10-21-14. Exodus 8:1-19. There Is No One Like The Lord Our God–my devotional

Exodus 8:1-19                                                                                    Kevin E. Jesmer

Key verse 8: 9                                                                                   10-21-14

“Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God.” (NIV)

Dear Lord Jesus Christ. Please impress your word upon my heart today. Help me to mature spiritually and grow in your image. Prune within me fruitless branches. Help me to glorify Jesus through my life and family. May your glory shine forth to the end of the earth and your kingdom come. I pray in Jesus’ holy name. Amen!

Part 1: The Plague of Frogs-There Is No One Like The Lord Our God (1-15)

Verses 1-15 read, “1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country. 3 The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. 4 The frogs will come up on you and your people and all your officials.’” 5 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.’” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land. 7 But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. 8 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.” 9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.” 12 After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. 13 And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. 14 They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.” (NIV)

The second act of judgment on ancient Egypt was the plague of frogs. (Exodus 8:1-15) Pharaoh’s heart was still hard.  Yet God was determined to confront him with the truth. After seven days, Moses went to Pharaoh again with God’s word, saying “Let my people go so that they may worship me.” It was a bold command that Pharaoh could not ignore, for it was delivered by the power of God.

Remember how we have stated that Pharaoh stands as a symbol of the devil? With this in mind, this verse is the demand of God to Satan. Let’s read it again. “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. “ (NIV) This power of God, revealed in the authority of his word, spoken in faith by servants of the Lord, is the only power that Satan recognizes. The church flounders when it uses worldly means in its attempt to deliver people from the world, such as humanistic psychology or other forms of worldly wisdom for example. It simply can not be done. Only God can deliver people by the power of his word and keep them free from the power of sin by the presence of his Holy Spirit. The word of God, taken in faith, redeems the heart, mouth and mind. This power sets the captives free.

But Pharaoh remained hard hearted and stubborn as God had predicted. Look at verse 2, “If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country.” God would not relent however. Being stubborn is no excuse. Aaron again stretched out his hand and staff, and frogs filled the land. They were everywhere–in beds, ovens, pots and pans. They got in people’s beds and jumped into the ovens and kneading troughs; they fell in their soup bowls and wherever people walked, they squished frogs, slipping and falling to the ground. Yuch! The type of frog that invaded Egypt at that time was one that resembles a toad. It crawled rather than jumped and it croaked incessantly.

I saw a small plague of frogs when I worked night shift at a nickel mine in Thompson Manitoba. The mining company was draining a lake in order to create a new open pit mine. The water level of the lake went down. The frogs sensed the level of the water changing and one night there was a huge exodus of frogs, from the lake to some adjacent swamps. They crossed through the mine site. There were thousands of frogs everywhere. They were inside the men’s shower area and piling up along the walls of buildings. It required shovels to get rid of them. I could see how the plague of frogs in the Bible was totally possible. The frogs were living in the Nile and when the Nile was turned to blood they made their escape from the putrid waters.

This plague was actually directed at the frog god of Egypt, Heqet. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heqet) The frog was worshipped as a symbol of fertility. Since the frog was a god to the Egyptians, they could not kill them, but yet the frogs drove them out of their minds to the point of insanity. The frogs came upon Pharaoh and his people and all of his officials. (4) Pharaohs’ lack of ability to control the frogs and his being irritated by them, powerless to make them stop, proved that he was not a god as he claimed to be. He was vulnerable, revealed to be an ordinary man with a stubborn heart who needed to repent and obey the Lord God Almighty, asking for God’s mercy.

Instead of humbly repenting before Jehovah, the Egyptians tried to make sure that the God of the Hebrews didn’t have “one up on them.” The magicians tried to show their own people that they were just as powerful. Look at verse 7. “But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.”  Considering the land was already inundated with frogs, I am sure that the people really appreciated the Egyptian magicians bring more frogs on the scene. NOT! They were even more upset. “How about getting rid of the frogs instead” they might have cried.

Finally Pharaoh seemed to acquiesce. It is likely that the magicians tried to get rid of the frogs with their magic, but were unable and so Pharaoh turned to Moses and Aaron. Look at verse 8, “Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.” This is the first time that he had sent for Moses and Aaron. He was sorry that he had driven them away. This request was an admission that the Lord was greater than all of the gods of Egypt. He was actually asking for God’s help. He was asking servants of the Lord to pray for him and his people.

We can see the reason for this plague of frogs and Egypt’s deliverance from them. Look at verses 9-11, “9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.”  God could see Pharaoh’s and the Egyptian’s helplessness. He was moved to respond to his cries. Though Pharaoh was stubborn and faithless and narcissistic, Moses and Aaron showed respect to him, allowing him the honor to set the time for the official prayer. God respects people, even those who sin against him. But the main reason is found in verse 10b, “…so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God.”  God wants his glory to shine forth so that the whole world may come to him and worship him, for in doing so they will find freedom, new life, renewal and eternal life. He wants all people to know who to turn to and be saved. God loves us and he wants the whole world to worship him for he knows what a necessary part of our humanity, worshipping him is.

Where the magicians failed, Moses and Aaron were successful. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. (13-14) Hundreds of millions of frogs died at once.  Can you image the intense stench? It was a reminder to the whole of Egypt that their god, Heqet, was totally defeated and helpless to stand against the God of the Hebrews, the God of the Bible, Jehovah.  As a side note, I guess they could use them as fertilizer for their fields or better yet… have a nation wide barbeque frog leg fry.

After the deliverance of his people Pharaoh reverted to his old ways. Look at verse 15. “But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.” Pharaoh renegades on this promise to let the Hebrew people go. He was two faced. He was fickle. He was not a man of integrity and truth. Doesn’t this happen to most of humanity? God is quickly forgotten when our suffering lifts. We are ever so humble when we are in the midst of suffering and anguish. We would comply with any request Jesus makes of us. We appear as the most sincere worshippers in hopes that God may deliver us from whatever is ailing us. But when we see relief, we forget Christ. We forget to remain in Christ and worship him in the bad times and the good. May God protect us from the hardening of our hearts and remain in Christ always.

Part 2:  The Plague of Lice-Bringing Us To The Point of Surrender (16-19)

Verses 16-19, “16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” 17 They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. 18 But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, 19 the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said.” (NIV)

God uses hardships in life to bring us to the point of surrender so that we may turn our hearts to Christ in worship, for that is where our salvation lies. In Exodus 8, the hardened heart of Pharaoh and his government, was answered by a plague of gnats…or as another translation has it…lice. Look at verse. Exodus 8:17. “They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats.”  Pharaoh refused to acknowledge God’s work. So Aaron struck the dust, and gnats filled the land. The lice came upon the Egyptians and animals, showing that both people and nature were under the curse of the God. Even the animals were suffering because of the sin of Pharaoh. (Yes…it is sad to say but animals do suffer because of our sin. Another reason to seek God’s forgiveness and grace.)

The magicians finally met their match. Look at verse 18, “But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere,”   By slight of hand, it was possible, for Jannes of Jambres, the head magicians of Egypt, to turn rods into snakes, water into blood, and to bring frogs out of the river, however, it was impossible for them to turn dust into lice. Why was God leading the magicians to this point?

The magicians surrendered to God. Look at verse 19 reads, “the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said.” They said, “This is the finger of God.”  The term actually means, “This is the finger of a god.” They acknowledged that this was beyond the power of any person and that some god must be helping the Israelites. In bringing them to face their limitations, they were being humbled by God. Now they were on the way to have an encounter with the God of the Bible.

God does this in our own lives. In our self sufficiency we think that we don’t need God. We may even go as far as challenging God, trying to show that we can do things just as good or even better. But Christ will lead us to the point were we must surrender and declare that God is God and we are helpless and in need of him. God even works this way to humble whole nations. This is a good place to be however. It is place where Jesus can take his rightful place in our lives as Lord and Christ. Sometimes God may work though our challenges at school, or our work, or our familial relations, or our inner thoughts and emotions, to help us see ourselves and how much we need Christ. If we haven’t reached that point, we are about to face some difficult times in the future. It is all pointing to surrendering our hearts to Jesus for that is where our salvation lies.

Prayer: “Lord, on my own I would just follow the stubbornness of my own heart. But thank you for working through all the circumstances of my life, so that I could be able to listen to your word and acknowledge your mighty work.”

One Word: This is the finger of God