The LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus
says the LORD, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. But if you refuse to
let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. The Nile shall
swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and
on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your
ovens and your kneading bowls. The frogs shall come up on you and on your
people and on all your servants.” Then Pharaoh called Moses and…said,
“Plead with the LORD to take away the frogs from me and from my people...”
Moses said to Pharaoh, “…when [should I] plead for you…that the frogs be cut
off from you...?” And he said, “Tomorrow.” ~ Exodus 8:1-4; 8-10a
The brutal clarity of the
response given by the Pharaoh, “Tomorrow,” to be relieved from the Lord’s plague
of frogs, demonstrates the human heart at work. This amazes me because it
reveals that in the face of disaster, people still are willing to cleave onto
their sin. In this case, Pharaoh actually desired to live one more day with
the frogs—amazing! Why not say, “Now!” or “Take the frogs away
immediately!” The answer lay in the human heart and is quite applicable to all
of us.
There is a human
understanding that is not wisdom, and it attempts to reason with insanity. As
Proverbs 14:12 states, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end
is the way to death.” When we try and justify ungodly behavior with a false sense
of being in control, it is folly at best; only leading to a hardened heart or
false doctrine (both lead to destruction). As well, there is no small fact that
the Pharaoh was not the only person affected by the plague; don’t miss the relevance,
as it shows us how our thoughts, actions, rebellion toward sin and
disobedience, have lasting ramifications on others around us.
So many people seek peace,
contentment, freedom from anxiety, happiness, etc. The problem is deeply rooted
in our idol worship of ourselves and our own actions. Yes, when we negate God’s
Word and cling to relativism (what’s true for you is not true for me), we are idolizing
ourselves. When we believe, “I got this…” or “I’m in full control now…” the
inevitable will happen—disaster! I fear that many “believers” of Christ are not
disciples; nor have they measured the cost (Luke 14:25-33) or desire to. The
individualism of today’s society has so far grounded itself into the mainstream
that now “Christians” claim sin to be OK—it’s not! Conviction is a powerful
tool from the Holy Spirit, beautifully purifying with love, molding soft clay
with a firm and holy hand.
Jesus proclaimed, “I came
to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49).
These words should make one cringe with the fear of God, but sadly they are
probably never read. Here’s the gist: it is better that we live in a world
where there is judgment, righteousness, and conviction because if it does not
exist, “WOE” to the sinful masses, to their great surprise, when God judges
humanity, it will be found seriously lacking and devoid of any repentance. The
reason society would be found without repentance is because they would have
been raised and cultured to believe sin is OK—hearts become seared with false
doctrine, false reality, and false integrity. There would be an earth with zero
presence of absolute truth, no morals, no ethics, nor honest value, or any sense
of wrong doing.
So, it seems even
Christians today are saying, “One more day with the frogs.”
I say—No more
frogs. Today. Now. Immediately God, I repent of my sin and turn to your
Holiness, Majesty, and Righteousness. Amen.
Amen, bro.
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