EXODUS CHAPTER EIGHT -------------------- Verses 1-7, The second plague. This plague, like the first was directed at the Egyptian's worship. The Nile river was worshiped and it became a stench to them. The Egyptians also worshiped frogs, so frogs they would get. They would be sick of frogs and the stench of frogs would fill the land. Compare: Rev 16:13-14, These unclean spirits, working miracles, which go to the kings of the earth and the whole world to gather them to battle. This is the only mention of frogs in the New Testament. The magicians did the same with their enchantments. They could only bring them forth. The could not control them or remove them. Jehovah only was able to remove the frogs so that they were only in the river. Satan can only bring forth more uncleanness into the world. Only God can remove it. Verses 8-15, Moses interfaces with Pharaoh again. Moses asks Pharaoh when he would like for him to remove the frogs. Here Moses would remove the frogs at the exact time that Pharaoh requested, showing that the LORD was in absolute control over this. Why Pharaoh chose the next morning and not right then can only be guessed at. The frogs represented their gods and perhaps Pharaoh wanted to spend one more night with his gods! Bro. Jack Green says this is a picture of the sinner who wants to hang onto his sin a little longer. Verses 16-19, The third plague. The Egyptians prided themselves in their cleanliness. The priests would shave their heads and bodies every third day so that they would be clean to perform the sacred duties. This plague was against their pride and self worth. Man thinks that he is clean, yet his righteousness is as filthy rags. Man has not changed. He was that way in Paul's day and he is that way today. Man's own self-righteousness blinds him to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Ro 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. The moral significance of the source of the lice is worth mentioning. They came from the "dust of the land." It was the ground that was cursed because of man's sin. It was from the ground that man came and he would return to the dust because of the curse. The fact that the Egyptians could not perform this sign points to the fact that Satan is not allowed to tamper with the curse, nor is he allowed to cause man to return to the dust. That is in the hands of the LORD. You will remember that Jesus spat on the ground and made clay from the dust of the ground and put it upon a blind man's eyes that he might see. (John 9:6) His humanity blinded the eyes of the Pharisees but opened the eyes of this blind man. In verse 38 of the same chapter this same blind man worships Christ. The humanity of Christ blinds many people as to the person of Christ, who He really is. The admission of the magicians is significant. In verse 19 they said to Pharaoh, "This [is] the finger of God." These are their last words. In the end they were made to acknowledge the hand of God. So too at the end all will confess that Jesus is Lord. In the eighth chapter of John, when the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, Jesus just wrote in the dust of the ground with his finger. He then spoke to them and said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." After which he stooped down and wrote in the dust again with his finger. The result was startling! "And they which heard [it], being convicted by [their own] conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, [even] unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst." In the end they were made to acknowledged that it was the "finger of God" that wrote in the dust of the ground. This term "finger of God" appears three other places in the scriptures. Twice referring to the commandments written in stone by the "finger of God," and once by Jesus when speaking about the fact that He had cast out devils. Ex 8:19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This [is] the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said. Ex 31:18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. De 9:10 And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them [was written] according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. Lu 11:20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. Verses 20-32, The fourth plague is described. This begins the second division of three. In the first three the magicians were present. They are not mentioned any more, other than the fact that they could not stand before Moses in 9:11. In the first three, the Israelites were not exempt, for they too were sinners suffering in some ways from the curse and buffeted by Satan. But now that the plagues are more tormenting they are now exempt. It is interesting that the Hebrew word for "a division" in verse 23 is "a redemption." What stands between God's people and the rest of the world? What makes them different? Why do they not suffer the torments of everlasting punishment that the world will receive? The answer is REDEMPTION!!!! You will also notice that the words "of flies" is supplied. The word swarms in the Hebrew means "a mixture" and was translated "divers sorts of flies" in Psalms 78:45. There it is said that these swarms "devoured" them or ate them up. They must have bitten them, and whereas the lice only annoyed them, these tormented their flesh. This would point to the torment that will be received by those who know not the Lord as saviour. Thus the dividing line between God's people and the Egyptians. Pharaoh hardened his heart again in verse 32, and would not let them go. But this was no surprise to God. All the plagues MUST come to pass!!!!