We are in in chapter eight of Exodus with our word for today which is only used in the Bible to refer to this event in our chapter today. צְפַרְדֵּעַ frogs, any various stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping. It is used 13 times in the Old Testament, 11 times in our chapter alone. Let’s look at them in our chapter. Exodus 8:2-6 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with בַּֽצְפַרְדְּעִֽים frogs. The Nile shall swarm with צְפַרְדְּעִים֒ 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 הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִֽים frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”’” 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 הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֖ים frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’” So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the הַצְּפַרְדֵּ֔עַ frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. I won’t reference the six other times in our chapter for the sake of time. But we also see the two other references outside of our chapter today Exodus eight in Psalms. And both of these Psalms are referring to this same event in Exodus chapter eight. Psalm 105:30 Their land teemed with צְפַרְדְּעִ֑ים frogs, which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers. Psalm 78:45 He sent swarms of flies which devoured them, and וּ֝צְפַרְדֵּ֗עַfrogs which destroyed them. Did you catch that result of these plagues “which destroyed them”? Again like we saw yesterday God was striking Egypt for the purpose of destroying it. He was attacking and judging the gods of Egypt. So we saw that the Egyptians worshiped the Nile river as a god that brought them life. What about frogs? The frog was worshiped as their fertility god. Their worldview was that the frogs were responsible for their ability to reproduce. So they admired and worshiped the frogs. But then there were frogs everywhere so much so that it made life impossible. God ordered events so that what they loved was now ruining their lives. God was taking the roof off of their understanding about how life worked so that the fallacy would be exposed. God does this to do two things. To dislodge us from false gods that are not real so that we will let go of the hold they have on our hearts. And then to open up our hearts toward him the true God. The greatest commandment is really for our benefit. When we love the real I AM ever existing reality through the Son of God Jesus with everything we are and have, it is the best way to live. We are doing what God created us to do to worship and serve Him because he first loved us and rejoices over us with singing. When we don’t love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength we by default love someone or something else which will eventually end up separating us from God himself. I’ll close with this reminder of the struggle that we all have inside of us. Galatians 5:16-18 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
