The Lesson of the Flies

My son, Micah, hates flies with a passion. Anything from house flies, fruit flies, to horse flies, he despises them with a shriek and with all his heart.

I’m not sure he would’ve handled these swarm of flies as casually as Pharaoh. He certainly would have “converted” then and there and let Israel go.

Apparently Pharaoh didn’t appreciate the flies very much either. The frogs he didn’t seem to mind, as he “spent one more night with them” rather than having them extinguished immediately (8:9-10). But with the flies, Pharaoh made his first appeal to Moses through compromise to let the Israelites go. Once that negotiation failed, he tried again in verse 28. He “succeeded” and agreed to let the people go as Moses commanded.

Once the flies were exterminated, Pharaoh was once more proud of his “handling” of God and Moses, and he hardened his heart once more. This pride continued for 6 more plagues until his proud heart was shattered.

The lesson here is like what the Lord said when asked about who can enter the “kingdom of heaven” In Matthew 18:1-5. Jesus said, “Except ye be CONVERTED, and become as little children (i.e, Micah), ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall HUMBLE himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

May we have the sense of a little child to fear God and ask him humbly to remove the flies that are grievously corrupting our lives and our homes before it’s too late.