The Second Plague - Frogs
The Third Miracle Before Pharaoh
Verse 1, And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
I. I don’t know how much time goes by (months or hours). Pharaoh was warned, not threatened The end result is in his hands.
II. God didn’t use lions, tigers, or elephants, but frogs.
A. God magnifies His strength, not the strength of who He uses.
1. I Cor. 1:27-29 - User of small things.
2. II Cor. 12:10 - When I am weak, then am I strong.
B. That Pharaoh might be humbled - hurts our pride to be humbled by frogs!!
1. It is not considered bad to be humbled by things that are strong.
2. God often uses the simple things of this world to humble the proud.
C. God uses the preaching of the gospel to bring condemnation and salvation to the lost.
1. God “pours contempt upon those that think they’re great.”
2. It would be told in all the world that Egypt was defeated by frogs!
a. The news would travel very fast, and everyone would be amazed.
b. The news that Egypt was defeated by frogs would certainly get everybody’s attention.
c. Rahab the harlot heard the news and repeated it to the spies sent to spy Jericho.
3. Proud people are defeated by God using simple things.
4. I Corinthians 1:26-29 – God uses simple things to confound the “wise.”
III. The message doesn’t change.
A. Some might think a new message would appeal to Pharaoh better.
1. A new message might appeal to Pharaoh, but that wouldn’t change what God wants to do.
2. He hasn’t heard the first message yet, so there is no need of changing the message.
3. The story is told of the preacher that preached the same message three times in a roll. The people wanted to know why he did that and he told them they hadn’t heard it the first time yet!
B. Some people try to change the message of God today.
1. The world doesn’t need a watered down message, it needs the truth.
2. Only the truth will help a people get right with God.
IV. The word “serve” means to work for.
A. God wants Israel to work for Him, not for Pharaoh.
B. Pharaoh wants Israel to work for him, not for God.
Verse 2, And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs:
I. The word “if.”
A. Pharaoh has a choice in what will happen next.
B. There is no conversation in this passage about Pharaoh and Moses and Aaron talking together.
1. It is evident they did talk.
2. The plague of frogs came upon the Egyptians.
II. The frog has special meaning to the Egyptian because they worship a female deity with a frog’s head (that was a weird looking god, or the ugliest woman in the world!).
A. This god is connected with nature worship in Egypt.
B. This worship had to do with the annual flooding of the Nile.
1. When these frogs came up, all the Egyptians would understand that there was a God greater than their god who was able to control their god.
2. God uses the things of this world to confuse and confound the people of this world.
III. The word “frog” comes from a Hebrew word which has been translated “swamp.”
A. The name of the false god is Heqet. It is a primordial god with the head of a frog, worshipped as one of the Eight Gods at Hermopolis, and seen as the consort of Khnum at Antinoe. See http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~shawn/egypt/gods.html#khnum
1. This religion is still alive, even after God defeated it in Egypt.
2. Their web site can be found at Kemet.org The Kemetic Orthodox Faith
3. The site describing Heqet is: http://www.kemet.org/glossary/heqet.html
B. The information on this page is as follows: Heqet (Hekat) - (meaning unknown; perhaps derived from the words for “ruler” and “sceptre” given Her purview over royal and divine births) Depicted as a woman with the head of a frog (viewed by the Kemetic people to be a particularly fertile animal), Heqet is the midwife of Netjer, presiding over all births and particularly those of royal parentage, as witnessed in paintings in tombs and temples. In the company of Aset, Meshkhenet and Khnum, Heqet was attributed with the deliverance of the three initial kings of Dynasty V in a folktale (preserved in Papyrus Westcar) which comes down to us by the popular name of “Khufu and the Magicians.” As midwife, Heqet is sometimes paired with Khnum, who creates the form of the infant and its ka upon His potter’s wheel. Heqet is also sometimes considered the wife of Her-wer, and at least in the Old Kingdom, Her priestesses served as trained midwives.
C. “Netjer,” a Kemetic word meaning “divine power,” is the One Self-Created Deity which manifests in myriads of forms, which we call Names (Kemetic Orthodoxy is a monolatry, NOT a polytheism or monotheism -- see the “What is Kemetic Orthodoxy?” page for more information). The actual number of Names, sometimes more simply (but misleadingly) called “gods” and “goddesses,” figures in the thousands. This glossary is a detailed listing of the most common Names and includes the most accurate information possible regarding Them. The Kemetic Orthodox approximation of how the Name would be pronounced is included, along with the mainstream spellings. (This information is from the following site: Kemet.org Netjer: The One God of Ancient Egypt
D. There are some who believe frogs didn’t come up, but that the River Nile overflowed more than normally, causing a great swamp over all the land of Egypt.
E. A very casual reading of the verses to follow will show these frogs go into houses, bedchambers, in ovens, and kneading troughs.
1. This makes it very obvious that this passage is not talking about “mud,” but at the very least a kind of living animal that normally lives in the river.
2. To picture frogs everywhere a person looks or steps is a pretty funny picture.
3. I doubt the Egyptians thought there was anything funny about it.
IV. The word “border.”
A. The frogs will come upon all the country known as Egypt.
1. None of the surrounding countries would have any frogs.
2. Only in Egypt would the frogs be.
B. I don’t believe the frogs came upon the land of Goshen.
1. That is where Israel lived.
2. Verse 3 and 4 declares the frogs will come upon Pharaoh, his servants, and all the Egyptians.
3. The Israelites aren’t mentioned.
4. God kept these plagues from Israel, which is a clear sign to the Egyptians that God was with them.
Verse 3, And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading troughs:
Pharaoh would not be exempt from the plague of frogs. Not only will the frogs come upon the nation, it will be a very personal plague, as the frogs will come upon all the people.
Verse 4, And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.
I. The defeat of the frogs.
A. God got the attention of those living at ease.
B. There is no doubt this plague would get their attention!
Verse 5, And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.
I. The hand alone wouldn’t work.
A. The rod of Aaron must be used.
B. The rod is the symbol of the power and authority of God...
Verse 6, And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.
I. There could be no doubt in any reasonable persons mind about who brought these frogs up.
II. I don’t know how long it took for the frogs to come up, but I doubt it took very long. – Immediately!
Verse 7, And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.
I. Magicians producing frogs.
A. Couldn’t make them go away.
1. The logic behind the magicians making more frogs was to prove they still had control of their god.
2. As long as they could produce the same thing God produced, they would feel their god was stronger than God.
B. Contrast God doing a miracle and these magicians doing a miracle.
1. God did the same thing each time with a different result. When the rod was stretched forth, God performed a different miracle each time.
2. The magicians would have to use a different enchantment for each different miracle.
C. Rev. 16:13 - After the blood (Rev. 16:3,4) the devil produced a likeness of frogs - the purpose is to deceive.
1. This passage shows us that Satan is still the same, with the same false gods.
2. Check out this web site to discover that the religion of ancient Egypt is being revived: Kemet.org What is Kemetic Orthodoxy?
Verse 8, Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Entreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD.
I. First call for Moses
A. Pharaoh didn’t pray to God directly because God caused Moses to appear to be a god to him.
B. Every other time Moses and Aaron have gone before Pharaoh.
1. Exodus 5:1 - Moses and Aaron and the 70 elders of Israel go before Pharaoh in the palace.
2. Exodus 6:11 - Moses and Aaron go back before Pharaoh in the palace.
3. Exodus 7:10 - Moses and Aaron go back before Pharaoh in the palace.
4. Exodus 8:15 - Moses and Aaron meet Pharaoh down by the water, early in the morning.
II. He humbled himself before God and Moses by asking for relief.
A. Exodus 7:23 – Pharaoh walked away from Moses, and went to his own house when the water was turned into blood.
1. After the magicians turned the water into blood with their enhancements.
2. After the magicians produced frogs, Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron because he needed relief from all the frogs.
B. This is the first time Pharaoh asked Moses for help.
1. This is not the last time he will ask Moses for help.
2. This is the first time Pharaoh recognizes the LORD.
3. The word “LORD” refers to Jehovah, the sovereign, most high, creator of the entire universe.
4. Pharaoh doesn’t recognize his sinfulness, or his need for a redeemer.
C. This is the first time Pharaoh says he will let Israel go.
1. This is not the last time he will say he will let Israel go.
2. He fails to keep his word.
3. The word of a man who doesn’t respect God normally isn’t worth anything.
D. Pharaoh tries to make a “deal” with God.
1. He wants the frogs to leave, then he will let Israel go.
2. To not make a deal, he would have let Israel go, then suffer the consequences of his sin, begging mercy from God.
3. If a person makes a vow before God, he should fulfill the vow, or he will pay the consequences.
4. Sometimes near the 1850’s there was a man who got a fever, and lay dying. He confessed that he was called to preach, but refused to submit. While in his dying fever, he made a deal with God that he would preach if he could live. Suddenly, the fever broke, and he began to get better. He got well enough to be up some, and said that he wasn’t going to preach now that he was well. Suddenly, he got the fever again, and this time suffered greatly. Before he died his tongue turned completely black, swelling so greatly it stuck out of his mouth, shutting off his airway at the back of his throat. He died in great suffering.
Verse 9, And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?
I. Glory over me.
A. Properly means to give God the glory.
1. The word glory means to glorify, beautify, or adorn.
2. The word over means above, upwards, or on high.
3. Therefore Moses is directing Pharaoh to look to a power greater than his own.
4. Moses is a mere man, and is telling Pharaoh so.
II. Moses wants Pharaoh to understand that God is in charge.
A. He lets Pharaoh set the time the frogs will leave, so he will know it happened at his word, and wasn’t just a freak of nature.
Verse 10, And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.
I. Pharaoh fixes the time - so he will know.
A. Why not immediately?
1. Probably hoped they’d go away by themselves.
2. Hated to submit himself to God.
3. A person untouched by God will always wait until tomorrow.
B. Think of this to show how silly it was of Pharaoh to wait until tomorrow.
1. It is hot summer time and at night.
2. Your A/C is not working.
3. You have to put your windows up.
4. Somebody has stolen all your screens.
5. The mosquitoes are “eating you up.”
6. Somebody offers to give you some screens and wants to know when to put them on for you.
7. You say, “next week.”
8. You wouldn’t say that would you, you would want those screens put on immediately so you could get out of the mosquitoes.
C. A lost person will wait until tomorrow to be saved.
1. It doesn’t make any sense to keep on carrying that load of guilt and sin when you could immediately get rid of it by coming to Jesus Christ.
2. This is simply the sinful man following his sinful nature.
D. A saved person will continue in his sinfulness if he doesn’t yield himself completely to God.
1. He must yield all his lustful thoughts and deeds to God.
2. He must yield all his hopes, dreams and desires to God.
3. Then, and only then, will God give him the desires of his heart.
Verse 11, And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.
Verse 12, And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh.
I. “Cried” - prayed desperately.
A. Somebody might think that the time for praying is over when Pharaoh asks for relief.
1. There is never a time not to pray.
2. Moses prays desperately so God will continue getting the glory for everything.
B. Elijah prayed 7 times for rain.
1. James 5:17 - Elijah prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it didn’t rain for three years and six months.
2. I Kings 18:42-46 - Elijah prayed after the victory for a greater victory.
C. It is necessary to pray after a seeming victory for the completion of the victory.
1. Be very careful that we continue praying when it looks like things are going the right way.
2. Many a battle has been lost when the victor stops fighting too soon.
Verse 13, And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields.
Verse 14, And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank.
I. Frogs died. (The EPA wouldn’t like this, and neither would the animal rights activists. What happened with the frogs shows us what God thinks of the animal rights activists!)
A. They piled them up in heaps so they knew they were real.
1. They didn’t hop back into the river and then die.
2. That would have been a lot easier on the Egyptians.
B. The frogs stank - they were real in life and death.
C. God uses His creatures as He sees fit.
1. He made the frogs so Pharaoh would obey Him.
2. He destroyed the frogs so Pharaoh would obey Him.
Verse 15, But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
I. Result: Pharaoh hardened his heart, like God said.
A. The natural man doesn’t repent until God touches him.
1. No more trouble, no more repentance.
2. Can we repent when there is no trouble?
B. What will you do with Jesus, the son of the living God?