“But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.”
~ Exodus 8:15
Hi James and Ellen,
What does your grandpaa call James? Your grandpaa calls James – Goupie Frog. Do you like frogs? Have you ever seen a frog – or a toad? Your grandpaa when he was a kid used to catch frogs. A bait shop that was located in the town near where your grandpaa grew up as kid one summer bought the frogs that your grandpaa caught. Your grandpaa caught the spotted brown and green frogs that he sold to the local bait shop in the grass that was growing alongside the dirt road that goes past the house where your grandpaa grew up as a kid. The bait shop was glad to get the frogs that your grandpaa caught. Fishermen bought frogs to fish for the northern pike that are in the lakes near where your grandpaa grew up as a kid. Your grandpaa was paid a penny a frog. There are a lot of different kinds of frogs – and toads. The frogs that your grandpaa used to catch were not slimy. There are frogs or toads that are very slimy. These frogs or toads may make a guy, gal or kid sick if a guy, gal or kid touches one of these frogs or toads. Your Aunt Lynn does not like frogs. Your grandmaa and grandpaa one day had a slimy frog get into one of the houses where your grandmaa and grandpaa lived in in Bolivia. The house was built by a guy – Uncle Jaime Davids, who your dad knows really well. The frog was a whitish, grayish looking frog. The frog had large webbed feet. The frog was sticking to a wall. What do you think that your Aunt Lynn did when she saw this slimy whitish, grayish frog sticking to the wall near her room in the house where she was living with your grandmaa and grandpaa? Your Aunt Lynn jumped. What do you think that the slimy whitish, grayish frog did? The slimy whitish, grayish frog jumped. When the slimy whitish, grayish frog jumped, your Aunt Lynn jumped again. It was really funny to watch your Aunt Lynn jump and then the slimy whitish, grayish frog jump and then . . . the way that your Aunt Lynn jumped was like the way that the slimy whitish, grayish frog jumped.
How would you like to have frogs – or toads, all over your yard, in your house, in your bedroom and in your toy box? That is what happened to Egyptian families in Egypt about 3400 years ago. God had a baby boy born about eighty years earlier. This baby boy was supposed to be killed but . . . the baby boy’s ma put her newborn baby boy in a little reed boat and left her baby boy floating on the Nile River. The Nile River is located in Egypt. The family of Jacob – who had God change his name to Israel, had relocated to Egypt. Israel’s extended family – after spending about 430 years in Egypt, had gotten so big that the Egyptian Pharaoh mandated that boys who were born to Israelite people group mas were to be killed. After this little baby boy was put on the Nile River in a tiny reed boat, the little guy was found by Pharaoh’s daughter. Pharaoh’s daughter raised the little boy. The little guy was given the name Moses. Moses forty years later killed an Egyptian. Moses fled to a desert region in order to stay alive. If Moses had remained in Egypt, Moses may have been killed by a guy from the family of the guy who he killed. Moses lived for forty years in the desert. Moses took care of sheep during those forty years that he was in the desert. God prepared Moses to lead His specially chosen guys, gals and kids – the Israelite people group guys, gals and kids, out of Egypt to the Promised Land. When the time came for God’s specially chosen people to leave Egypt, the Egyptian Pharaoh would not let them go. Why do think that the Egyptian Pharaoh would not let God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids leave Egypt? Egypt’s guys were using God’s specially chosen guys as slaves. The Egyptian Pharaoh needed to be convinced that he really needed to let the Israelite people group’s guys, gals and kids go. What do you think that God did? God sent plagues to convince the Egyptian Pharaoh to let His specially chosen guys, gals and kids leave Egypt for the Promised Land. Do you know what a plague is? A plague is something really bad. A plague will affect all the guys, gals and kids in a specific land area – sometimes making them really sick resulting in some of the guys, gals and kids dying. There are plagues even today all over the planet Earth which are affecting guys, gals and kids.
Moses reports in Exodus 8 on three of the ten plagues that God caused Egyptian guys, gals and kids to suffer in order to get the Egyptian Pharaoh to let God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids – the Israelite people group’s guys, gals and kids, leave Egypt. The very first plague happened in the previous chapter. God turned the waters of the Nile River red – like blood. God may have caused a red type of algae to turn the Nile River blood red. When the Nile River turned red, everything in the Nile River died or got out of the water. When the Egyptian Pharaoh changed his mind about letting the guys, gals and kids who God chose to be His specially chosen guys, gals and kids leave Egypt, God sent frogs or toads into the yards and houses of the Egyptian guys and gals. God also had the frogs and toads that were in and around Egypt’s streams, canals and ponds go into the houses of the Egyptian guys and gals. How do you think that the Egyptian Pharaoh and the Egyptian guys and gals felt about having frogs and toads in their yards and houses? They were really unhappy. The Egyptian Pharaoh decided to let the Israelite people group’s guys, gals and kids leave Egypt but . . . verse 15 says “But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.” God sent next a plague of gnats. God had Pharaoh change his mind again to not let His specially chosen guys, gals and kids leave Egypt. God sent flies next. Your grandpaa is sure that if you do not listen to God, that God will send ‘frogs’ into your lives to get you to listen to Him. It is when you thank God for a frog that He has sent into your lives that you will know God’s grace.
Exodus 8 (153)