We worship as He tells us!
It is time for the fourth plague on Egypt, and we can only assume that the third plague of mosquitoes was removed. We are not certain! The way Moses records the plagues, the third, sixth and ninth are neither warned about nor removed. It is interesting to imagine that if these three plagues were not removed as were the others, then the people of Egypt were covered with mosquitoes and boils, and living in utter darkness when the final plague, the death of their firstborn, occurred.
The fourth plague, much like the third, is a plague of swarming bugs, here referred to as flies. These were not just a nuisance but brought a painful bite or sting. Almost all the Hebrew interpreters consider this to be a collection of nasty flies of various kinds. The Septuagint says they were blood sucking dog flies which have a painful sting. Some believe they were stable flies which, according to the Florida Dept. of Agriculture, “…will readily attack people, usually on the lower part of the legs, causing a searing pain with each probe of its bayonet-like proboscis.” Ouch. You know, it was the little things, in massive numbers, that got under Pharaoh’s skin. These swarms of flies were on every person in Egypt. Not in Goshen, though, as this was the first plague that God made a disc=nction between His people and Pharaoh’s. Their houses were filled with them, their bodies were covered with them, and everywhere they walked they were swarmed by them. Pharaoh, covered with flies, manages to spit out to Moses that the people can go worship and make sacrifices to their God, but they have to stay in Egypt.
Not good enough. Moses tells Pharaoh they cannot possibly sacrifice to God in Egypt. “We must (worship) the Lord our God as He tells us.” This is the heart of our faith. We serve God according to the Word, not according to the world. The way of liberty and life and freedom cannot be bought or bartered for and can be found only in Jesus. We must worship Jesus as He tells us.
Pharaoh then says they can go into the wilderness but adds, “you must not go very far away.” That’s like saying, “Hey, church, you can worship Jesus, but let’s not take this thing too far. I mean, what you guys are doing in your church building or in your own homes is ok. But that’s enough. Keep your so-called “Gospel” away from the rest of us. That’s all well and good for you, but do not bother others with it.” Sound familiar? It is the world we live in, the nation we live in, the city we live in! But we are no more constrained by the world in how we live out our faith as followers of God than Moses and Aaron were. Or Daniel was when he was told to not take his interest in prayer thing too far. Or Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were when they were told their faith in God had to bow to the king. We must worship Jesus as He tells us. And by God’s grace, we can do that without fear. It may not be without consequence. Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, even though he was chosen by God. The three Hebrew boys were thrown into the fiery furnace. The disciples were martyred for their faith, almost to a man, though they were chosen by God, as we are. But we can trust God’s providence in the event of any punishment or penalty we receive for living out our faith as followers of Christ.
We worship as He tells us.