THE FOURTH PLAGUE – THE FLIES (GADFLIES)
Exodus 8:20-32
 

 

"And Jehovah said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon they servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are. And I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am Jehovah in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between my people and thy people: by to-morrow shall this sign be. And Jehovah did so; and there came grievous swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses: and in all the land of Egypt the land was corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies. And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to Jehovah our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Jehovah our God, as he shall command us. And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to Jehovah your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: entreat for me. And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat Jehovah that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to-morrow: only let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to Jehovah. And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and entreated Jehovah. And Jehovah did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one. And Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go."

In spite of three consecutive plagues, stubbornness of Pharaoh on the matter of liberation of Israel didn't changed. God called in now Moses and ordered to him to stand in Pharaoh's path, as he went out to the river and to announce to him the next plague for Egypt – invasion of flies.

 

 

 

English and Polish translations of Bible render Hebrew word "arob" as the flies. Septuagint however used here the Greek word "kunomuia" which points out on the special kind of flies – canine-flies. Greek-Polish Dictionary gives the following meaning of the word "kunomuia": canine that is shameless, importunate fly. Apparently it was some kind of gadflies, which attacked people and others creatures in the land of Egypt. Jews who were living in the land of Goshen were not this plague menaced.

 

 

 

The plague of canine-flies was announced to Pharaoh, when he walked by the riverside. In the pictorial meaning it suggests connection with religious matters, because water is biblical symbol of truth. Invasion of furious canine-flies represents the plague of disbelief – atheism. The canine-flies attack dogs mostly. Dogs in turn represent the watchmen of the flocks of nominal Christianity (Isa. 56:10-12).

 

During second invisible presence of Jesus Christ this plague afflicts both teachers and wide masses of people. The direction of atheism (disbelief) gained equality of rights in societies, and its fatal influences reach more and more far. The nominal church itself, in the great degree contributed to the growth of disbelief by the teaching of false doctrines about God and about his Plan of Salvation. The atheism challenges to Biblical testimonies. Atheistic, allegedly scientific arguments on the subject of the man, origin of earth and universe were placed in school programmes.

 

 

 

In Egypt the land was corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies. Today's, because of the disbelief spreads corruption of individuals and entire societies; still grows up the quantity of moral offences, alcoholism, drug addictions and others miseries. God allowed on this so that the results of atheism contribute to the fall of kingdom of Satan, who is the father of lie and oldest propagator of disbelief in God (Isa. 8:11-15; Rev. 9:1-11; Joel 2:11; John 8:44).

Pharaoh being determined to retain Israelites in bondage regardless of the cost, insisted so that they sacrificed to their God "in the land [Egypt]" (Exod. 8:25-32). Satan would wish so that God's people were continuing their devotion in the wide contact with the world. Such proposal is unacceptable for true people of God. They have to offer their sacrifices well-pleasing in God sight in the separation from the world, in the condition of "wilderness."

 

 

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