Exodus 8:20-32 (Hebrew: 8:16-28)

²⁰ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Send my people away, that they may serve me. ²¹ Because, if you will not send my people away, see, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and the ground on which they stand also. ²² But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, so that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land. ²³ This is how I will distinguish between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will happen.”‘” ²⁴ And the LORD did so. Large swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was devastated by the swarms of flies. ²⁵ Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” ²⁶ But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we would sacrifice to the LORD our God are a repugnance to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings repulsive to the Egyptians before their eyes, would they not stone us? ²⁷ We must go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us.” ²⁸ So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the desert; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” ²⁹ Then Moses said, “See, I am going out from you and I will plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh be mocking again by not sending the people away to sacrifice to the LORD.” ³⁰ So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD. ³¹ And the LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. ³² But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not send the people away.

saving face but mocking God

The fourth plague repeats enough of the details of the first that Stuart suggests that Pharaoh starts to think “Oh, no! Not again!”[1] He is either so alarmed by this repetition or so annoyed by the flies throughout the land that he concedes to send the Israelites away – but not too far away. What he is actually doing is what the Orientals call saving face. Pharaoh and Moses both know that once the Israelites leave, they would be gone for good. But this way it is not a complete concession. Pharaoh only waits until the flies have been removed, and changes his mind again.

Some people come to a crisis point in their lives, and turn to God for help. But then, when the crisis is over, they conveniently forget their commitment to him. Pharaoh did this, and Moses called it mocking God.

LORD, make us people true to our commitment to you. May the world around us always know who we are loyal to … in times of crisis, and times of peace.

[1] Douglas Stuart, New American Commentary, vol. 2.