Author: Charlie Garrett

Exodus 8:8-15
The Plague of Frogs
Part II

Throughout the Bible, promises are made. We call them prophecies. The Lord says He will do something, or that some unusual thing will come about, and sure enough, the Bible records those things when they actually happen. We call that “fulfilled prophecy.”

The Bible is so full of fulfilled prophecy that it simply can’t be ignored. When God speaks of the future in certain terms, or when He speaks of the future as already accomplished, it means that He must be in control of what will happen.

It’s not that He can merely see the logical outcome of a set of parameters, like a computer calculating what will occur based on known information. Rather, He knows the outcome because He is already there at the outcome. He is outside of time and in control of time.

Because of this, He knows the end from the beginning to the minutest detail. But of course, people will argue that much of the Bible was written after the prophecies were fulfilled, not before. Thus man has simply inserted God into his own manipulated writings.

But for every such argument, God is always there to vindicate His word once again. The Dead Sea scrolls took care of much of that speculation, at least concerning the coming of the Messiah. And sure enough, time has taken care of more.

The writings of many of the Old Testament prophets have come true in our lifetime with the return of Israel to the land of Israel, and with the return of Jerusalem to Israel’s control. More prophecies are lining up before our eyes daily as well. It is an exciting age in which to live.

Text Verse: “‘Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,‘ says the Lord.” Ezekiel 37:14

The Lord gives us prophecy so that when His words come true, we have a sure foundation for our faith in Him. Who can not look at the hundreds of prophecies of Christ which were fulfilled in Him and not be amazed. The odds against them all being fulfilled in Jesus are so immense that there isn’t enough space in the universe to hold them all if each were a copper penny.

And as more prophecies come true concerning Israel, the ending of the church age and what that entails, and the anticipated return of Christ for His church, we have all the more reason to be thankful for the age in which we live. Our hope in His word is rewarded with strengthened faith and even greater hope.

But there are those who see the word of the Lord performed and dismiss it for whatever crazy reason. Their hearts are hard and they harden a little bit more with each rejection of the obvious. Once again, we will see this happen today in the life of Pharaoh.

Let’s not be like that guy! Instead, let’s put our hope and trust in God’s superior word. It is alive and active and sure; a source of hope. Pursuing it will certainly lead to great reward. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I.There is None Like the Lord Our God (verses 8-11)

⁸ Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said,

Here in verse 8 will be the very first sign of Pharaoh’s conceding to the fact that the plague of Egypt is both beyond his power and the power of one of the very gods worshipped in Egypt. They certainly petitioned their frog-god, Heqet, to relieve the burden of the plague, but their prayers, offerings, and sacrifices went unheeded.

The very thing that had been denied to Yehovah, which was the request for the people to go and sacrifice to Him in the wilderness, had certainly been offered to Heqet, but Yehovah proved stronger than this false god. The lack of offerings to Him provoked His anger while their offerings to her went unanswered.

Because of this, Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron to appear before him. Yehovah has now triumphed over the second false god of Egypt – first the Nile and now Heqet.

^8 (con’t) “Entreat the Lord that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people;

Not only had their petitions to Heqet been unanswered, the crafts of the magicians had failed as well. They were able to make frogs appear, but they were impotent in making them disappear. And so now he is asking Moses and Aaron for relief.

In the plague of blood, there was no such appeal because it probably didn’t affect him a great deal. He would have had abundant supplies of water in storage at his palace, he could have stayed upwind of the stink of the dead fish, and the plague quickly subsided, it being only seven days in duration.

But, regardless of the length of this plague, he suffered equally with his own people. He would have been inundated with the frogs in his palace, the kneading troughs of his own bread would have been defiled, and he would have heard the constant croaking. Such an incessant noise would have driven him close to insanity.

In what he says to Moses and Aaron are words which showed that he had now learned something he once didn’t know. In Exodus 5, we saw this exchange –

“Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’
² And Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.'” Exodus 5:1, 2

At that time, and in one combined statement, he made three distinct and arrogant proclamations – 1) Who is the Lord? 2) Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice? And, 3) Who is the Lord that I should let Israel go?

That has all changed as we see here, and as we will see in the rest of this verse. The change in his first proclamation is evident right now. At that meeting in chapter 5, He asked “Who is Yehovah?” After this, he then said, “I do not know Yehovah.”

He now knows of Him as is evidenced by the words, “Entreat Yehovah.” He has been introduced to Him and he has conceded that only He can help with the dire situation he faces. And so his entreaty is specific. It is that – “He may take away the frogs from me and from my people.”

His attitude is similar to what Job said after he had been introduced to the magnificence of the Lord. In Job 42, we read this –

“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You.” Job 42:5

The surpassing greatness of this second plague has brought Pharaoh to the point of desperation. But unlike Job who saw the majesty and had reverence in His heart for the Source of that majesty, Pharaoh has merely humbled himself out of a state of incompetence and of fear.

He is incompetent to undo what has been done and he is fearful that if it continued, he would face utter ruin. As the Geneva Bible says about this –

“Not love but fear causes the infidels to seek God.” Geneva Bible

This is true. But a fear of God, unless it leads to love of God, will once again be replaced with hardness of the heart toward God. We will see this as the record of this second plague continues.

In this, we can discern that preaching about the torments of hell can actually have the opposite effect of that for which it is intended unless it is followed up with an understanding of the sovereignty of God as well as the grace and mercy of God. These, when combined with a soft and yielding heart, will bring about change in the man.

^8 (con’t) and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.”

The second two of the arrogant proclamations are dealt with here. They were, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” and “Who is the Lord that I should let Israel go?” He has now conceded to both of them as well.

Unfortunately, the vacillating condition of Pharaoh’s heart will only lead him to a further hardening and greater obstinacy in the time ahead. But this was not unknown to the Lord and He will use it to multiply His signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.

Relief! This is what I beg of you
These frogs have me at my wits’ end
I will do as you ask of me to do
Please remove them from me, my Hebrew friend

I have had no sleep; the croaking is driving me nuts
I cannot take a bath, because the frogs jump in too
Not to be too graphic, but they now sicken my guts
What once was a god to me, I now know only belongs in a zoo

The Lord is greater than these horrifying frogs
He created them and this I now avow
And he created elephants and cats and dogs
I just missed this fact in the past somehow

⁹ And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor

His words to Pharaoh are hitpaer alai – “glory over me.” It’s a confusing phrase to scholars and the exact meaning is debated. It isn’t repeated in Scripture, but a near form of the same phrase is found in Judges 7:2 which says –

“And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.”” Judges 7:2

What it seems to mean first and foremost is, “I submit to you the honor of the decision.” First, I have gloried over you through the Lord’s display of power. Now I am offering you a chance to glory over me. I am returning the favor.”

“If I disappoint, I will be subject to you, just as you have to this point been subject to the Lord.” It could be viewed as someone speaking to another who supposedly feels superior, in the sense that the he is granted the decision to be made.

But at the same time, there is the implication that by accepting the honor which will be bestowed, it very well may be that the Lord will be further vindicated in His actions. It is then both a grant of favor, and yet a renewed challenge by the granter of the favor.

When Satan wanted to test Job, it was with the intent of proving that Job would yield to his attacks. The Lord granted him the opportunity and Satan failed. In a greater picture, Satan came to test Jesus with the intent of keeping for all eternity the earth that he possessed. The challenge was granted and Satan failed.

And Satan continues to attack mankind, sifting them as wheat, but those who are in Christ cannot be removed from His grasp. In the end, the Lord is always vindicated in His actions. Even when Satan is granted opportunity to determine an outcome in which he may prevail, he always ends as the loser.

^9 (con’t) of saying when I shall intercede

The word for “when” is l’matay – “for when.” It is a direct offer to Pharaoh concerning his preference of timing. This may seem like a matter of linguistic hair splitting, but Pharaoh’s answer in verse 10 will repeat the same preposition, for.

Moses’ offer throws all of the honor of the decision on Pharaoh and all of the burden of the action on the Lord. The intent is to make a marked impression upon Pharaoh that nothing is impossible with God. It is a grant to attempt to undermine the Lord’s capabilities, or a challenge to allow them to be exalted.

This is very similar to the offer made to Hezekiah, king of Israel. In 2 Kings 20, Hezekiah was sick and facing death, but the Lord promised to heal him and grant him 15 more years of life. After that promise, we see the following exchange –

“And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, ‘What is the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord the third day?’
⁹ Then Isaiah said, ‘This is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees?’
¹⁰ And Hezekiah answered, ‘It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; no, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees.’
¹¹ So Isaiah the prophet cried out to the Lord, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.” 2 Kings 20:8-11

We are seeing the same type of grant and challenge now between Moses and Pharaoh. Thus, the intent of this offer is that it is to be a sign to Pharaoh. If it is a sign, then he is to pay heed to the sign. Signs, when given by the Lord, are meant for this purpose.

^9 (con’t) for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses,

The offer is all-inclusive. There will be complete relief from the plague, not only for Pharaoh, but for his servants and his people. It is to be noted again that these categories are placed in contradistinction to the Lord and the people of Israel.

Pharaoh was considered a god to his people. He had servants, and he had his people. Moses is showing that they were all equally affected because the request of the Lord, along with the plight of His servants and people, had been previously ignored. Because of the promise by Pharaoh to the Lord, and on behalf of his servants and his people, the action would be taken.

^9 (con’t) that they may remain in the river only.”

As an added grace, the frogs of the river would continue to live and not be affected by the hand of the Lord. The horrendous croaking sounds of the plague would be replaced with the sweet croaking sounds of natural order. The cycle would return to normalcy and river life would continue on with, hopefully, a new understanding of Who controlled it.

¹⁰ So he said, “Tomorrow.”

The word is l’makhar – It is not to-morrow, but “for to-morrow.” The wording is precise. Imagine the teacher saying, “Tomorrow there will be a test.” Although similar, it doesn’t carry the same weight as, “Prepare yourselves for tomorrow, when there will be a test.”

In Numbers 11, the same expression is used to pinpoint a specific time for an action to come about. There it says –

“Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat…” Numbers 11:18

Moses wasn’t asking the people to consecrate themselves the next day, but to consecrate themselves for the next day. The specificity matters because any misunderstanding could then be misinterpreted by Pharaoh or be used as an excuse to say that the Lord didn’t act as stated.

So the question is, “With such a horrifying plague, why didn’t he ask that it be ended on that same day rather than the next.” The specificity of the wording answers the question. If Pharaoh still thought that purely natural means were involved, he may have suspected that they had already started to die.

If this was true and Moses knew it, then they might all die naturally before tomorrow. If so, then he would have an argument against Yehovah by claiming that the end of the plague was actually natural and not divine.

However, if it was divine, he didn’t want it carried on to the third day because it would be one more day of grief than he could bear. But we can still suppose that the frogs dying off is natural anyway, which is likely. There wasn’t sufficient food for them and they were out of their natural habitat.

The inevitable truth is that they would eventually die. But the inescapable truth is that Moses granted Pharaoh the final decision for any day on which they were to die. Therefore, even if natural, the miraculous is still tied up in the story. The foreknowledge of the Lord, and His power over the entire situation, is perfectly displayed.

^{10 (con’t)} And he said, “Let it be according to your word,

kidbarekha l’maan – “according to your word; to that intent.” He has been granted the right to choose and the choice of his words will be realized as he has spoken. And there is a reason for this…

^{10 (con’t)} that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.

Moses speaks for the Hebrew people, the people of Israel. And this God, who is the God of this people, has a name – Yehovah. The purpose of fulfilling Pharaoh’s words exactly as they have been spoken is to exalt that name above all others.

This is exactingly repeated in Isaiah 45. There he challenges the people to consider His words. When He speaks to them in advance of something happening, and then it happens, it is to prove that He alone is God and that there is none other. Here are His words which were spoken to a people who had forgotten this lesson –

“Tell and bring forth your case;
Yes, let them take counsel together.
Who has declared this from ancient time?
Who has told it from that time?
Have not I, the Lord?
And there is no other God besides Me,
A just God and a Savior;
There is none besides Me.” Isaiah 45:21

The Lord is a jealous God and what He does is to secure His place of honor among His creatures.

¹¹ And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people.

The words here almost repeat the order of the words of verse 9, but with an unusual difference. Unlike verse 9, the houses are mentioned before the servants and the people. Verse 9 concerned the relief of the people and then how that relief would come about.

This verse shows the order of that relief, giving priority to Pharaoh first, and then the logical order of having them departing from the houses, and then from the servants, and then the people. It makes sense when one looks at how the frogs would be disposed of after they died.

Pharaoh would be the first completely freed from the plague as his servants cleaned his area. Later, the people would finish the work as the entire Nile region would slowly be cleansed of the carcasses. This is a minute detail, but it is an exacting one.

^{11 (con’t)} They shall remain in the river only.”

Again, the grace of the frogs remaining in the river is mentioned. But there are a few things that this repetition could be hinting at. First, It was to show them that the Lord could again multiply the frogs if he so desired.

Secondly, the friendly sound of their croaks from the Nile would be a call to remembrance of the plague that had transpired. And third, that same croaking was a reminder that the Lord, not the frogs, was the true Deity to be worshipped.

Tomorrow it will come about
Just you wait and you will see
The frogs will be gone, no doubt
As you have spoken, it shall surely be

They will be gone from your house
They will no longer afflict your servants too
They will be as scarce as the field mouse
Only in the river will they come into your view

The plague will end on the morrow
As surely as the word has been spoken
Soon from these frogs you will have no more sorrow
What has been said shall be to you a divine token

II. And the Frogs Died (verses 12-14)

¹² Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh.

It is to be noted that before the action taken in the rest of the verse is given, we are told that Moses and Aaron first went out from Pharaoh. Pharaoh has been told that his spoken word will come about, but it seems to be that this was granted without any prior approval or command by the Lord.

If so, Moses acted in strong faith by speaking as he did in such a bold promise. And to back up his faith, he will now act out that faith in petition…

^{12  (con’t)} And Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh.

The word here for “and cried out” is v’yitssaq. It is an especially strong phrase which shows a truly heartfelt intent. When Cain killed his brother, the Lord, using the same word, said “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.”

The same expression was used when Esau realized Jacob had deceived his father and stolen his blessing. And when there was the great famine of Egypt during the life of Joseph, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. These and other such examples show more than just a casual petition, but a truly heartfelt cry of anguish.

This cry was “concerning the frogs.” These words in Hebrew are al davar ha’tsephardeim – “over (the) word of the frogs.” The word of the Lord through Moses had brought the frogs upon the land, and Pharaoh had spoken the word as to when the frogs would be gone. Now the word needed to be fulfilled.

Moses’ cry then is in earnest expectation that the word would be fulfilled lest dishonor, rather than honor, come about. Should the word fail, it would be a triumph for Pharaoh and a disgrace to the name of Yehovah and to His messenger Moses.

Finally, this verse notes that the plague was “the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh.” Verse 6 showed us that the frogs covered all the land of Egypt and yet it was only said to be against Pharaoh. This is another of the multitude of reminders that the Bible gives us concerning leadership of a nation or a people.

When a king is disobedient in the Bible, all of the people under his authority receive the judgment of the king’s actions. This is an inescapable truth which should leave those of us in this nation horrified at the judgment we deserve and which must surely be coming.

We have voluntarily elected a moral miniscule to lead our land. And he will lead it into uncharted waters of judgment and destruction through his vile actions. And how much worse will it be in the tribulation when the antichrist himself rises to power.

The people of the world will be led by the devil’s representative and they will receive the devil’s punishment for their choice of leader. I pray that you will escape this before it happens by calling on Jesus to keep you from that terrible time which is probably not too far off from now.

¹³ So the Lord did according to the word of Moses.

The Geneva Bible has an interesting take on these words. They say, “In things of this life God often hears the prayers of the just for the ungodly.” This is true, and God does hear the prayer of a righteous man on behalf of the unrighteous.

But more appropriate to this verse is that the Lord heard Moses and defended both the integrity of His own name, and that of Moses, before Pharaoh. This was less of a petition for mercy on Pharaoh than it was for the glory of the Lord to be revealed and the honor of the Lord to be maintained.

In both, the Lord met those tenets at the spoken word of Moses. Thus His surpassing greatness is seen in the ending of this horrifying plague upon Pharaoh, and the land of Pharaoh.

^{13 (con’t)} And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields.

The death of the frogs furnished a clear and sure proof that these were real frogs, not just demons or apparitions appearing as frogs to afflict the people. It thus implicitly showed the Egyptians, with all certainty, that the Lord controlled nature.

It secondly proved that the supposed divine nature of the Frog, was not divine at all. Rather, it was subject to the word and direction of the Lord. The Frog may or may not have continued to be revered in Egypt or elsewhere, but its effectiveness as a deity was once and forever proven to be a false hope.

Thus, other than two references to this plague of frogs in the psalms, they will never be mentioned again. The Lord has proven the Frog a false god, and His judgment upon it is recorded for all succeeding generations to heed and to believe.

¹⁴ They gathered them together in heaps,

The Hebrew here is in the superlative form, vayitsberu otam khomarim khomarim – “and piled them heaps (upon) heaps.” This was no run of the mill infestation of frogs, but a truly immense quantity that is strikingly revealed in these words.

Considering the words here, and the fact that surely many frogs had already perished through being squished or scrunched, or having been eaten by predators or even adventurous Egyptians, those left behind on the last day were still more numerous than words could adequately describe without exceptional verbiage being employed.

The plague of frogs was a shockingly devastating plague upon both people and land.

^{14 (con’t)} and the land stank.

Ellicott notes that, “God, who knew the heart of Pharaoh, and its insincerity, or at any rate its changefulness, took the plague of frogs away in a manner that made its removal almost as bad as its continuance.”

In other words, it was a nice ending touch for Pharaoh to consider. His heart was hard and it was not directed to the things of God. The loathsome stench of death would remain in his nose and in his memory even after the frogs were wholly cleared away.

But in the mean time, there was no place in all the land that he could go without being nauseatingly reminded of his recklessness before the Lord.

As an interesting parallel to consider, the last time the word baash, or “stink” was used was in Exodus 5. When the less-than-faithful Hebrew scribes were scathingly rebuked by Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron and said this to them –

“Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.” Exodus 5:21

Those same faithless Hebrews could now look on the devastation of the Lord through this plague and know what it truly meant to stink in the sight of Pharaoh. It was a stench which would cause the face to scrunch, the eyes to water, and the stomach to wrench.

Such a stench has come into my nose
Piles and piles, heaps and heaps
What we thought were gods were not, so it goes
All these dead frogs just give us the creeps

We can’t wait till those Hebrews are gone
Won’t that day be wonderfully nice?
Pharaoh has promised to let them go
The only thing worse than this would be a plague of lice

No need to worry about that now
All they have to do is pack up and head on out
We will get along fine without them somehow
In fact, when they leave, we’ll give a happy shout

Surely Pharaoh’s mind is made up this time
Really no need to even make this verse rhyme

III. The Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart (verse 15)

¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief,

In these words is a certain pun. The word for “relief” is ha’revakhah or literally “a taking of breath.” We would say, “A breathing space.” Once the frogs had been disposed of through burying, burning, or decay, the stink disappeared with them.

There would once again be deep breaths of the pleasantries of the land, and there would be a slow departing of the memory concerning the horrific stench which once permeated even the closed doors of Pharaoh’s inner chamber. And with such relief came something else; something not unexpected…

^{15 (con’t)} he hardened his heart and did not heed them,

The plague of the frogs was bad, but to this point nothing had occurred which would change the inner workings of the man called Pharaoh. He was predisposed towards arrogance and willingly turned away from the things of God.

His already-hardening heart was no less dull or insensitive now than it was before. Rather, it was becoming more so. With the removal of the frogs and the clearing of the air, he probably figured that the Lord had run his course in miracles and would afflict him no more. In order to test this theory, he refused to heed what he had experienced.

Isaiah speaks exactly of such a person. He is one who is wicked and stubborn and refuses to see when grace has been bestowed –

“Let grace be shown to the wicked,
Yet he will not learn righteousness;
In the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly,
And will not behold the majesty of the Lord.” Isaiah 26:10

*^{15 (fin)} as the Lord had said.

ka’asher dibber Yehovah – as spoke the Lord. These words are an exact repeat of Exodus 7:13 after Pharaoh had rejected the miracle of the rod being changed into a serpent. There is a difference in the overall verses though. In 7:13, the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was ascribed to an action of the heart itself.

In this verse, it is ascribed to an action of Pharaoh. He has willingly hardened his heart through stubborn disobedience. Once again, we see that the heart is hardened by the active will of the possessor of that heart.

The Lord may have prompted Pharaoh to hardening, but the fault and the sentence for the action remains solely with Pharaoh. Paul shows us this truth in Romans chapter 2 –

“But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. ³ And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? ⁵ But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, ⁶ who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds.” Romans 2:2-6

God, knowing Pharaoh’s already arrogant attitude, used it against him in order to demonstrate His surpassing greatness. There are yet 8 more plagues to be seen, each which will build upon the next as the Lord prepares Israel for their great exodus from Egypt and to His holy mountain.

Let each of us surrender ourselves to the offered grace of God which is poured out upon us. Pharaoh was given grace and he turned from it. Matthew Henry astutely notes the state of the heart which rejects such grace from His hand –

“Till the heart is renewed by the grace of God, the thoughts made by affliction do not abide; the convictions wear off, and the promises that were given are forgotten. Till the state of the air is changed, what thaws in the sun will freeze again in the shade.” Henry

Though today we’ve viewed the end of only the second plague, the book is already complete and all ten plagues of Egypt are behind us in time. And they only picture the greater judgment by God upon sin and upon this sin-filled world. In the midst of this well-deserved hand of plague and misery, there is a Fount of grace.

It was opened on the tree of Calvary as the blood gushed from the dying Man on that cross. Thee days later, He was resurrected by the power of God for all eternity. This proves that God was pleased with His sinless life. It proves that He was worthy of the resurrection, and it proves that the precious Fount is open for all people for all time.

All who call on the Lord will be saved. Please grant me a moment to explain how you can receive this wondrous gift of eternal life…

Closing Verse: “Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted,
Who are far from righteousness.” Isaiah 46:12

Next Week: Exodus 8:16-19 (The Plague of Lice)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

When Frogs Die, They Stink

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said
“Entreat the Lord that He may take away
The frogs from me and from my people, and instead
I will let the people go, so to you I say

That they may sacrifice to the Lord
This is my spoken word

And Moses said to Pharaoh
“Accept the honor of saying
When I shall intercede for you, for your servants too
And for your people, for whom I shall then be praying

To destroy the frogs from you and your houses too
That they may remain in the river only, it’s what the Lord will do

So he said, “Tomorrow
And he said, “Let it be according to your word
That you may know
That there is no one like our God the Lord

And the frogs shall depart from you
From your houses, from your servants, so you will see
And from your people too
They shall remain in the river only

Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh
And Moses cried out to the Lord
Concerning the frogs which He had brought
Against Pharaoh by His spoken word

So the Lord did according to the word of Moses
And the frogs died out of the houses

Out of the courtyards and out of the fields too
They gathered them together in heaps
And the land stank, through and through

But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief
He hardened his heart
And did not heed them, for unbelief
As the Lord had said right from the start

Surely we know that the judgment of God
Is according to the truth
Against those who practice such things in life as they trod
Whether men of advanced age, or those still in their youth

And so let us not despise the riches of His goodness
Forbearance, and longsuffering also
Which is meant to lead us to repentance
And direct us on the path that we should go

Let us pursue Christ with every breath we take
And be obedient to the heavenly call
For Christ, and for Christ alone – all else forsake
For each of us, let Him be our all in all

Hallelujah and Amen…