John Calvin Commentary Exodus 8:1

"And Jehovah spake unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Let my people go, that they may serve me." — Exodus 8:1 (ASV)

And the Lord spoke. Again, as if the matter were only now begun, God demands of Pharaoh His own unique right, namely, that His people should serve Him, but out of the land of Egypt, so that His worship might be separate and pure from all defilement. For He desired (as was said before) by this separation of His people to condemn the superstitions of the Egyptians.

Meanwhile, there was no excuse for the tyrant when, with sacrilegious boldness, he presumed to deprive God of His just honor. Therefore, in refusing to let them go, he was declared not only to be cruel but also a despiser of God.

Threatening is also added, so that at least he might, however unwillingly, be driven to obey. For this is how the stubborn must be dealt with, who are never brought to duty except when forced by fear or punishment. Indeed, God sometimes also threatens His own servants to stimulate their laziness, but He is especially more severe towards the perverse and disobedient. Thus it is said (Psalms 18:26):

With the pure you will show yourself pure; and with the froward you will show yourself froward.

This is the reason why He sanctions His command with threats⁹² when He addresses Pharaoh. In this second plague, there are, besides, two things we should note:

1. God shows that the Egyptians had until now held their lives by a precarious tenure, as it were, because He had protected them from the invasion of frogs by His special mercy. We know that Egypt, on account of its many marshes and the sluggish and almost stagnant Nile, was full of frogs and venomous animals. Now, when great multitudes of them come forth suddenly, cover the surface of the fields, penetrate even into the houses and bedrooms, and finally ascend even into the royal palace, it plainly appears that they were previously only restrained by God’s hand. Thus, the God of the Hebrews was the guardian and keeper of that kingdom.
2. God chose not only to inflict a punishment upon the Egyptians but also to expose them to mockery by its ignominious nature. Nor can we doubt that their pain must have been much embittered by this humiliation, when they saw that they were thus mistreated not by some victorious army, but by filthy reptiles. Besides this, their calamity had its origin in the Nile, which enriched their country with so many advantages.

But let us learn from this history that many deaths are mixed up with our life, and it is only lengthened for us because God restrains the dangers that everywhere surround us.

Again, although He may not openly strike us with lightning from heaven, nor arm His angels for the destruction of men, still, at His slightest nod, all creatures are ready to execute His judgments. Therefore, we must attribute it to His kindness and long-suffering if the wicked do not perish at each moment.

Finally, if we are ever pained by ignominy or disgrace, let us remember that this happens by design, so that the shame itself may mortify our pride.

⁹² In the Fr. the word here used is . the word here used is miracles, probably a misprint for , probably a misprint for menaces..