Exodus 8:20-32

20Next the LORD told Moses, "Get up early in the morning and meet Pharaoh as he goes down to the river. Say to him, `This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 21If you refuse, I will send swarms of flies throughout Egypt. Your homes will be filled with them, and the ground will be covered with them. 22But it will be very different in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites live. No flies will be found there. Then you will know that I am the LORD and that I have power even in the heart of your land. 23I will make a clear distinction between your people and my people. This miraculous sign will happen tomorrow.'"
 24And the LORD did just as he had said. There were terrible swarms of flies in Pharaoh's palace and in every home in Egypt. The whole country was thrown into chaos by the flies.
 25Pharaoh hastily called for Moses and Aaron. "All right! Go ahead and offer sacrifices to your God," he said. "But do it here in this land. Don't go out into the wilderness."
 26But Moses replied, "That won't do! The Egyptians would detest the sacrifices that we offer to the LORD our God. If we offer them here where they can see us, they will be sure to stone us. 27We must take a three-day trip into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, just as he has commanded us."
 28"All right, go ahead," Pharaoh replied. "I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the LORD your God in the wilderness. But don't go too far away. Now hurry, and pray for me."
 29"As soon as I go," Moses said, "I will ask the LORD to cause the swarms of flies to disappear from you and all your people. But I am warning you, don't change your mind again and refuse to let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD."
 30So Moses left Pharaoh and asked the LORD to remove all the flies. 31And the LORD did as Moses asked and caused the swarms to disappear. Not a single fly remained in the land! 32But Pharaoh hardened his heart again and refused to let the people go.

Points of Interest:
• With his return to Egypt, Moses has entered the phase of the hero’s journey called, ‘test, allies, and enemies.’ During this stage of the journey, the hero spends some time getting to know the landscape, and he faces some challenges meant to prepare him for the final showdown which will happen later. Moses’ testing comes in the form of a series of encounters between him and Pharaoh in which Moses threatens Egypt with curses unless Pharaoh releases the Israelites. Along the way, he faces the Egyptian magicians, minor henchmen of Pharaoh; his dueling miracles with them help him build the skills and confidence necessary to eventually defeat Pharaoh. Aaron is so far Moses’ only human ally—his sidekick. Of course, it also becomes clear that Moses has God on his side.

• ‘Next the LORD told Moses’—between yesterday’s and today’s passages, we’ve actually skipped a little bit of the back-and-forth between Moses and Pharaoh. When changing the rod into a snake proves unconvincing, Moses uses another of the signs God had given him in the desert, the turning of the Nile’s water into blood. The Egyptian magicians are also able to replicate that sign, and Pharaoh remains unimpressed. So, under God’s direction, Moses begins to turn up the temperature, sending more and more impressive signs that make life more and more uncomfortable for Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Previous to this passage, there is a plague of frogs (which the Egyptian magicians are able to replicate) and a plague of gnats (which they are not). When the magicians fail to match the plague of gnats, even they tell Pharaoh (essentially), ‘We think this really is God’s work.’ But Pharaoh doesn’t listen.

• ‘But it will be very different in the land of Goshen’—this is the first of Moses’ signs that is targeted specifically at the Egyptians. The fact that the flies infest the homes of the Egyptians but not those of the Israelites demonstrates that it is not a natural phenomenon. This is literally an act of God. In this act, God is protecting the Israelites and punishing the Egyptians, demonstrating both his great power and his love for the Israelites.

• ‘Pharaoh hastily called for Moses and Aaron’—flies can get very bothersome very quickly. Perhaps Pharaoh also recognizes that he can’t afford to wait Moses and Aaron out in this case (which is what he does when the Nile is turned) because this plague has a disproportionate effect: his people will surely reach the end of their patience before the Israelites do, since the Israelites aren’t even affected.

• ‘That won't do!’—Pharaoh backs down, but he doesn’t want to completely give in to Moses’ demands. He’s trying to preserve his dignity, but he’s not really in a good position for negotiating. Moses clearly has the upper hand; so he’s not going to settle for anything less than full agreement from Pharaoh. Once again, it seems that the Lord is interested in making it very clear that Pharaoh is not in command of this situation. What Moses is looking for is not an act of mercy on Pharaoh’s part, or even a compromise; it’s recognition that Moses, by God’s power, has beaten Pharaoh in a contest of strength.

• ‘But don't go too far away’—a pathetic attempt by Pharaoh to keep some semblance of control over the situation.

• ‘Not a single fly remained in the land!’—at Moses’ command, the flies disappear just as quickly as they came. Pharaoh might appear to possess authority and power, but Moses clearly and easily demonstrates that he has the real thing.

• ‘But Pharaoh hardened his heart again’—as his bargaining and his continued attempts to assert control might have indicated, Pharaoh has not really surrendered. As soon as the pressure is off, he reverts to his old stubbornness. He’s like someone who cries, ‘uncle,’ when his arm is tied behind his back, only to start fighting again as soon as he’s let go.

Taking it home:
• For you: When Moses steps out on this adventure, he quickly outstrips his preparation. God has showed him ahead of time how to do a couple of miraculous signs, but he quickly blows through those signs without getting anywhere close to succeeding in his mission. Have you ever stepped out in response to a call of God only to find yourself quickly over your head? How did it feel? How did you respond?
God provides Moses with more guidance and more power when he needs it. Has God ever been there for you when you’ve reached the end of your own knowledge or skill? Thank him for those times. And if you find yourself over your head right now, take a moment to ask God, ‘What now?’

• For your six: Sometimes we respond to God in times of stress only to revert back to our old patterns once the stress is gone. Have any of your six recently become interested in God because of a problem or crisis? Pray that they would continue to seek relationship with him after the problem is resolved.

• For our church: Moses tells Pharaoh, ‘But it will be very different in the land of Goshen.’ God loves to show just how different life can be for people who choose to worship him. Our purpose as a church is to empower impossibly great lives, and many of us have gotten tastes of such impossible lives. Pray that those experiences would only grow, that more and more we will be unmistakable examples of how very different, and how incredibly great, a life lived with God’s power and blessing can be.