Frogs … they’re everywhere! … in their homes, in their beds, in their bowls, in their ovens—everywhere! Yet, when Moses, God’s messenger, comes to Pharaoh and asks when he’d like them removed, he says, “Tomorrow.” Almost as if he were saying, “Just let me spend one more night with those frogs.” How about you? Are there any frogs you’re keeping around for another sleepover?

Welcome to Soul Survival where I blog through the Bible in a Year along with Bible studies and other Christian living posts. This year I’ve added a couple of new features. First, check out the “Free Resources” tab at the top. You’ll find a downloadable, printable PDF with “Going Deeper Study Questions” for each Bible in a Year post. And … this year I’m also reading through the Bible on YouTube. You can check out my channel here. The daily emails now have a link to both the Soul Survival posts and the YouTube videos. I hope you’ll sign up.

Today’s Readings:

Exodus 7 & 8
Psalm 17.1-7
Proverbs 5.15-20
Matthew 19.1-30

Are You Sleeping with Frogs?

Exodus 7 & 8:

Hard Hearts

It’s time. God is about to deliver His people from their slavery in Egypt. But first, He prepares Moses and Aaron for the task ahead:

¹ So the Lord said to Moses: ‘See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.² You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. ³ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. ⁵ And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them’ (Ex. 7.1-5).

“I will harden Pharaoh’s heart.” At first glance, that might seem a little unfair! Is God on His throne pointing to one person and saying I don’t like the way she looks, I think I’ll harden her heart? God is God and He can certainly do as He sees fit, but that is not the full picture.

God said He had heard the cries of his people in Egypt (Ex. 3.7), cries against which Pharaoh had already hardened his heart. When we harden our hearts and refuse to show compassion to others, why should we be surprised if He withholds compassion from us?

Even as believers, though we don’t lose our salvation, we can damage our fellowship with Him and set in motion laws of sowing and reaping (Gal. 6.7-9). And if we repeatedly harden our hearts, it may be a sign that we are not really saved, because the Bible teaches that though believers may sin, they will repent.

Harder & Harder

Even in these passages in Exodus, Pharaoh continues to harden his own heart. Ten times it says Pharaoh hardened his heart and ten times God hardened his heart. God’s hardening was, at least in part, judicial hardening in response to Pharaoh’s personal, sinful hardening.

There is a similar picture in Romans 1 beginning in verse 18. We sometimes call this passage the downward spiral of sin. Men and women refuse to respect God as God though they know the truth and choose to continue in their sin. In verses 24, 26, and 28 we see God’s response. It says He, “gave them up …,” “gave them up …,” and “gave them over …” John MacArthur says in his Study Bible, “When men consistently abandon God, He will abandon them by removing His restraint and allowing sin to run its inevitable course.”

This results in hearts that are more and more hardened by their own sin. As we look around our world today, we can see this in abundance. Interestingly, the example God uses in Romans 1 is that of homosexuality. Consider that as you listen to the news.

One More Night with the Frogs

In verse 4 above, God said He would bring His people out by “great judgments.” In other places, they’re called plagues. One of the plagues God brought on the Egyptians was frogs (Ex. 8.1-15). Imagine it! Frogs were everywhere—in their homes, in their beds, in their bowls, in their ovens—everywhere! When the Egyptians cried out to Pharaoh, he relented and promised to let the people go.

Then Moses said to him, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you …” In other words, “When do you want me to get rid of the frogs?” Pharaoh’s answer always amazes me. He said, “TOMORROW!”

Tomorrow? In effect, he was saying, let me spend one more night with these frogs!

It seems ridiculous, yet, there can be things we refuse to give up in spite of the consequences in our lives. Areas where we might just as well say, “Let me have one more night with these frogs!”

Now notice verse 15:

But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the LORD had said.

How many times have you and I repeated the same pattern? We have a crisis and cry out to God. We start reading our Bibles, going to church, going to Bible studies, and doing the things we need to do.

Then things get better and we begin to drift away. The next thing we know, we have fallen back into our old habits and are neglecting our relationship with God. We’re back sleeping with frogs and they’re everywhere!

So, let’s not harden our hearts or justify marginal or outright sinful thoughts and behavior. Let’s ask God to help us see our “frogs,” repent, and go God’s way out of our desire to please and glorify Him.

Today’s Other Readings:

Psalm 17.1-7:

Those Who Trust Him

God reveals much of His character through His names. Here the psalmist referred to Him as “You who save those who trust in you” (v. 7).

Notice the requirement. It’s to those who trust in Him. For more on the subject of trusting God when it’s difficult, you might want to read yesterday’s post:

“When You Try Trusting God & Things Get Worse”

Proverbs 5.15-20:

The Bible on Intimacy

15 Drink water from your own cistern,
And running water from your own well.
16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad,
Streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be only your own,
And not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice with the wife of your youth.
19 As a loving deer and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
And always be enraptured with her love.
20 For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman,
And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?

The imagery of a well is used here to describe what intimacy in marriage should be like. The word “satisfy” in verse 19 means, “to be saturated, to drink one’s fill, to be satiated.” Ladies, our husbands should be so saturated, so satisfied with what they get at home that if another woman threw herself at him, he would say, “No, I’ve had enough!”

If you would like more information on this subject, a good book that’s full of practical advice is Intimate Issues by Linda Dillow and Lorraine Pintus.

When It’s the Other Way Around

But more and more when this issue comes up, women say, “It’s not me who’s unwilling. It’s the other way around.”

There can be a number of reasons, including stress, busyness, and physical changes. If this is an issue, it’s important to communicate lovingly and respectfully with your spouse.

But there can, also, be sin issues including pornography or other kinds of sexual immorality. While it’s important not to make assumptions, if you have a concern, ask God for His wisdom. Then prayerfully talk to your spouse. If necessary, contact your pastor or a biblical counselor and seek godly counsel.

God loves you and is concerned about this area of life just like all others. He’s not embarrassed (He created it!) and we shouldn’t be either.

Matthew 19.1-30:

God & Divorce

There is a year’s worth of things to think about in this one chapter. First, Jesus addresses the issue of divorce, when it’s permissible and when it’s not (Matt. 19.3-9). Jesus said, only for the cause of “sexual immorality.” And even then, it is not commanded. I have seen many marriages healed and put back together better than ever, even after one spouse has committed adultery.

But there are times when divorce is not a sin. Paul expanded on those areas in 1 Corinthians 7.15. But for believers, those allowable circumstances are very limited (Matt. 19.3-9; 1 Cor. 7.15).

As with any sin, if you are divorced, know that God loves you and that it is not an unforgivable sin. But if you are contemplating divorce, it’s important to understand that if we willfully sin when we know the truth, there are always consequences. I encourage you to seek godly counsel before taking such a step.

Other posts on divorce:

“Does Your Life Need Some Radical Surgery?”

“The Bible on Marriage & Divorce”

“Can Christians Divorce?”

Come and Follow Me!

This chapter also covers the passage about the rich young ruler who came to Jesus and asked how to have eternal life (Matt. 19.16-24). Jesus’ response, “… go, sell what you have …” was not a call to live in a commune or a picture of salvation by good works. But Jesus knew His heart. He loved his riches! Jesus put His finger on the thing that was standing between him and God. This was a call to make God number one in His life!

Closing Thoughts:

Is anything standing in the way of your total surrender to God, today?
Are there some frogs with which (or whom!) you are still sleeping?
Jesus’ call to that rich, young man is the same for us, “Come, sell all that you have, and follow me!”

I pray that you won’t harden your heart if God is speaking to you.

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about idols of the heart, how journaling can help us in our relationships with God and others, how whining affects our lives, and about dealing with difficult people and strong-willed children.

I hope you’ll sign up for my emails so you don’t miss any of them. And if you know someone who would benefit from this post, please share it with them and on your favorite social media outlet. I would so appreciate it.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Do you ever struggle with prayer? Do you sometimes feel it’s just one more thing on your to-do list or that you don’t measure up in this area? Me, too, but these are some of the strategies that I’ve learned through the years that have helped me have a more consistent and meaningful prayer life.

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.