Exodus Chapter Eight

Transcription

1 Exodus 8:1-15: The Second Plague Exodus Chapter Eight Exodus 8:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh and say to him, Thus says the Lord, Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite your whole territory with frogs. 3 The Nile will swarm with frogs, which will come up and go into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants and on your people, and into your ovens and into your kneading bowls. 4 So the frogs will come up on you and 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 over the pools, 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 of Egypt. 7 The magicians did the same with their secret arts, making frogs come up on the land of Egypt. 8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, Entreat the Lord that He remove the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord. 9 Moses said to Pharaoh, The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I entreat for you and your servants and your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they may be left only in the Nile? 10 Then he said, Tomorrow. So he said, May it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs will depart from you and your houses and your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile. 12 Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had inflicted upon Pharaoh. 13 The Lord did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courts, and the fields. 14 So they piled them in heaps, and the land became foul. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as the Lord had said. (NASB95) In Exodus 8:1-5, God gives Moses instructions with regards to this second plague. The Lord tells Moses to return to Pharaoh and give him an ultimatum to release the Israelites or else face another plague, which this time will be frogs infesting the entire land. The Lord s demand Let My people go, that they may serve Me appears not only in Exodus 8:1 but also appears verbatim in Exodus 8:20, 9:1, 13 and 10:3. In Exodus 5:1 and 7:16, the Lord uses a similar statement. In each instance, the Lord s point is clear to Pharaoh, the Israelites are His servants and will serve Him rather than Pharaoh William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 1

2 Exodus 8:6 records the execution of God s instructions by Moses and Aaron. Then, in Exodus 8:7, the magicians of Egypt imitate this second plague. By imitating this plague, they contributed to the misery of the Egyptians by increasing the number of frogs in the land. Like the first plague, Pharaoh s magicians were able to imitate this second plague. However, they could not bring an end to the plague. Also, like the first plague, Pharaoh s magicians were not able to bring an end to this second plague. Thus, Pharaoh pleads with Moses to bring an end to this plague. As a result of this plague, Pharaoh tells Moses that he will let the Israelites depart from Egypt. However, he reneges on this promise. Frogs were abundant in the Nile after the waters of the Nile receded in December. However, the Egyptians would not expect them in August. They would normally stay close to the Nile but with this plague, they will depart from the Nile and infest homes (Exodus 8:3) as well the courtyards and fields (Exodus 8:13). This second plague is an attack on another god the Egyptians worshipped and which worship was promoted by Satan, namely this plague was against the goddess Heqet which had the form of woman but with a frog s head. The Egyptians regarded frogs as having divine power. Thus, it was forbidden in Egypt to kill them. So this second plague was designed to cause another of the Egyptians gods to be a curse to them. Exodus 8:8-11 records Pharaoh summoning Moses and pleading with him to end the plague and promising to let Israel go. Notice that Moses gives Pharaoh the opportunity to choose when this plague should end. Commenting on this, Stuart writes, Giving the Egyptian king this power of timing is from a human point of view apologetically brilliant on God s part: if the king could say when the frogs would go away, he would personally know that the timing was not due to the simple consequences of natural processes or a fiat of the gods of the Egyptians but the sovereignty of the God of Israel. Theologically, therefore, this plague was the point by which Pharaoh should have been able to admit that there was a true, powerful God behind the demands voiced by Moses. His refusal to believe even then is a paradigm for all people who, though confronted with the reasonableness of biblical truth, nevertheless refuse to believe by reason of factors other than the believability of the evidence. 1 Also, notice that Pharaoh does not say to Moses to end the plague Today but rather amazingly he says tomorrow. It would seem to make more sense to end the plague immediately. However, both Pharaoh and Moses understood that it would take at least a period of an entire day for Moses to make intercession with God. So the intercessory prayer would be lengthy. It was normal in the Old 1 Stuart, D. K. (2007). Vol. 2: Exodus (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (208). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 2

3 Testament for believers to offer up lengthy intercessory prayers for others. They understood the importance of persistence in prayer (cf. Ezra 10:1; Nehemiah 1:4; 9:3; Luke 2:37; 6:12; Acts 1:14; 12:12; 1 Timothy 5:5). The Lord Jesus prayed all night before choosing the apostles. Widows in the early first apostolic church prayed day and night (Luke 2:37; 1 Timothy 5:5). God does not stipulate a particular length for prayers, since the Holy Spirit determines the length of prayer for each individual. Moreover, God is not impressed with the length of our prayers, but rather with their content, which should reflect the Word and the Spirit of God, and intent, which should be designed to give glory to God. In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ rebuked the scribes for their long prayers, which were designed to impress people and satisfy their lust for attention and recognition (Luke 20:46). Just as a productive prayer should not be repetitious and needlessly long, it should also never be a public display to be noticed by others. Instead, praying is an intimate time with God that should be reserved for a private time (Matthew 6:5-6). While the Scriptures do not command a set time for prayer, it is important to routinely pray, either day or night (Nehemiah 1:6; Psalm 88:1-2; 1 Timothy 5:5; 2 Timothy 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-10; 5:17; Luke 2:36-37). It is true that the Bible does not command believers to pray at a set time, but it does command believers to pray at all times or in other words, to make it a habit to pray and have a lifestyle of being devoted to prayer (Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). The Lord Jesus Christ prayed early in the morning before sunrise (Mark 1:35-38; Luke 4:42) and in the evening after a busy day (Mark 6:46). If prayer is a priority, as the Word of God says it is, then it is important that we, as believers, make it a priority to pray on a habitual basis. If we consider prayer a high priority, we will arrange our day to devote adequate time for it. The amount of time we set aside for prayer indicates the real importance we attach to it. Remember, the Scriptures teach that there is an appointed time for everything, even prayer. We, therefore, should appoint a time for prayer to accommodate God in our daily lives (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Through the Scriptures, the Spirit will teach a believer how to utilize his time effectively, to include prayer in his routine; that is, if the believer is influenced by the Spirit and listening to the Spirit to receive such instruction. Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. (NASB95) Scripture commands a believer to make the most of his time, to conduct his life with respect toward God and according to the will of God (Ephesians 5:15-16; 1 Peter 1:17-18; 4:1-2). Remember, God allots us a certain amount of time on this earth, and we are held accountable as to how we use that time. The principle of our 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 3

4 stewardship of time is taught by our Lord in the parable of the minas in Luke 19: Since the ultimate objective of the Father is to conform us into the image of His Son, then we must imitate the Lord Jesus Christ s perfect example of being devoted to prayer. He is the perfect model to follow. On earth, He always employed His time strategically in prioritizing His life and always set aside abundant time for prayer. True, there are only twenty-four hours in the day; but, then again, there are twenty-four hours in a day, a sufficient amount of time to devote more than enough to God. Exodus 8:12 records the Lord answering Moses intercessory prayer and Exodus 8:13 says that the Lord graciously answered this prayer. Thus, these verses emphasize the power of intercessory prayer. Moses was confident that God would answer his prayer since God had told him in advance that Pharaoh would not let Israel go after this second plague and that it would only be after the death of the firstborn children in Egypt that Pharaoh would let Israel go (cf. Exodus 3:19-22; 6:1; 7:1-5). Moses knows that the departure of Israel from Egypt will result in the Egyptians driving them out of the land since God had told him in advance how their departure will take place. This is the first time in the Pentateuch where we have Moses interceding for somebody whether it is on behalf of Pharaoh or the nation of Israel. We also have Moses praying for his enemies, which the Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples to do (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:28). Exodus 8:14 says that the Egyptians performed a major cleanup. Exodus 8:15 records Pharaoh going back on his promise to release the Israelites. Like the first plague, this second plague did not cause the loss of human life but rather served as a major inconvenience. Psalm 78 and 105 mention this second plague. Psalm 78:45 says that this second plague devastated the Egyptians. Psalm 105:30 says that Egypt was swarming with frogs. Exodus 8:16-19: The Third Plague Exodus 8:16 Then the Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats through all the land of Egypt. 17 They did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats through all the land of Egypt. 18 The magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not; so there were gnats on man and beast. 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of God. But Pharaoh s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said. (NASB95) 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 4

5 Notice that there was no advanced warning for Pharaoh with regards to this third plague. The first two did but the third, sixth and ninth plagues did not come with advance warning for Pharaoh. Gnats is the noun kēn,(כ ן) gnat, which appears only in Exodus 8:13 and 14. It is related to the noun kin nām נּ ם),(כּ which means gnats. Both words refers to a small marsh or swamp insects with an irritating bite. Most scholars believe that the latter is a collective form of the former. Ancient writers inform us that the Egyptians slept under nets to prevent bites. The insect, thus, was either a type of mosquito or blood-sucking fly. The word kinnām appears only in Exodus 8:12, 13, 14 and Psalm 105:31. This third plague was against the god Set, who was the god of the desert. The magicians could not duplicate this plague, which was produced by God s omnipotence. This omnipotence was manifested once Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the earth with it. This demonstrates again God s sovereignty over creation. The magicians acknowledge to Pharaoh that this plague was from God in the sense that they said it was a supernatural act of God and were not referring to God s finger. They were not converted. They simply confessed that the plague was from God. Pharaoh s response was again negative and he hardened his heart, which God predicted would happen. Exodus 8:20-32: The Fourth Plague Exodus 8:20 Now the Lord said to Moses, Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, as he comes out to the water, and say to him, Thus says the Lord, Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 21 For if you do not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and on your servants and on your people and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they dwell. 22 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that I, the Lord, am in the midst of the land. 23 I will put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur. 24 Then the Lord did so. And there came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants and the land was laid waste because of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt. 25 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, Go, sacrifice to your God within the land. 26 But Moses said, It is not right to do so, for we will sacrifice to the Lord our God what is an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice what is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not then stone us? 27 We must go a 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 5

6 three days journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He commands us. 28 Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Make supplication for me. 29 Then Moses said, Behold, I am going out from you, and I shall make supplication to the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh deal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord. 30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the Lord. 31 The Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies 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. (NASB95) Verses record the announcement of this fourth plague. Verse 24 records the devastation produced by this plague. In verse 25, Pharaoh makes his first concession and in verses 26-27, we have Moses rejecting Pharaoh s first offer. In verses 28-29, we have Pharaoh s second concession as well as his request for intercessory prayer to end the plague. Verses record the Lord bringing an end to the plague in response to Moses intercessory prayer as well as Pharaoh reneging on his promise. This fourth plague was against either the Egyptian god Re, a sun god or the god of Uatchit represented by the fly. It begins the second cycle of three judgments, which is indicated by the phrase in the morning (verse 20; cf. 7:15; 9:13). The phrase in the morning in Exodus 7:15 appeared in relation to the beginning of the first cycle of three judgments. The fourth plague like the previous three was directed at the Egyptians. The result of it was that the Egyptians would know experientially that the God of the Hebrews was present among them. Notice in verses 22 and 23, that God says that this plague will not affect the land of Goshen where the Israelites were located. This is to make clear to Pharaoh that the Lord is making a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites and that He is punishing the Egyptians and in particular Pharaoh. This distinction makes evident to the Egyptians and the Israelites that the former is marked out by God for judgment and the latter is marked out by God for deliverance. This again would demonstrate to the Egyptians that the God of the Hebrews is sovereign over the gods of Egypt and is omnipotent. Simultaneously, this would greatly encourage the Israelites that God was about to deliver them and was acting on their behalf. Like the first two plagues, Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh and give him advance warning that a massive swarm of flies will invade Egypt with the exception of the land of Goshen. This advance warning was again to give Pharaoh 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 6

7 an opportunity to repent, which he of course did not. Thus, God unleashed His wrath against Pharaoh and Egypt by sending swarm of flies. Now, remember the Egyptians did not have window screens and windows were openings in walls and ceilings. The wealthier Egyptians would have been able to put cloth at doorways and windows to keep out the swarms of insects. However, the flow of air through their homes would have made it unbearable since Egypt is perennially hot. So this plague would be an intolerable pestilence since the Egyptians would not be able to eat without ingesting flies and couldn t work because they would be constantly swatting them and they couldn t sleep without flies covering their bodies. Their skin would have welts from the flies biting them. So the nation was coming to a standstill. Verse 25 records Pharaoh summoning Moses and Aaron and telling them to go sacrifice within the land of Egypt. Of course, God said he was to let the Israelites worship Him in the wilderness and not within the borders of Egypt. So we see here that Pharaoh is suffering as demonstrated by his desire to strike a compromise with God, which is rejected. This fourth plague and the cumulative effect of the previous three demonstrate that Pharaoh is worn out. No doubt, he was receiving complaints from all aspects of Egyptian society including his advisors. Moses explains to Pharaoh that the blood animal sacrifices of the Israelites are detestable to the Egyptians because they considered the bull as sacred, which is represented by the god Apis or Re and the cow was represented by their goddess Hathor. So Moses and Aaron are saying to Pharaoh that the Egyptians will be outraged against us. This indicates that Pharaoh was emotional at this time and thus not thinking since he would know of course that this would be the case with his people. Moses response to Pharaoh s first offer is polite. He continues to deal with Pharaoh according to the Near Eastern custom of bargaining. He was gentle in his responses to Pharaoh and not responding to him as say Americans would saying no deal, we are leaving. In verse 27, the phrase a three day s journey is not to be taken literally but is an idiom for an official, formal, foreign visit. It is a polite way of saying let us leave Egypt altogether and we will never return. People in many Eastern societies prefer to use gentle and restrained ways of making requests instead of coming right out and saying what they want. Pharaoh responds to Moses explanation and strikes another compromise telling Moses that he can worship the Lord in the wilderness but cannot go very far away. Moses does not respond to this offer but does to Pharaoh s plea that he intercede in prayer for him before God in order to stop this plague. Moses intercedes for 2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 7

8 Pharaoh and the plague is ended. Pharaoh again responds stubbornly and does not release the Israelites. Moses had warned him not to do this, yet he does anyways. Pharaoh knew very well from the beginning that the Israelites wanted to leave permanently (See comments on Exodus 5:1). The language used by Moses and Aaron up to this point in the narrative reflects ancient and modern Eastern bargaining style. In the previous encounters with Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron used phrases such as into the wilderness and to offer sacrifices to our God and three days which are manifestations of this style. So we have Pharaoh attempting to negotiate with God and God refuses to negotiate. The release of the Israelites is non-negotiable. Pharaoh has no leverage and is in no position to bargain. Stuart writes, From Pharaoh s point of view as a bargainer, this might gain him the end of the plagues while ceding little to Israel: only a short time off from work. Pharaoh would retain Israel under Egyptian domination and continue to prevent their being able to organize alliances with other peoples or nations in any way that would be threatening to Egypt (cf. 1:10). Pharaoh may have genuinely thought this concession would work; in a bargaining culture, neither side can necessarily be sure at the outset what the minimum or maximum price of the other side really is until the bargaining proceeds further or is completed. 2 2 Stuart, D. K. (2007). Vol. 2: Exodus (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (217). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 8