By Terry W. Frizzell
In the book of Exodus we find the great account of the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. God's power is seen over and over again through the plagues which were sent against Egypt. The plagues were designed to display the power of God and draw man into submission to His power. Today we are blessed to have all of this recorded so that we can also realize the power of Almighty God, and be drawn to Him.
In the book of Exodus we find the great account of the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. God's power is seen over and over again through the plagues which were sent against Egypt. The plagues were designed to display the power of God and draw man into submission to His power. Today we are blessed to have all of this recorded so that we can also realize the power of Almighty God, and be drawn to Him.
One of these plagues brought an interesting response from Pharaoh, which reveals a lot about how "bad soil" reacts to the power of God. When the frogs were sent upon Egypt, and Pharaoh was desperate to rid his land of this great travesty, he called Moses and said he would let the children of Israel go if the frogs would leave (Exodus 8:8). Pharaoh begged Moses to entreat the Lord to remove the frogs. Moses asked Pharaoh "when shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?" (Exodus 8:9). The response from Pharaoh was rather interesting. We read in verse 10: and he said, "Tomorrow." What an incredible response. If Pharaoh truly understood the situation, would he have waited until tomorrow? Maybe he was hoping the frogs would go away by themselves and then he wouldn’t have to let the children of Israel go after all. Or, maybe he was hoping that his "magicians" would be able to come up with some solution before daybreak so he could keep his slaves. Whatever the reason, Pharaoh chose "one more night with the frogs," and therefore allowed time for his heart to harden even more.
I once heard an individual speak of sin as a thread. If someone were to wrap a thread around you once, it would be easy to break out of it. But what if you stood there until they had wrapped that thread around you 100 times, or 200 times? Eventually that simple little thread would become so thick that you couldn’t escape. Sin works in much the same way. If one would choose to obey God when he had the first opportunity, and turn away from sin when he first realized he was involved in sin, it would be much easier. Too many people are like Pharaoh and would rather spend "one more night with the frogs."
Remember David? Rather than turning from his lust when he saw Bathsheeba bathing, he chose to "spend one more night with the frogs," and eventually committed adultery with her (2 Samuel 11:2-5). David could have avoided adultery if he would have broken the thread of sin when he first lusted after Bathsheeba. But, that little thread became a cocoon for David which led to his having a drunken feast (2 Samuel 11:13), and eventually to his murdering Uriah (2 Samuel 11: 14-17). Why didn’t David take care of this sin when it would have been so simple to defeat?
The question is a little more difficult when we apply it to our own lives. Why do we spend "one more night with the frogs?" Why do we choose to continue in sin? "Next week I'll change my life." "Next month I'll be more faithful in attendance." "Some day I'll decide to become a Christian." "Some day I'll ... ?" "For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away" (James 4:14). The "one more night" in Pharaoh’s case eventually cost him the life of his son. Will it cost you a soul? By Terry W. Frizzell
Page last updated: March 03, 2003