Sunday, March 6, 2016

Exodus Chapter 8


Exodus 8:1-2 (ESV) 1   Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs.

 1. Why frogs, why not gophers, or bunny rabbits?
 Frogs, which in moderate numbers were regarded as signs of life, renewal, and happiness. Of course they were sacred and should not be killed.
 That Egyptians favored frogs was seen in the wearing of amulets in the shape of a frog and in the prohibition against intentionally killing frogs, who were considered sacred animals. The croaking of frogs from the river and pools of water signaled to farmers that the gods who controlled the Nile’s flooding and receding had once again made the land fertile.
The god Hapi was venerated on this occasion because he had caused alluvial deposits to come downstream. Further, the frog was the representation, the image, of the goddess Heqt, the wife of the god Khum, and the symbol of resurrection and fertility. The presence of frogs in such abundance, all over everywhere outside and inside the houses, however, brought only frustration, dismay, and much discomfort, rather than the normal signal that the fields were ready for cultivating and harvesting.
 I will plague your whole country with frogs. The frog (or toad) was deified in the goddess Heqt, who assisted women in childbirth.

Exodus 8:3 (ESV) 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.

  come up. The frogs abandoned the Nile and swarmed over the land, perhaps because an unusually high concentration of bacteria-laden algae had by now proved fatal to most of the fish, thus polluting the river. NIVSN

 Exodus 8:4-7 (ESV)  The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”’” 5   And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’” 6  So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7  But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

 2. Why didn’t the magicians get rid of the frogs?
  The magicians did the same. Once again, instead of reversing the plague, the magicians in demonstrating the power of their secret arts only appeared to increase the frog population to the added discomfort of the people. Their power was not sufficient enough to do more than play “copycat.” That the magicians could duplicate but not eradicate the problem was, however, sufficient to solidify royal stubbornness.

 Exodus 8:8-9 (ESV) 8  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.” 9  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.”

 3. Why give the Pharaoh the “honor of setting the time” to rid them of the Frogs?
 Accept the honor: Moses rises to Pharaoh’s challenge and even invites him to set the time for Moses’ prayer for relief from the frogs. In this way, Pharaoh would not be able to say that it was just a coincidence that the frogs began to abate at a certain time. NIVSN

 Exodus 8:10-15 (ESV) 10  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. 11  The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.” 12  So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the LORD about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. 13  And the LORD did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. 14  And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. 15  But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

 4. What does it tell us that the Pharaoh says that tomorrow is OK to “rid the frogs” from your houses?
Tomorrow. Having been granted the privilege to set the time when the Lord would answer Moses’ prayer for relief, Pharaoh requested a cessation only on the next day. Presumably he hoped something else would happen before then so that he would not have to acknowledge the Lord’s power in halting the plague, nor be obligated to Moses and his God. But God answered the prayer of Moses, and Pharaoh remained obstinate
 “Delay is the most deadly form of denial.”

  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Luke 12:40

 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.11“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’13“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. Matt 25:10-13

 the LORD did what Moses asked. For similar occurrences see v. 31; 1Sa 12:18; 1Ki 18:42–45; Am 7:1–6. The frogs died. Probably because they had been infected by bacteria in the Nile algae.

 Exodus 8:16-17 (ESV) 16  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’” 17  And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt.

5. What kind of bugs were these?
  NIV Study Bible. ………..8:16 dust will become gnats. The word “dust” is perhaps a reference to the enormous number of the gnats, bred in the flooded fields of Egypt in late autumn.
 This judgment brought loathing upon Geb, the earth god. Geb was closely related to the earth in all of its states. Geb was the one who made his report to Osiris on the state of the harvest.
The word lice could mean gnats or mosquitoes. Its root means to “cover” or “nip” or“pinch”. It is interesting that the nipping, pinching, or covering could not be fulfilled by a gnat or a mosquito. It is, however, a good description of lice.  One man tells about his experience with them in Egypt: “I noticed that the sand appeared to be in motion. Close… inspection revealed…that the surface of the ground was a moving mass of minute ticks, thousands of which were crawling up my legs…I beat a hasty retreat, pondering the words of the Scriptures, ‘the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’”
The plague of lice could not be duplicated by the Egyptian magicians. God is beginning to level His judgment against life itself in the land of Egypt.

 Exodus 8:18-19 (ESV) 18  The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. 19  Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

 6. Why couldn’t the magicians “bring forth lice”?
It’s one thing to turn a stick into a snake, turn water into something that looks like blood or pull a frog out of your hat. David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear, appears to levitate himself, and can do card tricks so quickly you can’t believe your eyes. He is an illusionist. He fools your brain by smoke and mirrors and slight of hand.Satan has limited power. He cannot create new stuff. He can only try to duplicate what God has already made. He is the great deceiver.

Matt.24:  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.25See, I have told you beforehand.

To deceive: imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment, or helplessness  

 Exodus 8:20-24 (ESV)  20  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 21  Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22  But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. 23  Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”’” 24  And the LORD did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.

 7. What is different with this plague and the previous ones?
 The LXX translates “swarms” as “dog-fly,” a bloodsucking insect. The ichneumon fly, which deposited its eggs on other living things so the larvae could feast upon it, was considered the manifestation of the god Uatchit. “The land was laid waste because of the swarms” is hardly an evaluation propitious for any insect-god! Whatever the specific
type of fly might have been, the effect of the plague was intense and distressful. MSBN

Swarms of flies Generally, supposed to be the dog-fly, which at certain seasons is described as a plague far worse than mosquitos. Others, however, adopt the opinion that the insects were a species of beetle, which was reverenced by the Egyptians as a symbol of life, of reproductive or creative power. The sun-god, as creator, bore the name Chepera, and is represented in the form, or with the head, of a beetle. This setting apart of the land of Goshen constituted a specific difference between this and the preceding plagues. Pharaoh could not of course attribute the exemption of Goshen from a scourge, which fell on the valley of the Nile, to an Egyptian deity, certainly not to Chepera (see the last note), a special object of worship in Lower Egypt. BN

 The fourth plague is the first to focus on the distinction between the effects on Egypt and on Israel. Although Pharaoh has been reluctant to acknowledge either the damage caused by the plagues or what they represent, he begins to plead with Moses more often in order to gain relief while still refusing to listen to the command to let Israel go. In the Lord’s message to Pharaoh he refers to Israel as my people and to Egypt as your people and prefigures the distinction he will make (in the fourth plague) between Israel and Egypt. The distinction that the Lord will make between Goshen and Egypt would have seemed entirely contrary to what the Egyptians considered to be the worth of each nation. that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. The Lord states repeatedly that the plagues have the purpose that Pharaoh (and the Egyptians) would know who he is. ESVN

  Exodus 8:25-27 (ESV)   Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26  But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27  We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us.”

 8. Why do they have to go 3 days journey into the wilderness to sacrifice?
For the first time Pharaoh gave permission for the Israelites to sacrifice to Yahweh (v. 25), but he would not allow them to leave Egypt. Pharaoh admitted that Yahweh was specifically the God of Israel (“your God”), but he did not admit that he had an obligation to obey Him.
The Egyptians regarded the animals the Israelites would have sacrificed as holy and as manifestations of their gods. Consequently the sacrifices would have been an abomination.
“. . . we know from excavations that this Pharaoh, Amenhotep II, worshipped bulls.”  Gispen, p. 94
The abomination that the Israelites’ sacrifice would have constituted to the Egyptians also may have consisted in the method by which the Israelites would have sacrificed these animals. The Egyptians themselves practiced animal sacrifices, but they had rigorous procedures for cleansing their sacrificial animals before they killed them, which the Israelites would not have observed. CN

 Exodus 8:28 (ESV) 28  So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.”

 9. Plead for me?
Pharaoh relented because the hand of God was heavy upon him; but he was not willing to give up his gain. The Israelites were very profitable to him; they were slaves of the state, and their hard labor was very productive: hence he professed a willingness, first to tolerate their religion in the land; or to permit them to go into the wilderness, so that they went not far away, and would soon return. How ready is foolish man, when the hand of God presses him sore, to compound with his Maker! He will consent to give up some sins, provided God will permit him to keep others.
Plead for me—Exactly similar to the case of Simon Magus, who, like Pharaoh, fearing the Divine judgments, begged an interest in the prayers of Peter, Acts 8:24. ACC

Exodus 8:29-32 (ESV) Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will
plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.” 30  So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD. 31  And the LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. 32  But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.

10. Did God harden the Pharaoh’s heart or did Pharaoh harden his own heart.
 Exodus 7:3-4 says, “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my  miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my people the Israelites.” It seems unjust for God to harden Pharaoh’s heart and then to punish Pharaoh and Egypt for what Pharaoh decided when his heart was hardened. Why would God harden Pharaoh’s heart just so He could judge Egypt more severely with additional plagues?
Pharaoh was not an innocent or godly man. He was a brutal dictator overseeing the terrible abuse and oppression of the Israelites, who likely numbered over 1.5 million people at that time. The Egyptian pharaohs had enslaved the Israelites for 400 years. A previous pharaoh—possibly even the pharaoh in question—ordered that male Israelite babies be killed at birth. The pharaoh God hardened was an evil man, and the nation he ruled agreed with, or at least did not oppose, his evil actions.

As a result of Pharaoh’s hard-heartedness, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart even further, allowing for the last few plagues. Pharaoh and Egypt had brought these judgments on themselves with 400 years of slavery and mass murder. Since the wages of sin is death, and Pharaoh and Egypt had horribly sinned against God, it would have been just if God had completely annihilated Egypt. Therefore, God’s hardening Pharaoh’s heart was not unjust, and His bringing additional plagues against Egypt was not unjust. The plagues, as terrible as they were, actually demonstrate God’s mercy in not completely destroying Egypt, which would have been a perfectly just penalty.

Romans 9:17-18 declares, “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: ‘I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.” From a human perspective, it seems wrong for God to harden a person and then punish the person He has hardened. Biblically speaking, however, we have all sinned against God (Romans 3:23), and the just penalty for that sin is death (Romans 6:23). Therefore, God’s hardening and punishing a person is not unjust; it is actually merciful in comparison to what the person deserves.

 List of Egyptian Gods.
• Aken……. ……………………Ferryman of the Underworld 
• Aker…….. …………………..Guardian and Gatekeeper of the Underworld
• Am-Heh …………………………… Devourer of Millions   
 • Ament …………………………Greeter of the Dead
• Ammit……………………………… Devourer of the Wicked
• Amun and Amun-Re……… The King of the Gods   
• Anat………………………… Mother of Gods
• Andjety…………………….. .A precursor of Osiris
• Anqet ………………………..The Embracer, Goddess of Fertility and     the Nile at Aswan
• Anubis……………………… God of Embalming     
• Anuke………………………. Goddess of War
• Anuket ………………………Goddess of the Nile    
 • Apep…………………… The Great Destroyer
• Arensnuphis …………………Anthropomorphic Nubian Deity
• As …………………………….Kindly God of the Desert
• Astarte,……………………… Warrior Goddess of Canaan
• Aten…………………………. The Sun Disk and later God   
• Atum …………………The All-Father
• Auf (Efu Ra) …………………An aspect of the sun god Ra
• Baal, …………………………God of Thunder                    
 • Ba-Pef ………………………- The Soul
• Babi – ………………………..The Dominant Male Baboon God
• Banebdjetet………………… God of Lower Egypt
• Bast…………………………. Beautiful Cat-Goddess
• Bat -………………………… Ancient Cow Goddess
• Benu (Bennu) -…………….. The Bird of Creation
• Bes …………………………..Protector of Childbirth   
• Dedwen -……… Nubian God of Resources
• Denwen – ……………………The Fiery Serpent
• The Ennead……………….. The Nine Great Osirian Gods
• Fetket -…………………….. The Sun God’s Butler
• Geb………………………… God of the Earth        
• Gengen Wer -…………….. The Great Honker
• Hapi………………………. God of the Nile River
• Hathor…………………….. Goddess of Music and Dance
• Hatmehyt -………………… The Fish Goddess
• Haurun,…………………… The Victorious Herdsman
• Heh and Hauhet…………… Deities of Infinity and Eternity
• Heqet………………………. Frog Goddess
• Heret-Kau ………………….- She who is Above the Spirits 
• Heryshef,…………………… Ruler of the Riverbanks
• Heset ………………………..Goddess of Plenty          
• Hetepes-Sekhus -………….. An Eye of Re
• Hike …………………………God of Magic and Medicine
• Horus……………………….. King of the Gods on Earth
• Hu …………………………..God of the Spoken Word
• Iabet,………………………… Cleanser of Re, Personification of the East
• Ihy ……………………………- The Child God
• Imhotep……………………….. Lord of Science and Thought
• Ipy (Opet), ……………………A Mother of Osiris
• Isis……………………………. Queen of the Gods
• Iusaas…………………………. Creator … 
• Kek and Kauket, Deities of Darkness,  and Night
• Khenmu………………………. The Great Potter
• Kherty -………………………… Ram-headed God
• Kephri …………………………The Great Scarab
• Khonsu………………………… God of the Moon
• Maat………………………….. Lady of Truth and Order
• Mafdet……………………….. Goddess of Scorpions and Snakes
• Mahaf -………………………. The Ferryman
• Mahes…………………………. The Lord of the Massacre
• Male ……………………………Child Gods of Egypt
• Mandulis -……………………… The Lower Nubian Sun God
• Mehen…………………………… Defender of the Sun Boat
• Mehet-Weret -…………………. Cow Goddess of the Sky
• Menhit ………………………….Lion-headed War Goddess
• Mertseger ………………………………………Guardian of the Valley of the Kings
• Meskhenet -……………………………………. Goddess of Childbrith
• Mihos -…………………………………………. Son of Bastet
• Min ……………………………………………..God of Fertility
• Montu, ………………………………………….Warrior and Solar God
• Mut ……………………………………………..Grandmother of the Gods
• Nefertem……………………………………….. Lord of the Sunrise
• Nehebkau, ………………………………………the God who Joined the Ka to the Body
• Nekhbet …………………………………………Goddess of the Power of Kings
• Neith …………………………………………….Goddess of War and Funerals
• Nephthys……………………………………….. Lady of the Wings
• Nun and Naunet ………………………………..Gods of Chaos and Water
• Nut ………………………………………………Goddess of the Firmament
• The Ogdoad……………………………………  The Primordial Creation Gods
• Onuris …………………………………………..The War God
• Osiris …………………………………………….Lord of the Dead
• Pakhet ……………………………………………The Strength of Woman                     
• Panebtawy -……………………………….…. The Child God
• Peteese and Pihor ……………………………..- Brother Gods
• Ptah………………………………………………. The Creator
• Qadesh – ………………………………………..Goddess of Esctasy and Sexual Pleasure
• Re (Ra)………………………………………… The Sun God
• Renenutet ……………………………………Goddess of the Harvest                     
• Reshep -…………………………………………The Syrian War God
• Sah and Sopdet (Sothis)……………………….. The Astral God and Goddess
• Satet …………………………………………….Goddess of the Inundation
• Satis…………………………………………….. Guardian of the Borders
• Sebiumeker -…………………………………… Meroitic God of Procreation
• Sefkhet-Abwy – ………………………………………Goddess of Writing and Temple Libraries
• Seker………………………………………………… The Resurrected Osiris
• Sekhmet……………………………………………..………… The Eye of Ra     
• Sepa -…………………………………………………………..… Centipede God
• Serapis…………………………………………………………….. the Composit God
• Serqet (Selkis)…………………………………………………….. Scorpion Goddess
• Seshat………………………………………………….…. Goddess of writing, measurements                 
• Set………………………………………………………………….. God of Evil
• Shay -……………………………………………………………… Personified Destiny
• Shesmetet ………………………………………………………….- Leonine Goddess
• Shesmu……………………………………………………………. Demon god of the Win Press
• Shu ………………………………………………………………….God of the Air and Sky
• Sia -………………………………………………………………… The Perceptive Mind
• Sobek…………………………………………………………….. Guard of the Gods
• Sons of Horus ………………………………………..Gods of the Viscera and the Canopic Jars
• Sopedu -…………………………………………………………… The Border Patrol God
• Ta-Bitjet – ………………………………………………………….A Wife of Horus
• Tasenetnofret …………………………………………………….- The Good Sister
• Taweret ……………………………………………………………Goddess Demoness of Birth
• Tayet -……………………………………………………………… Goddess of Weaving
• Tefnut ………………………………………………………………Goddess of Moisture
• Tatenen -……………………………….. “Father of Gods” and the God of the Rising Earth
• Thoth God of Wisdom
• Wadj Wer -………………………………………………………… The Pregnant God
• Wadjet ………………………………………………………………The Serpent Goddess
• Weneg – ……………………………………………………………..Ancient Son of Re
• Wepwawet (Upuaut)……………………………………………… The Opener of the Ways
• Wosret -……………………………………………………………. Goddess of Thebes
• Yah – ………………………………………………………………..Another Moon God
• Yamm – ……………………………………………………………..God of the Sea
          
  • MSBN…….MacArthur NASB Study Notes
  • NIVSN…..NIV Study Notes.
  • JVM ….J Vernon McGee,
  • ACC …. Adam Clarke’s Commentary
  • BN …..Barnes Notes
  • WBC……   Wycliffe Bible Commentary
  • CN …… Constables Notes
  • IC……….Ironside Commentary
  • NET………Net Bible Study Notes.
  • JFB…………..Jamieson  Fausset  Brown Commentary
  • VWS……………..Vincent Word Studies
  • CMM………….Commentary on Matthew and Mark
  • BDB………….. Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
  • Darby………..John Darby’s Synopsis of the OT and NT
  • Johnson………Johnson’s Notes on the New Testament.
  • NTCMM…………..The NT Commentary:  Matthew and Mark.
  • RD………….Robert Deffinbaugh  bible.org
  • ASB…………..Apologetics Study bible
    • ESVN………….ESV Study Bible Notes
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