The Burden of the Frog Plague

Exodus 8:1-15; 2/8/2026; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang

Introduction

I am a bit curious.  When Pharaoh saw that every place in Egypt where there was water was turned into blood, he still remained unmoved and continued to do whatever he wanted.  The Bible tells us, “Pharaoh turned and went into his palace, and he did not take this to heart” (Exodus 7:23).  And just like many dictators throughout history, when they see their people suffering and struggling to survive, they choose to look the other way.  They turn back into their own “palace dramas,” continuing to play the role of violence, power struggles, and ruthless control.  So what can be done?  Let us now look at the work of God—how He carries out salvation, how He leaves a way out, and how He gives people more than enough opportunities.  Let us look at the first point.

Frogs overrun the land

The difference between God and human beings is this: God often uses very small things to accomplish His great works.  A frog is not big—but when there are many of them, that is what makes it frightening, right?  First of all, this is the fourth meeting.  Pharaoh may have forgotten, but this is already the fourth time Moses meets Pharaoh.  At the first meeting, Moses asked Pharaoh to let the people go.  Instead, Pharaoh increased the workload of the Israelites.  He reduced—and even cut off—the supply of straw, yet the number of bricks they had to produce did not decrease.  At the second meeting, Moses threw down his staff, and it became a serpent.  But Pharaoh’s own wise men and sorcerers “did the same by their secret arts” (Exodus 7:11).  Pharaoh’s rebellious nature was fully exposed.  His heart was hardened, and he refused to let God’s people go.  At the third meeting, God gave Moses a plan.  He told him to meet Pharaoh again by the river—almost like a “chance encounter”— and to urge him once more to release the people.  By now, Pharaoh had already tasted the experience—and even the thrill—of resisting God.  In his heart he thought, “Who is the LORD, and what can He do to me?”  And that is why God brought upon Egypt the first plague— the plague of water turned into blood.  Isn’t that right?

Secondly, the frogs come upon you.  This is the fourth meeting again.  And once more, “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.’”  Of course, in God’s perfect knowledge, the LORD already knew Pharaoh’s rebellious attitude and his nature of standing against God.  Yet God was still patient— again and again, giving Pharaoh opportunities to repent.  At the same time, God issued a clear warning to Pharaoh: “If you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your territory with frogs.”  In Pharaoh’s mind, he probably thought, “What kind of plague is this?”  To him, frogs in Egypt were actually a benefit.  They ate insects in the fields, protected the farmland, and could even become a delicious dish on the table.

Finally, “Let my people go.”  Everything has two sides. When something goes too far, it turns into the opposite.  What was once good becomes unbearable.  When there were just a few frogs, it was fine.  But when there were too many, everything changed.  The Bible says: “The river shall swarm with frogs. They shall come up and enter your palace, your bedroom, and your bed. They shall go into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls.”  This time, Pharaoh finally softened—just a little. For the first time, the Bible tells us: “Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let the people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD.’”  Think about it—it was not easy for Pharaoh to say this.  After four meetings with the servants of the LORD, after two plagues, Pharaoh finally opened his mouth once.  So who can still say that God showed Pharaoh no mercy, that God gave him no opportunity?  Now, let us look at the second point.

Frogs cover the land of Egypt

Alright, this time, the frogs really came!  God’s warning was no joke: “I will plague all your territory with frogs!” Perhaps Pharaoh still didn’t fully understand.  He couldn’t quite grasp what was about to happen.  First, frogs fill every corner.  I imagine that when Pharaoh heard Moses’ words, he had no idea of the force behind them.  In his ignorance, he simply could not comprehend the consequences of “I will plague all your territory with frogs.”  Especially when it happened—“The river shall swarm with frogs. They shall come up and enter your palace, your bedroom, and your bed. They shall go into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls.”  At that moment, Pharaoh was completely stunned! What was going on?  The Egyptians knew frogs—they weren’t unfamiliar. So how could so many appear all at once?  And not just appearing—they moved like an army,  disciplined, advancing without hesitation, filling every corner of the land of Egypt.

Second, everyone equal.  The Egyptians were used to rank, status, and looking to officials for favor.  They never imagined that when the frogs came, no one would get special treatment.  Even the king’s palace, the nobles, the officials, and their servants— the frogs treated them all equally.  We can imagine that the frogs in the palace weren’t necessarily dangerous.  After all, they were just frogs hopping around.  But in terms of humiliation and shame, the impact was huge!  How could our great, glorious, and noble frogs obey a foreign power?  And the most shocking part— this foreign power was the God that the Egyptians despised, the God that the Hebrew slaves believed in—the LORD God!

Finally, sorcerers make things worse.  The Pharaoh of Egypt was always proud of his wise men and sorcerers, because they were skilled in magic and trickery.  But this time, everything went wrong!  “Aaron stretched out his staff over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.”  What were Pharaoh’s wise men and sorcerers supposed to do?  Shouldn’t they have tried to reduce the frogs or stop them?  But the foolish men could only imitate.  “They also used their secret arts to produce frogs,” just as they had been taught. They had no creativity, no real power.  The magicians could only make frogs—nothing else.  In the end, all their magic could do was help the frogs cover the land.  The sorcerer’s inability was clear for Pharaoh to see.   And this was finally why Pharaoh softened and allowed the Israelites to leave.  Now, let us look at the third point.

He hardened his heart

This is the first time Pharaoh took the initiative to call Moses.  The Bible says: “Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let the people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD.’”  First, a fleshly reaction.  Why did Pharaoh agree to let the Israelites leave Egypt?  Honestly, even Pharaoh himself might not have known!  Why, indeed?  We really can’t find a solid reason.  Perhaps the only thing we can guess is that so many frogs appeared all over Egypt that Pharaoh simply could not bear it!  From what we’ve seen so far, Pharaoh was completely exasperated.  So exasperated that he didn’t even care about the proper way to approach God.  Out of courtesy, he used the word “please” with Moses, and the word “pray” with God.  But when it came to his own cherished authority, he did not give an inch.  He still insisted on his Pharaoh’s power and his old self, saying: “I will let the people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD.”

Secondly, waiting for tomorrow’s hope.  Pharaoh may have forgotten that he was not the Creator of heaven and earth, and had no power to command the frogs to cover all of Egypt.  Moses, of course, knew Pharaoh’s ignorance, but he did not argue or quarrel with him.  Instead, he seriously faced Pharaoh’s foolishness and lack of understanding, and he also saw that Pharaoh had no heart of repentance.  So Moses said to Pharaoh, “Whatever you say.”  The words “whatever you say” are not simple—they show that Pharaoh was moving toward despair. Yet Moses continued patiently, asking Pharaoh: “When shall I pray for you, your officials, and your people, that the frogs be removed from you and your palace, leaving only the river?”  Moses’ question was precise and intentional, even specifying where the frogs belonged—back to the river.

Finally, disaster eases, but the heart remains Hard.  The next scene is one we are familiar with.  Moses prayed to God: since Pharaoh was willing to let the people leave Egypt, he asked that the frogs be left in the river, so they would no longer invade Egypt.  I believe this shows the mutual understanding between the LORD and Moses— when Moses prayed for people, God listened to his prayer.  At this time, the land of Egypt was full of the stench of dead frogs.  This was the main reason Pharaoh agreed to let the people go.  But when Pharaoh saw that the disaster had eased, he hardened his heart and refused to listen, just as the LORD had said.  Human hearts are more deceitful than anything else—who can truly understand them?  Human nature is such that, once the wound heals, we forget the pain.  Isn’t that right?

Conclusion

Praise the Lord!  The frogs finally left the land of Egypt, and Pharaoh’s immediate troubles disappeared along with them.  But Pharaoh did not repent, and he still did not truly know God.  He let the Israelites leave Egypt, but it was reluctantly, against his will.  As soon as the discomfort eased, Pharaoh returned to his old ways, refusing to let the Israelites go.  Don’t worry—there are still the eight plagues to come.  Through them, God will show us the inevitable path that leads Pharaoh to destruction.

 

Let us pray together……

 

 

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.

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.

4 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.

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.”

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.