The ten plagues that God brought upon Egypt were just that- they were plagues. We can understand how hail was a plague because it left the land devastated and people died. The darkness, boils, all the water turning to blood? Yeah, we can see that. Of course, the death of the first born; these were plagues.
But frogs, a plague? I have lived in places where this might have been considered an all-you-can-eat buffet. But in all seriousness, sending a plague of frogs shows the mighty hand of God. He can take the most nondescript and make it a blessing or a plague.
Just how bad were these frogs? What made them rise to the level of being numbered with the other nine plagues? Consider how Moses describes it:
“But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. 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. The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”'“ (Exodus 8:2-4 ESV).
Do you get the picture? These were not just a few frogs hopping around you. Try to think of this as a breathing, undulating carpet of green everywhere you went. Imagine waking up to the deafening sounds of millions of frogs croaking; rolling over in bed onto cold squishy amphibians. Imagine slipping on your shoes only to have your toes stopped by these innocent little creatures.
You say you like fried frog legs? Well, good luck making them. Your ovens, pots and pans and kitchen are so full of frogs that you cannot do anything. The picture I get from the plague is that we are talking about so many frogs that life stands still. This isn’t a few frogs that you can sweep away, There is no place to sweep them void of other frogs.
Are you starting to get the picture; can you see how these innocent creatures can rise to the level of being a plague when the hand of the Almighty God is behind them? Well, you are not alone. So can Pharaoh:
“Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the LORD to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.” (Exodus 8:8 ESV).
This was the second plague. The first was water turning to blood. In response to that, Pharaoh walked away and the water stayed blood for seven days. But with the frogs, Pharaoh asks Moses to plead with God to remove the frogs. Though his heart will remain hardened by God, Pharaoh is starting to learn who the one true God is. And he is starting to learn who he will have to turn to for respite.
Moses then replies with an interesting answer:
“Moses said to Pharaoh, “Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.” (Exodus 8:9 ESV).
In essence, Moses says to Pharaoh, “Tell me when you want the frogs to leave.” What an interesting question. Slip yourself into Pharaoh’s sandals; if given that same question, what would your answer be? Most of us would probably say, “Now! Please take the frogs away from me this very instant!”
But he doesn’t.
“And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God.” (Exodus 8:10 ESV).
Tomorrow. For some strange reason, when given the choice, Pharaoh decided to spend one more night with the frogs. One more night of squishy sleep, deafening ribbits, and wading through a sea of green as you tried to move from one place to another.
Before you think, “What an idiot!” Let me ask you this: Are we really much different from Pharaoh? If given the choice, would we really give a different answer ourselves? Do we not all face a plague today far worse than frogs; worse than water into blood; even worse than the death of the first-born? Don’t we all live with the plague of sin before us continually?
And guess what? Jesus appears before us just as Moses appeared before Pharaoh and He says to us, “Tell me when you want Me to remove this plague of sin from you. I have shed My blood to make this possible. Just tell me when.”
How many of us want this terrible plague removed- but just not now? How many of us are not as different from Pharaoh as we’d like to think? How many of us answer our Lord with the very same answer that Pharaoh gave to Moses? In response to the Lord’s gracious offer, we say, “Tomorrow.”
How many of us choose to spend one more night with the frogs?
“For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2 ESV).
Two years. Is that a long time or does time fly by? It depends on the circumstances you are in, doesn’t it? As your children get older, it seems that time marches at a breakneck speed as you start to lose your grasp on them. But if they are struggling with a grave illness, two years can seem an eternity.
Authors often use the passage of time as a transition from one scene to another. We see this in the book of Genesis when Joseph is in prison before being lifted up by Pharaoh to reign over the most powerful country in the world, second only to him.
You remember, while in prison Joseph had just given the cupbearer a favorable interpretation of his dream, revealing that the servant would be restored back to his position of honor. Joseph knew that it was a good thing to have friends in high places, and in a demonstration of humanity, he pleaded with the cupbearer…
“Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.” (Genesis 40:14-15 ESV).
Who could blame him? It’s probably what each of us would do, right? Well, everything happens just as the Lord had revealed. The cupbearer was indeed restored to his position of service to Pharaoh. But in the next chapter, we see the transition of the author from one scene to another:
“After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,” (Genesis 41:1 ESV).
Two whole years… What do you think; did the time fly by for Joseph or did they drag on agonizingly slowly? I think we all have a pretty good idea because we have all found ourselves in the position of suffering. But before we read this transition as one scene to another, let’s think about these two whole years. Let’s make some educated guesses at what may have happened. It may surprise you to realize that the two whole years could have been from God for a specific purpose.
The first few days might have been filled with hope and anticipation. Certainly, the cupbearer would see that the Lord was with Joseph and he’d trip over himself to share this good news with everyone, especially Pharaoh. He’d be able to ensure justice was served and that this innocent man was remembered.
Why did the cupbearer forget Joseph? Moses doesn’t tell us. Maybe it was orchestrated by God because God wasn’t done preparing Joseph for the plans He had for him. If Joseph had been released now, then where would he be when Pharaoh had his dreams two whole years later?
Or perhaps the cupbearer was overwhelmed to have his position back and he was not going to do anything to jeopardize it. He had lived under the threat of execution and in all likelihood witnessed the baker being hung because he referenced it later. To him, the prudent thing might have been to accept the grace of Pharaoh and not do anything to upset him on his birthday of all occasions.
But whatever the reason, the hours turned into days for Joseph as he waited for the jangling of the keys to unlock his cell. Then the days turned into weeks, months and then two whole years.
Joseph soon had to make a choice. Was he going to still walk with God in prison or would he give up on Him and blame God for not helping him? It’s a choice each of us will have to make many times in our lives.
Who knows why God waited two full years before delivering him? The Bible doesn’t tell us. Perhaps Joseph met a string of government officials in prison who taught him how the economy and bureaucracy of Egypt worked. Perhaps the people Joseph would one day need to use to carry out his plans as overseer of Egypt had met him in prison.
Perhaps Joseph needed to see God in the dungeon long enough to ensure he would continue to see Him when God elevated him to a throne. Whatever the reason, don’t be tempted to read through that transition “after two whole years” without realizing that it would have been a struggle and a refining time for Joseph.
But Joseph remained faithful to God. How do we know? Because when he was set before Pharaoh, he told the king that he couldn’t give the interpretation, but God would give the interpretation to Pharaoh. Imagine the faith he had to say that. After two whole years of suffering for a crime you did not commit, you’re going to stand before the man who claims to be god on earth and ascribe deity to Someone else? We know people were executed for displeasing this man. Joseph was treading on dangerous ground.
But he lived through the dungeon faithfully. He stayed true to God when forgotten by others. He grew in his faith during times of trials and when remembered by God, whatever happened in that prison of two whole years helped prepare him for what God had in store for him.
Are you living in your transition? Never assume that God has forgotten you. Stay faithful to Him and wait upon the Lord. Perhaps He is using your two whole years to prepare you for the next phase of your life in a way that will bring glory and honor to His name.
Something I just overheard...
Shame on you if, when you are struggling, that Facebook or Twitter are your first place to share your needs rather than in prayer to God.
I say, “Amen.”
We all know the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den. We know how Daniel’s coworkers were jealous of him and tried to find a way to accuse him before the king. But Daniel was a man of integrity and there was nothing they could find against him.
Daniel may have been in his 80’s during this time. He had seen a lot and learned to lean upon the Lord God for all things. God had taken care of him in exile, not in one foreign land but in two. And Daniel’s reputation was rock solid; so was his faith in God.
Everyone knew about his relationship with God and his integrity. So, when his enemies could not find fault with him, they knew where to turn:
“Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” (Daniel 6:5 ESV).
Isn’t that amazing? These evil men had enough faith in Daniel’s integrity toward God, that they hatched a plan that was dependent upon it. Had Daniel taken a short one-month break from serving God, their plan would have failed.
Here’s the million-dollar question: What about us? Is our integrity that dependable? If someone wanted to use our Faith against us, could their faith in our devotion to God cause their plans against us to succeed?
We live between “God can” and “God may.” That is not always an easy place to live. We know that God has the power to do all; to hear and answer our prayers; our gut-wrenching prayer.
But God is sovereign in all that He does. As hard as we sometimes pray, we need to realize that the God who can is also the God who may. It is His choice. He may or may not answer our prayer the way we want Him to answer it.
Jesus knew this. God could send 12 legions of angels to deliver His Son. But Jesus stepped back from His earnest prayer that the cup pass from Him and said, “Not as I will, but as You will.”
God can take away all of our suffering. But that doesn’t mean He will. In my opinion, our biggest challenge is not in accepting His will for us; it is not thinking that it is either what is best for God and His glory or what is best for us.
The challenge for us is to remember that what is good for God’s glory is always what is best for us as well. Sometimes we need faith to see that. Sometimes we need wisdom. But when God is glorified through us, it is always what is best for us.
Sometimes it is hard to live between “God can” and “God may.” But when we have a relationship with Him, whatever He chooses will, in the end, always be what is best for us.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV).
Imagine that your football team is playing the final game of the season. At stake is a trip to the playoffs.
You are watching the game live with your friends. Your team is up by 3 with 2 minutes left in the game and they have the ball. The quarterback drops back and throws to the end zone but the ball is intercepted and the other team runs it back for the pick six.
How do you feel right now? Think through your emotions. Most of us have lived through something like that, haven't we?
Now let's change things up a bit. This time, the game is played during worship service and like a good Christian, you attend worship and DVR the game to watch when you get home. This is the same game with the same plays as in the first example.
When church is over, you get in the car and tell yourself that you will not listen to the news. By now, the game is over and the team is either celebrating or dealing with disappointment. But you are committed to watching the game yourself without spoiling it for yourself.
As you get within 5 minutes of your home, you can't control yourself any longer. You have to know... is my team in or out? So, you do the unthinkable and turn on the radio.
Within seconds, you learned that your team pulled off the impossible and marched down the field for the game winning score as time expired in a spectacular hail-Mary pass.
You get home on top of the world and decide to watch the game anyway. You get down to the final 2 minutes and watch as your team's quarterback throws a pick six to lose the lead and go down by 4.
This time, knowing that your team will pull out the upset, how does it make you feel to watch that interception at the final 2-minute mark? I imagine that it's nothing like the torment of having to witness that play live, not knowing how the game will end.
Knowing how the game will end makes all the difference in how you handle the disappointments and let-downs.
In life, God has DVR'ed the way things will turn out for you. It's in the Bible. Spoiler alert: God wins.
The next time you feel that things are crumbling around you and you are not sure how you are going to make it, remember... the end is already a foregone conclusion. Just keep on keeping on and stay on the winning side.
When we make decisions as to what will enter through our eyes and ears, and go into our hearts, what standard do we use? That standard is set by us and is fully under our control.
When watching a show on TV and we hear the Lord’s name being taken in vain, do we feel anger and switch the channel immediately or do we waver, thinking that this one time that our Lord’s name was profaned does not rise to the level of causing us to have to end our entertainment?
Do we rationalize that all shows have this evil in it and if we changed the channel every time our Lord’s name was taken in vain, we’d be left with nothing to watch? (Is that such a terrible consequence from honoring God?)
When we hear coarse jesting, see too much skin, watch evils and abominations in our living room, do we exercise our free will and shut off the TV or do we exercise our free will and watch and listen to just a little more?
When someone suggests that these are not things that we should put into our minds and hearts, do we grow indignant and protective of our rights or do we consider what the Lord would have us do at that moment?
If we could see Jesus sitting next to us on the couch, would we tell Him that if they used His name in vain 2 more times, we'd change the channel? If sexual immorality played out on the screen while He sat next to us, would we avert our eyes and peek until it was over so we could continue watching the program with Him or would we turn off the TV because that show has brought blasphemy and into our home?
Would we choose to not watch the program if He was sitting next to us but watch it if it were just us?
Daniel’s integrity caused him to act in godliness whether people were watching or not. Job made a covenant with his eyes not to look upon a young woman. Moses smashed the tablets in anger when he witnessed people sinning.
The choice is ours. It will always be ours. It shouldn’t be guided by anyone shaming us. It shouldn’t be guided by who is or isn’t watching us. Our choice should be guided by our devotion to God.
If we hesitate in turning away from evil, then we need to work on developing a clean heart before the Lord.
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” (Proverbs 4:23-27 ESV).