Exodus 8:8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the Lord that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.”
Do you remember a time in elementary school (hopefully not as much in latter days) where you or a friend liked someone but really didn’t have the courage to talk to them, prompting you to enlist the help of a friend. You asked this friend to go to the person to ask for you if they liked you also. I think that may be a universal experience! In fact, a lot of people a lot older than elementary school continue to use versions of this scenario.
Moses did. A few chapters earlier, God had called him to go to pharaoh to deliver God’s message. Moses was very afraid and gave excuses why he might not be the best man for the job. God was gracious to him and sent him his brother to help with the message and bolster Moses’ confidence. God is more gracious and patient with us than most of us give Him credit for!
Pharaoh did this, too. In today’s verse, and a few others like it, he asks Moses to talk to the Lord for him. I don’t think I’ve ever really given that that much thought. Of course pharaoh asked Moses! But why ‘of course’? It’s true that pharaoh saw the Lord as the God of the Hebrews, and it’s true that Moses probably, at that time, generally thought that way too. The Israelites surely would have, as would the Egyptians.
But the truth is, the Lord was not the God of the Israelites. That’s far too many words to describe Him. He is just God. He is the only God. He is not one option among many competing Gods. There is only Him. Having read the rest of the Bible, I can confidently say that God would have been most pleased if pharaoh had entreated Him himself! God wasn’t hoping for an excuse to destroy pharaoh. He wanted for him what He wants for everyone: a relationship.
It’s a good thing to ask people to pray for us when we have a special need. But I assure you, that God wants to hear from you, too. He doesn’t love one single, solitary, other person more than He loves you. He loves you with a perfect love and nothing you’ve ever done, or not done will change Him. Sure, He doesn’t always love what we’ve done, but He loves us. He wants to hear from us, from you. If it seems to challenging a task to pray, then just talk to Him. (Be confident. I’ve read His notes. He loves you!)
