Dead Frogs

You may be familiar with the stories in Exodus when Moses was called by God to lead the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt. I have read the stories many times myself, learned them in Sunday School and in sermon messages. But today when I read about the plague of the frogs, something jumped off the Old Testament pages.

For the record, I don't think that all the facts were shared in those 30 minute Sunday School lessons. God had given Moses the directive to go to Pharaoh and ask for freedom for the Israelites. God had already given Pharaoh a hard heart after the plague of blood. Now Moses brings the news of a frog invasion. God tried to warn Pharaoh of the seriousness of it all saying, "I will plague your whole country with frogs." Pretty sure Pharaoh wasn't taking notes. If I had a warning like that I would sit up and take notice.

Moses stretched out his staff and the frogs hopped on the scene. It was as God warned. They landed in the palace, in the houses, in the beds, in the clean clothes, in the kitchen, in the pans, in the soup bowls and bread baskets. Egypt had gone to the frogs. Besides mice, second on my most hated list of vermin are frogs. Some people eat them, I would never. With that gross slimy skin...who could??? Not to mention the foam that results from them being eaten. Now that is an appetite stealer. I once saw our dog Sophie chomp on a fresh frog and gross frog foam oozed out of her mouth.

God compassionately relented when Moses pleaded for the frogs to go away. Exodus 8:13-14, "The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them." There are a few things worse than frogs... EXCEPT heaping piles of DEAD frogs...everywhere.

Imagine the stench. How bad would a heaping pile of dead frogs smell? Do you think it was someones job to pick up all the dead frogs? Were there so many, that one had to walk around the piles of decomposing amphibian carcasses? Did Egyptian life resume around the piles of dead frogs?

Sin can be like the piles of "dead frogs". We allow the "dead frogs" and are quite comfortable with the heaps. Piles of fear, pride, bitterness, lust, anger, or disobedience. Whatever our dead frogs are....they are causing a stench. Maybe you aren't aware.... but those frogs....are there. I challenge you to take prayerful look. Here's the good news though....God is ready with HIS clean up crew.