Greater Friendship Baptist Church SSFFF

Dr Derrick L. Miles, Pastor

“Here Comes The Plagues!”

Exodus Chapter 8

 

Verses 1-15: Note the concept of Pharaoh’s response (in verse 2), as God says: “It thou refuse to let them go”. The fact the “the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs” certainly would not have been a blessing to the Egyptians. The goddess Heket (the spouse of the god Khnum), who is depicted in the form of a woman with a frog’s head, was held to blow the breath of life into the nostrils of the bodies that her husband fashioned (Gen. 2:7), on the potter’s wheel from the dust of the earth. Genesis intends to convey that Israel’s God alone rules the world, and that He alone bestows on His creatures, according to His will, the power of fertility.

These frogs, considered by the Egyptians a symbol of fertility, could be transformed, if God so desired, from a token of blessing to one of blight. Moses allowed Pharaoh to pick the time when the frogs should be removed as he said: “Glory over me: when shall I entreat for thee.” The sense of this language is that Moses allowed Pharaoh the choice of the time when Moses would intercede for him. The God would remove the frogs. But notice Pharaoh’s response: “When Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them” (8:32; 9:34). All of this was “as the Lord had said (4:21; 7:4).

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.

“Go unto Pharaoh”: The warning for the second plague was delivered to Pharaoh, presumably at his palace. Warnings for the fifth (9:1), and eighth (10:1), plagues also occurred at the palace.

Exodus 8:2 “And if thou refuse to let [them] go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs:”

“Smite”: The verb God used also meant “to plague”. Various terms (literally from the Hebrew), namely “plagues” (9:14), “strike” (12:13), and “pestilence” (9:3, 15), were employed to impress them with the severity of what was happening in Egypt.

“Frogs”: That Egyptians favored frogs was seen in the wearing of amulets in the shape of a frog and in the prohibition against intentionally killing frogs, which were considered sacred animals. The croaking of frogs from the river and pools of water signaled to farmers that the gods who controlled the Nile’s flooding and receding had once again made the land fertile. The god Hapi was venerated on this occasion because he had caused rich soil deposits to come downstream.

Further, the frog was the representation, the image, of the goddess Heket, the wife of the god Khnum, and the symbol of resurrection and fertility. The presence of frogs in such abundance, all over everywhere outside and inside the houses (verse 3, 13), however, brought only frustration, dismay and much discomfort, rather than the normal signal that the fields were ready for cultivating and harvesting.

One of the false gods of Egypt was a frog-headed goddess called Heket. This frog-headed deity was worshipped, because they believe it had creative power. We will see in this massive overabundance of frogs, the tearing down of the worship of frogs. Animals of all kinds were worshipped in Egypt, and even though there were so many frogs, they were forbidden to kill them.

Here, we see the request of Moses and Aaron for Pharaoh to let the people go; and the threat of this great plague of frogs, if he didn’t. These plagues God brought upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians were to discredit their false gods, as we said before. In (verse 3), we see just how severe this abundance of frogs was.

Exodus 8:3 “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 kneading troughs:”

The river Nile; and though water, and watery places, naturally produce these creatures, yet not in such vast quantities as to cover a whole country, and one so large as Egypt, and this done at once, immediately. For they were all produced instantaneously, and in one day were spread all over the nation, and removed the next: and besides what follows is equally miraculous.

“Which shall go up and come into thine house”: Which though they may come up out of rivers, and be upon the banks and the meadows adjacent, yet are never known to come into houses, and especially into bedchambers and other places mentioned. Being not a bold but timorous creature, and shuns the sight and company of men. But these came even into the royal palace, nor could his guards keep them out.

“And into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed”: and by their leaping upon him, and croaking in his ears, disturb his rest.

And into the house of thy servants”: And upon thy people both nobles and common people, and not only get into their houses, but upon their persons. On their hands when they about their business, and on their laps, and into their bosoms, as they sat. This must have been very offensive and troublesome to them, what with their ugly shape, croaking noise and filthy smell, and the disagreeable touch of them, leaping on them. And even upon their food, and all vessels used for the same, which must make it very nauseous and distasteful to them.

“And into thy ovens”: Where they baked their bread, and would be now hindered from the use of them:

“And into thy kneading troughs”: Where they kneaded their dough, and made it into loaves, and prepared it for the oven. Or the “dough” itself, which they leaped upon and licked, and made it loathsome for use.

Exodus 8:4 “And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.”

They did not only invade their houses, but their persons, armed as they were with a divine commission and power.

“And upon thy people”: Not upon the Israelites, whom God here exempts from the number of Pharaoh’s people and subjects, including all of their servants.

The Pharaoh had full warning about how bad this plague would be before it happened. There would be frogs everywhere, even in the food. He could repent, but he would not.

Exodus 8:5 “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.”

By a secret impulse upon his mind, for he was now in the presence of Pharaoh, who had refused to let Israel go.

“Say unto Aaron, stretch forth thy hand with thy rod”: For Aaron carried the rod, and he was the minister of Moses, who was appointed a god to him. And he was to speak and to do whatever he ordered him from the Lord.

“Over the streams, over the rivers and over the ponds”: The seven streams of the river of Nile, and over the canals cut out of it, and over all places where there was a collection of water for any use for man or beast.

“And cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt”: Out of the streams, rivers, and ponds, immediately.

Here again, we see this rod that God had given Moses, used to bring this plague of frogs. Some of the writers try to explain where the frogs came from, but they came from God. This again, was a miracle that God brought. Moses, Aaron and the rod were all used of God to bring this about.

Exodus 8:6 “And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.”

That is, towards the waters of the Nile, and towards all places where any water was; for it was not possible he could stretch out his hand over all the waters that were in every place.

“And the frogs came and covered the land of Egypt: they came up at once, and in such multitudes everywhere, that the whole land was full of them. This was done on the twenty fifth of Adar, or February, the same day the former plague ceased; that Moses by his rod produced frogs, locusts, and lice.

At first the inhabitants killed them, and keeping their houses shut, bore it patiently some time. But when it signified nothing, and their household goods were covered with them, and they found them boiled and roasted with their food, and lay in such heaps that they could not tread for them. They were so distressed with the smell of the dead ones, they forsook their country.

We see here that just as God had warned, the frogs came when Aaron stretched out Moses’ rod over the rivers.

Exodus 8:7 “And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.”

“The magicians did so”: Once again, instead of reversing the plague, the magicians in demonstrating the power of their secret arts only appeared to increase the frog population to the added discomfort of the people. Their power was not sufficient enough to do more than play “copycat.” That the magicians could duplicate but not eradicate the problem was, however, sufficient to solidify royal stubbornness.

Here again we see Pharaoh’s magicians brought frogs as well.

 

Verses 8-15: Here, a common pattern begins: the pestilence comes; the pain is felt; Pharaoh seeks “relief” and promises to “let the people go”; the plague is dismissed; and Pharaoh resists God’s grace once again (see 3:19; 4:21; 5:2; 7:3, 13-14).

Exodus 8:8 “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Entreat 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.”

“Entreat the LORD”: Using the Lord’s name and begging for relief through His intervention was more a point in negotiation and not a personal or official recognition of Israel’s Lord.

This unbelievable overflow of frogs had gotten to the Pharaoh, and he said that he would let the Hebrews go and worship. Here was the first weakening of Pharaoh and he had gone so far as to promise to let the people go. This was a terrible predicament the Egyptians were in. They could not kill these frogs because they were objects of worship to them.

Exodus 8:9 “And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I entreat 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?”

“May remain in the river only”: A specific detail like this in Moses’ question indicates that the Nile and the waters had returned to normal and again continued to support life.

Here we see Moses asking Pharaoh, how soon he would let the children go? Then Moses could go back and speak to God to kill the frogs in the houses and get the rest to congregate in the rivers. It seems Pharaoh had more than one house and the frogs were in all of them.

Exodus 8:10 “And he said, Tomorrow. And he said, [Be it] according to thy word: that thou mayest know that [there is] none like unto the LORD our God.”

“Tomorrow”: Having been granted the privilege to set the time when the Lord would answer Moses’ prayer for relief, Pharaoh requested a cessation only on the next day. Presumably he hoped something else would happen before then so that he would not have to acknowledge the Lord’s power in halting the plague, nor be obligated to Moses and his God. But God answered the prayer of Moses, and Pharaoh remained obstinate (verse 15).

This first “he” here was Pharaoh answering Moses’ question from verse 9, and he said “tomorrow”. The second “he” was Moses. Moses was, in essence, telling Pharaoh to recognize the supremacy of Almighty God. Moses accepted the date that the Pharaoh had set.

Exodus 8:11 “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.”

Signifying there should be a full and clear riddance of them.

“They shall remain in the river only”: The River Nile.

This was Moses speaking here, telling Pharaoh that as he wished, it would be done. God’s desire in this punishment, as in all punishment, was to cause men to repent. It seemed as though this was the case here that Pharaoh had repented.

Exodus 8:12 “And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh.”

To the place where they used to pray to the Lord, and meet with him, and receive messages from him; this they did the same day the plague was inflicted, the day before the morrow came when the frogs were to be removed.

“And Moses cried unto the Lord”: Prayed unto him with great fervency, and with a loud voice, most fervently entreating that the frogs might be removed on the morrow, as he had promised, that so he might not be covered with shame and confusion before Pharaoh. His faith of the miracle being wrought did not hinder the use of prayer to God for it.

“Because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh”: As an army: or “put upon” him, as a judgment on him. Or rather the sense is, as it may be rendered, “because of the business of the frogs, which he had proposed or promised to Pharaoh”. That is, for the taking of them away, he had proposed to Pharaoh to fix the time when he should entreat the Lord for the removal of them; and he having fixed on the next day. Moses promised it should be done according to his word; and now he is persistent with the Lord, that it may be done as he had promised.

Note here, that Moses promised Pharaoh that the plague of the frogs would be over, even before he prayed to God. Moses knew the purpose of the frogs and knew that God had accomplished what He set out to do with them. Moses knew in his heart that God would do this.

Exodus 8:13 “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.”

God, who knew the heart of Pharaoh, and its insincerity, or at any rate its changefulness, took the plague of frogs away in a manner that made its removal almost as bad as its continuance. The frogs did not return into the river; neither were they devoured by flights of cranes or large wading birds, they simply died. God could as easily have dissolved them into dust, but he would have them to lie dead before their eyes, as a token that they were real frogs and no illusion, and as a testimony of his wonderful power.

Exodus 8:14 “And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank.”

Swept them up, and laid them in heaps out of the way. They died where they were in thousands and tens of thousands, so that they had to be “gathered upon heaps”.

“And the land stank”: With the stench of the dead frogs, which was another proof and evidence of the reality of the miracle; and that dead frogs will cause such an ill smell appears from the above account of what befell the inhabitants of Paeonia and Dardania, unless that should be the same with this, only the names of places and some circumstances altered (see Exodus 8:16).

In the great plague of frogs mentioned by Eustathius (see the comment on Exodus 8:1-4), it was the stench of the frogs after they were dead which caused the people to quit their country.

Probably this was a drastic understatement. I am sure the odor from that many dead frogs was overwhelming. The Lord did not let Moses down; He did exactly as Moses promised Pharaoh. The relief from the frogs was just in part, because this terrible odor remained for a while.

Exodus 8:15 “But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.”

Hitherto Pharaoh’s nature had not been impressed; his heart had remained dull, callous, and hard. Now an impression had been made (Exodus 8:8), and he must have yielded, if he had not called in his own will to remove it. Herein was his great guilt. (See the comment on Exodus 4:21).

“And hearkened not unto them”: To Moses and Aaron, to let the children of Israel go, as they had required, and he had promised.

“As the Lord had said”: Had foretold that he would not hearken to them, nor let Israel go as yet.

Here we see a liar or a double-minded man in Pharaoh. He had no intention of letting them go. This Pharaoh was a false god himself. He didn’t believe in God. Therefore, he had no morals; so a lie was nothing to him. It is terribly dangerous to play games with God. A man like Pharaoh was wishy-washy. He was unstable in all his ways. He lied when he said he had chosen God. Woe be to Pharaoh and his people.

Verses 16-19: For “dust” to be turned to “lice” or gnats (the Hebrew word describes either one), was particularly awful for the scrupulously clean Egyptians. With this plague, Pharaoh’s magicians could no longer duplicate the Lord’s signs, and finally they acknowledge what Pharaoh would not: “This is the finger of God”.

Exodus 8:16 “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.”

The third plague, like the sixth and ninth, concludes a cycle and comes unannounced as a special judgment for failing to heed the others. This was the first plague that the magicians could not reproduce, and they were forced to admit that “This is the finger of God,” an expression conveying the miraculous power of God (as in Exodus 31:18; Deut. 9:10; Psalm 8:3), and a comparison of (Luke 11:20 with Matthew 12:28).

“Lice”: The Hebrew term is preferably taken to designate tiny, stinging insects barely visible to the naked eye. Those priests, who fastidiously kept themselves religiously pure by frequent washing and by shaving off body hair, were afflicted and rendered impure in their duties.

The word that was translated from “ken”, some believe means mosquitoes. But it really doesn’t matter whether this was an overwhelming attack of mosquitoes or lice. The results were the same. They brought disease and great discomfort. It was interesting that God made them of the sand as he made man from the dust of the earth. God can turn any type of matter into any form He desires. He is God. Here we see that God gave no warning to Pharaoh. It was automatic punishment for Pharaoh’s lies.

Exodus 8:17 “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.”

“All the dust of the land … throughout all the land”: The record stresses by its repetition of “all” and “land” the tremendous extent and severity of this pestilence.

We see literally billions of these pests. God could have brought these lice, or mosquitoes, whichever one they were, without Aaron stretching the rod over the sand. This was a show for Pharaoh, so that he would know for sure that this plague came from the one true God. There is nothing worse for man or beast than either of these pests. These pests have been known to drive livestock mad, and even cause their death. With this many, there would be total torment for the people as well. When it said “all the dust of the land became lice”, you can see the horribly terrifying amount of pests turned lose all over Egypt.

Exodus 8:18 “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.”

These lice were produced out of the dust of the earth; out of any part of the creation God can fetch a scourge, with which to correct those who rebel against him. Even the dust of the earth obeys him. These lice were very troublesome, as well as disgraceful to the Egyptians, whose priests were obliged to take many pains that no vermin ever should be found about them.All the plagues inflicted on the Egyptians, had reference to their national crimes, or were rendered particularly severe by their customs. The magicians attempted to imitate it, but they could not. It forced them to confess, “This is the finger of God”! The check and restraint put upon us needs be from a Divine power. Sooner or later God will force even his enemies to acknowledge his own power. Pharaoh, notwithstanding this, was more and more obstinate.

Here we see the magicians were stumped, they could not do this. Magicians are really sleight of hand people. As in the blood, they probably had some pill they put in the water to make it appear to be blood. Magicians really have very little power and the power they do have comes from Satan, not God. Throughout these two plagues we have read about in these lessons, God was trying to get the attention of Pharaoh and his people, and make them realize who He was and that they must obey Him. So far it seemed to have caused Pharaoh to get more and more calloused. Tragedy does one of two things. It will either cause you to come closer to God or it will drive you from Him. Here, Pharaoh was further away. The more he ran from God the harder his heart became. As I said before, it was not important whether this was literal lice or whether, as some believe, it was mosquitos, the end result was the same. This was a terrible pestilence on Pharaoh, his people, his livestock and his land. Notice Pharaoh brought this upon himself when he lied to God.

Exodus 8:19 “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.”

“This is the finger of God”: The failure of the magicians to duplicate this plague elicited from them this amazing evaluation, not only among themselves, but publicly before Pharaoh. Who nevertheless remained defiant, unwilling to acknowledge the power of God.

We see here, that these magicians were wiser than the Pharaoh. They finally recognized this as the finger of God. These magicians actually started the process of unbelief of the Pharaoh, when they turned their rods into serpents and when they did something to compete, with the water turning to blood. Pharaoh did not take the magicians warning. Pharaoh further hardened his heart as he would not listen as the Lord had predicted.

Verses 20-32: Each of the plagues in a new cycle (the first, the fourth, and the seventh) proceeds with a warning from Moses as he stands before Pharaoh early in the morning as “he cometh forth to the water”. The second plague in each cycle (the second, fifth and the eighth), has only a warning from Moses; and the last ones do not receive a warning, but they come unannounced.

Moses conveyed to Pharaoh the additional distinction that “the land of Goshen,” the area where Israel lived, would be unaffected by the plague “to the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.”

“Division” (in verse 23), actually means a “ransom, redemption” in the Hebrew text, but the Septuagint, Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate (notable ancient versions of the Old Testament), have a different root, meaning “distinction, difference.” The word “distinction, difference” does appear (in 9:4; 11:7 and 33:16), and is a significant concept in that God does “distinguish” between His people and the heathen when judgment comes. And (in 33:16), it is His very presence with Israel, His people, that sets them apart from all other peoples.

The act of sacrificing (“the abomination of the Egyptians”), seems to be related to the sacrifice of sheep. This is supported by the warning of Joseph (in Genesis 46:34). Some have suggested it was the sacrifice of heifers, the cow being the animal sacred to the goddess Hathor. Another view is that the Israelites would not carry out the rigid regulations with regard to the cleanness of the sacrificial animals. Pharaoh’s response, “Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land,” is the first of four compromises he proposed, which may be paraphrased as follows:

(1) “Stay in the land” (verse 25).

(2) “Do not go very far away” (verse 28)

(3) “Leave your families with me” (10:11).

(4) Leave your possessions with me” (10:24).

Satan makes the same basic appeals to Christians today. The text carefully notes that “Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also.” Moses had plainly told Pharaoh (in verse 29), not to “deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord (Gen. 3:1), and Satan’s tactics). Satan has been a murderer and liar from the beginning (John 8:44).

Exodus 8:20 “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.”

Of the day following, the twenty eight of Adar, or February, according to Bishop Usher. This was the best time to meet with Pharaoh, and the most likely to make impressions on him.

“And stand before Pharaoh”: Meet him as he comes along and stop him, stand before him as having something to say to him. This was using great boldness and freedom with a king. But as Moses was ordered to do it by the King of kings, it became him to obey him.

“Lo, he cometh forth to the water” (see Exodus 7:15).

“And say unto him, thus saith the Lord, let my people go, that they may serve me”: Which had often been required before, but to no purpose, and in case of refusal he is threatened as follows (in verse 21).Here again we see Moses being instructed to catch the Pharaoh at the edge of the water early in the morning when Pharaoh took his daily trip to the water. Over and over they told Pharaoh to let the people go.

Exodus 8:21 “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].”

“Swarms”: The LXX translates “swarms” as “dog-fly”, a blood-sucking insect. The ichneumon fly, which deposited its eggs on other living things so the larvae could feast upon it, was considered the manifestation of the god Uatchit. “The land was laid waste because of the swarms” (verse 24), is hardly an evaluation propitious for any insect-god! Whatever the specific type of fly might have been, the effect of the plague was intense and distressful.

“Flies” were common pests in arid Egypt, but now they were an affliction of unprecedented magnitude (Psalm 78:45). Except where God’s people lived (“Goshen”).

These plagues just got worse and worse. This, like the frogs, was a plague inside the house even more than outside. This particular species of flies had a terrible bite. Flies by the millions were more than a nuisance; they were a health hazard as well.

Exodus 8:22 “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.”

“In that day the land of Goshen”: For the first time in connection with the plagues, God specifically noted the discrimination to be made, Israel would be untouched! The term “sign” (verse 23), describes the distinction which was being drawn and which was also specifically noted for the fifth, seventh, ninth, and tenth plagues. Coupled with the repeated emphasis on “My people” in God’s pronouncements. The specific distinguishing between Israel in Goshen and Egypt itself highlighted both God’s personal and powerful oversight of His people.

This is the first plague in which God singled out the Egyptians and protected the Hebrew people (see note on 7:14).

The first plagues all came on Hebrew and Egyptian alike, but suddenly here the Hebrews were separated from the Egyptians. This is another point to be made about the first 3-1/2 years of the tribulation being endured by the world and Christendom and the last 3 1/2 years (wrath of God), being just on the worldly. The Hebrews were in Egypt, but not of Egypt; just as we Christians are in the world, but not of the world. God was telling Pharaoh: I am making a separation between the saved and the unsaved. God was showing Pharaoh that He was the God of the Hebrews.

Exodus 8:23 “And I will put a division between my people and thy people: tomorrow shall this sign be.”

“Tomorrow”: The plague-warning on this occasion stated exactly when it would strike, giving Pharaoh and his people opportunity to repent or yield. “Tomorrow” was also the due time for the fifth, seventh, and eighth plagues (9:5, 18; 10:4). And “about midnight” was the stated time for the ninth plague to commence (see note on 11:4).

God, for that matter, has always had a division between His people and the world. God will build a hedge around His people and protect them from the enemy. The hedge is the shed blood of Jesus. When the plagues came on all the people with no separation, the legalist tried to analyze it away by saying it was just a natural phenomenon. When the separation was distinct, there was no way they could justify this logically, as this was spiritual all the way.

Exodus 8:24 “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].”

And this he did immediately of himself without any means. Not by the rod of Aaron, to let the Egyptians see that there was nothing in that rod, that it had no magic virtue in it, and what was done by it was from the Lord himself. Who could as well inflict plagues without it as with it (see Psalm 105:31). And there came a grievous swarm of flies; or a “heavy” swarm, which was both very numerous, and very troublesome and distressing.

“Into the house of Pharaoh, and into the houses of his servants, and into all the land of Egypt”: Into the palace of Pharaoh, and into the palaces of his nobles, ministers, and courtiers, and into the dwelling places of all his subjects, throughout the whole land, excepting the land of Goshen.

“The land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies”: Josephus says, the land lay neglected and uncultivated by the husbandmen; it may be, the air was infected by the flies, which produced a pestilence that took many of the inhabitants. So, among the Eleans, as Pliny reports, a multitude of flies produced a pestilence. However, it is certain many of the inhabitants of Egypt perished by them. They might sting them to death, suck their blood, and poison them with their venomous stings (see Psalm 78:45).

There is nothing nastier or more aggravating than flies in the house. One fly can nearly drive you crazy, but to have literally millions in one house would be revolting. The noise would be deafening and there would be no way you could eat. This would be a terrible predicament to be in.

Exodus 8:25 “And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.”

Moses rejected the ploy to let the Hebrew people make sacrifices “in the land” of Egypt (verse 26). Citing the “abomination” that Israel’s sacrificial sheep would be to the Egyptians. Because the Egyptians considered these animals unclean, such sacrifices came with the risk of the Hebrews being stoned (Gen. 43:32; 46:34). Pharaoh’s offer of a short trek into the “wilderness” was similarly refused. God will not accept compromise when He has issued a command.

Here Pharaoh is suggesting that these Hebrews go ahead and sacrifice to their God but do it in Egypt. Even though he would do almost anything to get rid of these flies, he still wants to run everything. He wants God to do it his way.

Exodus 8:26 “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?”

“Sacrifice … we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians”: An attempt at appeasement by compromise on the part of Pharaoh. “Sacrifice … before their eyes” was countered by Moses’ pointing out that Israel’s sacrifices would not be totally acceptable to the Egyptians, who might even react violently, “will they not stone us?” This evaluation Pharaoh immediately understood. Either their strong dislike of shepherds and sheep (Gen. 46:34), or Israel’s sacrificial animals being sacred ones in their religion brought about Egyptian aversion to Israel’s sacrifices.

The very animals that the Egyptians worshipped were some of the animals that the Hebrews sacrificed to God. We see here an offer of Pharaoh wanting to give these Hebrews a time off from their labors, but he wants them not to leave Egypt. As I said, this will never work. If these Hebrews (Israelites), were to sacrifice to God, the Egyptians would be greatly offended in their religious practices. The Israelite people and the Egyptian people would probably wind up fighting a religious war. You can easily see why this wouldn’t work. Moses’ statement (will they not stone us), has to do with the sacrificing of cows by the Hebrews, which the Egyptians forbid, because they worshipped the cow. You can see what a mess this would be. Pharaoh should be able to see this too. 

Verses 27-29: We will go … I will let you go”: The first declaration showed the decision to travel no less than 3 days beyond Egyptian borders was a non-negotiable item. The second declaration showed Pharaoh trying to keep that decision to travel and sacrifice strictly under his authority and not as a response to the Lord’s request for His people.

Exodus 8:27 “We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us.”

Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. Between impatient anxiety to be freed from this scourge and reluctance on the part of the Hebrew bondsmen, the king followed the course of expediency; he proposed to let them free to engage in their religious rites within any part of the kingdom. But true to his instructions, Moses would accede to no such arrangement; he stated a most valid reason to show the danger of it.

And the king having yielded so far as to allow them a brief holiday across the border, annexed to this concession a request that Moses would entreat with Jehovah for the removal of the plague. He promised to do so, and it was removed the following day. But no sooner was the pressure over than the spirit of Pharaoh, like a bent bow, sprang back to its usual hard heartedness, and, regardless of his promise, he refused to let the people depart. Here we see the original request repeated again. God will direct the sacrifice. This will be a safe distance from Egypt.

Exodus 8:28 “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.”

“Intreat for me”: An abbreviated request, applying not only to himself but also for the removal of the plague as previously asked in connection with the second plague (8:8). Now, we see the real reason Pharaoh did not want the Israelites to go into the wilderness. They were almost free labor and he did not want them to escape to freedom. These flies were so bad, he would agree to almost anything to get them stopped. He asked Moses to speak to God for him, and get the flies stopped (intreat for me). Intreat and Entreat means the same; earnest request: beg, plead or implore.

Exodus 8:29 “And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat the LORD that the swarms [of flies] may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”

“But let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully”: Moses’ closing exhortation underscored the deceptive nature of the king’s words. We see here, that Moses set the next day for the removal of the flies but he warned Pharaoh that he had better carry through with his promises and not renege on them as he did before. God would punish Pharaoh severely, if he didn’t do what he said he would do. He told Pharaoh: If you promise, I will go and talk to God for you.

Exodus 8:30 “And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the LORD.”

He did as he promised he would, and prayed to the Lord to remove the flies from Pharaoh and his people.

Exodus 8:31 “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.”

“Remained not one”: This declaration of the total divine removal of the flies, a demonstration of God’s answering Moses’ entreaty, did not persuade Pharaoh at all. Once again, removed from the humiliating effects of a plague, his stubborn resistance resurfaced (verse 32).

Moses spoke to God for Pharaoh believing that Pharaoh would follow through with his promise. God did exactly what Moses had promised. God did not leave even one fly in Pharaoh’s houses. God is always true to His Word. God always tells the truth. Pharaoh (a type of Satan), seldom ever told the truth, because he had no moral character. You could not trust him. He had no conscience.

Exodus 8:32 “And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.”

As he did before, when he found the plague was removed, and the flies were gone.“Neither would he let the people go”: Through pride and covetousness, being loath to have the number of those under his dominion so much diminished, and to lose so large a branch of his revenues arising from the labor of these people.We see here, the same as the time before. The minute the plague stopped, Pharaoh would not keep his promises. He hardened his heart and would not let the people go.

Exodus Chapter 8 Questions

1. In verse 2, God told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let the people go, and if they would not, God would bring a plague of what?

2. What did the frog have to do with false gods in Egypt?

3. What power did they believe this goddess had?

4. Why could not the Egyptians destroy the frogs?

5. What was the purpose of the plagues?

6. Where were the frogs to be?

7. How did this affect the food?

8. What was Aaron to do to bring the plague?

9. What and whom did God use to bring the plague about?

10. What did the magicians do?

11. When the frogs came, what did Pharaoh do?

12. What did he promise?

13. When did Pharaoh promise?

14. What did Moses do in behalf of Pharaoh?

15. What had Moses already promised Pharaoh?

16. Did God honor Moses’ promise?

17. Moses told Pharaoh to do what?

18. What was this punishment for?

19. What happened to the frogs in the houses?

20. What did the people do with them?

21. What did this cause in the land?

22. What did Pharaoh do, when the plague of frogs was over?

23. What two things do we see in Pharaoh?

24. Who was Pharaoh, that made him think he could get away with this?

25. Did God give warning of the next plague?

26. What was the next plague?

27. What two things did this pestilence bring?

28. What did God make them of?

29. What shows the magnitude of them?

30. Why did God use Aaron and Moses, when He could bring the plague without their assistance?

31. Were the magicians able to do this?

32. Who are magicians?

33. Do they really have power? Explain.

34. Tragedy will either _______ you closer to God, or _______ you ______ _____.

35. Who actually caused this plague of lice?

36. How?

37. What did the magicians say to Pharaoh?

38. What did Pharaoh do on their advice?

39. Where was Moses to go and speak to Pharaoh?

40. What was Moses to tell Pharaoh would happen to him, if he did not let the people go?

41. To what extent would this plague reach?

42. This was not just a nuisance, but a _________ ___________ ___ _____.

43. What was the exception to the plague?

844. Why?

45. These Hebrews are in Egypt but not ___ _________.

46. What can we Christians see in this?

47. The legalist tried to analyze the plagues by saying they were __ __________ _____________.

48. How was the land corrupted?

49. What 2 specific problems would this many flies bring?

50. When Pharaoh could stand the flies no longer, what did he do?

51. What was Pharaoh’s plan?

52. Why would it not work?

53. What did Moses call the animals that the Egyptians worship, to God?

54. What would probably happen, if the Israelites were to sacrifice to God in Egypt?

55. What was the main animal in question?

56. What did Moses tell Pharaoh was the only acceptable plan?

57. What was the real reason Pharaoh did not want them to go into the wilderness?

58. He wanted Moses to immediately do what?

59. When did Moses say this would happen?

60. What did Moses warn Pharaoh about?

61. What did the Lord do?

62. How many flies were left?

63. Compare Satan (Pharaoh), and God.

64. What foolish thing did Pharaoh do?