Exodus 8
Amplified Bible (AMP)
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh and say to him, Thus says the Lord, Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
2 And if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite your entire land with frogs;
3 And the river shall swarm with frogs which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedchamber and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants and upon your people, and into your ovens, your kneading bowls, and your dough.
4 And the frogs shall come up on you and on your people and all your servants.
6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land.
7 But the magicians did the same thing…, and brought up [more] frogs upon the land of Egypt.
8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Entreat [pray to] the Lord, that He may take away the frogs from me and my people….
9 Moses said to Pharaoh, …Dictate [set the time] when I shall pray [to the Lord] for you, your servants, and your people, that the frogs may be destroyed from you and your houses and remain only in the river.
10 And [Pharaoh] said, Tomorrow. [Moses] said, Let it be as you say….
Frogs, Frogs Everywhere!
We’ve all heard the story as kids of the Ten Plagues in Sunday School. As adults, most of us just gloss over the story thinking there is nothing new to learn. But there is an interesting passage in Exodus 8 about the Plague of Frogs that I think we should take another look at. The passage goes into great detail about how prevalent these frogs really were. Frogs were everywhere! They were in their bedrooms and their kitchens. They were in their beds and their ovens, even in their food.
I don’t know about you, but I would freak out. Could you imagine rolling over in bed and feeling the slimy, wet skin of not just one frog, but ten? Could you imagine taking a bite of cereal in the morning only to find a frog on your spoon? This wasn’t some scary movie that you could turn off; this was real life. And it happened day after day after day. They couldn’t get away from the frogs. There was nowhere to hide. Frogs were everywhere. So disgusting! I think I would have done anything to get rid of them. Or would I?
Making Matters Worse
The story goes on to say that in an effort to save face, Pharaoh had his own magicians try to compete with Moses only to make matters worse. In their own strength and pride, they made an even bigger problem… more frogs! Have you ever been too afraid to ask for help? Have you ever done something in your own strength only to make matters worse?
Pharaoh finally breaks down and asks for help. Pharaoh asks Moses to pray to God to get rid of the frogs for him. Moses isn’t so quick to respond. He just doesn’t “hop to it.” Moses wants to know if Pharaoh is really serious this time about getting rid of the problem. Moses asks Pharaoh, “You say you want to get rid of these frogs. So when do you want to get rid of them? When do you want me to pray?”
What happens next should really get our attention.
Be Careful What You Ask For
Pharaoh’s answer should shock you. (I didn’t believe it either until I read it.) He says, “Tomorrow.” Tomorrow? Are you kidding me? Did you really mean, tomorrow?
Pharaoh was fed up with the problem enough to ask for help. But he had gotten used to the frogs in his life. He had learned to live with them and work around them. When he was given the chance to get rid of them, he wasn’t so quick to give them up. He was willing to put up with them for one more day.
Can you believe it? These frogs were real problems. The problems may have been little in size, but together they added up to one giant problem. They were significant. The frogs permeated every area of life. There was nothing they didn’t affect.
I’ll Do It Tomorrow!
I was shocked at Pharaoh’s answer. It was laughable. I couldn’t believe how silly Pharaoh was for putting up with “his little problems” for one-more-day. And then it hit me. I do the very same thing. Whenever I am faced with making significant changes in my life, I generally put off doing it until later or until it is more convenient. I can make lots of excuses for why I can’t, or why I should wait.
Have you ever done that? Have you ever put off doing something you know you should be doing just because you had gotten comfortable with where you were at? Have you ever put off until tomorrow what you should be doing today? Have you ever procrastinated? (Are you feeling guilty like I am right now?)
Putting Up With Frogs
So let’s talk about these frogs. What do those frogs represent for us today? Joyce Meyer said recently at a conference in Milwaukee, WI that these frogs represent anything in our life that needs to be dealt with and we are avoiding. What are we “putting up” with? What are we making excuses for? What are we avoiding? What keeps us up at night with worry?
We put up with all kinds of frogs! We have anxiety frogs, fear frogs, unforgiveness frogs, anger or bitterness frogs, depression frogs, addiction frogs, shopping frogs, bad attitude frogs, prideful frogs, lazy or apathetic frogs, selfish frogs. I think you get the idea.
Anything that keeps us from doing what we know we should be doing is hindering us from moving forward in life. Anytime we say to ourselves,
“I know I should forgive that person, but … ”
“I know I shouldn’t spend money right now, but … ”
“I know I should trust God and stop worrying or being fearful, but … ”
“I know I should start exercising and eating healthy, but … ”
Do You Want to Be Free?
What frogs are you putting up with? What excuses are you making for not doing something? How long will you procrastinate? What are you willing to change in order to move forward? When do you want to be delivered from this problem? How bad do you want to be free?
Joyce Meyer said recently, “Some people are not experiencing the promises and power of God simply because they are not stepping out in faith. It’s this stepping out that puts the promises of God into action.”
Stop complaining about your problems and start doing something. Do you really want to be free? Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can and should do today.
