Welcome back to Time in the Word. If you missed last week’s devotional, you can catch that here. This week we head into the plague of frogs. God is methodically attacking the top Egyptian gods and goddesses. Israel needs to see God at work fighting for them and their freedom. Pharaoh needs to submit to God’s authority, but Pharaoh’s hard heart gives God the time to display His signs and wonders.
Before we go any further, I feel like we need to talk about the elephant in the room. Many times, throughout Exodus, the Bible mentions God hardening Pharaoh’s heart. Whether you have a faith in God or not, it does not seem fair that God hardens Pharaoh’s heart. Right?
I researched the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, and here are a couple of likely reasons why. Go ahead and check this site here.
- God hardened Pharaoh’s heart because of the brutal treatment of the Israelite babies, and abduction into slavery. Perhaps it is a case of God giving Pharaoh over to his unrepented sin.
- Pharaoh himself, on several occasions, hardened his own heart against God and the Israelites.
We should keep in mind God is a just God. He can see directly into the heart and intentions of every soul. God knew Pharaoh’s every thought. Pharaoh thought of himself as a god, was in no way humble, and forgot the goodness of Joseph’s leadership and wisdom.
Plague Number Two: Frogs
Scripture: Exodus 8:1-15
Moses and Aaron visit Pharaoh. The request from Moses remains the same. If Pharaoh refuses to let the Israelites go and worship, it is Aaron’s job to hold out the staff over the streams, canals, and ponds making the frogs come up onto the land and invade every space of all people- especially the political elites. Notice, that God does NOT say the Nile River.
True to what God had said, Pharaoh would not let the people go, so the frogs were sent out onto the land. Pharaoh’s magicians, using their ‘secret arts’ were able to duplicate the frogs coming out onto the land. But there seems to be a little crack in Pharaoh’s hard heart. Pharaoh asks Moses and Aaron to PRAY that the frogs would leave Pharaoh and Pharaoh’s people. Once the frogs leave, the Israelites can go worship and sacrifice.
Moses allowed Pharaoh to choose when Moses would pray for Pharaoh, his officials, and the Egyptian people. Moses agreed he would pray and that the frogs would leave- with the exception of the Nile River. Pharaoh agrees with Moses praying for the frogs to leave the next day and for the Israelites the freedom to go and worship.
Moses returns home and prays for the removal of the frogs from Pharaoh, his officials, and the Egyptian people’s homes, streets, and businesses. The frogs died and the Egyptians began to pile them up. The smell is awful. Pharaoh received relief and changes his mind about the Israelites leaving to worship.
Egyptian god or goddesses the plague confronted– Barnes Bible Chart pdf
- Hapi– Frog goddess to Egypt, fertility, god of annual flooding
- Heqet– Goddess if childbirth and fertility
Interesting notes and insights
- Moses and Aaron continued to be obedient to God. They did and said as instructed.
- Pharaoh’s magicians duplicate the frogs’ appearance, but they made no effort to get rid of them. Do you find that interesting?
- Did this plague occur in Goshen as well? This is questionable, as the Bible does not DIRECTLY speak of it affecting Goshen, where the Israelites live. Many scholars feel the first three plagues affected Israel as a tool to chasten them for assimilating to Egyptian life and worship of their gods.
- God provides PRAYER as a way to ask for the removal of the frogs, but the stench of the frog’s death was an interesting reminder. I believe this was God showing everyone we are to ask Him for help, for forgiveness, but sometimes our sin can leave a stench- lasting reminders of our choices.
As we think about this second plague, do you have ‘frogs’ that have gotten into everything? Are they making your life difficult? Do you want them to go away? What stench do these frogs leave in your life and relationships? Have you been hardening your heart after God blesses you?
Till next time. Thank you for joining me here in Time in the Word.
Michele Bruxvoort is sure to draw you in with her delightful sense of humor and love for living life. She enjoys reading, repurposing, as well as remodeling the family home with her husband. Drawing from her life experience as wife, mom, and follower of Jesus, Michele brings you a very honest and real perspective on life. When you don’t find her writing, you can find her mowing lawns, stocking shelves, taking care of her grandbaby and tackling her latest life adventure.
Wisconsin native and empty-nester, she now makes her home with her husband of 27 years in the South West Prairie plains of Minnesota.