Verses 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.
Here is Pharaoh, the greatest ruler in the world at the time of Moses, being told that the very people who were serving him should be released to go and serve another god who he did not know or respect. This information did not go well with Pharaoh and his arrogant and proud nature. If he let the Hebrews go, perhaps his people would think he was weak. And the Hebrew people through their slave labor were economically valuable to Egypt.
Verses 2-4 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.
This writer likes all critters and enjoys frogs one at a time. They are very beneficial in that they keep the insect population under control. However, think about what it would be like to have so many frogs around that it was impossible to walk without stepping on one of them, or impossible to sit on a chair or recline on a bed because the furniture was covered with them all hopping around and croaking. Not too pleasant an experience! Note that the frogs would come on Pharaoh and the Egyptians. The Hebrew people in Goshen would not have frogs visiting them.
Verses 5-7 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.
The frog invasion was the second plague, the first being the waters turning into blood. And, like the first plague, the magicians were able to replicate the frogs using the devils and their power. As far as Pharaoh was concerned, Moses’ God was no more powerful than the Egyptian gods the magicians were calling upon. As long as his gods could do what the God of the Hebrews was doing, there was no need to take action. He would just wait it out.
Verse 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.
Until now, God had told Moses and Aaron to go to Pharaoh. But this time, Pharaoh calls on Moses and Aaron to come to him. It appears that Pharaoh is being impacted by these plagues at least a little bit as he recognizes the God of the Hebrews by calling Him LORD. The Hebrew word used in this verse is Yahovah, pronounced yeh ho vaw, and it occurs in the scriptures 6510 times. He agrees to let the people go to do a sacrifice if the frogs go too.
Verse 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?
By Moses stating, “Glory over me,” he was giving Pharaoh the chance to glorify himself by setting the time for the frogs to leave. On the surface, it would look like Pharaoh commanded the frogs to go, and therefore, the people would continue to worship his as a god. Moses’ intent was not to embarrass the leader of Egypt. This is confirmed in the next verse when Moses stated, “Be it according to thy word.”
Verses 10-11 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.
It would seem that, if given the chance to control the removal of a plague, a person would want the plague gone right away. But as stated above, Pharaoh could take credit for solving the problem by setting the time and letting the people know that the plague would go the next day. They would be grateful to him and no one would know that it was Moses, Aaron and the LORD performing the miracle.
Verses 12-14 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.
Note that Moses “cried” unto the LORD. He did not give a quick prayer request and leave it at that. He was serious in his request, and the LORD honored him.
Application: In today’s organized Christian churches it is rare to see a believer “cry” to the LORD. Back in the day, people would go to church for prayer meetings when a problem needed an answer and pray all night, crying out to the LORD until they got the answer. Today it seems that everyone is in a hurry and prayers are hurried also. Should it be a surprise that answers to prayers often do not come? Believers need to get serious with God before life’s problems become serious. Only then will the believer know how to cry out and how to “wait upon the LORD” for the answers to prayer. Isaiah 40:31 states, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” This is a promise for all believers when they learn to wait.
Verse 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’s prophesy regarding Pharaoh hardening his heart has been 100% accurate. That is the way a believer can know if a prophecy is of God or of man. It has to come true 100% of the time or the prophecy and the one giving it is false.
Application: There are people today that are just like Pharaoh when presented with the truth of the Gospel. If they are in a time of trouble, they will act as if they want the Christian life, but the minute the trouble is gone, they revert back to the way they thought and acted and turn their back on the LORD and His truth.
Verses 16-17 And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. 17 And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
Unless a believer has a child that contracts head lice from other children in school, lice may be a problem that most people have not had experience with. This writer had a beautiful rooster that started to loose weight and appear to be sick. He had lice that were literally sucking the life out of him. He was placed in an open cardboard box and his feathers were carefully sprayed with cedar oil and the lice fled from his body by the thousands. Because they are so small, they were difficult to identify and they were flesh colored like the rooster’s skin. But when they were fleeing and dying as they went, they were an amazing sight to behold! It took three hours for the lice so stop dropping off the rooster and he recovered to live another three years and died at the age of eleven years. Different species of animals have different species of lice, but they are all irritating and awful and can seriously impact the health of the host they have invaded. The lice plague in Egypt could cause damage to the livestock and the lice on the people would be miserable to cope with. This was the third plague that God brought upon the nation of Egypt.
Verse 18 -19 And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast. 19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
The number three in the Bible is one of the numbers that God uses to show His deity. Here on the third plague, the magicians are no longer able to replicate the situation. They are powerless before an all powerful God. Amazingly, they recognize that they are defeated and that there is One more powerful than they. The word for “finger” is the Hebrew word “etsba,” pronounced ets bah, and it really means finger. The arm, hand and finger are all used to symbolize the power of a spirit being or god. By using the finger, the magicians were implying the the God causing the plagues was so powerful that He could just use a little finger to accomplish His will.
Verses 20-21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 21 Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.
Again Moses and Aaron are told to find Pharaoh as he is headed for the water, presumably to bathe and maybe to try to rid himself of the lice. Perhaps Pharaoh no longer would allow them to appear before him in his palace. Perhaps the LORD was using the outside meetings to provide a situation in which Pharaoh was unable to present himself as superior to Moses and Aaron. At the moment he was outside of the majestic environment of the palace, he was just a man doing what any other man would do and therefore on the same level as Moses and Aaron. Moses repeats the demand to let the people go else the land will be filled with flies. This is the fourth plague. Since flies are not only terribly annoying but carriers of disease, this plague would also have serious consequences for the people of Egypt.
Verses 22-23 And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. 23 And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.
Goshen was a region in the northern part of Egypt just east of the Nile River. It was known for its grazing lands and the place that Joseph chose to place his family in when they came to live with him as told in the book of Genesis. Part of the miracle of the plague of flies is the miracle of separation in that the flies were not allowed to travel to the land of Goshen. There was “a hedge of protection” put by God around the land where the Hebrews lived so that the plague could not touch these people. Any farmer or rancher will tell you that it is impossible to stop flies from traveling any where they want to go as they are attracted to manure from livestock. Since the Hebrews kept sheep, the flies should have traveled to Goshen to enjoy the sheep droppings. But they were supernaturally prohibited from entering the Hebrew people’s land.
Application: Hedges of protection are normal encounters for the believer in Jesus Christ. In the natural world, a hedge that is mature and well taken care of will stop things on the outside from damaging things on the inside. It forms a protective wall. God forms spiritual barriers to keep the evil things in this world from damaging His people. Satan complained to the LORD in Job 1:9-10, “Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?” Satan was implying that Job would turn on God if the hedge was removed and the things in his life opened up to demonic assault. So scripture teaches that the LORD puts protective barriers around His people when needed. The believer needs to pray for a hedge of protection for his life and for his friends and family. Many times believers escape death or disaster because there is an invisible wall keeping them safe.
Verse 24 And the LORD did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.
The word translated as corrupted is from the Hebrew word “shachath,” pronounced shaw khath. It can mean destroyed, wasted, marred or ruined. Use your imagination to try and understand the scope of the plague and to try to understand the stubborness of Pharaoh throughout the disaster.
Verse 25 And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.
The implication here is that Pharaoh was finally willing to concede to Moses’ request to let the people go for a sacrifice, but that they were to remain in the local area.
Verses 26-27 And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? 27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us.
Moses is saying that it would not be appropriate for the Hebrews to remain locally and sacrifice to God as the Egyptians viewed sheep and shepherds as disgusting. They would not tolerate the Hebrew form of worshiping their God. Therefore, they needed to go quite a distance into the wilderness.
Verse 28 And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me.
Pharaoh decided it would be in his best interest to give in to this demand as long as they didn’t go too far away and as long as Moses got rid of the flies. Notice that the magicians were not consulted regarding this plague. Perhaps their failure to rid the land of the third plague had caused them to fall out of favor with their Pharaoh.
Verses 29-31 And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will intreat the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD. 30 And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD. 31 And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one.
Pharaoh was warned again by Moses not to “deal deceitfully” by going back on his words and failing to let the people go. So Pharaoh was aware that the political game he was playing with the well being of his nation Egypt was not hidden from Moses and Aaron.
Verse 32 And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.
Application: God is ever so patient. He will warn a person through many avenues such as His word, a pastor’s sermon, or through another person that they need to repent and get right with Him. But there will come a time when He will stop warning and let the person go their own way. It is not because He stops loving them, but because they will not submit to God’s desire and plan for their life. They will not let Him be LORD. Pharaoh of old is a vivid example or such an occurrence.