Moses' character as a leader, and a praying man. He must approach God will all reverence and humility, with a spirit of worship and surrender. As followers and believers of God, do we also cry out in prayer our deepest prayers to God? Prayers like, family's salvation, God's guidance, provisions, and protection from all the attacks of the enemy and sinfulness of our flesh, etc.
- Even though God already knew that Pharaoh was being deceptive and he continually hardens his heart, God still answered Moses' prayers, as per Pharaoh's request. Notice that the frogs died, instead of just going away somewhere, or disappearing as if nothing happened. It reminds me of "sin", and how it leads to death. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
- BITING GNATS/LICE. This time, it is the dust of the ground that God told Moses, to tell Aaron, to strike. In the first two, it was the waters. I noticed that the wording was like this, the dust actually turned into biting gnats! Wow! Only God can do that, absolutely. I also notice that the gnats or lice bit the men and animal, unlike the bloody waters and frogs. It seems that the plagues were leveling up or worsening. Also, the magicians tried to do the same with their secret arts, but they were unsuccessful! Thus, they declared to Pharaoh that it was a supernatural act of God. I wonder if some of the magicians actually got converted and believed in the Lord, because that would have been really awesome. Still, Pharaoh did not listen, and his heart even grew hard.
- ISRAELITES WERE SET APART (GOSHEN). If God can control all the heavenly bodies in the outer space, how much more in the one planet called earth. God commanded Moses so deliver a message of warning to Pharaoh early in the morning. This time, Aaron was not to strike anything, maybe because he cannot strike the air or wind with a staff/rod, since flies or bloodsucking insects fly. Pharaoh had 1 whole day to think and let the people go, but he didn't. Thus, the Lord did the miracle, and swarms of insects infested the land of Egypt, apart from Goshen wherein the Hebrew Israelites lived. How amazing is that! God showed separation for his people. How did God do that? It's not like the flies/insects have an intelligence like humans to know just who to target, only the Egyptians. My mind is blown. There was no mention of magicians here, because maybe they were just worsening the situation, or their secret arts and enchantments were now powerless.
30 So Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord [on behalf of Pharaoh]. 31 The Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of [bloodsucking] insects from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people; not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go."
- UNTRUSTWORTHY PHARAOH. Pharaoh thought of an idea, but it was impossible. And, he cannot change the 'order' or command of God, to let His people go. Also, the land of Egypt seems unholy considering the many gods that they worship. For the second time, Pharaoh told Moses that he will let the people go, but he was still hesitant. He just wanted Moses to pray to God to remove all the flies. I noticed that Moses was now speaking for himself before the Pharaoh, and despite Pharaoh's un-trustworthiness and deceitfulness, he did not became angry or annoyed. He seems to talk to Pharaoh respectfully. For me, it's a sign of Moses having developed his faith and trust to the powerful God.
Exodus 8:7 If the magicians had possessed true power they would have halted the plagues, not exacerbated them.
Exodus 8:10 Pharaoh’s answer suggests that he still did not have an understanding of God’s power, since he could have requested the immediate removal of the frogs.
Exodus 8:23 Lit set a ransom.
* Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik:
*This series of plagues will end with death coming to almost every home in Egypt. God could have brought that terrible last plague early in this series, but did not – and did not for a determined purpose. God used this series of plagues to glorify Himself (especially above the gods of the Egyptians), and to give Pharaoh chance to repent. i. We should see the good mercy of God in doing this. He might have gone directly to the more severe judgment, but instead gave Pharaoh many chances to repent and change.
*God threatened a plague of frogs for a specific reason. The Egyptian goddess Heqet (or, Heket) was always pictured with the head of a frog. Among the ancient Egyptians, frogs were considered sacred and could not be killed. i. Egyptians worshipped the frog as a female goddess because frogs were common around the Nile, because they reproduced rapidly, and because being amphibians they are part of two worlds, creatures of both land and water. ii. “Thus the first and this second plague are about the water; the third and fourth about the earth; the five next about the air; and the last about man.” (Trapp)
*a. Stretch out your rod: This plague came unannounced. This time God did not show Pharaoh the mercy of a warning and an invitation to repentance. i. We must never think God is unfair when He does not show mercy. If someone were totally fair, they would never show mercy. b. Struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast: This plague struck at the heart of all Egyptian worship, especially at their priests. The Egyptian priesthood was extremely careful about hygiene and ritual cleansing; an infestation of lice made them unable to worship their gods. i. The plague of lice was also upon every beast. The gods of Egypt would not receive the sacrifice of lice-infested animals, so this stopped their sacrificial system.
*a. Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: These magicians could use occult powers to change a rod into a snake, to turn water into blood, and to summon frogs – yet they could no bring forth lice. This shows that as great as Satan’s power is, it is limited – and it comes to its limit rather early. b. This is the finger of God: When the magicians said this to Pharaoh, it showed they knew there was a power greater than their own, yet it was a power that they did not honor and serve. c. Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them: The hardness of Pharaoh’s heart is shown when he would not even listen to the analysis of his own advisers. There was no rational reason why he insisted on resisting and rejecting the Lord God.
*c. In order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land: To ignore someone demonstrates hatred just as much as attacking them does. If Pharaoh thought he could ignore God and His messenger, he was wrong and the plagues would continue. d. I will make a difference between My people and your people: God wanted Pharaoh to know that there was something special about the people of Israel. Pharaoh refused to recognize this, so the plagues continued.
*a. I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness: This was a clear promise, and one that Pharaoh did not live up to. We cannot tell if Pharaoh deliberately lied to Moses or simply changed his mind once the plague of flies was gone. i. Many people turn to God in a time of calamity, and when things get better, they almost immediately turn their hearts back in hardness to God. Pharaoh was not an unusual example of humanity; he was like many or most of us, ancient or modern. ii. I will let you go carries the tone that Pharaoh believed that he owned or controlled Israel. “They were not Pharaoh’s people; Pharaoh never chose them, he had never brought them where they were. He had not fought with them and overcome them. They were not captives in war, nor did they dwell in a territory which was the spoil of fair conflict.” (Spurgeon)
c. Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also: Despite God’s kindness to him and to Egypt, Pharaoh continued to harden his heart. This is a demonstration of how deep and severe the gradual hardening of a heart may become. i. As we continue in sin and reject God’s opportunities for us to repent and return, the hardening continues. It is commonly seen. A man doesn’t start by gambling away his paycheck; it starts with continuing on in friendly betting, and his heart grows hard. A man doesn’t start with shameful perversion; it starts with a few magazines, a couple of videos, and his heart grows hard. A woman doesn’t start addicted to alcohol; it starts with some social drinking and her heart grows hard. ii. “The drunkard, the murderer himself, is a man who at first did evil as far as he dared, and afterwards dared to do evil which he would once have shuddered at.” (Chadwick)Reference and credits to https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Exd/Exd-8.cfm ©2013 David Guzik
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