ANOTHER NIGHT WITH THE FROGS
Exodus 8:1-15 (NKJV)
The Second Plague: Frogs
8 And the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go 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 smite all your territory with frogs. 3 So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. 4 And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants.”’”
5 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to 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 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.
8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the Lord that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.”
9 And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only.”
10 So he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.”
12 Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. 13 So the Lord did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields.
14 They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.
15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord had said.
Intro:
At exactly 8:02 AM on May 8, 1902. Almost 30,000 people died instantly in one of history’s worst natural disasters. The immediate cause of their deaths was the violent volcanic eruption of Mount Pelee on the French colonial island of Martinique.
It hurled millions of tons to rock, boiling lava and a terrible blast of super-heated air at the town of St. Pierre. The indirect case of their deaths was a sordid record of human stupidity, greed and political opportunism.
The volcano first began misbehaving a full week before the final disaster with warnings of what was to come in various degrees including a gigantic rock and mudslide, which killed several hundred people at a factory outside the town. But, with only a few exceptions, none of the persons in authority made any effort to evacuate the town, which lay at the foot of the rumbling volcano.
Procrastination! Some things can wait, some cannot! Our text speaks of the danger of delay.
Ill. The context. The 10 plagues sent upon Egypt represent the great duel between Jehovah God and the various false gods of Egypt. This passage concern the second of thee plagues, the plague of frogs.
This was a direct attack on Heqet, the frog-headed goddess who was believed to breath life from her nostril into humans created by her husband, the great god Khnum, from the dust of the earth.
This plague was clearly designed to show Egypt that Jehovah alone was God. In the midst of this scene sits a man named Pharaoh. His actions during this plague are of interest to us this morning.
Here is a man in authority at that time who could have been delivered the Egyptians from the plague, yet he chose to spend Another Night With The Frogs.
That is the subject I want to talk about this morning. Allow me to share some aspects of this story that teach us the great danger of delay (procrastination), especially in spiritual matters.
I. v. 1-7 A TERRIBLE CALAMITY
A. A Disgusting Calamity – Frogs Everywhere! Illustrate the extent of this plague.
B. A Disturbing Calamity – Frogs were considered sacred (a god of Egypt) and, as a result, could not be killed.
C. A Devastating Calamity – There wasn’t a single person beyond the reach of the frog’s influence.
D. A Defiling Calamity – The frogs filled all the temples and thereby defiled them and prevented the people from worshiping any of their other gods.
E. A Descriptive Calamity – A clear picture of a plague that afflicts all men (humanity).
1. Sin is everywhere – 1 John 5:19; Pro. 20:9
2. Sin cannot be handled by man (Note: v. 7, religion cannot handle it) (Psa. 107:17; Pro. 13:15)
3. Sin touches every life – Rom. 3:10, 23; Gal. 3:22
4. Sin keeps the sinner separated from God – Isa. 59:2; Psa. 66:18
II. v. 8-10a A THOUGHTLESS CHOICE
A. Pharaoh’s Desire – To be free from the frogs.
B. Pharaoh’s Dilemma – To call on Jehovah God would be to admit his own helplessness.
C. Pharaoh’s Decision – He decided to put off until tomorrow that which should have been done right then.
D. Pharaoh’s Depiction – He pictures (depicts) the lost sinner. Most lost people want a relationship with God. It gnaws at their souls. Their sins bother them and they know they need to prepare for the day when they will leave this world and judgment. However, before they can come to the Lord, they must confess their own sinfulness and inability (helplessness) before God. They must acknowledge God to be their only hope. As a result, they delay their coming to God and make up various excuses in an attempt to justify their indecision.
Some Typical Excuses:
1. I love my sin – 2 Tim. 3:4 (Rom. 6:23)
2. I am a good person – Pro. 20:9 (Matt. 5:20)
3. I am too evil – Luke 19:10; John 6:37; Mark 2:17
4. There is too much to give up – Ill. Hell – Mark 8:36
5. There are too many hypocrites in the church – Better to sit with them in church than to fry with them in Hell!
6. I just don’t understand the Gospel – Rom. 10:9
7. I am waiting for a feeling – Eph. 2:8-9
8. I can’t hold out – Not your job – 1 Pet. 1:5
9. I’ll wait until I can live it. Can’t live it until you have. The power to live it comes with it, Gal. 2:20.
What’s your excuse?
III. v. 10-15 TRAGIC CONSEQUENCE
(Note: Because of Pharaoh’s refusal to comply with the command of God, he and his people were required to spend another night with the frogs that they so despised.)
A. The Source Of The Consequence v. 10 – Pharaoh’s own words decided his fate.
B. The Scope Of The Consequence v.9, 11 – Pharaoh’s decision affected more than just him. Every person and family in Egypt was affected.
C. The Splendor Of The Consequence – The consequences of Pharaoh’s decision teach us a valuable lesson about the dangers of delay in making spiritual decisions.
1. The consequences of sin will continue until we respond appropriately to God’s call – Gal. 6:7-8.
2. The choice to continue in sin affects more people than just us. (Ill. A pebble tossed into a pond.)
3. It is dangerous to delay in spiritual matters – Pro. 27:1; Gen. 6:3; Pro. 29:1; 2 Cor. 6:2.
4. Salvation is too precious for you to take a chance on gambling it away – Luke 13:3; Matt. 7:13-14.
5. God will never force Himself upon you – John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Eph. 2:8-9
Conc:
Tomorrow! Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
Will you choose to spend another night with the frogs, or will you come to Jesus Christ for salvation today?
There are consequences that follow each decision. What will you decide today? Will it be sin or the Savior? Will it be Heaven or Hell?Will it be forgiveness or the frogs for another night? What will you do with the message you have heard this morning?
Come to Jesus today!
God Bless!
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Flaming the Revival Fire In Christ 