Exiting Egypt Chapter 8 P4

Exiting Egypt

“The Second Plague – Frogs Everywhere”

By Dennis Lee: Chapter 8 P4

Now look at this second plague. It says that the river will bring forth frogs abundantly and that the frogs will cover the land.

The magicians imitated the miracle and brought up more frogs on the land. They used their secret arts and seemingly caused some frogs to flee to higher ground. But again I point out that this was a deception, because if they truly had the power, then they would have removed the frogs, instead they made the situation more miserable.

And so Pharaoh cried out for deliverance. He asked Moses for relief from the plague, and while it may have been more of an annoyance than something deadly, it caused a whole lot of grief. And so he promised to let God’s people go.

There are times throughout life when we cry out for God’s deliverance and mercy. We become keenly aware of our failures and sins. We realize that no one but God can help us. So we cry out for God’s mercy and help. What we need to make sure of at these times is that these are true professions of faith, and not a quick fix remorse like that of Pharaoh. Look at what the Bible says,

So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain (Ezek. 33:31 NKJV)

He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me (Mk. 7:6 NKJV; cf. Isa. 29:13)

Moses now challenges Pharaoh to test the power of God. He says,

And Moses said to Pharaoh, "Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only (Ex. 8:9 NKJV)

By setting the time, Pharaoh would know that their removal was not by chance, but by the hand of the Lord Himself.

Now, whether it was because he wanted the frog plague over as soon as possible, or if he was indeed testing to see if God was the one who truly brought the plague, he asked for it to be over tomorrow.

The purpose of the test, to show that God has no equal, and that there is no one like the Lord, that God is Jehovah, Yahweh, that is, the Great Deliverer, who is also the God of Great Mercy, and will save all who cry out to Him.

Pharaoh needed to learn both lessons, that not only is God just, as He brings forth His judgments, but that God is also merciful. Jeremiah made this observation,

The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction (Lam. 3:22 NLT)