Exodus
8 :
Plagues Two to Four
v.1-15
SECOND PLAGUE: The Plague of Frogs
v.16-19
THIRD PLAGUE: The Plague of Gnats
v.20-32
FOURTH PLAGUE: The Plague of Flies
v.1-15
SECOND PLAGUE: The Plague of Frogs
v.1-5
Instructions & Warning
v.1
Then
the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is
what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship
me.
v.2
If
you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs on your
whole country.
v.3
The
Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace
and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials
and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs.
v.4
The
frogs will come up on you and your people and all your officials.'”
v.5
Then
the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with
your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs
come up on the land of Egypt.'”
v.6,7
The Plague of Frogs & Copycats
v.6
So
Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the
frogs came up and covered the land.
v.7
But
the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also
made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
v.8-11
Pharaoh asks for Prayer
v.8
Pharaoh
summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the
frogs away from me and my people, and [i]
I will let your people go to offer
sacrifices to the Lord.”
v.9
Moses
said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time
for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that
you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those
that remain in the Nile.”
v.10
“Tomorrow,”
Pharaoh said. Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you
may know there is no one like the Lord our God.
v.11
The
frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your
people; they will remain only in the Nile.”
v.12
After
Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about
the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh.
v.13
And
the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in
the courtyards and in the fields.
v.14
They
were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them.
v.15
But
when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his
heart and [i] would
not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.
[Notes:
The next stage of increasing plagues comes in the form
of frogs. Note:
i]
This time a warning is given that frogs will come if he doesn't
capitulate. Then Moses brings the frogs
ii]
the magicians copy the sign a third time.
iii)
For the first time Pharaoh agrees to let them go – but then recants
v.16-19
THIRD PLAGUE: The Plague of Gnats
v.16
Then
the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and
strike the dust of the ground,' and throughout the land of Egypt
the dust will become gnats.”
v.17
They
did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff
and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals.
All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats.
v.18,19
But
when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts,
they could not. Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere,
the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But
Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not listen,
just as the Lord had said.
[Notes:
This time no warning is given, Moses is just told to
do it. This time the magicians cannot copy it. Pharaoh still won't
listen.]
v.20-32
FOURTH PLAGUE: The Plague of Flies
v.20-23
Instructions, Warning & Distinction
v.20
Then
the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront
Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, ‘This is what
the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.
v.21
If
you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you
and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses
of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be
covered with them.
v.22
“‘But
on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen
, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there,
so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land.
v.23
I
will make a distinction between my people and your people. This
sign will occur tomorrow.'”
v.24-32
The Plague comes, Pharaoh barters, Prayer, Removal & Recanting
v.24
And
the Lord did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh's
palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt
the land was ruined by the flies.
v.25
Then
Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your
God here in the land.”
v.26
But
Moses said, “That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer
the Lord our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. And if
we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they
not stone us?
v.27
We
must take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices
to the Lord our God, as he commands us.”
v.28
Pharaoh
said, “I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your
God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray
for me.”
v.29
Moses
answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and
tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his
people. Only let Pharaoh be sure that he does not act deceitfully
again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the
Lord.”
v.30,31
Then
Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord, and the Lord did what
Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his
people; not a fly remained.
v.32
But
this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and
would not let the people go.
[Notes:
Again Moses is told to challenge Pharaoh with a warning
– but this time [FIRST DISTINCTION] Israel will not be affected
by it. Note:
i]
this time the plague comes and Pharaoh offers to let them worship
in the land.
ii]
Moses says they must worship outside the land and Pharaoh agrees.
iii]
When Moses prays, Pharaoh recants for a second time.
Continue to Chapter 9