Exodus 8 Summary: A Concise Overview in 5 Minutes

Exodus 8 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• Moses was born around 1591 B.C. and left Egypt at 40 years old (Acts 7:23).

• According to Exodus 7:7, Moses was 80 years old when he stood before Pharaoh as the representative of God.

CHARACTERS:

• Israelites (Hebrews) – The terms “Israelites” and “Hebrews” are used synonymously. They refer to the descendants of Jacob’s family that grew into a large nation. During this period of history, the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians.

• Moses – A Hebrew who grew up in the house of Pharaoh. He fled Egypt in Exodus 2 and went to live in Midian. God used him to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.

• Aaron – Moses’ brother. He was a descendant of Jacob’s son Levi.

• Pharaoh – The king of Egypt who defied the commands of the Lord.

WHERE:

• The events recorded in Exodus 8 happened in Egypt.

• The Israelites lived in the land of Goshen, a region of Egypt.

OUTLINE:

• THE SECOND PLAGUE: FROGS (8:1-15):

  • Moses was told to return to Pharaoh and command him to let God’s people go.

  • He was told if he refused God would send a plague of frogs.

  • Pharaoh’s heart was still hard, so Aaron stretched out his staff over the waters and “frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

  • But Pharaoh’s magicians were able to convince Pharaoh they had similar powers with their secret arts.

  • Pharaoh called Moses and asked him to plead with the Lord to take away the frogs.

  • He agreed to let the people go when the frogs were gone.

  • The next day, the frogs all died.

  • The Egyptians gathered them together in piles and the whole country stank.

  • Pharaoh hardened his heart and didn’t keep his promise to let the Israelites go.

• THE THIRD PLAGUE: GNATS (8:16-19):

  • God told Aaron to strike the dust of the ground with his staff.

  • When he did, the dust became gnats, and they filled the land of Egypt.

  • Pharaoh’s magicians tried to recreate the miracle, but they couldn’t.

  • They told Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.”

  • But Pharaoh hardened his heart and wouldn’t listen to them.

  • Gnats covered every man and animal in Egypt.

• THE FOURTH PLAGUE: FLIES (8:20-35):

  • God, through Moses, commanded Pharaoh to let His people go, or else He would send a plague of flies on they Egyptians.

  • As a sign of His sovereignty, God told Pharaoh the flies would only affect his people in Egypt, the Israelites wouldn’t be bothered by the flies.

  • The next day, God sent a massive swarm of flies that covered the Egyptians, their houses, their animals, and the ground on which they walked.

  • The flies “ruined” the land.

  • Pharaoh told Moses he would let the people go into the wilderness to sacrifice if God would take away the flies.

  • God removed every fly from the land of Egypt, but Pharaoh hardened his heart and did not let the people go.

APPLICATION:

• Reading about plagues like these makes me appreciate how finely tuned and balanced our world is.

• Can you imagine what the world would be like if the ecosystem didn’t keep the fly and gnat populations in check?

• Can you imagine how terrible the world would be if the conditions of the earth permitted mosquito birth rates to multiply exponentially?

• The world is habitable because of its Creator and the harmony He designed into it.

• Next time you read a biology textbook or watch a nature documentary, give thanks to God for the checks and balances He put in our world.