The Bible didn’t tell us when the third plague ended but Exodus 8:20-30 describe the fourth plague sent to inflict Pharaoh. The first two plagues defeated the gods of the Nile, the third plague defeated the god of the earth and now in the fourth plague, God confronted another god. Remember in Luke 11, when Jesus was casting out demons from a mute man, the Pharisees accused Him of confronting the demons by the power of Beelzebub, meaning the “lord of the flies.” Beelzebub is actually the prince of demons. And it would not be a surprise for the Egyptians to worship it. So in this plague, God was dealing with the prince of the air. So, we see the first two plagues dealt with the gods of the water, the third plague dealt with the goddess of the earth. Now this fourth plague, God was dealing with Beelzebub, the god of the air. Flies are very small pesky creatures, yet they were the instrument God used to deal with Pharaoh. This tells us that God will use both big and small things to deal with people.
In verses 20-21 God sent Moses to Pharaoh saying “Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, as he comes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. For if you do not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and on your servants and on your people and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they dwell.’” The same reason why Pharaoh should let the people go was given i.e. that they might go and worship God. Today He is still seeking for worshippers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. In His dialogue with the Samaritan woman at the well of Sychar in John 3, Jesus said in verse 23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people, the Father seeks to be His worshipers.” This is the only reason we believers are set free to do, that we may worship and serve Him.
True as God had foretold, the next day swarms of pesky flies literally invaded the whole of Egypt. Verse 24 describes what happened. A great “…swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants” and it said, “…and the land was laid waste because of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt.” But God did make a distinction between the Egyptians and His people, the Israelites. He said it in verse 23, “I will put a division between My people and your people.” He told Pharaoh that no fly would be found in Goshen where His people were located. This was to make clear to Pharaoh that the LORD is in the midst of His people. What an honor to be God’s people! He is truly in our midst to take us through our circumstances. We are so privileged. He had chosen us in Christ and we are His peculiar people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God’s own acquisition.
Pharaoh wasn’t particularly fond of flies. When he saw that the flies were destroying the land, he quickly summoned Moses and agreed to let the people sacrifice to their God but within the land. But Moses argued that they must make their journey away from Egypt which Pharaoh finally relented. On the way out, Moses said he would make supplication for Pharaoh to God. In verses 30-31, Moses entreated the Lord and the flies were removed. But again, Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not keep his word. What Pharaoh did, reminds us of what we shouldn’t do. As believers, we must keep the commitment we make to God. As believers, we must not renege on the promise we make to God. Let our yes be yes to Him. God will hold us to our word. So be serious when we make our promise to Him.
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