The second plague perhaps had a more direct effect on Pharaoh than the first. He would likely have been protected from the worst effects of what happened to the river Nile, but when he begged Moses to “pray to the Lord to take away from me” the frogs, it was clear that he personally had experienced the full effect of the plague of frogs.

As we read through this account of Moses and Pharaoh, we might wonder about Pharaoh’s attitude and his stubbornness. He clearly sees that the God of Moses is in control of the frogs and can make them appear and disappear at will, yet still he hardens his heart.

Yet, perhaps Pharaoh’s behaviour is not so strange. He is like the suffering person who cries out to a God he only half believes in, promising the earth if only God will relieve him of his suffering, but when that relief comes, forgets everything and goes on with his life without a thought for God. Even believers are not immune from this forgetfulness.

When things are going wrong, when we are suffering and tormented or in desperate need, instinctively we know that only a sovereign God can save us. When things are going well and we are comfortable it is easy to be less focused on our need for God.

Every time Pharaoh made a promise and broke it, his heart hardened even more, making it more likely that he would reject the Lord in future. Each choice, each decision, each moment can lead us closer to God’s heart, or further away from it. Let us choose each day to move closer to him step by step.

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH