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Exodus 8:8–15
“The LORD did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields” (v. 13).
When Moses and Aaron first told Pharaoh that the Lord wanted the king to let Israel go worship Him in the wilderness, Pharaoh responded that he would not release the Israelites because he did not know the Lord (Ex. 5:1–2). By the time of the plague of frogs, the second of the plagues God sent upon Israel, Pharaoh had changed his tune somewhat. After experiencing an inundation of frogs, today’s passage tells us, Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron and asks them to pray to the Lord for the removal of the amphibians that are filling Egypt (8:8). As commentators note, this indicates at least a tacit recognition of the Lord’s power on the part of Pharaoh. He has come to know, at least a little bit, the God of the Israelites.
Upon hearing Pharaoh’s request, Moses asks the king to tell him when he should ask God to remove the overflow of frogs from Egypt (v. 9). The king tells Moses to pray to the Lord for Him to get rid of the frogs the next day (v. 10), but it does not give us the reason that Pharaoh does not want God to act immediately. It could be that he still hopes that the frogs will vanish before Moses can pray, and he asks for a delay so that he will not, in fact, have to turn to the God of the Israelites. It may also be that Pharaoh thinks it will take time for Moses to complete the prayer. In the ancient world, it was not common for people to offer short, impromptu prayers, but prayers were lengthy and often highly ritualistic. Perhaps Pharaoh thinks the earliest moment the prayer can be finished and answered is the following morning.
Whatever the case, Moses agrees to ask for the frogs to be taken from Egypt the next day so that Pharaoh will know that the Lord is God (v. 10). When the Lord answers Moses’ prayer for the specific time of removal, it will show that He is indeed in control of all things. By this, Matthew Henry comments, we are reminded that “the great design both of judgments and mercies is to convince us that there is none like the Lord our God, none so wise, so mighty, so good, no enemy so formidable, no friend so desirable, so valuable.”
The Lord’s answer to Moses’ prayer included an aspect of judgment, for the frogs did not simply migrate back to the river. Instead, they died in place, and the whole land was filled with the stench of the dead amphibians. Yet this did not get Pharaoh to rethink his opposition to God, but he again hardened his heart (vv. 11–14).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
The Lord removed the frogs, but He did not make it easy for the Egyptians, for He allowed the creatures to die where they were, and they had to be cleaned up. Still, Pharaoh hardened his heart. Sometimes, when the Lord disciplines His people, He does not provide an easy way out of their problems. When this happens, let us not be like Pharaoh and harden our hearts; rather, let us learn our lesson and turn to the Lord in repentance and faith.
For Further Study
- Exodus 9:13–16
- Numbers 11:31–35
- Proverbs 28:14
- Revelation 8:8–9