V1 – The Lord says it again… Let my people go so that they can worship me. Worship is to be given to the Lord. It’s our sacrifice to Him, our utmost devotion to Him and our utmost submission before his presence. God’s purpose in setting the Israelites free is so that they can freely worship him and given him their utmost devotion. But am not sure the Israelites ever got this properly. Theirs became a struggle where God would have to continuously remind and reproach them because they would move away.
While it holds true that the Lord was going to set them free and take them to a land of milk and honey as He had promised, that was his part which He was going to do and He did not need the Israelites to do anything really. And He would indeed bless them and increase them. And true to his word, God did all these things.
But for God, it is very clear from the beginning that He was setting them free and out of slavery so that they would worship Him. His purpose was to make sure that they have the freedom, time and all they needed to worship Him.
I find myself straying because I forget that He has set me free for his glory. He has set me free so that I can worship Him — worship him by utmost devotion and fear of Him in all areas of my life. In his mercy, He also has given his spirit, the Holy Spirit, who is to help me to accomplish this according to how God desires.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NIV – Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
Isaiah 43: 6b- 7 NIV – Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.
Isaiah 43:20-21 NIV – The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.
Psalm 29:2 NKJV – Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
(Lord, keep me in a place where I understand that you have set me free so that I can worship you. That I can give my utmost devotion to you, my God. And while it’s true that you will bless and increase me, that is not the end in itself for me. The purpose of setting me free is so that I can worship you and give my utmost devotion and obedience to you. Help me by your spirit to do this.)
V2-7 – The plague of frogs comes and there are frogs everywhere, they even jump into ovens. That was extraordinary. The frogs were jumping on people and were even on the Egyptians’ bed.
And the magicians were also able to do the same. But clearly, there was still a distinguishing aspect. Because even though the magicians were able to make frogs come up on the land, this time Pharaoh noticed the immense nature or numbers of the frogs that had come up when Moses and Aaron raised their staff. And his heart, unlike the previous times, now started to feel God’s power. He must have started realizing that this was not ordinary.
And therefore even in this plague, the Lord still gets all the glory!
V8-14 – Pharaoh humbles and ask for help. He is now willing to let the Israelites go. And Moses says that indeed the Lord will take away the frogs and the Egyptians will know that there is no one like the God of Israel.
And the Lord heard the prayer of Moses and Aaron and the frogs. They had been so many such that they were piled in heaps and the land smelled. So the Egyptians were clearly able to see that the frogs came abruptly and all died abruptly. No one apart from the Lord could have done that. And they saw it. They could not deny it.
The Lord was indeed glorified through this plague.
V15 – Pharaoh hardens his heart again, He became stubborn. And the Lord had said all this would happen. And He was going to reveal his mighty power through Pharaoh’s hardness of heart.
But, note that God saw the humility of Pharaoh at first and He took away the plague. I think this is what most of us do. We harden our hearts as soon as God takes away the trouble we had or the pain we faced. God’s goal is always that we would come closer to him but immediately He takes away trouble, we make our hearts stubborn again. And we thus continue stirring up God’s anger.
Romans 2: 4-11 NIV – Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.
May the Lord help us.