Read Exodus 8:1-15

One More Night With The Frogs

The children of Israel were afflicted by their Egyptian masters, and God chose Moses to deliver the news to Pharaoh that His people should be freed. Pharaoh refused on multiple occasions, finally relenting after the tenth plague, but even then, the Egyptian ruler tried to recapture the people.

The second plague makes for a very interesting study. Moses warns Pharaoh that if he does not follow God, then He will “smite all your territory with frogs” (Exodus 8:2). We read in the Exodus account that these frogs were everywhere in the land – in every house, in every bedroom, on every bed, even in the kitchens, in the ovens, and in the kneading bowls. They could not escape these creatures!

One of the things that is puzzling is why Egypt’s magicians worked their so-called magic “and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt” (Exodus 8:7). Would it not make more sense to get rid of the frogs that were there, rather than bring more? The magicians’ actions betray their legitimacy. They were enchanting the people (and Pharaoh in particular) with trickery, not with actual magic.

Pharaoh has had enough and calls for Moses and Aaron and begs them to plead with God to take the frogs away. The king says he will “let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord” (Exodus 8:8). Moses responds with a simple question: “When? When do you want the frogs to be taken away?” Pharaoh’s answer is dumbfounding.

“Tomorrow” (Exodus 8:10).

Why would Pharaoh want to spend one more night with these wretched, nasty, smelly nuisances? Why did he not jump on Moses’ question and scream, “Now! Please tell God to take these pests away now!”? Why did he choose to spend one more night with the frogs?

Think about it for a moment, though. Do we ever spend one more night with the frogs? We know what the Scriptures say about sin. It is poisonous. It is dangerous. It is spiritually fatal. And God offers to wash our iniquities all away, to remove sin from us, to re-establish a relationship that was severed. When shall we be cleansed? Tomorrow? Are we spending one more night with our frogs?