Matthew Henry Commentary Exodus 8
Matthew Henry Commentary
Exodus 8
Matthew Henry Commentary
Exodus 8
"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. And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs: and the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into thy house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs: and the frogs shall come up both upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thy hand with thy rod over the rivers, over the streams, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did in like manner with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Entreat Jehovah, that he take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice unto Jehovah. And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Have thou this glory over me: against what time shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, that the frogs be destroyed from thee and thy houses, and remain in the river only? And he said, Against to-morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word; that thou mayest know that there is none like unto Jehovah our God. And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only. And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto Jehovah concerning the frogs which he had brought upon Pharaoh. And Jehovah did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields. And they gathered them together in heaps; and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them, as Jehovah had spoken." — Exodus 8:1-15 (ASV)
Pharaoh is plagued with frogs; their vast numbers made them severe plagues to the Egyptians. God could have plagued Egypt with lions, or bears, or wolves, or with birds of prey, but he chose to do it by these contemptible creatures. God, when he pleases, can arm the smallest parts of creation against us.
In this way, He humbled Pharaoh. They could neither eat, nor drink, nor sleep in peace; but wherever they were, they were troubled by the frogs. God's curse upon a man will pursue him wherever he goes and weigh heavily upon him in whatever he does. Pharaoh yielded under this plague.
He promised that he would let the people go. Those who defy God and prayer, sooner or later, will be made to recognize their need for both. But when Pharaoh saw there was relief, he hardened his heart. Until the heart is renewed by the grace of God, the resolutions prompted by affliction do not last; the convictions wear off, and the promises that were made are forgotten.
Until the state of the air is changed, what thaws in the sun will freeze again in the shade.
"And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the earth, that is may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And they did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and there were lice upon man, and upon beast; all the dust of the earth became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: and there were lice upon man, and upon beast. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh`s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as Jehovah had spoken." — Exodus 8:16-19 (ASV)
These lice were produced from the dust of the earth. From any part of creation, God can bring a scourge with which to correct those who rebel against him. Even the dust of the earth obeys him.
These lice were very troublesome, as well as disgraceful to the Egyptians, whose priests were obliged to take great pains to ensure no vermin were ever found on them. All the plagues inflicted on the Egyptians related to their national crimes or were made particularly severe by their customs.
The magicians attempted to imitate this, but they could not. It forced them to confess, This is the finger of God! The check and restraint put upon us must indeed be from a Divine power.
Sooner or later God will force even his enemies to acknowledge his own power. Pharaoh, despite this, was more and more obstinate.
"And Jehovah said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon they servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are. And I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am Jehovah in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between my people and thy people: by to-morrow shall this sign be. And Jehovah did so; and there came grievous swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants` houses: and in all the land of Egypt the land was corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies. And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to Jehovah our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? We will go three days` journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Jehovah our God, as he shall command us. And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to Jehovah your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: entreat for me. And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat Jehovah that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to-morrow: only let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to Jehovah. And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and entreated Jehovah. And Jehovah did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one. And Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go." — Exodus 8:20-32 (ASV)
Pharaoh was early at his false devotions to the river; and should we seek more sleep and more slumber when any service to the Lord is to be done? The Egyptians and the Hebrews were to be distinguished in the plague of flies. The Lord knows those who are his, and will make it apparent, perhaps in this world, certainly in the next, that he has set them apart for himself. Pharaoh unwillingly entered into a treaty with Moses and Aaron.
He is content that they should sacrifice to their God, provided they do it in the land of Egypt. But it would be an abomination to God if they offered the Egyptian sacrifices; and it would be an abomination to the Egyptians if they offered to God the objects of the Egyptians' worship, namely, their calves or oxen. Those who would offer acceptable sacrifice to God must separate themselves from the wicked and profane. They must also withdraw from the world.
Israel cannot keep the feast of the Lord, either among the brick-kilns or among the flesh-pots of Egypt. And they must sacrifice as God commands, not otherwise. Though they were in slavery to Pharaoh, yet they must obey God's commands. Pharaoh consents for them to go into the wilderness, provided they do not go so far that he could not bring them back again. Thus, some sinners, in a pang of conviction, part with their sins, yet are reluctant for them to go very far away; for when the fear is over, they will return to them again.
Moses promised the removal of this plague. But Pharaoh must not deal deceitfully any more. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: if we think we can cheat God by a sham repentance and a false surrender of ourselves to him, we will inflict a fatal deceit upon our own souls. Pharaoh returned to his hardness. Reigning lusts break through the strongest bonds, and make men presume and break their word.
Many seem earnest, but there is some reserve, some beloved, secret sin. They are unwilling to see themselves as in danger of everlasting misery. They will refrain from other sins; they do much, give much, and even punish themselves much. They will stop it sometimes and, as it were, let their sin depart a short distance; but will not make up their minds to part with all and follow Christ, bearing the cross.
Rather than that, they venture all. They are sorrowful, but they depart from Christ, determined to keep the world for now, and they hope for some future time when salvation may be obtained without such costly sacrifices; but, in the end, the poor sinner is driven away in his wickedness, and left without hope to lament his folly.
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