Frogish Experience

Exodus details the interactions Pharaoh had with his adopted step-brother Moses. An unusual conversation is recorded in Chapter 8 as the frogs plagued Egypt. The slimey, squishy amphibians were everywhere and in everything. They were all over the people and their houses. The critters were in the ovens, cabinets, and beds. Can you imagine stepping on and sleeping with a mob of mushy frogs? That was the unbearable situation.

It was so intolerable that the king quickly summoned Moses and Aaron back to the palace. He promised to release the Israelites to worship their God. The Message records the dialogue like this:

Pharaoh pleaded, "Pray to God to rid us of these frogs."

Moses replied, "Certainly. Set the time. When do you want the frogs out of here?"

Without thinking the king suggested, "Make it tomorrow."

Moses said, "Tomorrow it is."

The next day the frogs died. Houses, courtyards, and fields were free of live, pestering frogs. Egyptians piled the frogs in heaps, so sanitation engineers of the day could dispose of them. For some time the country reeked of dead frogs. The stench lingered in the land but not in Pharaoh's mind. He stubborned-up and renewed his refusal to release God's people. That had become predictable.

The amazing part of this story is that the king could've picked today rather than tomorrow. Moses had told Pharaoh to "Set the time. When do you want the frogs out of here?" The obvious answer was, "Now, this minute, immediately!" Not Pharaoh. His choice was, "Tomorrow." I imagine that got some eye rolls, sighs, and moans from his ever-present magicians. These "yes" men were probably used to their king's thoughtless decisions.

Pharaoh's poor timing selection brought more hours of torture on an already troubled and soon to be ravished people. Consider how timing has played an important role in your life's everyday happenings. I hope there wasn't a frogish experience!

Hind Sight

Hindsight is generally 20/20. Coaches and armchair quarterbacks find it so when they evaluate a team's weekend performance on Monday. Pharaoh discovered that truth as his army drowned in the Red Sea.

We have the details of the first time Moses and Aaron appeared before the King of Egypt to deliver their divine message. At that point all they sought was the aristocrat's permission to take a three-day trek into the wilderness to sacrifice to their God. Without the benefit of foreknowledge, Pharaoh's response was a vehement "NO!" Exodus 5:2 (MSG) records his exact words: "And who is God that I should listen to him and send Israel off? I know nothing of this so-called 'God' and I'm certainly not going to send Israel off." He could've/should've left his reply at a simple "no." He was all-to-correct when he stated that he knew nothing of this God.

His stubbornness lasted from the bloody waters to the plagues of frogs, lice/gnats, flies, livestock pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness, all the way to the death of the firstborn. When Pharaoh lost his son, it knocked him for a loop. I'm guessing his mind wandered back to the moment he first viewed the blood-red Nile. If he had just listened then, none of these horrific events would have happened. Perhaps his wife's sorrowful nagging added to his temporary distress. He couldn't get rid of the Israelites fast enough.

It didn't take long for Pharaoh to regret his weakness. He summoned his chariots, pursued Moses, and caught him at the Red Sea. He could've/should've waved a last farewell and returned to the palace with his army intact. Alas, this dictator is a few spears below the learning curve. He sent his entire militia into the parted sea to kill or recapture the multitude of escaping slaves. The bad guys all died mired down in mud as the waters reclosed over their heads.

This story doesn't prove the step brother is always smarter than the true heir to the inheritance. It does, however, confirm that hindsight is 20/20.