Exiting Egypt Chapter 8 P 2 C

Exiting Egypt

The Fourth Plague – Flies Swarming

Exodus 8:20-32

By Dennis Lee: Chapter 8 P 2 C

This plague challenged and exposed the Egyptians idolatrous worship. The god who is on the chopping block now is Khepara (Khepri), the Egyptian god of the sun, who like the dung beetle which depicts him, pushes the sun across the sky. Khepara was represented by a flying beetle or the dung beetle, which is also known as scarab.

What these beetles would do is roll up dung into a big ball and then lay their eggs inside of them, not only as an incubator, but as food for the young. Therefore, the Egyptians regarded these dung rolls as symbols of the world, and considered the scarab to be symbolic of resurrection and immortality.

And so in this fourth plague of divers sort of flies, since the Egyptians believed in the resurrection power of the scarab, or the flying or dung beetle, God would infest them with flies, and then let the Egyptians see if their god of the flies could deliver them.

And there were so many of them that the Bible uses the word “grievous” which means thick and heavy. You might say they were oppressive.

God then says that He was going to “sever” the land of Goshen from the land of Egypt, so that there will be no flies upon the land where Israel dwelt. This word “sever” literally means that God made a difference was made between the Egyptians and the Jews. Further, the reason for this separation can be seen in the next word used in verse 23, and that is the word “division,” which means to redeem.

God made a distinction that day. He distinguished between Egypt and Israel. He separated them in order to redeem and deliver His people, the Jews. And while God has yet to physically deliver them from their Egyptian bondage and deliver them into the Promised Land, God was at this time beginning the process.

Why is this important to us is because as believers in Jesus Christ we are redeemed as well. And while we are waiting for our ultimate redemption and deliverance into the Promised Land of heaven, we are to be a separated people, separate from the world.

Goshen was an area within Egypt where Joseph settled his family. God had provided a place for His people. But while Goshen was in Egypt, in spiritual terms it was not of Egypt. And that well describes us, that while we are in the world, we are not to be a part of it.

God’s will is for us to be separate and distinct from the world, while at the same time living in this world as a difference maker for Christ. You see, God separates us to redeem us and for us to be redeeming agents to the rest of the world.

And yet, God wants us to be separate, and this doesn’t sit well with the rest of the world. That is why the Jews are so hated in whatever nation they reside. They are literally a nation within a nation. Well that is what we as believers are suppose to be, a people who are not a people and a nation that is not a nation.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy (1 Pet. 2:9-10 NKJV)

Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; then I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they shall say, 'You are my God!' (Hos. 2:23 NKJV)