A Frog in the Face is Worth Two Million in the Passage

CarrOut · 09-14-2003, 04:31 PM

Reading Exodus this week, I was guilty of thinking that the frogs weren't such a bad plague. There is a little tree frog who lives on my porch, and he is kinda cute. The morning after I had been reading Exodus, I stepped outside and the little tree frog landed on my face. After I screamed, jumped, and thrashed about; I got to thinking about what it would be like to also have frogs in my bed, in my dishes, and all over me. God convinced me about that plague, with a frog in the face, because I was too dense to appreciate the description in the passage. Then I began to think about the other plagues. There were plagues of gnats and flies. The reason for the frog living on my porch is the plethora of gnats and flies attracted by the porch light which provide a fine frog buffet. God seemed to use my porch to show me in microcosm so many of the plagues. There was a plague of darkness. It was dark when that frog jumped in my face, and it made it all the worse. There was a death of cattle. I live near the biggest polluter in the state of Louisiana. Most of it gets pumped into wells two miles underground and doesn't bother anybody. Between me and the plant is a pasture of cattle. Every once in awhile, the plant makes a funny noise and a funny smell. Then I look to see if the cattle are dead or alive. If I ever see dead cattle, it is going to be a very big deal--time to either get out of town or shelter in place. There was a plague of locusts. After I composed myself from the frog in the face, I saw, of all things, sitting on the porch post, the biggest locust I have ever seen--about 3/4 inch in diameter and 3 inches long. God gave me a lot of object lessons that morning. There was a plague of the death of the firstborn. I am so glad that my firstborn is no longer trying to commute in a car with a leaky gas tank and an overheating engine. I'd like him to hang around awhile. Well, before I spill all the beans, let me put the plagues in order and point out three big things that happened through the ten plagues.

In plagues one, two, and three; God made a distinction between his servants and the servants of Egypt. As kind of a trailer to the plagues, God had Moses and Aaron turn their rod into a serpent. Then Pharaoh's magicians did the same thing. Pharaoh’s magicians also repeated plagues one and two--turning water into blood, and the aforementioned frogs. Plague three, the gnats, was attempted by Pharaoh's magicians and they failed. Then they warned Pharaoh that it was "'the finger of God.' But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen" (Exodus 8:19). This then was the first big thing--a distinction between what God's servants (Moses and Aaron) could do and what Pharaoh's servants (the magicians) could do.

Next, God "put a division between my people and your people" (Exodus 8:23). Plagues four, six, and seven--the flies, the boils, and the hail--affected only Egypt, not Goshen, where Israel lived. God, thus, first, made a distinction in his servants, and, then, in his people.

Finally, God made a distinction in what he accepts in those who turn to him. After the eighth plague, the locusts, Pharaoh said something that almost sounds like repenting: "forgive my sin, I pray you, only this once" (Exodus 10:17). This is rather different from David's repentance in Psalm 51:9b--"blot out all my iniquities." In the words of Horatio Spafford:
My sin! not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the Cross and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
God has no use for a limited request for forgiveness. Pharaoh's reaction to the ninth plague, three days of darkness, shows just how short-lived his repentance was. He called Moses in and threatened to kill him--pretty ludicrous considering all that had happened to Pharaoh through Moses. In the tenth plague, the death of the first born, God illustrated, through the blood on the door, how he delivers those who fully trust in him.

Praise God for His patient teaching. May we fully trust in Him and be counted His people and His servants. Praise the Lord!

Flyguy · 09-14-2003, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarrOut

Reading Exodus this week, I was guilty of thinking that the frogs weren't such a bad plague. There is a little tree frog who lives on my porch, and he is kinda cute. The morning after I had been reading Exodus, I stepped outside and the little tree frog landed on my face. After I screamed, jumped, and thrashed about; I got to thinking about what it would be like to also have frogs in my bed, in my dishes, and all over me. God convinced me about that plague, with a frog in the face, because I was too dense to appreciate the description in the passage. Then I began to think about the other plagues. There were plagues of gnats and flies. The reason for the frog living on my porch is the plethora of gnats and flies attracted by the porch light which provide a fine frog buffet. God seemed to use my porch to show me in microcosm so many of the plagues. There was a plague of darkness. It was dark when that frog jumped in my face, and it made it all the worse. There was a death of cattle. I live near the biggest polluter in the state of Louisiana. Most of it gets pumped into wells two miles underground and doesn't bother anybody. Between me and the plant is a pasture of cattle. Every once in awhile, the plant makes a funny noise and a funny smell. Then I look to see if the cattle are dead or alive. If I ever see dead cattle, it is going to be a very big deal--time to either get out of town or shelter in place. There was a plague of locusts. After I composed myself from the frog in the face, I saw, of all things, sitting on the porch post, the biggest locust I have ever seen--about 3/4 inch in diameter and 3 inches long. God gave me a lot of object lessons that morning. There was a plague of the death of the firstborn. I am so glad that my firstborn is no longer trying to commute in a car with a leaky gas tank and an overheating engine. I'd like him to hang around awhile. Well, before I spill all the beans, let me put the plagues in order and point out three big things that happened through the ten plagues.

In plagues one, two, and three; God made a distinction between his servants and the servants of Egypt. As kind of a trailer to the plagues, God had Moses and Aaron turn their rod into a serpent. Then Pharaoh's magicians did the same thing. Pharaoh’s magicians also repeated plagues one and two--turning water into blood, and the aforementioned frogs. Plague three, the gnats, was attempted by Pharaoh's magicians and they failed. Then they warned Pharaoh that it was "'the finger of God.' But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen" (Exodus 8:19). This then was the first big thing--a distinction between what God's servants (Moses and Aaron) could do and what Pharaoh's servants (the magicians) could do.

Next, God "put a division between my people and your people" (Exodus 8:23). Plagues four, six, and seven--the flies, the boils, and the hail--affected only Egypt, not Goshen, where Israel lived. God, thus, first, made a distinction in his servants, and, then, in his people.

Finally, God made a distinction in what he accepts in those who turn to him. After the eighth plague, the locusts, Pharaoh said something that almost sounds like repenting: "forgive my sin, I pray you, only this once" (Exodus 10:17). This is rather different from David's repentance in Psalm 51:9b--"blot out all my iniquities." In the words of Horatio Spafford:
My sin! not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the Cross and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
God has no use for a limited request for forgiveness. Pharaoh's reaction to the ninth plague, three days of darkness, shows just how short-lived his repentance was. He called Moses in and threatened to kill him--pretty ludicrous considering all that had happened to Pharaoh through Moses. In the tenth plague, the death of the first born, God illustrated, through the blood on the door, how he delivers those who fully trust in him.

Praise God for His patient teaching. May we fully trust in Him and be counted His people and His servants. Praise the Lord!

Heh, wow - that's really cool. Nice job!