April 1, 2019
Tug of War
Exodus 8
Pam Pelley
Central Truth
God wants to reveal Himself to us through our sufferings. Even when we don't see or hear Him, He is still working for our good.
Key Verse | Exodus 8:22
But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.
Exodus 8
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.
The Third Plague: Gnats
16 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’” 17 And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. 18 The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
The Fourth Plague: Flies
20 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 21 Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. 5 8:22 Or that I the LORD am in the land 23 Thus I will put a division 6 8:23 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew set redemption between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”’” 24 And the LORD did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants' houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.
25 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” 29 Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.” 30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD. 31 And the LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.
Dive Deeper | Exodus 8
Have you ever played the game Tug of War? It's a game that pits two teams against each other in a test of strength. Teams pull on a rope against the force of the opposing team. Did you know it was played in the Summer Olympics from 1900-1920? American teams took the top four places in the 1904 Summer Olympics! Nowadays we might see this game played at a picnic or in a school gym class.
In Exodus 8, there appears to be an epic Tug-of-War power struggle between the Lord and Pharaoh.
The Lord could have won the power struggle with only His breath or by whispering the words, "I am!" And the game would have been over! But He didn't do that. He chose to communicate through 10 plagues. Why?
Pharaoh did not know the Lord (Exodus 5:2). He and the Egyptians worshiped many gods. The second, third, and fourth plagues involved frogs, gnats, and flies, respectively. Heqet was the Egyptian goddess with the head of a frog. Set was the god of the desert (dust became gnats). Uatchit was the goddess of flies. The Lord was showing Pharaoh and the Egyptians that He is the one true God. He was proving His existence and disproving the Egyptian gods.
The Israelites were enslaved, suffering, and crying out to the Lord for more than 400 years. They must have wondered, "Do you hear us, Lord? Do you see us, Lord?" The plagues gave them convincing evidence that they served the one true God! He did hear and see them! He was working to bring justice and deliverance. He even made a distinction between His people and Pharaoh's people with the fourth plague. The flies would not touch the people of the Lord (Exodus 8:22)!
Moses had a brief "Tug of War" with the Lord in chapters 3 and 4. But retirement from obedience to God is not an option. Moses was 80 and Aaron was 83 during the events in this passage!
How about you? Are you in a game of Tug of War with the Lord? Who will win?
Discussion Questions
1. Are you struggling against the Lord in any way right now? Do you need to drop the rope and surrender to Him?
2. What do you do when you experience long-term suffering? Do you cry out to the Lord? Do you believe that He sees, He knows, and He is working for your good?
3. For my fellow empty-nesters: Have you retired from being on mission with the Lord? Are you still abiding daily with Him and using your gifts to serve the local church? Are you still learning, growing, and obeying Him?