Hello and welcome to today’s Exodus 8 bible study for beginners. In this chapter we will read aout the second, third and fourth plagues of Egypt. According to Bible scholars, the events of Exodus 8 took place in 1446 B.C. approximately.
As usual, I encourage you to turn to Exodus 8 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Exodus 8. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is only through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. No one else can teach you better than the Holy Spirit Himself. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know.
In the Bible Study on Exodus 7, we read about the Lord commanding Moses to speak to Pharaoh all that He instructs him. We also learned about Aaron’s miraculous rod that turned into a serpent and the first plague of Egypt. Today, we will explore the second, third, and fourth plagues of Egypt.
Backstory on Exodus 7
The Lord instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh to free the children of Israel. He warned that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart and perform many signs in Egypt so that everyone would know He is the Lord. When Pharaoh requested a miracle, Moses and Aaron cast their rod before him, turning it into a serpent. Pharaoh’s magicians imitated this, turning their rods into serpents as well, but Aaron’s serpent consumed theirs. Despite this, Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened.
The Lord then commanded Moses to meet Pharaoh by the Nile and announce that He would turn the waters to blood, killing the fish and making the water undrinkable. Following the Lord’s instructions, Aaron stretched his hand over the waters, and all the water in the land of Egypt turned into blood and the river stank from the blood. Seven days passed after this event.
Without any further delay, let us study together and learn what is Exodus 8 about, shall we?
Exodus 8 Summary
The Lord commanded Moses to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go so they could serve Him. If Pharaoh refused, He warned that Egypt would be struck with frogs. Aaron was instructed to stretch his rod over the waters to bring frogs upon the land. The frogs covered Egypt, and the magicians replicated this with their enchantments. Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, asking them to pray to the Lord to remove the frogs, promising to let the people go. Moses prayed, and the frogs died, leaving a terrible stench. Yet, when Pharaoh saw the relief, he hardened his heart again.
The Lord then said to Moses to tell Aaron to stretch out his rod and strike the dust of the land so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh’s magicians tried again to bring forth lice through their enchantments, but this time they could not. Lice appeared on both man and beast. The magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” However, Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had said.
The Lord told Moses to meet Pharaoh by the water and demand the release of His people to serve Him. He warned that if Pharaoh refused, swarms of flies would plague him and all of Egypt, while the land of Goshen, where His people lived, would be spared to show His presence. The Lord stated that He would distinguish between His people and Pharaoh’s people, and that the next day’s the plague would be a sign. The next day, the Lord sent thick swarms of flies into Pharaoh’s house and throughout Egypt, causing great corruption in the land. The flies covered every inch of the land and people.
Pharaoh then called Moses and Aaron, asking them to sacrifice to God in the land of Egypt. Moses responded that it was not right to sacrifice the abominations of the Egyptians to the Lord also because the Egyptians might stone them if they saw. He explained that they needed to travel three days journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord as He commanded. Pharaoh agreed to let them go but insisted they shouldn’t go far and asked Moses to pray for him. Moses warned Pharaoh not to deceive him again. After Moses prayed, the Lord removed the flies, but Pharaoh hardened his heart again and did not let the people go.
Exodus 8 Commentary
1. Exodus 8:1-15
God uses the seemingly humble little amphibian (frog) to confound the self-proclaimed wise Pharaoh and the mighty Egyptian kingdom. There was supposedly a good reason behind it. It was a direct attack on the fertility frog deity of Egypt, known as Heqet, a frog-headed goddess who represented regeneration, birth, and fertility. The Pharaoh couldn’t do anything about the fertility of the Israelites, therefore, he sought to oppress the Israelites with heavy burdens and issued a decree to kill all male babies because he feared their increasing numbers and worried that they might join their enemies to defeat the Egyptians in the event of war (see Exodus 1).
He conveniently forgot that all children come from God. No one can mock God and get away with it. No one can shake their hands at God and escape. Consequently, God mocked the Egyptian false-god frog deity associated with fertility and conception. It was common for Egyptians to keep frog statues and charms in their homes as symbols of fertility. Yet, God used the very thing they worshipped as an abomination by causing frogs to abound throughout Egypt, turning them into a source of disgust for the Egyptians. When Moses prayed to the Lord at Pharaoh’s request, the frogs died, and the land stank of their decay. Thus, the deity they revered became an abomination that day.
2. Exodus 8:16-19
The third plague that God struck Egypt with was the lice. This was supposedly God’s direct assault against the Egyptian deity known as Geb, the false god of the earth. The Lord instructed Aaron, through Moses, to strike the dust of the Egyptian land, causing lice to swarm everywhere, as numerous as the dust itself. God Almighty is the God of the heavens and the earth, not the false god Geb. This action was meant to demonstrate that He is the true God and that everything on earth, including Egypt, belongs to Him. It showcases His sovereignty and reveals that there is no one greater than Him.
Moreover, it was in the land of Egypt that the Israelites’ burdens were increased, and they were made to suffer. Thus, He struck the land god of the Egyptians. We see God as the redeemer of Israel in action here. He continually warned Pharaoh to release His people, but Pharaoh did not heed the warnings. Up until this point, the magicians imitated God’s miracles with various enchantments, such as bringing forth frogs and turning water into blood; however, they could not replicate the plague of lice. They informed Pharaoh that this indeed was the work of God, and they were probably filled with fear as they recognized a power greater than anything they had encountered before.
3. Exodus 8:20-30
Pharaoh ignores the warning again, and God fulfills His word by sending a thick swarm of flies into Pharaoh’s and his servants’ houses and throughout all of Egypt. This was a direct attack against the Egyptian false god Khepri, who is depicted with the head of a scarab beetle. Khepri was associated with the rising sun and rebirth, but he was subordinate to the sun god Ra. Additionally, there was another fly goddess in Egypt named Uatchit, who was believed to guard the Nile Delta. Finally, the “Lord of the Flies” refers to Satan himself.
The Egyptians used flies as protective amulets, and Pharaoh even awarded golden flies to those who displayed heroism in battle. To them, flies symbolized military prowess. This context is significant because Pharaoh’s fear of the growing Israelite population drove him to oppress them, leading to the order to kill male newborn babies and increase Egyptian bondage and labor. As mentioned previously, Pharaoh’s actions stemmed from his fear that the Israelites might one day defeat the Egyptians in a military capacity.
Through the plague of flies, God demonstrated to Pharaoh that He is the one true God, superior to the false gods Khepri and Uatchit, as well as to Satan and all earthly powers. God showed that He is the God of Israel and the Maker of the heavens and the earth. And, He directly attacked the Egyptian god of military prowess. No false god and no fly amulet could protect the Egyptians from God’s Sovereign and Righteous judgment and wrath.
Exodus 8 Lessons
What can we learn from Exodus 8?
1. No one can mock God and get away with it
No one can mock God and escape His judgment. Pharaoh questioned Moses and Aaron about who their God was, thinking that He was just one of many gods. He mocked God by insulting His people and burdening them and the Egyptians also mocked God by creating images of God – having frog gods, a land god, a beetle god, and a god in the shape of numerous animals and insects and the sun. They were worshipping the creation instead of the Creator and calling various creatures as gods and that is an insult to God. These were clearly an abomination and an insult to God Almighty who created even the Phraoah in the first place because all life comes from God alone. Pharaoh’s great sins and his sins against the Israelites and not heeding God’s word brought God’s judgment on him and his people. God is not mocked no matter how great a person thinks himself to be. He was after all a mortal competing against an everlasting God.
2. Do not touch God’s anointed
When Pharaoh opposed the Israelites, he was going directly against God, as the Israelites have an active covenant with Him even to this day. Egypt was the mightiest kingdom on Earth at that time, but no kingdom could stand against God’s kingdom and succeed. When someone touches God’s people who are in covenant with Him, they are, in essence, going against God and inviting Him into battle, for which they will have to pay the price. God fights on behalf of His people; He is the redeemer of Israel. As believers, we are also included in His covenant, and therefore, He will defend us as well.
In Exodus 8:8, Pharaoh recognized the Lord as the Lord (by calling Him the Lord) and asked Moses to plead with Him to remove the frogs from the land. However, he later hardened his heart and rebelled against the Lord. To sin against the Lord unknowingly is one thing, but to sin knowingly is another.
3. False gods are no match for God Almighty
The Egyptian false gods were no match for the power of God Almighty. God directly shook the foundations of these false deities and the entire Egyptian kingdom. The Egyptians were polytheistic and worshipped many false gods, each serving a specific purpose—some for fertility, some for protection, and others as charms or amulets for their homes. They turned to these false gods to achieve particular desires, such as fertility, safety, or an afterlife. However, none of Egypt’s false gods could protect their followers from the judgment of the One True Living God.
God Almighty is the One True God; He is omnipotent and will not share His glory with anyone. The patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—worshipped God not for what they could gain from Him, but simply because He is God and they had a personal relationship with Him. Similarly, as believers, we worship God to truly know Him and experience fellowship with Him. There is a clear distinction between the motivations behind the Egyptians who worshipped the false gods and those who worship the One True Living God in spirit and truth.
Conclusion
This concludes the bible study on Exodus 8. I hope you enjoyed this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey. Feel free to share it with your friends and family. Also, share your thoughts and what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you about Exodus 8. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Until next time!