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Exodus 8:1- 15 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. But if you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The Nile will teem with frogs, and they will come into your palace and up to your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and your people, and into your ovens and kneading bowls. The frogs will come up on you and your people and all your officials.’” And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers and canals and ponds, and cause the frogs to come up onto the land of Egypt.’”
So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. But the magicians did the same thing by their magic arts, and they also brought frogs up onto the land of Egypt. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people. Then I will let your people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD.” Moses said to Pharaoh, “You may have the honor over me. When shall I pray for you and your officials and your people that the frogs (except for those in the Nile) may be taken away from you and your houses?” “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh answered.
“May it be as you say,” Moses replied, “so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. The frogs will depart from you and your houses and your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.” After Moses and Aaron had left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the LORD for help with the frogs that He had brought against Pharaoh. And the LORD did as Moses requested, and the frogs in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields died. The people piled them into countless heaps, and there was a terrible stench in the land. When Pharaoh saw there was relief, however, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.”
The ten disasters that God inflicted on Egypt constituted a systematic unmasking of the Egyptian gods as worthless and powerless. The first plague, turning the Nile to blood, was a judgment against Apis, the god of the Nile, Isis, goddess of the Nile, and Khnum, guardian of the Nile. The Nile was also believed to be the bloodstream of Osiris, who was reborn each year when the river flooded. (The turning of all Nile River water to blood proves that God has a sense of humor: “You think this is the bloodstream of Osiris? Fine! You’ve got blood!”) The river, which formed the basis of daily life and the national economy, was devastated, as millions of fish died in the river and the water was unusable. Pharaoh was told, “By this you will know that I am the LORD” (Exodus 7:17).
The second plague, bringing frogs from the Nile, was a judgment against Heqet, the frog-headed goddess of birth. Frogs were thought to be sacred and not to be killed. God had the frogs invade every part of the homes of the Egyptians, and when the frogs died, their stinking bodies were heaped up in offensive piles all through the land (Exodus 8:13–14). (Source: What was the meaning and purpose of the ten plagues of Egypt? | GotQuestions.org)
APPLICATION: Even in these plagues, God was still trying to have mercy on the Egyptians just as much as on the Israelites. The love of God always has been for all people, not for just a chosen few. Through these signs, God was reaching out to the Egyptians. It was as if God was crying out, “Here! Look to me, the One True Living God! Why are you worshiping worthless things when you can worship me? Why won’t you let me give you the eternal life you long for so much that you try to preserve your dead, thinking that is the way to life after death?”
Recently on one of the satellite TV channels there have been programs about the treasures of ancient Egypt. Splendid gold – covered items, plus food, water, etc., were buried with the pharaohs for their use in the afterlife. But the pharaohs died and their bodies decayed, their treasured items stolen by tomb robbers. None of those treasures did anything for them.
In what are you trusting? What is your source of security? Are you trusting in your job? your business? your family? Your life savings? If the COVID pandemic has not taught us anything else, it should have taught us that businesses and jobs can disappear overnight, leaving people unable to pay mortgages or rent. Several years ago, many who thought they had wisely invested in retirement savings plans found themselves greeting people at Walmart when those savings plans evaporated in Ponzi schemes. Americans who have trusted that Social Security would be there for them are finding it anything but secure.
There is an old hymn, the first stanza of which reads, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but only lean on Jesus’ Name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.” Now more than ever, that hymn is true. Only the love of God as expressed in Christ Jesus, His Son, will save us from our sins and from ourselves.
PRAYER: FATHER GOD, THANK YOU THAT YOU ARE THE ONE TRUE LIVING GOD! THANK YOU THAT YOU NEVER CHANGE OR FAIL! You are the One in whom we can hope. You are the One who can save us from our sins. You are the One who can deliver us in the midst of terrible circumstances. Lord, help us to love you and to praise you all of our days. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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