Exo 8 | MHM | STEP | Exodus 8:1−15: The Plagues of Egypt – The Plague of Frogs In this passage, God sends a second plague on Egypt—frogs. This plague shows God’s power because He uses small, weak creatures to humble the proud king Pharaoh. Frogs fill every part of Egyptian life, making people miserable. Even though the magicians try to copy this plague, they cannot remove it. Pharaoh promises to let the Israelites go if the frogs are removed, but when the plague stops, he hardens his heart again and refuses to keep his promise. This shows how people can quickly forget their promises to God when their troubles are over. v. 1-4 : God tells Moses to warn Pharaoh again, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.” If Pharaoh refuses, God will send frogs that will come out of the river, enter houses, bedrooms, beds, ovens, and kneading bowls. Frogs will bother everyone in Egypt, showing that God’s judgment cannot be avoided ( v. 1-4 ).

‏ Exodus 8

Exodus 8:1−15: The Plagues of Egypt – The Plague of Frogs

In this passage, God sends a second plague on Egypt—frogs. This plague shows God’s power because He uses small, weak creatures to humble the proud king Pharaoh. Frogs fill every part of Egyptian life, making people miserable. Even though the magicians try to copy this plague, they cannot remove it. Pharaoh promises to let the Israelites go if the frogs are removed, but when the plague stops, he hardens his heart again and refuses to keep his promise. This shows how people can quickly forget their promises to God when their troubles are over.

v. 1-4: God tells Moses to warn Pharaoh again, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.” If Pharaoh refuses, God will send frogs that will come out of the river, enter houses, bedrooms, beds, ovens, and kneading bowls. Frogs will bother everyone in Egypt, showing that God’s judgment cannot be avoided (v. 1-4 ^a).

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v. 5-6: God commands Moses to tell Aaron to stretch out his hand over the waters of Egypt. When Aaron obeys, frogs come up everywhere and cover the land. This teaches that God can use even small animals to carry out His will (v. 5, 6 ^b).

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v. 7: The magicians of Egypt also use their secret arts to bring up frogs. However, they cannot remove the frogs. This shows that evil powers can sometimes imitate God’s works, but they cannot truly help people (v. 7; Revelation 16:13 ^c).

v. 8: Pharaoh is finally troubled by the frogs and asks Moses and Aaron to pray to the Lord to remove them. He promises to let the Israelites go if the frogs are taken away. This shows that even proud people can be humbled when they are suffering (v. 8 ^d).

v. 9-10: Moses gives Pharaoh the chance to choose the time for the frogs to be removed. Pharaoh says “tomorrow.” Moses agrees, to show that it is the Lord who controls the timing and power of the miracle. This is to prove that there is no one like the Lord (v. 9, 10 ^e).

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v. 11-12: Moses promises the frogs will be gone except from the river. Then he and Aaron leave Pharaoh, and Moses prays to God to remove the frogs. This shows the importance of prayer, even for enemies or those who cause trouble (v. 11, 12 ^f).

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v. 13-14: God answers Moses’ prayer. The frogs die everywhere except the river, and the Egyptians gather their dead bodies into heaps, making the whole land stink. This makes it clear that the frogs were real, not just a trick (v. 13, 14 ^g).

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v. 15: When Pharaoh sees the plague has ended, he becomes stubborn again and refuses to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as God had said. This teaches that people often forget their promises to God when life becomes comfortable again (v. 15; Ecclesiastes 8:11 ^h; Psalm 78:34 ⁱ).

Exodus 8:16−19: The Plagues of Egypt – The Plague of Lice

This passage describes the third plague on Egypt, the plague of lice. Unlike the previous plagues, there is no warning given to Pharaoh this time. God uses something as small as lice to trouble the Egyptians. The magicians try to copy the miracle but fail. They admit that this is the work of God, but Pharaoh still refuses to listen and becomes even more stubborn.

v. 16-17: God tells Moses to order Aaron to stretch out his rod and strike the dust of the earth. Aaron obeys, and the dust turns into lice throughout all Egypt. The lice infest both people and animals. This shows God can use even the smallest things in creation to punish those who disobey Him (v. 16, 17 ^j).

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v. 18: The magicians try to use their secret arts to bring forth lice, but they cannot. They also cannot remove the lice. This reveals that God’s power has limits that no one can cross, and that even the magicians’ earlier successes only happened because God allowed it (v. 18 ^k).

v. 19: The magicians tell Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” They admit that this miracle is from God and beyond their power. Still, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, and he does not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. This shows that people can become even more stubborn when they refuse to learn from God’s warnings (v. 19 ^l).

The Plague of Flies

In this section, we learn about the fourth plague that God sent upon Egypt through Moses. This plague followed a warning to Pharaoh to let the Israelites go so they could worship the Lord. Pharaoh's refusal led to God's demonstration of his power, showing both his control over nature and his protection of his people, even in the midst of judgment.

v. 20: God commanded Moses to rise early and stand before Pharaoh as he went to the water. Moses was to deliver the message: “Thus says the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me” . This was a repeated call for Pharaoh to release the Israelites, with the specific purpose of worshiping God.

v. 21: Moses warned Pharaoh that if he refused, God would send swarms of flies. These flies would infest Pharaoh's house, his servants' houses, and all the land of Egypt, filling the houses and covering the ground. This plague would be unbearable, showcasing God's power over Pharaoh's domain .

v. 22-23: God declared that he would protect the land of Goshen, where his people, the Israelites, lived. No flies would enter that region, proving that God was actively distinguishing between his people and the Egyptians. He said, “To the end you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth” (Exodus 8:22-23 ^m). This separation underscored God's sovereignty and his special care for his chosen people.

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v. 24: As promised, God sent a grievous swarm of flies upon Egypt. They invaded Pharaoh’s palace, the homes of his officials, and the entire land. The infestation was so severe that it corrupted the land itself, making life miserable for the Egyptians .

v. 25: Pharaoh, overwhelmed by the plague, summoned Moses and Aaron. He offered a compromise, saying the Israelites could sacrifice to their God but only within Egypt. This showed Pharaoh's unwillingness to fully obey God's command .

v. 26-27: Moses rejected Pharaoh's proposal, explaining that the Israelites’ sacrifices would be offensive to the Egyptians, who might stone them. Instead, they needed to journey three days into the wilderness to worship as God commanded (Exodus 8:26-27 ⁿ).

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v. 28: Pharaoh relented slightly and allowed them to go into the wilderness but warned them not to go too far. He also asked Moses to pray for him, showing both his desperation and his recognition of God's power .

v. 29: Moses agreed to intercede and promised that the flies would be removed the next day. However, he warned Pharaoh not to act deceitfully again by refusing to let the people go after the plague was lifted .

v. 30-31: Moses prayed to the Lord, and God answered by removing all the flies from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. Not a single fly remained, showing God's power to both bring and remove plagues (Exodus 8:30-31 ^o).

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v. 32: Despite this miraculous deliverance, Pharaoh hardened his heart once again and refused to let the Israelites go, continuing the cycle of disobedience and judgment (Exodus 8:32 ^p).