Exodus 8 “Before the Lord’s Demand”

Exodus 8 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:

• MATT REDMAN – The Heart Of Worship
• Hillsong – I Surrender
• Run To The Father – Cody Carnes

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• GOW U8.L41 Pharaoh Would Not Listen (Exodus 8:20-32) – Lesson for Kids
• No, Not One | Shipwrecked VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Million Reasons | Shipwrecked VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Never Let Go Of Me | Shipwrecked VBS | Outback Rock VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth arelocated in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

A week after the Nile had turned into blood, God instructed Moses to go to Pharaoh and warn him that if he refused to let the Israelites go, Egypt would be punished with a plague of frogs (vv. 1–4). When Pharaoh ignored this warning, Moses told Aaron, “Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt” (v. 5). As Aaron did so, the land of Egypt became overwhelmed with frogs (v. 6). Yet, the Egyptian magicians were also able to produce the same effect by their own secret arts (v. 7).

When these two disasters overlapped, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, promising that if they prayed to their God to remove the frogs, he would grant their request and let the people go. After receiving Pharaoh’s promise, Moses prayed to God to remove the frogs, and the Lord answered his prayer the next day (vv. 8–14). However, “when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen, just as the Lord had said” (v. 15). He broke his promise once again.

God performs yet another sign. He tells Moses to have Aaron strike the dust of the ground with his staff. When Aaron follows Moses’ instruction, all the dust turns into gnats (vv. 16–17). The Egyptian magicians try to replicate this miracle using their secret arts, but this time they cannot (v. 18). They say to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God” (v. 19), admitting that such a thing could only be done by divine power. Yet Pharaoh still hardens his heart.

For the fourth sign, God commands Moses to go to Pharaoh and warn him again: if he refuses to let the Israelites go, Egypt will be plagued with swarms of flies (vv. 20–23). Pharaoh ignores this warning, and soon the whole land of Egypt—except for the region of Goshen where the Israelites live—is filled with swarms of flies (v. 24). Regarding this event, God tells Moses, “I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow,” and adds, “so that you may know that I, the Lord, am in this land” (v. 22).

At this point, Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron and tells them to offer sacrifices within the land of Egypt, rather than going out into the wilderness (v. 25). This indicates that Pharaoh has caught on to the significance behind their request to go into the wilderness to worship. Moses responds that the Israelites cannot offer sacrifices in Egypt because their sacrifices would be detestable to the Egyptians (vv. 26–27). Since Egyptians worship animals as gods, offering them as sacrifices would have been seen as offensive and unacceptable. Pharaoh, unable to hold his ground any longer, agrees to let them go beyond Egypt, but insists they must not go very far (v. 28). He also asks them to pray for him.

Moses firmly warned Pharaoh not to change his mind again and then prayed to the Lord to remove the flies (vv. 29–30). God heard Moses’ prayer and removed all the flies from Egypt. Yet once again, when the plague is lifted, Pharaoh hardens his heart and refuses to let the people go (v. 32).

Meditation:

The most significant reason Pharaoh rejected Moses and Aaron’s demands was that he did not want to lose his source of cheap labor. With over a million people (Exodus 12:37 mentions 600,000 men alone), losing that many workers at once would have certainly crippled Egypt’s economy. Moreover, the massive construction projects Pharaoh initiated to satisfy his ego would no longer be completed.

Another reason for Pharaoh’s refusal was his pride as an absolute monarch. At that time, the king of Egypt was regarded as a god. No nation in the region could rival Egypt, and the world seemed to lie beneath Pharaoh’s feet. In contrast, Moses and Aaron were merely foreign laborers. For a divine king to submit to them was unbearable humiliation. That is why, the more he was pressed by God’s mighty hand, the more he hardened his heart in resistance.

Moreover, granting Moses and Aaron’s request would have also meant surrendering to the God of the Hebrews. Pharaoh and the Egyptians believed that each nation and tribe had its own gods. They believed Egypt was the supreme nation because their gods were the strongest. But through the increasingly severe plagues, Pharaoh must have realized with fear that the God of the Hebrews was stronger than his own gods. In a way, Pharaoh’s struggle against Moses was a spiritual battle to defend the honor of his national deities.

We, too, often behave like Pharaoh when confronted by the presence and power of God. God sometimes asks us to let go of what we cling to so tightly. Sometimes He asks us to lay down our pride. Other times, He calls us to abandon the idols we serve. Although His intention is to bless us, we, fixated on what is in front of us, assume that He is trying to harm us.

As a result, we may ignore God’s clear instructions or seem to obey at first only to change our minds later. Yet, even then, God continues to be patient. He allows Himself to be “deceived” by our false promises, again and again calling us back. We are still far from living lives that are worthy of such grace.

Prayer:

Lord, when You ask something of us, help us to offer it willingly, for it is Your desire to bless us. When You call us to humble ourselves, help us to step down without hesitation, for it is Your will to lift us up. To remain in You is to have everything; to remain outside of You is to lose it all. Oh Lord, bind us to Yourself and keep us in You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: God is greater than any earthly power, and He patiently calls us to trust and obey Him—even when it means letting go of pride, control, or comfort. His commands are always for our good, but like Pharaoh, we sometimes resist. Yet God’s grace continues to invite us back.

• For Preschool-Elementary
  • Why do you think Pharaoh didn’t want to let the people go, even after seeing all the frogs and flies?
  • What things are hard for you to share or give up?
  • If God asked you to do something hard, who could help you obey Him?
    
    
• For Youth
  
  
  • Pharaoh resisted God’s commands because of pride, fear, and a desire for control. When do you feel tempted to resist what you know is right?
  • Have you ever said “yes” to God or someone else but changed your mind later? Why did that happen, and what did you learn?
  • God keeps calling us back even when we mess up. What does that say about God’s character? How can you respond to that grace this week?