The Flies are Coming!
Exodus 8:20-32
- We’re continuing our study through the book of Exodus.
- As we go through this study, we’re asking the question, “What can I learn from this passage about honoring God?”
- Last time, we looked at the third plague, the plague of lice, and saw that God’s Mighty hand was at work.
- We saw that God can do things the way He wants to, God can use even the smallest of things, and God can make the enemy powerless.
- This was evident as the magicians attempted to copy the plague by conjuring up some lice of their own, but they couldn’t because God made them powerless.
- Today, we’re going to look at the fourth plague, the plague of flies.
- When I was a kid, I liked to go exploring outside.
- My brother and I found this cool tunnel that was a long pipe used for irrigation, and we’d crawl through it when the water wasn’t flowing from it.
- One day, we decided that we were going to follow the irrigation ditch at the other end of the pipe and see where it went.
- It led us out into a big field where there were cattle.
- We thought we were being so adventurous and so we followed this ditch for a while.
- Then, we came to a spot where there was a big hump in the water.
- We weren’t sure what it was, so we got closer, and the closer we got, the more we noticed there were a bunch of flies swarming in the area, and the smell wasn’t so nice.
- When we got close enough to it, we realized that it was a dead cow, rotting away right smack dab in the middle of that irrigation ditch.
- Well, it scared the living daylights out of us, so we ran away and didn’t go back for a while, but I remember all those flies, and how loud they were, and what a nuisance they were as we were trying to figure out what animal it was.
- They were all over the carcass of the cow, and they were buzzing all around him.
- Of course, flies love to congregate around stinky, rotting things, like trash, or dead animals…
- And I don’t know of anyone who likes being around a bunch of flies.
- In the passage today, we find God choosing to use that pesky little insect, the fly, for His purposes as He continues to pour out His judgment on Egypt.
- So let’s look at three things about Pharaoh’s reaction and response to these swarms of flies.
I. Pharaoh was warned- Vs 20-23
- In our world, there are a lot of warning signs…
- Everything from traffic -signs to the warning statement printed on your coffee cup about how hot it is…
- Warnings are all around us, and they’re there for the purpose of protecting us from danger or physical harm.
- We can choose to pay attention to the warnings or we can disregard them, and when we disregard them, there are usually consequences.
- For example, years ago, my mother and I were driving to Machias.
- I had just gotten my license, and my father had just gotten a new truck, so of course I wanted to drive.
- So we’re driving on Route 191, but it was in the winter, and had snowed the day before, so the road was very slippery and there was a lot of slush.
- Well, the speed limit on 191 is 50 mph, and the vehicle in front of me was going about 45.
- So I thought I could just follow behind him, doing the same speed as him, and I’d be fine.
- Well I’m driving along when all of a sudden, I notice a light come on the dashboard and it started beeping.
- It was an orange light, with a picture of a car skidding.
- That meant the traction control system had activated because the road was slippery, and I should probably slow down.
- Well, the light scared me so much that I overreacted and slammed the brakes…
- Unfortunately, the bed of my dad’s truck didn’t have any weight in it, so the truck fishtailed, and we slammed into the snowbank on the other side of the road and were stuck there for a while.
- So the warning light was telling me the road was slippery and I needed to slow down, but since I already felt the wheels slipping, I tried to do it the way I thought best, by slamming the brakes, and of course, that made things worse.
- When it comes to any kind of warning sign, some people ignore them, while others overreact when they see them, but either way, it doesn’t end well.
- Here in this passage, God gives Pharaoh a warning sign before He sends the next plague, but Pharaoh chooses to ignore it.
- The last thing we were told in vs 19, is that after the plague of lice, Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed the counsel of his magicians to give God the glory…
- He also didn’t ask Moses to have God to remove the plague, like he did with the plague of frogs.
- That just shows you how stubborn Pharaoh was.
- He didn’t want to admit that he was wrong, he didn’t want to give God the glory, and he didn’t want to let the Israelites go.
- So, he’s putting his own pride above the welfare of his people, and that was only the third plague…there are still seven more to come!
- He was a wicked, stubborn man, and didn’t want to go running to Moses and God like he did with the plague of frogs…
- He was defiant, even as he and all of Egypt were scratching all over themselves, trying to relieve themselves from the itching and burning caused by the lice.
- But even if he was trying to avoid Moses, he couldn’t escape God, so we find in vs 20 God sends Moses once again to stand before Pharaoh…
- And once again, we find Pharaoh coming out to the water.
- Remember, when we looked at the first plague, we saw that one of the reasons Pharaoh would come out to the water every morning was as an act of worship to his gods.
- That gives you an even bigger picture of his stubbornness…
- God has been showing him that his gods are nothing and are useless…
- As a matter of fact, the very water he was standing in had been turned to blood by God, and Pharaoh’s gods couldn’t stop it from happening, or reverse it.
- Yet he is still going out to worship them…what foolishness!
- So, God sends Moses to warn Pharaoh of the next plague, swarms of flies.
- The Hebrew meaning for ‘swarms of flies’ here means “a mixture of insects.”
- That means that these swarms probably weren’t made up of just one type of fly…there were probably several types.
- In Egypt, there are dog flies which are blood-sucking flies, and they’re known for their painful bite, kind of like the horse fly.
- There are also these flies called “ichneumon” flies which deposited their eggs on living creatures so that the larvae can feast upon them.
- Some think there may have been beetles and wasps and other flying insects in these swarms as well.
- Either way, these swarms of flies would not be a good thing.
- So, how does Pharaoh answer Moses?
- He doesn’t, or at least an answer isn’t recorded in Scripture.
- I don’t know about you, but I think it’s very rude not to answer someone when they are talking to you.
- That shows you again just how hard his heart was…
- Not only that, but God being merciful, kind, and longsuffering actually gave Pharaoh time to let His people go, before He sent the flies…
- Moses told him, “Tomorrow, this sign will be.”
- Pharaoh was such a stubborn man!
- In vs 22, Moses tells Pharaoh that God will send the swarms of flies upon the Egyptians, but His people living in Goshen will not be touched by them.
- Once again, He is displaying His great power for all of Egypt to see, and He tells them in advance that He’s going to do it.
- Obviously, flies don’t normally discriminate…
- They’ll go where they want to…
- Usually, that’s as close to a person as they can get without being swatted…
- They especially like to buzz around the face for some reason…
- However, God created the flies, and has power over them, so He was able to command these flies to swarm the land of Egypt and leave His people in Goshen alone.
- We oftentimes don’t think about God being Lord over even the smallest of creatures, and them obeying His commands, but He is because He created them, just like He created you and me.
- How much more should you and I obey His commands?!
- After all, He created us, He died for us, and He has welcomed us into a loving relationship with Him!
- Don’t you think He deserves our obedience in all areas of our life?
- I think we’d all say yes!
- He deserves more than we can ever give Him, but He definitely-deserves our obedience…
- So when it comes to warnings He gives Christians in Scripture, it’s important that we heed those warnings and be obedient to Him in those areas, instead of being like Pharaoh, and just ignoring them.
- Here are some examples of warnings from God that we need to pay attention to.
- In James 1:19, we’re told, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…”
- So God is warning us to watch our speech, because if we’re not careful, we can cause a lot of damage with the words we say, especially with gossip.
- Another warning, given in Ephesians 4:26 is “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry…”
- So God is warning us to watch our anger, because if we’re not careful, we can really hurt people, emotionally and physically, when we’re angry.
- Another warning, given in 1 John 2:16 is that, “…everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world…”
- So God is warning us to watch our pride, because if we’re not careful, we’ll try to put God on the backburner for what we want, and make ourselves into our own little god.
- Those are just a few of the warnings…
- There are many more we could look at, but the point is that God’s warnings are not meant to be disregarded and ignored…
- No, as Christians, wanting to please God, we must heed those warnings and be obedient to our Great Lord.
II. Pharaoh was covered- Vs 24
- There’s something about insects that grosses me out.
- I just can’t stand to have them crawling on me.
- Even when a fly lands on me, I try to get it off as quickly as possible.
- When I was in Iraq, I remember there were parts of the desert that smelled really bad, and there were a lot of filthy streets!
- And of course, the bad smell attracted the flies.
- These flies were everywhere!
- Taking shelter inside only helped a little, but the flies would follow you in when the door opened, and then they’d be buzzing all around an enclosed space instead.
- On top of that, a lot of the Iraqi’s didn’t have very good personal hygiene, so they smelled really bad.
- So, as you’re trying not to gag from the smell, you’re also getting swarmed by the flies that are attracted by the stench.
- Some of these guys had flies crawling all over their head and arms and legs, but they were used to it, so it didn’t bother them.
- Anyways, I was so glad when our deployment was over, and I got to leave that stench and those flies behind.
- Here in vs 24, since Pharaoh once again refused to let the Israelites go, God sends the swarms of flies, just like He said He would.
- The flies swarmed Pharaoh’s home, the homes of his servants, and all the land of Egypt.
- They were everywhere and there was no escaping them.
- And this wasn’t just one or two swarms…
- No, the wording in Hebrew gives us the picture of “a heavy or oppressive swarm.”
- They weren’t just a nuisance…they were a terror to the Egyptians.
- In Psalm 78:45, we’re told “God sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them.”
- So these flies were covering everything…
- Imagine how loud the buzzing must have been…
- Imagine how their legs crawling on the people’s skin must have made the Egyptian’s skin tingle…
- Imagine how much it hurt when some of these flies actually bit or stung the Egyptians.
- Imagine trying to breathe fresh air, and instead breathing in a bunch of flies.
- Or how about trying to eat, and flies being all over your food, going straight into your mouth.
- It’d be hard to breathe with them crawling in your nose and it’d be hard to hear with them crawling in your ears.
- One thing is for sure…it would make you miserable!
- Pharaoh may have thought he could handle a bunch of flies, but he was dead wrong.
- Notice also that it says the land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.
- Don’t miss that…
- Once again, God put a stop to their worship of false idols.
- There was no way they could go out and make their sacrifices or say their prayers because the flies were too much for them…
- God was showing them He had the true power, and once again, the plague targeted one of their deities.
- The goddess Uatchit was the goddess of the flies.
- She was the lady of the marshes, which was where papyrus grew, and there was an abundance of insects in the marshes, especially flies.
- So, God was showing the Egyptians that even the gods they worshipped who supposedly controlled these flies, had absolutely no power and couldn’t stop Him.
- There’s something else God showed Pharaoh and the Egyptians through this plague.
- Notice that vs 24 says, “The Lord did so.”
- This time, He didn’t tell Moses or Aaron to stretch out their rod and bring this plague on Egypt…
- If He had them do that for every plague, the Egyptians could turn around and say, “The rod has the power to do these things.”
- Considering all the different gods they worshipped, it wouldn’t be hard for them to give the credit to the rod, which was only an object…
- No, God wanted them to see that He was in control, and He had the power.
- It’s great, because once again it’s showing us that God doesn’t have to use the same methods over and over again.
- It’s not the methods, the tools, or the people that have the power…
- It’s God Almighty!
- He deserves the glory!
- So, what does this mean for us as Christians?
- Obviously, God isn’t going to send a swarm of flies to our community to get the people’s attention, although He could if He wanted to.
- However, He has done something else.
- Looking back to Joel 2:28, we read, “It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions.”
- This prophecy was referring to the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Christians in the Upper Room.
- Luke tells us about that in the book of Acts chapter 2, when the Apostle Peter and the other disciples received the Holy Spirit and went out and preached.
- So when I thought of this picture of the flies covering the land of Egypt, my mind went to that passage in Joel…
- In Egypt, those flies covered everyone and everything in judgment for their sins.
- In the book of Acts, however, the Holy Spirit was poured out on that group of Christians, completely covering them, not as a judgment, but as a blessing.
- This caused them to prophecy, and have visions and dreams, all for the glory of God as His church multiplied and grew.
- But the prophecy continues to be fulfilled today, as the Holy Spirit continues to pour out Himself on believers.
- Initially, when we give our lives to Christ, we feel that transformation, as the Holy Spirit cleanses us and changes us.
- Every single person who gives their life to Jesus receives the Holy Spirit, instantly.
- Then, He pours out His Spirit on us continually, as we grow closer to Him, and as we serve Him…
- And of course, the work we do for Him is not in our own power, it’s with His power and His strength.
- Then there are times when we feel His presence in a special way, such as during a church service when He’s speaking to us through the music or through the preaching…
- There are also many stories of revivals happening in the past, when God poured out His Spirit in a special way on a Church or the believers in the community, and it was like His Spirit was covering every person and every part of the work…
- One such example is found in the Welsh Revival in 1905.
- It began when young men and women in a congregation who had never been known to speak openly of any experience of saving grace, stood up and testified fearlessly.
- Many bowed in prayer, others sang hymns…there were tears, sobs, and songs of praise as the group met well past midnight.
- Within two weeks, it was evident that the Holy Spirit was at work, as the revival grew and became national news.
- Many of the church meetings went on for more than 10 hours without a break, with packed buildings.
- Whole communities were turned upside down and were radically changed from depravity to glorious goodness.
- The crime rate dropped, often to nothing.
- The police force reported that they had little more to do than supervise the coming and going of the people to the chapel prayer meetings.
- Judges turned up at courts to discover no cases to try.
- The alcohol trade was decimated, as people were caught up more by what happened in the local chapels than the local public houses and bars.
- Families experienced amazing renewal, where many of the money earning husbands and fathers used to waste-away their income and sow discord…
- Once they turned to Christ, they not only provided correctly for family needs, but were now with their families, rather than wasting their time, and wages, in the public houses of the village or town.
- Men whose language had been filthy before, learned to talk purely.
- It is related that not only did the coal miners put in a better day's work, but also that the ponies they used in the mines were so used to being cursed and sworn at, that they just couldn't understand orders being given in kind, clean words!
- Yet, still the work output increased.
- The dark tunnels underground in the mines echoed with the sounds of prayer and hymns, instead of nasty jokes and gossip.
- People who had been careless about paying their bills, or paying back money they had borrowed, paid up all they owed.
- People who had fallen out became friends again.
- Souls were saved, individual lives were changed and Society itself was changed.
- That’s what can happen when the Holy Spirit pours out His Spirit on His people, and completely covers them with His love and protection.
III. Pharaoh was defiant- Vs 25-32
- Getting pulled over by a police officer is never a fun experience.
- It’s usually pretty nerve-racking, and you want it to be over as fast as possible.
- Unfortunately, not everyone keeps their cool when pulled over.
- There’s a video on YouTube from 1992 of a Maine State Trooper who pulled over a gentleman for speeding.
- For 6 minutes, the man is very defiant and belligerent with the trooper.
- He swore at the trooper, called him names, complained about the fine he was getting, and screamed and threw what I can only call a temper tantrum.
- At one point, he tore the ticket out of the trooper’s hands and threw it on the ground.
- The trooper remained very calm and professional, and told him to step out of the vehicle and pick up the ticket or he would be fined for littering.
- The man continued to throw a temper tantrum, and he’s really lucky he didn’t get arrested because not too many people would put up with that.
- Unfortunately, a lot of times when people get upset about something, they become defiant just like that man, and make things a whole lot worse on themselves.
- Here in Exodus, we find Pharaoh continuing to be defiant against God Almighty, even as he has flies crawling all over him and his palace…
- Notice first that he calls Moses over, and tells him he can take the people to sacrifice, but it’s on his terms, not God’s terms.
- He says, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.”
- Once again, he’s trying to keep some sort of control on the situation, wanting the Israelites to do things his way, not God’s.
- So, it’s a compromise, but it’s a defiant compromise.
- But Moses knew better…
- He points out to Pharaoh that it wouldn’t be right because the animals they would be sacrificing were considered sacred to the Egyptians.
- If they saw the Israelites sacrificing sacred animals in their land, more than likely it would cause a riot, and the Egyptians would stone the Israelites.
- Think about it…the Egyptians have suffered through four plagues so far.
- They know that the God of Moses and the Israelites is responsible for their suffering.
- So, they’re already angry with the Israelites as it is…
- But then to sacrifice in their land with animals they thought were sacred, would be to add insult to injury!
- To illustrate how serious the Egyptians were about the sacredness of their animals, let’s fast forward many years later, to when the Romans conquered and ruled in Egypt.
- The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus wrote "Whoever kills a cat in Egypt is condemned to death, whether he committed this crime deliberately or not. The people gather and kill him. An unfortunate Roman, who accidentally killed a cat, could not be saved, either by King Ptolemy of Egypt or by the fear which Rome inspired."
- So Moses was exactly right, and Pharaoh knew it.
- I wouldn’t put it past him, either, to suggest this, with the hope that his people would riot and kill a bunch of the Israelites.
- Maybe he thought it would put a stop to the plagues and send a message to Moses.
- In any case, Moses was wise, and said, “No.”
- Instead, he says, “We will go three days journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to God, as He will command us.”
- Notice this isn’t a request…
- Moses, with authority, is telling Pharaoh what they’re going to do.
- That’s because Moses didn’t answer to Pharaoh…he answered to God.
- Yet we still see Pharaoh being defiant, even after this, when he says, “I will let you go to sacrifice, but don’t go too far away.”
- He’s almost trying to make it sound like he’s giving the order, and by his permission, they can go three days journey.
- He was so stubborn, and his heart was so hard.
- Then, he continues to be defiant, when he says, “Intercede for me.”
- Remember, when he wanted the plague of frogs to end, he told Moses, “Entreat the Lord for me to take away the frogs…”
- Now, he won’t even say God’s name; just, “Intercede for me.”
- What a foolish man!
- So Moses does, and God removes the swarms of flies the next day, once again showing His power over His creation…
- But Moses also sees right through Pharaoh, so he says, “Don’t be deceptive again.”
- Pharaoh should have listened, but we’re told in the last verse that he hardened his heart once again and wouldn’t let them go.
- Sadly, just like Pharaoh was defiant against God Almighty, and attempted to compromise, there are a lot of people today, even Christians, who are defiant against God and are attempting to compromise with the world.
- Yet Scripture is very clear on what a person needs to do to become a part of God’s family.
- Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
- True, genuine belief comes with a broken heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, and a love for Him that is beyond words…
- Followers of Christ experience a change, a transformation, when we give our life to Him.
- Then, day by day, the Holy Spirit draws you close to Christ, and as Romans 12 says, you live your life a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, as an act of worship!
- And the closer you grow in your relationship with Christ, the more evident it becomes that there’s no room for compromise with sin in the life of a believer!
- And for a person who doesn’t have a relationship with Christ, every day without Him in your life is a day of defiance.
- Yet Jesus came and died on the cross for the sin of the world, so that you and I can become part of His family, with Him as our Savior, our Lord, and Friend, and Comforter!
- You don’t have to live in defiance to Him.
- Every breath you take is another opportunity He has given you to turn to Him.
- Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.
- Let’s take a moment now to think about what we’ve heard from God’s Word this morning.
