Exodus 8:8-15: a reflection

8Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the LORD, that he take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD.” 9Moses said to Pharaoh, “I give you the honor of setting the time that I should pray for you, and for your servants, and for your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, and remain in the river only.” 10Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. 11The frogs shall depart from you, and from your houses, and from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.” 12Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the LORD concerning the frogs which he had brought on Pharaoh. 13The LORD did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields. 14They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. 15But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and didn’t listen to them, as the LORD had spoken.

When the plague of frogs overwhelms Egypt, Pharaoh, under the pressure of it, calls for Moses and promises: Entreat the LORD that he take away the frogs, and I will let the people go. It sounds like repentance, a change of heart. But when the frogs are removed and Pharaoh sees relief, the pressure gone, he hardens his heart again and does not let them go. His promise lasted only as long as the trouble; once relieved, his repentance vanished, and he returned to his hardness.

Notice the nature of Pharaoh's repentance: it lasted only as long as the trouble. Under the pressure of the plague, he promised to change; but the promise was not a true change of heart, only a desire to escape the present distress. When the distress lifted, so did the repentance; relieved, he hardened again. His turning was not genuine, rooted in a real change of heart, but merely a reaction to trouble, lasting only while the trouble did. Once the pressure was gone, the repentance was gone too.

That is worth taking to heart, for we too can have a repentance that lasts only while the trouble does. Under the pressure of some distress or consequence, we can resolve to change, to turn to God, to forsake some sin; but when the trouble lifts and the pressure is gone, our resolve can vanish, and we return to what we were, as Pharaoh hardened once the frogs were gone. Beware of a repentance that is only a reaction to trouble, lasting only while the distress does; such turning is not genuine, and vanishes when the pressure lifts. Let your turning to God be a true change of heart, not merely a reaction to present trouble that fades when the trouble does; do not, like Pharaoh, promise change under pressure only to harden again when relieved. Seek a repentance that lasts beyond the trouble, rooted in a real change of heart, rather than the false, passing repentance of Pharaoh, which lasted only as long as the frogs.

Lord, when the plague of frogs overwhelmed Egypt, Pharaoh, under the pressure of it, called for Moses and promised: entreat the LORD that he take away the frogs, and I will let the people go. It sounded like repentance. But when the frogs were removed and Pharaoh saw relief, the pressure gone, he hardened his heart again and did not let them go. His promise lasted only as long as the trouble. Show me the nature of Pharaoh's repentance: it lasted only as long as the trouble. Under the pressure of the plague, he promised to change; but the promise was not a true change of heart, only a desire to escape the present distress. When the distress lifted, so did the repentance. His turning was not genuine, but merely a reaction to trouble. Take that to my heart, for I too can have a repentance that lasts only while the trouble does. Under the pressure of some distress or consequence, I can resolve to change, to turn to you, to forsake some sin; but when the trouble lifts, my resolve can vanish, and I return to what I was, as Pharaoh hardened once the frogs were gone. Keep me from a repentance that is only a reaction to trouble, lasting only while the distress does; such turning is not genuine. Let my turning to you be a true change of heart, Lord, not merely a reaction to present trouble that fades when the trouble does. Help me seek a repentance that lasts beyond the trouble, rooted in a real change of heart, rather than the false, passing repentance of Pharaoh.