“Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Entreat the LORD that He may take away the frogs from me, and from my people;” Exodus 8:8. The word ‘entreat or intreat’ is the Hebrew word (atar) to burn incense in worship to, to intercede, to pray for, to entreat on behalf of, it was reciprocal, to listen to prayers. It comes from the word for perfume or incense and of course later the Jewish people had an ‘Incense Altar’ in the Holy Place before the Holy of Holies, where prayer was offered on a regular basis, daily morning and evening. Pharaoh’s magicians could imitate the miracles of Moses but they could not duplicate them nor stop them, nor counter them. The blood, the frogs, the lice were already coming when they said, “More frogs, more lice, more blood.” Also they could not entreat the God of Moses, because they had no access to Him or to His presence. “When Pharaoh?” Tomorrow, I need one more day to try and get rid of them myself, I need bigger brooms! v.10. We are no different today, when do you want me to entreat for you or intercede for you? Tomorrow! v.12, “And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh.” To cry (sa-ak) to keep crying out, shriek by implication, to proclaim; this becomes a pattern for the many other plagues to come.

Blood 7:14 no entreaty; frogs yes, 8:12; lice no, 8:16-19 but the lice set God apart from the phony magicians and they recognize the “Finger of God” in it and they are not removed; the stinging flies, yes 8:25-32, but the flies set apart the Jewish people from the Egyptians and God removed every fly; death of cattle, no 9:1-7, but Israel’s cattle didn’t die; boils on their bodies, no, 9:8-12; hail and fire, yes, 9:13-35; locusts, yes, 10:1-20; darkness, no, 10:21-29, but there was light in the Jewish homes in Goshen; death of the first born, yes, 11:1-10 & 12:1-36. God set His people apart so Pharaoh would know that He is God, the only God in in the midst of the land of Egypt. Pharaoh says, “You can sacrifice in the land, then you can go to the wilderness, but not to far, now entreat for me,” and he does and not one fly remains, ‘not one fly!’ The power of God in prayer; first not one fly flew into Goshen, 8:22; second, not one fly remained, Ex. 8:31. Do you pray specifically or in generalities? If you pray in generalities, your answers will come in generalities. Prayer is the ‘Pilgrims Greatest Tool;’ In Ex. 9:22, “The LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven.” In v.23, Moses stretched out his rod and the LORD sent thunder and hail and fire. V.27, Pharaoh says, “I have sinned this time, entreat the LORD, it is enough!” v.29, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD,” and it ceased. Each time Moses prayed he went out from Pharaoh’s presence, 8:12, 8:30, 9:33, 10:18. What are the implications of this principle of prayer with unsaved pagans?

God told Moses to stretch out his hands toward heaven and God wrought miracles. It is almost as though God is limited by our prayers. I say this with all reverence. He could have sent the hail without Moses and He could have stopped it without Moses, But He Didn’t! The ‘Power of God’ is manifested in the ‘Power of Prayer!’ Creation, healing, Judgement, Deliverance, Forgiveness, Salvation, Why? Ex. 9:16, “To show in you His power and to declare in you His name throughout the land!” Prayer is the all powerful, omnipotent tool of the Pilgrim, “Entreat the LORD!” Egypt is destroyed, he spread out his hands and it ceased! Yeshua/Jesus did the same thing on the Sea of Galilee in the midst of a storm. We too have the same power available to us if we will just reach out and grasp it. “LORD teach us to use this tool to plow the fallow soil and plant and harvest for Your glory.”

Ex. 10:12, what the hail and fire left the locusts would devour. v.12, “And the LORD said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts;” v.14, The locusts rested on all the territory and they were very severe. v.15, They covered the face of the whole earth so that it was darkened, they ate every green thing, nothing remained, nothing! When God performs a miracle, He leaves no question in your mind, none! The end of every miracle is as miraculous as the beginning, note v.19; there remained not one locust in Egypt, no not one! Why, Moses prayed, v.18 after leaving Pharaoh! Pharaoh had enough v.16 and admitted his sin against God, Moses and Aaron. It is amazing, isn’t it how God continues to call upon man to call upon Him? God tells Moses to stretch out his hands in v.12 to Him in prayer, He doesn’t need him but He chooses to use him and us in His divine, providential plans. Would He have started or removed certain plagues without Moses’ prayers? He certainly could have, He is omnipotent! But the question is not one of ‘Could but Would?’ It is interesting to note that Aaron started the first three plagues, God started the second three plagues and Moses started third three plagues and God brings the grand finale, ‘Death of the First Born.’ Jer. 15:1 says, Moses was an intercessor before God and recognized as such. Question, would God call on you or me personally to begin a Revival, Judgement, Pestilence, Sin, etc, The question is not one of could but would? Why, or why not? May we be like Moses and Aaron and continually stretch out our hands toward heaven.   “…Between The Lines…”

“LORD, use us to bring about Your divine, providential plans, stretch our hands, our faith, our gifts, our lives, our ministries for Your glory. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!”

“Portraits of Prayer in Exodus”  – ‘The Plague of Prayer’ Ex. 8-12