April 11, 2013
WHAT'S IN YOUR PLAGUE?
Exodus 8:1-15
Jinger Lord
Central Truth
Putting our trust in anything else but God is foolish. God loves us so much that He will use any difficulty or "plague" in our lives to redirect our hearts to focus on Him alone.
Key Verse | Exodus 8:10
So [Moses] said, "May it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God." (Exodus 8:10b)
Exodus 8:1-15
The Second Plague: Frogs
1 1 8:1 Ch 7:26 in Hebrew Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. 3 The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, 2 8:3 Or among your people and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 4 The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”’” 5 3 8:5 Ch 8:1 in Hebrew And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
8 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the LORD to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.” 9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.” 10 And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. 11 The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.” 12 So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the LORD about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. 4 8:12 Or which he had brought upon Pharaoh 13 And the LORD did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. 14 And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
Dive Deeper | Exodus 8:1-15
The first thing I noticed in this passage is how our God has a sense of humor. Don't you think the Israelites got a chuckle watching the Egyptians fighting with so many frogs? Scripture is clear -- frogs were everywhere!
"The Nile will swarm with frogs, which will come up and go into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants and on your people, and into your ovens and into your kneading bowls. So the frogs will come up on you and your people and all your servants." (Exodus 8:3-4)
Frogs in their beds, in their food, and even on Pharaoh himself! However, God was not just being funny by using frogs for plague #2. He was intentional in every aspect of His plan. You see, He was not just punishing the Egyptians; He was trying to get their attention so that they might "know that there is no one like the Lord our God" (Exodus 8:10). In all that He does, our God is always trying to draw people to Himself -- even if it means using frogs.
In ancient Egyptian culture, frogs were sacred; they were worshipped. The Egyptian goddess, Heqet, was depicted with the head of a frog, and frogs were considered a sacred creature whose intentional killing was often punishable by death. By overwhelming Egypt with frogs, Yahweh was demonstrating to them the foolishness of putting their hope and trust in anything but Himself.
He uses the same technique today. My "plague" might be a financial difficulty or a struggle with one of my kids. If I stop and listen to the Lord in the midst of my storm, I often hear Him telling me I am putting my hope in my finances or in the success of my child, and not in Him where it belongs. He is the One True God, and His power is great enough to multiply frogs, to provide for my family, and to intervene in the life of my teenager. What "plague" is He using in your life right now?
Discussion Questions
1. What difficulty are you facing in life right now?
2. Is the key element of that struggle something from which you are trying to extract life, hope, peace, affirmation, or joy?
3. Look up Jeremiah 2:13. Confess to the Lord any ways you have forsaken Him, the fountain of living water.
4. Read John 4:13-14. What would it look like for you to trust Jesus fully to be living water in your life? If you are not sure, ask a friend or community group member to help you answer that question.