Chapter. 33. Exodus 8. Plagues of Frogs, Lice and Flies.
AFTER God, through Moses and Aaron had turned the water of the river into blood, Pharaoh, instead of fearing longer to disobey, hardened his heart, and would not let the people of Israel go. So the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Go unto Pharaoh, and tell him: Thus saith the Lord, Let My people go that they may serve Me. And if thou refuse I will send frogs all over the land, and they shall be in thy house, thy bed chamber and that of the servants, in the ovens and the kneeding troughs, they shall be everywhere on thee, thy servants, and thy people. At the Lord’s command, Aaron stretched his rod over the streams, the rivers and the ponds; and the frogs came upon the land of Egypt. The magicians did the same through their enchantments. Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and said: Intreat God to take away the frogs and I will let Israel go. Moses asked: When shall I do so, that thou mayest know there is none like unto the Lord? Pharaoh said: Tomorrow. Moses cried unto the Lord to take away the frogs from the land, and leave them in the river only. And the Lord heard, and the frogs died out of the houses and villages and fields and the people gathered them into great heaps. But Pharaoh, seeing the frogs were gone, hardened his heart as the Lord had said, and would not let Israel go.
The Lord commanded now that Aaron should smite with his rod the dust of the land, and it became lice on man and beast, all the dust became lice. The magicians tried to do the same but could not, and had to acknowledge it was the finger of God. But again was Pharaoh’s heart hardened, and he would not let the people go, and God had to send a swarm of flies upon the Egyptians; but upon the land of Goshen, where the Israelites dwelt, there was not a fly, to the end that the king might know that the Lord is Lord over all the earth.
When Pharaoh saw the grievous swarm of flies, he sent for Moses and Aaron and said: Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.
But Moses answered: We cannot do that. We cannot sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God; but we will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and there, we shall sacrifice to our God as He shall command us. Pharaoh answered: I will let you go, and sacrifice in the wilderness, only do not go far away. Intreat for me. Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh’s presence and intreated the Lord to take away the flies, and the Lord did according to their request. But when Pharaoh saw the flies all dead, he hardened his heart and would nor let the people go.
Satan, of whom this wicked king is a type, is a most untiring foe. He will not let a soul go from under his power without using every means at his command. He has plenty of temptations to place before boys and girls to keep them occupied with everything else except their need of a Saviour. He hates them and wants to keep them his slaves. But, thanks to God, Jesus went down into death to vanquish Satan. He rose victorious, and His victory is ours through faith. We are as helpless to save ourselves as the poor burdened Israelites were against their foe; but Jesus, our Moses, or Deliverer, has undertaken for us and we have but to thank, and adore Him in return for all His love.
ML 11/14/1909