Piles of Frogs, Dust of Lice, and Clouds of Flies

This week is a little bit different... I currently live at my college, but I head home for the weekends. Usually, I don't forget anything at the dorm or at home (and if I do forget something, it's usually easily remedied by a quick trip to the local grocery store). However, today I'm sitting here in my room at home and I am without my Bible. Naturally, I have more than one copy of the Bible... I have the Complete Jewish bible, the Mechanical Translation of the Book of Genesis, The Scriptures, The Picture Bible, the Jewish New Testament, the Duct Tape Bible (I think it's the NIV...), and the New King James Version. I actually have two copies of the NKJV, but I've only ever used one when writing this blog. However, because I left it at my dorm, I'll be using my other copy. It's by a different publisher and it's a different size, text size, color, thickness, etc., even with different commentary. However, aside from the commentary, it has the same content. I don't know if it's divided up the same way though, so there's where the difference you might notice lies. I usually go paragraph by paragraph in my other NKJV, but I'm not sure if that will work as well with this one. We might have more or less commentary by me, but no worries.

Shemot (Exodus) 8:1-4 "And Yahuah spoke to Moses, 'Go to Pharaoh and say to him, "Thus says Yahuah: 'Let My people go, that they may serve Me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs. So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedchamber, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all of your servants. '"'"

Why frogs? There is a lot of speculation regarding why these plagues were picked. Were they random or not? I'll let you draw your own conclusion, but keep in mind that the Egyptian fertility goddess was often depicted as a frog.

Shemot 8:5-7 "Then Yahuah spoke to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, "Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt."' So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt."

Ok, I understand Aaron is following orders to make frogs invade the land of Egypt. And I also understand that the magicians are trying to prove that the whole, "anything you can do, I can do better" thing. However, wouldn't it be a more effective use of their time to try getting rid of the frogs rather than try to create more?

Shemot 8:8-12 "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, 'Entreat Yahuah that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to Yahuah.' And Moses said to Pharaoh, 'Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only.' So he said, 'Tomorrow.' And he said, 'Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like Yahuah our Elohim. And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.' Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to Yahuah concerning the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh."

So the frogs are going to head back to the river, right?

Shemot 8:13-15 "So Yahuah did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as Yahuah had said."

Isn't that powerful? "Yahuah did according to the word of Moses." All Moses did was pray, and his prayer was answered. How fantastic is that?! Also, on a different note, no, the frogs did not head back to the river. They just croaked. Pardon the pun. So now the Egyptians have bloodstained riverbanks and dead frogs everywhere.

Shemot 8:16-19 "So Yahuah said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, "Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt."' And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, 'This is the finger of Elohim.' But Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as Yahuah had said."

How about that? Yah is making believers out of Egyptians. Not just any Egyptians, but Egyptian magicians! How awesome is He who can make a believer out of a pagan! Also, on a random note, I wonder if frogs eat lice...

Shemot 8:20-24 "And Yahuah said to Moses, 'Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, "Thus says Yahuah: 'Let My people go, that they may serve Me. Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am Yahuah in the midst of the land. I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.'"' And Yahuah did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies."

Interesting that we do not hear of Israel being set apart before this. Possibly everyone had to suffer through a bloody river, frogs, and lice, but flies are for Egyptians only.

Shemot 8:25-28 "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, 'Go, sacrifice to Yahuah your Elohim in the land.' And Moses said, 'It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to Yahuah our Elohim. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not stone us? We will go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to Yahuah our Elohim as He will command us.' And Pharaoh said, 'I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to Yahuah your Elohim in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me.'"

Abomination of the Egyptians? Remember the reason why they're in Goshen in the first place? Because the Israelites were shepherds and sheep were considered an abomination to the Egyptians. Why? Who knows.

Shemot 8:29-32 "Then Moses said, 'Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat Yahuah, that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to Yahuah.' So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated Yahuah. And Yahuah did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go."

That is one stubborn Pharaoh. You would think turning the Nile - the river that is their life source - into blood would be enough to make him let them go, but no. He had to be stubborn. So far we've only had smallish things (aside from the bloody river): frogs, lice, and flies. They're horrible, don't get me wrong, but they're not the worst that could happen. Things are going to get very bad very fast though, so sit tight and be thankful you're not an Egyptian at this period in their history.