Victory Over False Gods
Exodus 8:10-11: "Moses said, 'Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.'"
In round three of the showdown between Moses and the God of the Hebrews versus Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt, the Lord sends frogs to cover the land of Egypt. Frogs were everywhere – in beds, cooking pots, the water, every square inch of homes and palaces. Everywhere the eye could see, there were frogs, multitudes of frogs!
Not only did the people have to deal with nasty frogs surrounding them, but they could not dispose of them in any way. In the pagan practices of Egypt, they worshipped the goddess Heket. Heket was the goddess of fertility, and she was portrayed with the head of a frog. Thus, frogs were considered sacred and could not be killed. The Lord sent their little frog gods to overwhelm them; they were certainly a sign of fertility as there were more than could be counted, but the fertility was a curse instead of a blessing.
Once again, the Lord demonstrated the futility of the Egyptian pagan worship. There was no power in the presence of these frogs. Instead, they became a great annoyance and disruption to the Egyptians. Were they truly worthy of their worship? The Egyptians as well as the Israelites were called to see this futility and turn to the one true God who could send frogs and take away frogs.
Reflection:
Why do you think people are drawn to worship the creation instead of the Creator? How can God's creation draw you to deeper worship of the Creator?
In round three of the showdown between Moses and the God of the Hebrews versus Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt, the Lord sends frogs to cover the land of Egypt. Frogs were everywhere – in beds, cooking pots, the water, every square inch of homes and palaces. Everywhere the eye could see, there were frogs, multitudes of frogs!
Not only did the people have to deal with nasty frogs surrounding them, but they could not dispose of them in any way. In the pagan practices of Egypt, they worshipped the goddess Heket. Heket was the goddess of fertility, and she was portrayed with the head of a frog. Thus, frogs were considered sacred and could not be killed. The Lord sent their little frog gods to overwhelm them; they were certainly a sign of fertility as there were more than could be counted, but the fertility was a curse instead of a blessing.
Once again, the Lord demonstrated the futility of the Egyptian pagan worship. There was no power in the presence of these frogs. Instead, they became a great annoyance and disruption to the Egyptians. Were they truly worthy of their worship? The Egyptians as well as the Israelites were called to see this futility and turn to the one true God who could send frogs and take away frogs.
Reflection:
Why do you think people are drawn to worship the creation instead of the Creator? How can God's creation draw you to deeper worship of the Creator?
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