Else, if you will 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. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground they are on. I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, to the end you may know that I am Yahweh on the earth. I will put a division between my people and your people. This sign shall happen by tomorrow.” ’ ” Yahweh did so; and there came grievous swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses. In all the land of Egypt the land was corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies.
Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land!”
Moses said, “It isn’t appropriate to do so; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to Yahweh our God. Behold, if we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, won’t they stone us? We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Yahweh our God, as he shall command us.”
Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to Yahweh your God in the wilderness, only you shall not go very far away. Pray for me.”
Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you. I will pray to Yahweh that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow; only don’t let Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to Yahweh.” Moses went out from Pharaoh, and prayed to Yahweh. Yahweh did according to the word of Moses, and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. There remained not one.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv21, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29 Or, a multitude of venomous beasts as serpents, etc.
Or, a multitude of venomous beasts as serpents, etc.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv21–31 Exo 8:21 Else, if thou wilt not let my…
Exo 8:21 Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms [of flies] upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms [of flies], and also the ground whereon they [are].
Ver. 21. Shall be full of swarms of flies.] Of all the ten plagues this was the most troublesome; for that they never suffered men to rest: so worldly cares; nocte ac die non dabunt requiem, as those tyrants in Jer 16:1-21.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 Swarms of flies; Heb. a mixture of insects or…
Swarms of flies; Heb. a mixture of insects or flies, as appears from Psa 78:45, which were of various kinds, as bees, wasps, gnats, hornets, &c, infinite in their numbers, and doubtless larger and more venomous and pernicious than the common ones were.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv21–30 And I will sever in that day the land…
And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell,.... Distinguish it from other parts of the land of Egypt:
that no swarms of flies shall be there; which was a very wonderful thing, and so the word may be rendered. "I will marvellously sever or separate" (o), and so the Targum of Jonathan, "I will do wonders or miracles in that day": as they were to make such a difference in one part of the country from another, and so near as Goshen was to the place where Pharaoh lived, and to bound and limit such sort of creatures as flies, which move swiftly from place to place, and particularly to keep the land of Goshen clear of them; when, as Bishop Patrick observes, it was a country that abounded with cattle, whose dung is apt to breed flies:
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to the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth; he is God over all the earth, and rules as a King in the midst of it, and does whatsoever he pleases in it; see Psa 74:12 and in the midst of the land of Goshen where his people dwelt, and over whom he was King in a peculiar manner, and took a peculiar care of them, to protect and defend them; and which must the more vex and distress the Egyptians, when they saw the Israelites clear of those plagues they were afflicted with.
(o) "faciamque mirabilem", V. L. "miraculose agam", Fagius; "marvellously sever", Ainsworth.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28 Flies - Or insects of various kinds; not only…
Flies - Or insects of various kinds; not only flies, but gnats, wasps, hornets; and those probably more pernicious than the common ones were.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31 The FOURTH plague - FLIES
The FOURTH plague - FLIES
Verse 21. Swarms of flies upon thee] It is not easy to ascertain the precise meaning of the original word הערב hearob; as the word comes from ערב arab, he mingled, it may be supposed to express a multitude of various sorts of insects. And if the conjecture be admitted that the putrid frogs became the occasion of this plague, (different insects laying their eggs in the bodies of those dead animals, which would soon be hatched, see on Ex 8:14), then the supposition that a multitude of different hinds of insects is meant, will seem the more probable. Though the plague of the locusts was miraculous, yet God both brought it and removed it by natural means; see Ex 10:13-19.
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Bochart, who has treated this subject with his usual learning and ability, follows the Septuagint, explaining the original by κυνομυια, the dog-fly; which must be particularly hateful to the Egyptians, because they held dogs in the highest veneration, and worshipped Anubis under the form of a dog. In a case of this kind the authority of the Septuagint is very high, as they translated the Pentateuch in the very place where these plagues happened. But as the Egyptians are well known to have paid religious veneration to all kinds of animals and monsters, whence the poet: -
Omnigenumque deum monstra, et latrator Anubis,
I am inclined to favour the literal construction of the word: for as ערב ereb, Ex 12:38, expresses that mixed multitude of different kinds of people who accompanied the Israelites in their departure from Egypt; so here the same term being used, it may have been designed to express a multitude of different kinds of insects, such as flies, wasps, hornets, c., &c. The ancient Jewish interpreters suppose that all kinds of beasts and reptiles are intended, such as wolves, lions, bears, serpents, &c. Mr. Bate thinks the raven is meant, because the original is so understood in other places and thus he translates it in his literal version of the Pentateuch: but the meaning already given is the most likely. As to the objection against this opinion drawn from Ex 8:31, there remained not one, it can have very little weight, when it is considered that this may as well be spoken of one of any of the different kinds, as of an individual of one species.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 31 Exo 8:21. Swarms of flies — The original word,…
Exo 8:21. Swarms of flies — The original word, ערב, means properly a mixture, or multitude of noisome creatures. And some understand by it, swarms of venomous insects and noxious animals, as serpents, scorpions, &c. See the margin. The Septuagint renders it κυνομυια, the dog-fly, flies these which stick fast in the skin, lance it with a sharp proboscis, and suck the blood. Bochart and several others approve of this translation, the rather because this insect was peculiarly offensive to dogs, animals held in religious veneration by the Egyptians. But no doubt, insects of various kinds are included, not only flies, but gnats, wasps, hornets, and those probably more pernicious than the common ones were.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv21, 22, 25, 26, 27 Swarms of flies - Generally, supposed to be the…
Swarms of flies - Generally, supposed to be the dog-fly, which at certain seasons is described as a plague far worse than mosquitos. Others, however, adopt the opinion that the insects were a species of beetle, which was reverenced by the Egyptians as a symbol of life, of reproductive or creative power. The sun-god, as creator, bore the name Chepera, and is represented in the form, or with the head, of a beetle.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv21, 22, 23, 24, 26 Flies. Hebrew earob. Septuagint, "dog-flies." Some include under this…
Flies. Hebrew earob. Septuagint, "dog-flies." Some include under this plague all sorts of wild beasts. (Josephus, [Antiquities?] ii. 13; Wisdom xi. 9, 16, 18.) Insects are very troublesome, and the pagans honoured Jupiter with the title of Apomuios, because he delivered them from flies. Beelzebub, "the god-fly," got his name for the same reason, 4 Kings i. 1. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v25 Pharaoh called for Moses, . . . Go ye,…
Pharaoh called for Moses, . . . Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land, &c.--Between impatient anxiety to be freed from this scourge and a reluctance on the part of the Hebrew bondsmen, the king followed the course of expediency; he proposed to let them free to engage in their religious rites within any part of the kingdom. But true to his instructions, Moses would accede to no such arrangement; he stated a most valid reason to show the danger of it, and the king having yielded so far as to allow them a brief holiday across the border, annexed to this concession a request that Moses would entreat with Jehovah for the removal of the plague. He promised to do so, and it was removed the following day. But no sooner was the pressure over than the spirit of Pharaoh, like a bent bow, sprang back to its wonted obduracy, and, regardless of his promise, he refused to let the people depart.
Next: Exodus Chapter 9
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv21, 22, 25, 26 21. Swarms of flies — The precise nature of…
21. Swarms of flies — The precise nature of this plague is doubtful. The word used, ערב, occurs only in this place and in the two psalms where this judgment is described, so that we get no aid in interpretation from parallel passages. The rendering of the Septuagint is dog-fly, an insect which in Egypt gives great annoyance to man and beast; and as the authority of that version is very high on Egyptian subjects, this is the most usual interpretation. These insects are described as coming in immense swarms, and settling in black masses on whatever part of the person of the traveller is exposed. Stuart Poole considers it to have been the domestic fly, which is now the most troublesome insect in Egypt. Hengstenberg quotes a traveller as saying: “Men and beasts are cruelly tormented by them. You can form no conception of their fury when they want to settle on any part of your body. You may drive them away, but they settle again immediately, and their obstinacy wearies out the most patient man.” The distress arising from ophthalmia, now so common in Egypt, is much aggravated by the swarms of flies. Others, as Adam Clarke, Wordsworth, Kurtz, following a Jewish tradition, consider this plague to have been swarms of all kinds of noxious insects, and the author of the Book of Wisdom seems to have supposed that there were beasts also. (Wis_11:15-16, etc.) Swarming creatures of some kind, probably of various species of insects, so afflicted Pharaoh that he yielded more than ever before, and consented to allow the Israelites to go into the wilderness and sacrifice. Further than this we cannot yet affirm.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv21–30 21. swarms of flies] Heb. ‘ârôb,—except here and in…
21. swarms of flies] Heb. ‘ârôb,—except here and in the sequel, only Psa_78:45; Psa_105:31 (in allusions to this plague). ‘Arôb might mean a mixture (cf. ‘çreb, Exo Exo_12:38, a ‘mixed multitude’), and so possibly a swarm (AV. rightly kept ‘of flies’ in italics); but some definite insect is evidently meant; and it is best to suppose that the word, whatever its etymology may be1[122], denotes some particularly irritating kind of fly, LXX. κυνόμυια, or dog-fly: in Psa_78:45 the ‘ârôb is said to have ‘eaten,’ or devoured, the Egyptians. Flies are a common pest in Egypt; swarms are often brought up by the S. wind, settling everywhere, filling the houses, irritating men and animals alike, and often carrying with them the germs of contagious diseases, especially ophthalmia, diphtheria, and (one kind) malignant pustules (Post in DB. ii. 25). In Isa_7:18 the ‘fly’ (the ordinary word) is a symbol for the Egyptian armies. The ‘dog-fly’ is described by Philo (Vit M. p. 101), who lived in Egypt, as a biting insect, attacking its victim with the force of a dart, and not desisting till it had had its fill of blood and flesh.
[122] The meaning ‘the sucker’ (Ges.), from an isolated sense, to ‘eat,’ of the Arab. ‘araba (which generally has very different meanings: Lane, Arab. Lex. p. 1991). is very uncertain.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 31 (22) I will sever in that day the land…
(22) I will sever in that day the land of Goshen.—This was a new feature, and one calculated to make a deep impression both on king and people. The “land of Goshen” can only have been some portion of the Eastern Delta, a tract in unwise different from the rest of Egypt—low, flat, well-watered, fertile. Nature had put no severance between it and the regions where the Egyptians dwelt; so the severance to be made would be a manifest miracle.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31 Swarms of flies is an unfortunate translation of a…
Swarms of flies is an unfortunate translation of a single substantive in the singular number, accompanied by the article. A mixture, etc., is nearly as bad. The writer must mean some one definite species of animal, which he called "the "arob. " On the probable identification of the animal, see the Introductory paragraph to this Chapter. And also the ground. The "arob, like the frogs, was to plague them both inside their houses and outside, but especially inside.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v25 It is not meet so to do.
Exo_8:25-32
It is not meet so to do.
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The impossibility of compromise in a religious life
I. That there can be no compromise in Christian morality. And Moses said, It is not meet to do so.
1. Because they do not like to give up their sins.
2. Because they will not summon resolution enough to break the force of old and continued habit.
II. That there can be no compromise in Christian worship. We will go three days journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the Lord our God, as He shall command us. It is not enough to worship God; we must worship Him in the manner He has made known. Men should not place themselves in temptation by going to unhallowed sanctuaries.
1. Christian worship must not he compromised by idolatry.
2. Christian worship must not be compromised by levity. Prayer must be the dominant impulse of the soul.
III. That the servants of God must reject all attempts at religious compromise.
1. Because religious compromise brings contempt upon the Christian life.
2. Because religious compromise brings contempt upon Christian worship. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
It is not meet so to do
I. The impossibility of maintaining a secret or hidden Christian life. The life of Christ in the soul will come out in real manifestation and in public recognition of God. In the first place, the very initial demand of Christ upon His disciples is to confess Him before men, and to take up the cross and come after Him daily. There is no such thing as a private and concealed faith allowed or alluded to in the Scriptures. Christianity is no secret organization, but a life that openly and boldly declares itself. Besides, the very fact that Christianity is a life in the soul makes it impossible to keep it a secret. A tree might just as well say, Can I not be a real living tree without giving forth buds and leaves in the springtime? or a rose, Can I not be a rose without bursting into leaf, and in due time sending forth my flowers in their sweetness to rejoice the eye and delight the smell of man? A prominent fruit merchant in one of our New England cities was converted at one of our meetings, and he determined to keep the fact secret. He was ashamed to confess Christ before his companions, among whom he had been a very profane and godless man. His special and besetting sin was an awful habit of the wildest profanity, which used to burst out of his mouth at the least provocation to his quick and passionate temper. Some of his employes told me that when he came to the warehouse, where his fruit was sorted and stored after being received from the ships, he would swear and curse at such a rate that they all dreaded his coming. And especially was this so if a cargo of oranges or bananas turned out badly. The next morning after he had decided to give himself to Christ he went down to his receiving store. A large cargo of oranges had been received the day before, and the men were engaged in opening and sorting them. They were dreading his appearance, well knowing that the condition the fruit was in would excite his wrath to the uttermost. Well, he came in, and without a word he looked over the oranges. To the astonishment of his men, he said to them pleasantly, Well, boys, this is rather a bad lot, to be sure. Just sort them over, and make the best of them. I suppose it cant be helped. Now, that man did not exactly confess Christ in so many words, but the absence of certain expressions from his conversation, and the presence of a new spirit, revealed the fact that he had seen Jesus. At once the men came to the conclusion as to what had happened. They were not wrong. One of them told me the occurrence the next day. That night I related this incident. I did not know the man by sight, and was not sure that he was present; but at the close of the meeting the merchant sprang to his feet and confessed that he was the man; and he there and then publicly confessed Jesus Christ as his Saviour. You see he could not hide the fact from those round about him, nor could he keep from confessing it.
II. A man cannot be a Christian and worship God in the land without offending the world. A gentleman in Boston was converted at one of Mr. Moodys meetings. He purposed keeping it a secret. He belonged to a wealthy and aristocratic family and circle, among whom it was fashionable to sneer at evangelical religion, and at that time especially at Mr. Moody and the great work going on in that city. Shortly afterwards this gentleman was guest at a large dinner-party. In course of the dinner, the tabernacle meetings and Mr. Moody came up for discussion and ridicule. From bad they went to worse, and began to sneer at Jesus and His cross. By and by, when he could bear it no longer, he arose in his place, trembling with embarrassment, yet courageous in purpose, and said, addressing his host: I do not wish to seem rude; but I cannot be true to myself or to my God, and let this conversation go on any longer. I beg to say that Mr. Moody, though I am personally unknown to him, is my friend; and in that same old tabernacle which is the object of your ridicule, and in one of those meetings which you hold in such contempt, he was the means of awakening me to a true knowledge of my condition before God, and of leading me to Christ, whom I believe to be the very Son of God--and through the merits of His blood I am trusting for forgiveness and eternal life. I cannot let the conversation go on without at least confessing so much. And not wishing to disturb the freedom of your party, or restrain you by my presence, I beg leave of my kind host to retire from this table.
III. We will go three days journey into the wilderness. Israel could not worship God in the land, because God had commanded them to go out of the land. Three days journey into the wilderness. Where is that? Surely it must teach us that the Christians place is in resurrection with the Lord. From the cross to the resurrection was three days. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above (Col_3:1). (G. F. Pentecost, D. D.)
Not very far away-
Alas, how many who have named the name of Christ have never gone very far away from the former things. In the world they are not known as Christians, and are only known as Christians in the church by the fact that their names are on the church roll or parish register as having been baptized and confirmed. It must be apparent to any thoughtful person that any half-and-half position with reference to Christ and His salvation is not only an inconsistent, but a very unhappy, one.
I. Not very far away is inconsistent with the first law of Christian life, which demands that we shall break with this world. For our citizenship is in heaven (Php_3:20). The whole world lieth in the evil one (1Jn_5:19); and to abide in the world is to take up quarters on Satans ground. Besides, the very object that Moses had in going down to Egypt was to bring the people up out of that land into a good land and large. How could they ever reach Canaan if they consented not to go very far away? And how shall we be separated from this present evil world if we, as confessors of Christ, insist on lingering about the borders of the old life?
II. Not very far away is entirely incompatible with a happy Christian life. In the times of the old border wars between the Scots and the English, the people living in the border counties had a most wretched time of it. First the Scots would come pouring down into the northern counties of England, and devastate and destroy there; and then the English would invade the southern counties of Scotland, and desolation and death would be their portion. So it is with the border-Christians. The Word of God catches them in the world, and pricks and cuts without healing; and if they are only a little way in the kingdom they are thoroughly exposed to the temptations and buffetings of Satan. With the back to the world and face to Christ, ever marching forward, is the only way of peace and happiness.
III. Not very far away is a dangerous place to be in. I once heard of a little girl who fell out of bed during the night. The mother heard the childs fall and cry, and ran to her little one. After she had picked her up and somewhat pacified her, she asked the little girl, How did you come to fall out, my dear? The child replied, Oh, I suppose I went to sleep too near to the edge of the bed where I fell out, and then, quickly correcting her statement, said, No, I mean I went to sleep too near to the place where I got in. That was the real truth of it. There are a great many persons who profess conversion; but they do not get very far into the kingdom; and then they go to sleep, and when they fall out the real reason is that they did not get far enough in. Not far away is a most dangerous compromise to consent to.
IV. Not very far away is a position from which God can choose no workers. I am very free to say that God can make little or no use of a worldly half-and-half Christian. In the first place, the world has no confidence in a Christian who is hand-and-glove with it, while at the same time professing to have found something infinitely better, and to have been saved from the world. In the second place, a half-and-half Christian cannot do with all his might what God would give him to do. Consecration and service go necessarily together; and no consecrated life can be maintained on the edge of the world or on the edge of the Church. (G. F. Pentecost, D. D.)
Exhortation to the newly awakened
The old life--so far as that old life is associated with old companions and with practices which are evil--must be abandoned. It does not mean that you arc to turn hermit or nun; but in spirit and practice you belong to another commonwealth. But the Christian in the world is to be as distinct from it as the Gulf Stream is from the ocean through which it flows. Christian and Great-Heart passed through Vanity Fair, but they were not citizens of that place. You are not to turn your back in pharisaical self-righteousness upon your did friends; but henceforth you can only have to do with them on the basis of your out-and-out loyalty to Christ. If you can go with them and take Christ with you to their feasts and pleasures, then go; but if the condition of your going is that you leave your Master behind you, then of course you are not to go: you cannot. Be true to the Master, and your worldly associates will spare you any pains on the point. They will adjust themselves to you, or, rather, from you, until the moment comes when they want a true friend, a guide and helper in some spiritual crisis, and they will come to you, passing by those Christians (?) who are serving God in the land. (G. F. Pentecost, D. D.)
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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v25 Exo_8:26. Not meet … the abomination of the Egyptians]…
CRITICAL NOTES.—
Exo_8:26. Not meet … the abomination of the Egyptians] Those who can consult the original should mark the vigour thrown into it by the incisive way in which the words here quoted are placed first in their respective clauses: “THE ABOMINATION OF THE EGYPTIANS we shall sacrifice,” &c. He takes for granted it will be so; and vigorously asserting this, paves the way for the question that follows:—Lo, shall we sacrifice] This is scarcely an easy rendering. The imperfect tense (happily now seldom called the “future”—better still could it be called, unambiguously, the incomplete tense!) readily lends itself to the expression of the subjunctive and potential moods (Ges. Gram., § 127, 3, a, d; Ewald, § 136, ii. 2; A. B. Davidson, § 46, 4): hence we may more tersely bind together the crowning question thus:—“Lo! can we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and they not stone us?”
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Exo_8:27. Shall command us] “May say unto us.” See previous note, on the imperfect tense.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—Exo_8:25-32
THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF COMPROMISE IN A RELIGIOUS LIFE
It would appear that the plagues with which Pharaoh was smitten were progressive in severity, and that he could endure them no longer, hence he suggests a partial obedience to the commands of God. The king says that he will allow Israel to sacrifice providing that they will do so in Egypt. Moses shows the impossibility of this, by stating that if they sacrificed in Egypt they would have to do it after the manner of the Israelites or the Egyptians, if after the manner of the latter it would be an abomination to God; if after the manner of the former, it would be an abomination to Egypt. Here was a dilemma which the suggestion of Pharaoh would involve. Moses told him that he could not thus compromise the claims and worship of God.
I. That there can be no compromise in Christian morality. “And Moses said it is not meet to do so.” Moses had been sent by God to make known to the king of Egypt the Divine will in reference to the freedom of Israel. Pharaoh was told his duty. He ought to have understood it. Moses as the servant of God can admit of no compromise. The claims of God upon moral conduct are supreme and unalterable. They yield to none other. They yield not to policy. They yield not to self interest. They yield not to social position. They are divinely royal. They are immutable. How many people suggest to the servants of God a compromise in the mortality of the Christian life. They are convinced of their duty to God, and wish to combine it with the service of Satan. And why?
1. Because they do not like to give up their sins. Pharaoh did not like the idea of giving up his bondmen. They had formed part of his nation for many years. They were profitable to him. Hence he did not wish to give them freedom. And how many people are kept from entering into the complete morality and duty of the christian life by an unwillingness to give up the pleasures and fancied emoluments of sin.
2. Because they will not summon resolution enough to break the force of old and continued habit. Pharaoh had long resisted the claims of God upon him, and every successive judgment had had a hardening effect upon his heart. It would require some energy on his part to subdue the sinful habit of his life. And there are multitudes who have the convictions of duty, who do not work them out in character because they do not in prayer seek strength to overcome the enervating habits of the past. An uncompromising attention to Christian duty requires great power of soul, and great courage.
3. Because they do not enter into the complete and lofty idea of the Christian life. Pharaoh had no idea of the dignity and enjoyment of a complete surrender of himself, in all his relations, to God … He simply regarded it as a deprivation. And if men would only have enlarged views of Christian morality, if they would only see that in giving up all, they truly gain all, that by obedience to the law of God and the claims of duty, they realised the perfection of character and enjoyment, then there would be but little attempt at compromise in the Christian life.
II. That there can be no compromise in Christian worship. “We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the Lord our God, as He shall command us.” Pharaoh wanted Moses to worship in Egypt rather than go into the wilderness for that purpose. It is not enough to worship God; we must worship Him in the manner He has made known. We must not worship God in Egypt, or we shall be likely to offer a sacrifice that shall be an abomination to Him. Men should not place themselves in temptation by going to unhallowed sanctuaries. The temples of Egypt are unworthy the presence of the good.
1. Christian worship must not be compromised by idolatry. Pharaoh asked Moses to sacrifice in Egypt. No doubt the king would have placed magnificent temples at the disposal of Israel if they would have consented to worship God in the land of bondage. But Moses refused. He preferred the wilderness as his sanctuary. It is better to worship God in the wilderness than in the heathen temple. Prayer is independent of locality. Men cannot worship God and Baal at the same time.
2. Christian worship must not be compromised by Ritualism. We must not compromise the externalism of worship, and especially not the spirituality of devotion. It is possible that the rising incense may hide God from the eye of the contrite soul. The worship of God should be simple as life in the wilderness can make it.
3. Christian worship must not be compromised by levity. The worship of God must be reverent. The frivolities of life must be hushed in the presence of the Eternal. Secular thought must be banished. Prayer must be the dominant impulse of the soul.
III. That the servants of God must reject all attempts at religious compromise.
1. Because religious compromise brings contempt upon the Christian life. The world watches the Christian with vigilant eye, and soon detects any inconsistency of conduct. And when it sees the good faltering in their obedience to the laws of God, it is tempted to ridicule the Christian life.
2. Because religious compromise brings contempt upon Christian worship. The world knows that Israel has no right to worship God in the temples of Egypt; and eagerly watches the devotion of those who sacrifice to the true Deity, and will only admire it when simple and devout. The servant of God must defend the worship of the sanctuary from the evils of compromise, even though he oppose a king.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Exo_8:25. Plagues upon the wicked from God make them hastily call to God’s servants for help.
Men yielding to God under His plagues are unwilling to give Him all His desire.
Persecutions in giving liberty to the Church try to impose restrictions.
It is iniquity to act God’s worship in place or manner inconsistent with God’s will.
Exo_8:26. God’s worship must not savour of the abomination of idolaters.
Idolaters abominate the true worship of God, and persecute those who engage in it.
Justly do God’s servants refuse to expose His worship to the scorn of men.
Exo_8:27. It becomes God’s ministers to be resolute for His worship after His mind.
God’s word and command is the only rule of worship, not the will of powers on earth.
Ministers must be bold to state and faithful to maintain the claims of God.
Exo_8:28. In God’s over-powering plagues, yet the wicked would limit His demands.
Persecutors do not like the Church to go far out of their power.
Plagues make the wicked ask the prayers of God’s servants whom they oppress.
Removal of plagues and not of sins is the desire of the wicked.
THE CAUTION AND RESTRICTION OF SIN
“Only ye shall not go very far away.”
I. There are times when men wish to get away from the tyranny of sin Even wicked men have moments of reflection, when they long to get away from Satan, and to cast off the pain of sin. They are awakened by the truth to a consciousness of their depraved condition, and they wish to go and sacrifice to God. Satan is loth to lose them. They grow impatient. He yields, but with cautious reservation.
II. That Satan is anxious to retain men in his power. Satan knows the better moods of the soul, and endeavours to prevent the freedom sought. He will not allow the sinner to go far away.
1. Lest he should feel the joy of freedom and never return. How glad the moment when the slave is free. How welcome the time when the soul’s bondage is at an end. And Satan fears that if men once experience the impulse of moral freedom they will not return to him.
2. Lest he should see the beauty of religion and never return. Sin is a deformity. Piety is beautiful. Its truths are flowers. Its character is pure. Its visions are heavenly. And if the awakened sinner sees the worth of religion he will not return to the devil. Hence Satan does not like him to go far away.
3. Lest he should seek protection from Satan in the cross of Christ. Christ can bring the sinner out of bondage, and give a freedom Satan cannot touch.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Exo_8:29. God’s servants are ready to help persecutors in misery.
Prayers do the righteous make for the removal of plagues from the wicked.
God’s faithful ministers do not only pray for the wicked, but warn them against sin.
Where prayers are heard warnings against sin must be observed.
Exo_8:30-32. God’s servants not only promise, but perform to the worst of men.
God fails not to do what His servants speak from Him.
God removes swarms of judgment when His servants pray to Him.
Princes and people are healed as well as plagued together.
THE REMOVAL OF PENALTIES
“There remained not one.”
I. They are removed in answer to prayer.
II. They are effectually removed.
III. Their removal is often followed by renewed sin.
ILLUSTRATIONS
BY THE
REV. WM. ADAMSON
Compromise! Exo_8:25. As Hitchcock remarks, objects may be seen through a semi-transparent mineral. But there is no distinctness of outline, as in gypsum, selemite, and quartz. This half-clear, half-cloudy character, is no uncommon one. Pharaoh admired it, and advised Moses to practise it. Everything about such persons is indistinct and cloudy. They have no clear and definite ideas about the Christian religion or its duties and principles. They conform very much to worldly maxims and practices, and yet they cordially unite in every good work. They see very great convenience in harmonizing—as they imagine—the church and the world. Moses would have none of it Any such compromise would only evidence insincerity of heart—would only betoken a mere outward religious profession. Such compromises are often like irised minerals, which give a splendid exhibition of most of the colours of the spectrum. But this is produced by a mere superficial film, while all beneath is opaque, as in a specimen of anthracite coal. The religion of Moses was something deeper—something that would admit of no conceivable compromise between Christ and Belial.
“Thou must be true thyself,
If thou the truth would’st back.”—
Opportunity! Exo_8:25. Trench says of the Spanish proverb: That which the fool does in the end, the wise man does in the beginning. The wise man does with a good grace what the fool has to do with an ill. This was a hint which Pharaoh might have laid to heart. The familiar story of the Sibylline books offered to the Roman emperor illustrates to perfection the case of the Egyptian monarch. The same thing to be done in the end—the same price to be paid at the last; with only this difference, that much of the advantage—as well as the grace—of an earlier compliance has passed away. The nine precious volumes have shrunk to six—and these dwindle to three, while the same price is demanded for the few as the many. Pharaoh had successive opportunities of doing the will of God; but each day it was put off—only at last to be forced to do with an ill grace what he might have done with a good one.
“After-wits are dearly bought,
Let thy fore-wit guide thy thought.”
—Southwell.
Inconsistency! Exo_8:26. The world is lynx-eyed enough to detect any compromise of religious principle in the course or conduct of Christian professors. A Christian when he makes a good profession should be sure to make his profession good. No doubt Pharaoh and his subjects would have been the first afterwards to taunt Moses for his compromise. The worldling is inconsistent, yet loves to see, and insists on seeing consistency in Christians. Christ’s soldiers need to be consistent, to hold fast the profession of their faith without wavering. As Jay says, the whole complexion of a negro is less noticed than a single stain on the features of a white countenance. Pharaoh would very soon have reminded Moses of the “blot of compromise” on his religious profession of devotedness to Jehovah. This Moses did not forget, conscious that he who cleanses a blot with blurred fingers will make a greater blot. To him the maxim was not unknown:—
“Live truly and thy life shall be
A great and noble creed.”
Pharaoh’s Penitence! Exo_8:28. In some rural districts, when the winter frost has been long and severe, the little pools are sheathed in ice until the spring. When the sun has gained power its beams dissolve the hard, thick coating of ice—but only to expose the loathsome, stagnant, miry waters. God’s judgments melted the icy crust of self-will upon the heart of Pharaoh—only to disclose the mass of floating corruption, which it had hitherto concealed:—
“What seest thou here? what marks’t? observe it well—
Will, passion, reason, hopes, fears, joys, distress,
Peace, turbulence, simplicity, deceit,
Good, ill, corruption.”
—Polloh.
Delay! Exo_8:32. It is always easy, writes Smith, to obey God at the very first moment of apprehension of duty. A moment afterwards it becomes less easy; and the longer that obedience is deferred, the more difficult it becomes. Pharaoh would have found it no very difficult matter to let Israel go at the outset; but each delay increased the difficulties of yielding obedience to the Divine command:
“Works adjourned have many stays,
Long demurs breed new delays.”
—Southwell.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On vv23, 25, 28 division Heb. peduth, trans. "reemption."
division Heb. peduth, trans. "reemption."
Psa 111:9; Psa 130:7. It is, in type, Gal 6:14.
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv22, 25, 28, 30 General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh continues to speak to Pharaoh through Moses.
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the land was ruined because of the swarms of flies
This can be translated in active form. AT: "the swarms of flies devastated the land" (See: Active or Passive)
translationWords
Goshen
people of God
know
sign
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv25, 26, 29 8:25 Pharaoh attempted to bargain with God. He wanted…
8:25 Pharaoh attempted to bargain with God. He wanted to obey partially while still retaining control. James says of such people, “Their loyalty is divided between God and the world” (Jas 1:8), and such a person cannot receive anything from the Lord.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.