Exodus 8

Exodus 8 continues the chess match between God and Pharaoh.  Moses tells Pharaoh to “release my people so they can worship me”.  Of course he won’t, so the land is covered with a “mob of frogs”.  They were everywhere.  Pharaoh cries uncle, Moses asks the frogs be dead, and “God responded to Moses’ prayer”.  God answers prayer.  He heard from Moses, He talked with Moses, He answered Moses prayers.  There is communication happening here.  Two ways – not just a bunch of stuff heading up toward God.  It is a relationship where things are flowing both ways and God is answering Moses requests.  That is how prayer works.  We should talk some, but listen a lot more.  We should make requests, but get a Word from God.  It is two way stuff, not just us dumping a load of needs at the foot of the Throne.  God wants a relationship with us.  We need to really work on the prayer relationship.  It is powerful stuff when we really do it God’s way.

 

Pharaoh is quick to call Moses in and make the empty promise that he will set the people free, but “he got stubborn again and wouldn’t listen” and says nope – you can’t leave.  His magicians had been able to do the frog thing so it was no big deal.  Then comes gnats – bugs everywhere.  This time the magicians couldn’t reproduce the plague and “said to Pharaoh, this is God’s doing”.  Hmmm – different this time.  Maybe something to this Moses guy after all.  But Pharaoh remains stubborn so plague number four comes – flies.  There are “swarms of flies” everywhere, except where God’s people are in Goshen.  This is the first time that the plagues Moses released didn’t impact his people.  Can you imagine Moses now?  He was blamed for starting this all in the first place when Pharaoh increased the work load by making them gather their own straw for brick making.  Then came the bloody water, the frogs, the gnats – all were impacting the Israelites as well as the Egyptians.  I bet Moses was a really popular guy with the home team.  But now God spares the brethren and turns up the heat on Pharaoh.  He cries uncle again and Moses asks the flies to be gone.  “God did what Moses asked”.  We see that over and over in the relationship Moses has with God.  Are you connected with the Father like Moses was?  Are you listening and walking in obedience?  That is how we gain access to His power.  Prayer works.  We see it in the Bible and in people’s lives all around us every day.  It requires doing it God’s way, but the power is immeasurable if we learn to live God’s way.