One More Night with the Frogs?

Pharaoh is infamous for being hard-hearted. But aren’t we all hard-hearted sometimes?

Consider the frogs. Frogs are the second plague which God brings on Egypt to prompt Pharaoh to do the right thing and let God’s people go free. The frogs come out of the water and go everywhere:

ESV Exodus 8:3 The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls.

Frogs are cute to look at in a pond. But do you want them in your house, your bed, and the bowl you are fixing food in? The problem with these frogs is that they got into all parts of the lives of the people.

The frogs are enough of a nuisance that Pharaoh asks Moses to get rid of the frogs. Moses then allows Pharaoh to choose when the frogs will leave:

NIV Exodus 8:9 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."

Now if it were up to you, when would you want the frogs to leave? Wouldn’t you say “Right now, please!”? But not hard-hearted Pharaoh. He answers “tomorrow”. Pharaoh chooses one more night with the frogs. One more night with frogs in his bed, frogs on his table, frogs hopping all over his family and friends.

Crazy? Hard hearted? And yet, how many times have we done something similar. The Holy Spirit is prompting us to get rid of some sin in our hearts and in our lives. Our sin is already starting to bear bad fruit. It is already causing problems. But, oh how foolish we sometimes are, we put off dealing with it. We choose one more night, one more week, one more year with the frogs.

God, please don’t allow our hearts to be hardened by sin and rebellion like Pharaoh’s!

Two more quick thoughts about the frogs:

Pharaoh’s magicians could use their dark magic to cause the frogs to appear. But they apparently could not get rid of the frogs. In the same way, we are quite capable of getting ourselves into trouble that we can’t get ourselves out of. Only with God’s gracious help through Christ can we get the “frogs” out of our lives. And sometimes God’s help comes through others. Even hard-hearted Pharaoh was willing to ask Moses for help. Are you willing to ask God for help, and even to ask other Christians for help, remembering how God often wants us to be humble and get help from others? If you’re having a hard time getting rid of your “frogs”, will you humble yourself and ask a mature Christian brother or sister in Christ for help? Or do you prefer a few more nights with the frogs?

Finally, the frogs were a sever nuisance. Yet, much worse plagues were coming. God loves us too much to allow sin to remain festering in our lives where it hurts our relationship with Him and with others. If the frogs aren’t enough to motivate us to get rid of our sin, there are worse things than frogs.

Lord, please set us free from our slavery to sinful habits and patterns, as You set your people free from slavery in Egypt. Thank you for being so patient and merciful to us who have often allowed the frogs to stay.

I can’t end this without thanking God for (now retired) Pastor Jim Schneider. God used him to bless and help me in many ways during the four and a half years we lived in Groton, Connecticut and attended Pleasant Valley Community of Prayer and Praise. He preached on “one more night with the frogs”, and I’ve never forgotten it.

Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .