Exodus 8:20-24

Swarms of flies.

The plague of flies; or, an exceptional method of the Divine administration in the affairs of this life

I. It is a general rule of the Divine administration that the good and sad shall alike participate in the painful dispensations of this probationary life.

1. Because both are guilty of sin.

2. Because both need correction and improvement.

3. Because life is a probation and a discipline.

II. It is an exceptional method of the divine administration to exempt the good from the trials and retributions of this life. “And I will put a division between My people and thy people.”

1. Thus we see that there are times in this life when moral character gives exemption from severe retribution. This is the honour God places upon true moral goodness. In this way He occasionally shows His approval of it. Piety shields the house. It will protect a nation from the plague of God.

2. Thus we see that there are times in this life when God manifests to men His care for the good.

3. Thus we see that there are times in this life when God gives men a prophecy of the social equity in the world to come. Then Egypt will be ever separate from Goshen in character, as in retribution and reward. Heaven will adjust the moral relations of the universe.

Lessons:

1. That continued sin must be visited by continued retribution.

2. That the providence of God is over the good to save them from pain.

3. That the wicked must see the worth of goodness. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)

God’s retributive resources

I once knew a good woman who had three children, and the youngest was her pet. And it died, and said she, “Now God has done all that He can do.” But a little after another was burnt to death, and then she said, “I see God can do more yet.” Soon after the other fell into a boiler of water, and was scalded to death. Says she, “God can do more yet.” Afterwards her husband died, and then she said, “Now God has done all things well.” If she had said this before, she would have had her husband and two children alive; but God must bring His work to pass. He afflicts us for our good. (Matthew Wilks.)

Flies in Egypt

Egypt has always suffered more or less severely in hot weather from the various sorts of flies which arise from the marshy lands. “The most numerous and troublesome among the insects which infest these countries,” says Sonnini, “are flies, which cruelly torment both men and animals. It is impossible to form a just idea of their obstinate perseverance when they wish to fasten upon any particular part of the body, as when they are driven away they return and settle again in the same moment, and their pertinacity tires out the most patient sufferer. They particularly delight in fastening upon the corners of the eyes and the edges of the eyelids, to which tender parts they are attracted by a slight humidity.” Mr. Lane says--“In spring, summer, and autumn, flies are so abundant as to be extremely annoying during the daytime, and mosquitoes are troublesome at night, unless a curtain be made use of to keep them away, and often in the day.” Herodotus also makes mention of the flies of Egypt, and describes the nets with which the inhabitants protected themselves against them. In winter, however, these insects are rarely troublesome, and Pharaoh may have thought that the threat of such a plague was but little likely to be fulfilled. For the same reason the miraculous character of the visitation, when it came, was the more readily acknowledged. (T. S. Millington.)

Increased penalties

At sea, when the enemy’s ship is sighted in full flight, a gun loaded with powder only is fired by the pursuer to bring the fugitive to. When this fails, the cannon is charged with a ball, but is designedly fired so as not to strike the vessel, in the hope of inducing it to furl the sails. But when this attempt has failed, then the captain of the pursuer orders the gun to be fired straight at the ship attempting to escape. It may be that many shots have taken effect in her rigging and hull before she ceases her flight. Such, too, is the forbearance of God. The first miracle of Moses was harmless--the second came nearer home, in expectation of the stubborn despot’s compliance.

Various kinds of flies in this plague

The flies of this plague were evidently of a formidable kind, and very grievous. The Psalmist says--“He sent flies among them, which devoured them” (Psalms 78:45). There is a kind of beetle common in Egypt which is very destructive, inflicting painful bites, and consuming all sorts of materials. The mosquito also, which is a terrible nuisance in all hot climates, and especially in the vicinity of rivers, answers to this description; and the house-fly, which swarms in Egypt, carries corruption, and not unfrequently infectious disease, wherever it alights. It is probable, however, that the flies of this plague were of various kinds, including the above and many others, for David says again “He spake the word, and there came all manner of flies,” or “divers sorts of flies” (Psalms 105:31). The marginal reading gives a similar description, “a mixture of noisome beasts.” There is no reason, therefore, for supposing that the plague was limited to any one species; on the contrary, as the flies were everywhere, upon the people and in their houses, on the ground and in the air, and in all the land of Egypt, it appears almost certain that they were of different habits, and therefore of different species. There were flies that devoured, and flies that stung; flies that corrupted, and flies that hovered whirring in the air; flies upon men, inflaming their eyelids and blinding them, and flies upon the cattle; there were beetles that crawled upon the ground, and perhaps also bees, and wasps, and hornets, pursuing the people fiercely. It is doubtful whether some kind of flies were not among the sacred insects of the Egyptians. Some of them have been preserved, perhaps accidentally, in the mummy cloths, and some few, among which are the house-fly, the wasp, and the butterfly, are represented in paintings on the monuments and walls. To make the miracle more evident, these pests, while vexing the Egyptians almost beyond endurance, giving them no rest either by night or day, were not suffered to approach the Israelites. “In the land of Goshen were no flies.” (T. S. Millington.)