The Fourth Plague (Exodus 8:20-32)

20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water [like plague #1], and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. [Pharaoh must know something bad is coming when Moses shows up for his bath!] 21 Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies [perhaps better translated as lots of biting and non-biting annoying insects in huge swarms] 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 also the ground on which they stand. 22 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell [God will not do to his people what he will do to the Egyptians, prefiguring the 10th plague], so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. 23 Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”’” 24 And the Lord did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants' houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined [the quality of life] by the swarms of flies. [Nature is here turned on its head by the Creator. It was frightening to the Egyptians, reassuring to the Israelites, and signifying a divine act in service of a divine command. God is who he says he is.]

25 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” [Pharaoh’s heart seems to be changing. This is the point at which he begins to weaken. He offers a specific event for relief, but he does not want the people to leave his land and be free. He wants to keep them as servants.] 26 But Moses said [not even considering a religious holiday and not total freedom], “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. [The abomination is the people of a Mountain God sacrificing sheep and goats.] If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? [Making open sacrifices among the Egyptians would put them in danger of retribution. After all the Egyptians hated the Israelites so much they would not think twice about throwing a baby boy into the Nile.] 27 We must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.” [God was not calling for a religious holiday but a formal act of worship at a place of his choosing that differentiates his people. “A three days’ journey” means “very far from here.”] 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” [This plague has touched him personally.] 29 Then Moses said, “Behold, 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. [Moses accepts the offer and plans to spend significant time in prayer.] Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” [Moses lets Pharaoh know that he knows what he is up to in this back and forth game of bargaining.] 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 let the people go. [Pharaoh’s word is not to be trusted in stark contrast with the word of God.]