Today’s Daily Lesson comes from Exodus chapter 7 verses 1 through 4:
Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to Pharaoh and say to him, “Thus says the Lord: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 2If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. 3The river shall swarm with frogs; they shall come up into your palace, into your bedchamber and your bed, and into the houses of your officials and of your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 4The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your officials.” ’
The frog is the ancient symbol for change. A frog starts off in an egg and is then born as a tadpole. Later in its life cycle the tadpole begins the process of transformation, developing into an immature frog with tadpole-like tail, and then into a fully mature frog.
The LORD is telling Pharaoh he must change. He must change the way he governs. He must change his policies. He must change the way he exerts his authority. His hard heart must change. So too must the hearts of his officials and the rest of Egyptian households.
But people seldom change without having to. Pharaoh is resistant to change. So too are his government officials. So too are the Egypt people. They refuse to change willingly.
The frogs warn Pharaoh he will have no choice. Tadpoles always have to change into frogs — even if they’re really enjoying being tadpoles. Even a stone-hearted man like him will not be able to resist what is happening around him. Change is coming upon the land, whether Pharaoh likes it or not.
Change is coming upon the land. It will not look the same in the future as it has in the past. The LORD has decided it.
What the ruler Pharaoh is left to decide then is whether or not he and his government are ready to change also, whether or not they will continue to misuse and abuse their authority. Pharaoh will have to decide just how worth it having a hard heart that doesn’t listen to the people really is.
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