Exodus 8

Exodus 8:1-15

Three more of the plagues of Egypt are related in this chapter. (1). That of the frogs, threatened, inflicted, mimicked by the magicians, removed at the humble request of Pharaoh, who yet hardens his heart, and refutes to his Israel go, ver. 1-15. (2.) The plague of lice, ver. 16, 17. By which, 1. The magicians were bathed, ver. 18, 19. and yet, 2. Pharaoh was hardened, ver. 19. (3.) That of flies: 1. Pharaoh is warmed of it before, ver. 20, 21. and said that the land of Goshen should be exempt from this plague, ver. 22, 23. 2. The plague is brought, ver. 24. 3. Pharaoh treats with Moses, about the release of Israel, and humbles himself, ver. 25-29. 4. The plague is thereupon removed, ver. 31. and Pharaoh’s heart hardened, ver. 32.

1. AND the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and lay unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2. And if thou refute to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy bonfers with frogs. 3. And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bed-chamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs. 4. And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants. 5. And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. 6. And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. 7. And the magicians did so with their inchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. 8. 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. 9. And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee and for thy servants, and for thy people, so destroy the frogs from thee, and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? 10. And he said, To-morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know, that there is none

like unto the LORD our God. 11. And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only. 12. And Moses and Aaron were out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the LORD, because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh. 13. 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. 14. And they gathered them together upon keeps: and the land stank. 15. But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkned not unto them; as the LORD had said.

The seven days of the first plague being expired, God brings a second. He has many arrows in his quiver. But, 1. He sends to beg his people’s deliverance, for Pharaoh’s sake, as well as them: for God delighteth not in the death of a sinner. He adds threats to his intreaty, but in vain. Hereupon, 2. The plague is inflicted. The frogs come up, as an invading army: no place is free, even to their beds and kneading-troughs. Note, When God parlous the guilty confidence, even his bed cannot give him rest, nor his meals be in quart. 3. The magicians imitate or aggravate the judgment. It is a bad power, which we had better be without, only to be able to do hurt. 4. Pharaoh now at last begins for a moment to relent. Moses and Aaron are called; he begs their prayers, and promises to let the people go. In times of suffering, many will call for their help or prayers, which before it may be they despised. 5. Moses gives Pharaoh the honour of fixing the time, with assurance of their removal. Pharaoh appoints tomorrow. 6. His prayer, and the success of it, v. 12, 13. Note, (1.) If we must pray for our perfectures, how much more for such as give us hopes of penitence. (2.) The prayer of faith is wonderfully effectual. 7. Pharaoh’s inopiniscence: no sinner respite, than again hardened. Like his are most sick-bed promises, that with returning health are all forgotten. Neither God’s patience, nor his judgments, without his grace, will savingly convert the sinner’s heart. The more smitten, the more spared, the more inopentient.

16. And the LORD said unto Moses, say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. 17. And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smite the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man and in beast: all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. 18. And the magicians did so with their inchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man and upon beast. 19. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkned not unto them; as the LORD had said.

Exodus 8:16-19

The vilest and most despicable of the creatures, when sent from him, are sufficient to plague the proudest. The frogs are gone, and Pharaoh at ease. But now, without warning.

1. The lice come upon him; nor man nor beast is free from this loathsome intruder. They who will not repent of their sins shall be plagued for them.

2. The magicians are baffled in their attempts. They who can bring frogs, can neither bring nor remove the lice. The devil can go no farther than his chain. They are made to own the finger of God. Thus the most inveterate of God’s enemies have oft-chness bore testimony to his glory.

3. Pharaoh’s determined hardness of heart. When God gives a man up to a reprobate mind, nothing can save him.

4. And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, (so, he cometh forth to the water) and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 21. Else if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send a swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are. 22. And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there: to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. 23. And I will put a division between my people and thy people; so to-morrow shall this sign be. 24. And the LORD did so: and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh,

and

and into his servants houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was + corrupted by reason of the swarm of fire. 25 ¶ And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. 26. And Moses said, It is not more to do: for we shall sacrifice * the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God: Lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? 27. We will go * there days journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, * as he shall command us. 28. And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness, only you shall not go very far away: * intreat for me. 29. And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will intreat the LORD, that the swarms of fire may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to-morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more, in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD. 30. And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD. 31. And the LORD did according to the word of Moses, and he recovered the swarms of fires from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people: there remained not one. 32. And Pharaoh * hardned his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.

Exodus 8:20-32

1. Pharaoh is warned of God’s resolution to send a grievous swarm of fires. He was probably praying at the river to his false gods, and here is a message to him from Jehovah. Diminution shall be made between God’s people and his, more evidently to demonstrate the hand of God in the judgment. Whilst Egypt is full of fires, Gathen shall be free. Note, God is able to secure his servants from common defections here; but if they should now sink with others in affection, the day is near, when he will make an awful and eternal separation between the righteous and the wicked.

2. Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron; and, tormented with these noisome insects, he makes some relentless concessions: they shall worship, but in Egypt. The proposal is rejected, and the nation given, v. 26. They insist upon liberty to depart, v. 27. and he with unwillingness confesses they shall go, but not far out of his reach. Note, (1.) Sins that we are driven from by a tormented conscience through fear only, like a mifflin’s cast off in a passion, will soon be taken in again. (2.) In order to serve God acceptably, we must be separate from the ways and company of a wicked world. (3.) No service can please him, but what is according to his will and word.

3. Moses is content to intercede for him, but admonishes him not to deal deceitfully. God is not mocked. Forced repentance usually betrays itself; but though we impede upon men, we cannot upon God: we can only deceive ourselves to our man.

4. The plague is removed, and Pharaoh’s hypocrisy appears. Bad trusting to wicked men’s words. The ambition and pride of kings make them often break their solemn treaties; but they only thereby court their own destruction.