1 And YHVH said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand with your rod over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come upon the land of Egypt!'"
2 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.
Frogs seem to rise up out of mud. The mud, or earth usually refers to the material, physical, lower plane of consciousness. So these are the ideas that come from the lower material consciousness.
3 But the magicians did the same by their secret arts, and brought frogs upon the land of Egypt.
Again, the magicians, the wisdom of the body, can easily match the performance.
4 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, "Entreat YHVH to take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go to sacrifice to YHVH."
5 Moses said to Pharaoh, "Be pleased to command me when I am to entreat, for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile."
6 And he said, "Tomorrow." Moses said, "Be it as you say, that you may know that there is no one like YHVH, our god.
7 The frogs shall depart from you and your houses and your servants and your people; they shall be left only in the Nile."
8 So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried to YHVH concerning the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh.
9 And YHVH did according to the word of Moses; the frogs died out of the houses and courtyards and out of the fields.
10 And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.
11 But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and would not listen to them; as YHVH had said.
The ruling consciousness of the material is not above inconsistency, even dishonesty, in its efforts to maintain control.
12 Then YHVH said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your rod and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.'"
13 And they did so; Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and struck the dust of the earth, and there came gnats on man and beast; all the dust of the earth became gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.
14 The magicians tried by their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on Man and Beast.
15 And the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of his gods." But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them; as YHVH had said.
The significance of the plague of Lice is related to the idea that the material body consciousness, the magicians, cannot duplicate it. This indicates that the higher level of consciousness is beginning to succeed in convincing the lower level of consciousness that the higher level must be free to express itself. But, it is only a beginning, and the ruling power, the Pharaoh, the egoistic self, is not ready to give up.
16 Then YHVH said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning and wait for Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, 'Thus says YHVH, "Let my people go, that they may serve me.
17 Else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies 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.
18 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there; that you may know that I am YHVH in the midst of the earth.
19 Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. By tomorrow shall this sign be."'"
20 And YHVH did so; there came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants' houses, and in all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by reason of the flies.
Flies develop from maggots which live on dead flesh. This is the plague of ideas that are not of life, holy or healthy, but of death, having to do with the destruction of all that is good and to the benefit of the higher self.
21 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, "Go, sacrifice to your god within the land."
22 But Moses said, "It would not be right to do so; for we shall sacrifice to YHVH, our god, offerings abominable to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?
23 We must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to YHVH, our god, as he will command us."
24 So Pharaoh said, "I will let you go, to sacrifice to YHVH, your god, in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Make entreaty for me."
25 Then Moses said, "Behold, I am going out from you and I will pray to YHVH that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow; only let not Pharaoh deal falsely again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to YHVH."
26 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to YHVH.
27 And YHVH did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained.
28 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.
Again, these conditions are not that uncomfortable for the material self, and it is not ready to give up control.