Tuesday 14th July - One more night with the frogs

DAILY BYTE

The title of today’s devotion is, ‘One more night with the frogs.’ It comes from the story in Exodus 8. God had heard the cries of the Israelite people, who were living in Egypt as slaves under the oppressive hand of Pharaoh. So God sent Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh saying to him, ‘Thus says the LORD. Let my people go. And if you refuse, I will send plagues upon your whole country.’

Sure enough, Pharaoh refused, and so there followed a whole series of plagues.

The second of which was a plague of frogs. We read that the frogs came up out of the rivers and pools of Egypt and covered the whole land. They came into Pharaoh’s palace, they came into his bedchamber and even into his bed. Can you imagine what Mrs Pharaoh had to say about that? The frogs came into the houses of Pharaoh’s officials and all of his people. They even hopped their way into the Egyptians’ ovens and kneading bowls, so that they literally croaked their way onto every menu and into every dish.

Finally, Pharaoh couldn’t take it any more. He called Moses & Aaron and said to them, “Please, I’m begging you. Pray to the LORD to take these....$@%! frogs away!”

And Moses said to him, “Sure. Just tell me WHEN I am to pray for you and your officials and your people, that the frogs may be removed from you.”

And Pharaoh said...... TOMORROW!

Tomorrow? TOMORROW? The frogs are everywhere. They’re driving you crazy Pharaoh. What about today? What about right now? You know that they’ve got to go. So why wait? Why delay? Surely, surely, you would want this dealt with right away?

But Pharaoh says, “No thanks. Tomorrow is fine. I think I’ll have one more night with the frogs.”

It’s ridiculous. And we can laugh at Pharaoh’s stupidity. But before we laugh too loud, we would do well to recognise that in many ways we are just like Pharaoh. For we too often choose to spend one more night with the frogs.

Let me explain:

The frogs in the story could represent for us the things in our lives that are out of sync, out of kilter because of our resistance to what God requires of us. And even though we hear God’s word, and even though we know what God wants. Even though we feel the intense discomfort and distress from continuing in ways that are opposed to the ways of God. Even when we toss and turn in the middle of the night, unable to sleep for conscience’s sake - constantly hearing in our ears the croaking of our disobedience. Even when we know that this cannot continue and that something simply has to change. Yet, just like Pharaoh, there is a strange reluctance within us to deal with these things, to face the source of our anxiety and stress. And so, just like Pharaoh, we choose to spend one more night with the frogs.

Over the next couple of days we will look at two broad ways in which this can be true for our lives.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Forgive us Lord for growing comfortable with mediocrity, complacent about dealing with what is wrong in our lives, and resistant to life-giving change. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING

Exodus 8:1ff

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The river shall swarm with frogs; they shall come up into your palace, into your bedchamber and your bed, and into the houses of your officials and of your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls….

So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, "Pray to the LORD to take away the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD." Moses said to Pharaoh, "Kindly tell me when I am to pray for you and for your officials and for your people, that the frogs may be removed from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile."

And Pharaoh said, "Tomorrow." And Moses said, "As you say!”