They worshiped the frogs until they got them in abundance then they were convinced the frogs were redundant. Do away with the frogs and Pharaoh will respect God’s request. But low and behold he didn’t pass the test. As soon as he got just what he wanted his power to say no was immediately vaunted. In his land the Jews must stay. He was convinced he would have his own way.
Well poor Pharaoh, he forgot who he was up against. Once again he forgot Man rules but God overrules. And when Pharaoh said no, God said, “Pharaoh you have not yet learned from experience who my people are, and more importantly, who I am”.
That’s when God brought on the next plague. God told Moses, “Say to Aaron, hold out your rod and strike the dust of the earth and it shall turn to lice throughout the land of Egypt.”
And they did! In fact all the dust of the earth turned to lice throughout the land of Egypt. I guess you could cope with walking on lice but having the habits that lice have, they didn’t stay under their feet! Those lice took abode on man and beast! The interesting fact is that those wonderful magicians were unable to make more lice or to make the lice disappear. This evidently made a real impact on the magicians because they told Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God!”
Was Pharaoh affected? He surely was. His heart became more stiffened. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Early in the morning present yourself to Pharaoh, as he is coming out to the water, and say to him: Thus says the Lord, Let My people go that they may worship me. And if you do not let My people go, I will let loose swarms of insects against you.”
In Hebrew, God is telling Pharaoh either send the Israelites, or God will send another plague. This is where God tells us He will set apart the region of Goshen where His people dwell, and they will not have the swarms of insects. And then for the very first time God makes a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites and the time of the plague is fixed! In fact, God said “I will make a distinction between my people and your people, and tomorrow this sign shall come to pass.”
And He did just what He said He would do. Heavy swarms of insects invaded Pharaoh’s palace and the houses of his courtiers; throughout the country of Egypt the land was ruined because of the swarms of insets. And then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and told them to sacrifice to their Lord within the land. This of course, is not God’s instructions. So, Moses and Aaron told Pharaoh it would not be right to do this. They told Pharaoh that what they sacrificed to the Lord would be untouchable and reprehensible to the Egyptians. And if they saw that we sacrifice, and that we worship, it would incite violence from the Egyptians. They told Pharaoh they had to go a distance of three days into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord God, as He had commanded. Pharaoh decided he would let them sacrifice in the wilderness, but they must not go very far, and Pharaoh wanted them to plead for him. Because of Pharaoh’s repentant attitude Moses said, “I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of insects depart tomorrow from Pharaoh and his courtiers and his people, that the swarms of insects may leave you.”
And Moses did just that. But you surely remember this Bible story and you already know Pharaoh became stubborn again or still, as the case would have it, and would not let the people go. Once Pharaoh got his own way he hardened his heart against the God of Israel and against all the Israelites. It is reasonable to believe that the Egyptians thought that the God of the Jews was their enemy. But that is not so. It is their own Pharaoh who is the real enemy of his people.
How sad that even in our “enlightened age” we have enemies who do not care about our welfare. Scripture teaches that we face three foes:
- the World
- the Flesh
- the Devil
And many times I believe I can be more specific and say our governing leaders can be, and are, on many occasions, our enemies. It may not be as easy to see as the plagues were but we are plagued none the less.
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1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.