Pharaoh has nothing to say when Moses warns him a plague of frogs is coming if he doesn't let the Israelites leave Egypt. In our passage today the plague falls and the frogs invade the land.
"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.' So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land. But the magicians did the same thing by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt." (Exodus 8:5-7) While it's true that through demonic powers these magicians produce similar works to that of Moses and Aaron, Pharaoh's magicians are actually making the problem worse. They are bringing more frogs onto the land! Just as was the case with the waters turning to blood, these occult practicians cannot undo the plague, which is the only action that would be useful at this point. But this is par for the course for Satan. He and his fallen angels cannot bring goodness or life or light into the world; they can only bring tragedy and death and darkness.
It suddenly dawns on Pharaoh that his magicians are doing him no favors. So what if they can produce frogs similar to those of Moses and Aaron? The last thing in this world the king needs right now is more frogs, so he calls for Moses and Aaron to lift the plague. "Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, 'Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.' Moses said to Pharaoh, 'I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.' 'Tomorrow,' Pharaoh said. Moses replied, 'It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God. The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.'" (Exodus 8:8)
Why does Moses tell Pharaoh to pick the specific time for him to pray? I think it's so Pharaoh can't claim the frogs disappeared for some other reason than by the hand of God. He won't be able to say they disappeared naturally at all once due to some mysterious act of nature. And he won't be able to say that Moses chose the time because he had a plan in place to somehow remove the frogs on a particular day at a particular hour.
When Pharaoh asks Moses to pray to the Lord does this mean that Pharaoh is turning to the Lord? No, we'll see in a few minutes that he isn't. Has he become a believer? In a way, but only in the way some people acknowledge that there must be a God even though they have no interest in giving their hearts to Him. I think Pharaoh is having to face the fact that the God of the Israelites exists. He can hardly deny it now. But that doesn't mean he's about to bow on his knees and give his heart to the Lord. It doesn't mean he's going to forsake the gods of Egypt and give his allegiance to the one true God. Have you ever had someone who doesn't serve the Lord ask you to pray to the Lord on their behalf? I think that's the situation we find here in verse 8. Pharaoh is willing to admit that the God of the Israelites exists and that He is capable of causing plagues. He knows that if God is able to bring a plague He's able to lift a plague. Pharaoh has no interest in forming a personal relationship with God but since he's personally inconvenienced by the frogs he would like them gone. He humbles himself only enough to request prayer be made on his behalf. He doesn't humble himself enough to submit to the Lord.
"After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs He had brought on Pharaoh. And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them." (Exodus 8:12-14) The frogs are gone from the people's presence but their memory lingers on for a while through this vile stench. This is a natural consequence, much like the natural consequences of sin. There are some sins whose natural consequences linger even though we may have repented and been forgiven. For example, if I ruin my health with drugs, I can repent and obtain forgiveness from the Lord along with the strength to stop doing drugs, but I won't necessarily be healed of the damage I did to my body. The Lord heard the prayer of Moses on behalf of the Egyptians and He caused the frogs to die, but the smell of the frogs is still in the land. Sometimes the "smell" (the consequences) of sin lingers even after the primary crisis has been resolved.
Pharaoh is much worse off than a man who has repented of his sins but who still has to face the natural consequences of his actions. Pharaoh has not repented. As soon as the frog crisis appears to be on its way out he reverts to his usual hard-hearted attitude. "But when Pharaoh saw there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said." (Exodus 8:15)
Earlier in our study today we talked about people who don't want to serve the Lord but who want us to pray to the Lord on their behalf. We should always pray for them when they ask, but do they usually turn to the Lord as soon as their problem goes away? I can't think of anyone who ever said to me, "Wow, the Lord really answered these prayers! My troubles have resolved, and because they have resolved, I've decided to give my heart to the Lord. From now on I'm living for Him!" I wish that were the case, but typically what we see is them going right back to their lives as usual as soon as the crisis is over. Don't get me wrong, I'm not passing judgment on them. I resisted the Lord for a lot of years even though I grew up in a believing family and grew up hearing the gospel preached in church on a regular basis. A lot of people prayed for me over the years before I gave my heart to the Lord. I'm also not saying we should refuse to pray for them even though we know they aren't interested in the Lord. We aren't being Christlike if we do that. If Christ prayed for His tormentors while He hung on the cross then we certainly are to pray for anyone who asks. No, what I'm saying is that a lot of times it takes the cumulative effect of various crises and many years of prayer to turn some of our fellow human beings to the Lord. That's what it took for me as well. Pharaoh isn't at that point. There's no evidence in the Bible that he ever turns to the Lord. As soon as the frog problem starts clearing up he goes right back to his regular way of living. But at least Moses did his part. He prayed for this man and for the nation of Egypt. The Lord lifted the plague even though He knew Pharaoh wouldn't repent. The Lord, in His goodness, is doing His part to offer salvation to this wicked man. The Lord offers salvation to everyone but not everyone accepts. As far as we know, Pharaoh never accepts, but he won't be able to say the Lord never reached out to him. If I had never turned to the Lord, I could never have said He didn't reach out to me. No one can say that.
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