"One More Night with the Frogs!"
(Exodus 8:1 - 15)
Our text records the account of the second plague which God employed
to smite Pharaoh and the Egyptians. This plague consisted of
a great invasion of frogs into the land of Egypt. An interval
of seven days separated this second plague from the first. As
with the first plague, God offered Pharaoh a full opportunity
to repent and escape its coming. Pharaoh, however, rejected God's
gracious offer and suffered Divine judgment in return. Man cannot
always reject the Divine mercy of God without facing His Divine
judgment.
The desire of Pharaoh to sleep another night with the frogs is
a vivid picture of sinners who put off God's salvation to a more
"convenient" time.
"And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment
to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time;
when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee."
(Acts 24:25)
I. The DOMAIN of PERVERSION!
*The infiltration of the LAND by the frogs symbolizes the infiltration
of the LIVES of mankind by sin!
A. The ENTRANCE of the Frogs!
"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:"
(Exodus 8:3)
1. In the Borders.
2. In the Beds.
*With frogs in the bed, rest would be nearly impossible. Sin
is certainly a deterrent to rest for the body and the soul of
man!
3. On the Bodies.
B. The EVIL of the Frogs!
1. The Sinners considered them Deity.
"This second plague, like the former, was Divinely directed
against the idolatry of the Egyptians. The river Nile was sacred
in their eyes, therefore did Jehovah turn its waters into blood.
The frog was an object of worship among them, so God now caused
Egypt to be plagued with frogs. Their ugly shape, their croaking
noise, and their disagreeable smell, would make frogs peculiarly
obnoxious. Their abounding numbers marked the severity of this
judgment. Escape from their scourge was impossible, for the frogs
not only 'covered the land of Egypt' but they invaded the homes
of the Egyptians, entered their bed chambers, and defiled their
cooking utensils"
(A. Pink).
"The Egyptians worshipped the frog. The frog was one of
their gods" (J. Butler).
2. The Scriptures consider them Dirty!
"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the
mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out
of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of
devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the
earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of
that great day of God Almighty." (Revelation 16:13 - 14)
"Frogs are used to symbolize the Powers of evil and stand
for uncleanness. The turning of the waters into blood was a solemn
reminder of the 'wages of sin.' The issuing forth of the frogs
made manifest the character of the Devil's works - uncleanness"
(A. Pink).
C. The EXPANSION of the Frogs!
1. The Limitation.
*Frogs were considered sacred in Egypt and were not to be killed.
"Egypt's religion forbid the killing of the frog. Thus,
though the frogs became a terrible nuisance to the land, they
could not be killed.
What becomes an idol to us will someday become a plague to us.
Anything that gets between us and God will eventually curse us"
(J. Butler).
2. The Imitation.
"And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought
up frogs upon the land of Egypt."
(Exodus 8:7)
"This is most suggestive. The magicians were unable to
remove the frogs, nor could they erect any barriers against their
encroachments. All they could do was to bring forth more frogs.
Thus it is with the Prince of this world. He is unable to exterminate
the evil which he has brought into God's fair creation, and he
cannot check its progress. All he can do is to multiply wickedness"
(A. Pink).
"To placate Pharaoh, Jannes and Jambres duplicate the trick
but this only makes matters worse (vs. 7), and when they try to
drive the frogs back into the river they find that their magic
is limited to IMITATION; they cannot produce an original version
any more than their modern counterparts who published the ASV,
NASV, RV, RSV, NRSV, Good News, New English Bible, and the brand
new...NEW AMERICAN REVISED STARDARD DUNGHILL."
(P. Ruckman)
II. The DELAY of PHARAOH!
A. The Promise of Release.
"Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat
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." (Exodus 8:8)
B. The Possibility of Relief.
"And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I
intreat 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?" (Exodus 8:9)
C. The Preposterous Response.
"And he said, Tomorrow. And he said, Be it according to
thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the
LORD our God." (Exodus 8:10)
1. The Response was Dumb!
2. The Response is Duplicated!
*While most would agree that Pharaoh's response was dumb, many
people make similar decisions today!
"Tomorrow is the word that robs Heaven of its fairest jewels
and makes Hell the capital of immortal souls"
(T. Talmage).
III. The DANGER of PROCRASTINATION!
A. The ODOR was STINKING!
"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. And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the
land stank." (Exodus 8:13 - 14)
"It must have! Seven days of dead fish followed by seven
days (or longer) of smashed frogs is not going to make a river
town smell like a petunia" (P. Ruckman).
B. The OTHERS were SUFFERING!
*Pharaoh's delay caused everyone else to endure one more night
with the frogs. His dumb decision affected everyone around him.
Sin always affects others.
1. Children are Watching Us!
2. Co-workers are Watching Us!
3. Church Members are Watching Us!
*When one person quits, it will lead others to drop out also.
Our lives should be a testimony to the fact that God's people
refuse to quit, even when we stumble and fall!
"For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again:"
(Proverbs 24:16)
"Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall
arise;" (Micah 7:8)
C. The OUTCOME was STIFFENING!
"But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened
his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said."
(Exodus 8:15)
*It is a dangerous thing when a man hardens his heart against
the will of God!
Evg. Jeremiah Dixon