“Another Night with the Frogs!”
By Pastor Ron Buxton
For those of us who’ve been reading through the Bible this year, you’ve recently finished the book of Exodus. And, for those who didn’t, I want to relate an incident in the land of Egypt that gets amazingly overlooked. However, let me set the context first.
About 3,500 years ago, the nation of Israel was trapped and enslaved in Egypt. Estimates are that more than 3 million Jews were involved. This was no small matter. But God hadn’t forgotten His people in that condition. Prayers were answered, and a reluctant man named Moses arose as a national deliverer for them.
Amid this deliverance, however, we read about the curious use of plagues by God. In fact, each plague was actually a specific attack against the false gods of Egypt. That is, these were not random acts of divine judgment. Rather, Israel’s God was showing His supremacy over their gods through each plague. I’ll only highlight one unique plague in particular: millions of frogs.
You see, almost every plague solicited an immediate plea from the Egyptian leader known as the Pharaoh. But not every one. The plague of frogs, should you’ve read it very carefully, was quite different. Allow me to quote from the Bible below with some brief explanation:
“Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, ‘Pray the Lord that He may take away the frogs.'” (Exodus 8:8)
The Lord had overwhelmed the entire Egyptian countryside. The Bible tells us that frogs filled their houses, their bedrooms, and even filled their food containers. Yuck! And you can imagine the seriousness of this matter. But the continuation of Pharaoh’s plea with Moses turns absolutely bizarre.
“Moses said to Pharaoh, ‘I leave you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you.'” (verse 9)
So far, so good. That is, until we read the very next verse. “‘Tomorrow’, said Pharaoh.” (verse 10) Tomorrow? Really? Another night with the frogs ?!?
Folks, Pharaoh’s foolish response–although bizarre–is actually quite common today. How so? Well, think about it. How many people ask God to help them? They want freedom from some life-controlling sin, but just not now. They’ll pray: “Lord, help me with this horrible addiction. But please wait until after this upcoming party.” Or, “Lord, help me to control my carnal passions for other things that I know I shouldn’t crave. But not right now. Eventually. Just give me a few more days.”
Frogs are nasty pests to fill your houses with. And not wanting them removed immediately is insane. Nevertheless, how isn’t the sins of the flesh not as equally nasty and vile? Moreover, I’ll bet that most of you didn’t see that detail when you read through Exodus. However, Pharaoh was apparently willing to spend another night with frogs all over his home! I ask you. Why should you hold onto any kind of sin that you know that God can set you free from? Don’t spend another night with the frogs!
