Exodus 8:16  And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
17  And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
18  And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast.
19  Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

Those who want to reject God’s Word and Way, need to be reminded that they have no excuse for their rebellion. They also have no right to complain about their lot in life. Life is tough for those who fight against the LORD. The Bible is clear on that. Yet, it seems that in every generation, people keep fighting against the LORD. The devil has been the devil since Genesis 3. He knows he is doomed to the lake of fire. Yet, he keeps opposing God and he keeps influencing the majority of every generation to follow his lies. His plans are deceptive and they are so absurd. Lost people are blinded and they cannot see the death wish they are living in.
In our text, the LORD is going to bring another plague upon Egypt. They have already struggled with the lack of water and the stench of dead fish. They have been invaded with frogs even in their bedchambers. They could not even bake bread without finding frogs in the ovens as they prepared to bake.
Now the LORD told Moses to tell Aaron to stretch out his rod and smite the dust of the land, causing it to become lice throughout the land of Egypt. Every so often we hear of people having lice. Lice are blood suckers. They are a nuisance and take some effort to get rid of once you have them.
In verse 17 we read that Moses and Aaron did as they were told, and the lice infested the people and the beasts. The entire land was infested with lice. It is interesting to note that Moses and Aaron were not infested with lice. God protected His messengers from the plagues that He brought upon the nation. Pharaoh should have taken note of that. In verse 18 we read that the magicians tried to bring forth lice, but they could not. They had run out of tricks in their bag. The LORD was carefully showing Himself strong in that land.
In verse 19 the magicians had to admit to Pharaoh that this was the finger of God. They had no other explanation. It is interesting how the ungodly still use this same excuse when they cannot protect us. When there is a violent storm that the insurance companies do not want to pay out for, they will claim that the situation was an act of God. Interesting, other things like good weather that cause good crops and a bountiful harvest, are not an act of God. That is due to “mother nature.” However, they will blame God when it suits them and when they believe the situation is too big for them to handle. Those magicians acknowledged this was the finger of God, but they did not turn to the LORD in repentance and get saved. Stubborn fools they were.
Interesting as well is Pharaoh’s response to the magicians confession here. It did not matter to him. He was content to be scratching himself and trying to find some place of relief from this pest. He was not going to give in to the LORD. The pride of man is a powerful deterrent against the truth. Again, we are reminded that Pharaoh acted just as the LORD had said he would.
Those who want to dismiss the true God find themselves with unanswered questions. How do they account for the many prophecies that God gives in His Word? How do they account for the many prophecies that God has given and that have already been fulfilled? Not one Word of God falls to the ground wasted.
As we have mentioned before, there are many false prophets who are less accurate than our weather forecasters. Many people live by the words of these false prophets. I warned someone about listening to false prophets recently. I received a response that warned me that I should not be accusing the “brethren”. This person is so blind and so gullible that they cannot discern the difference between a true saint and a fraud. Yet, they claim to be saved.
This is the sad reality of so many within the New Evangelical community. Any Scripture they use, is pulled it out of its context and used to defend their false teaching. When exposed with the facts, they have no answer. They just want to be left alone in their folly. That is what Pharaoh was like. He was a fraud. His religious beliefs were empty. He knew he was up against something much bigger than himself. He could not refute this. However, he was not about to admit that he was wrong. His pride would not allow him to admit he had been deceived.
Due to his stubbornness, he would continue to watch his country collapse. He would eventually have to bury his firstborn son and he would also hear the wailing of many other parents as they too buried their firstborn sons. Eventually, Pharaoh would die, not as a hero, but as a fool. He would drown in the Red Sea after foolishly assuming he could cross that Sea with horses and chariots, because the Israelites crossed on dry ground. He had no faith in the LORD, but believed that the LORD would never close up the waters upon his entire army. The walls of water were on either side, but that did not matter to him.
I read a news report of authorities who are looking for a missing 16 year old girl. She went missing after attending a drinking party with other underage people. It has been discovered that there was a drug dealer there and that illegal drugs were being used at this party. The parents who allowed these children to attend this party are fools. Most of those children that attended that party had never been taught the truth. Some may have been there as rebels against their parents’ wishes. None of those at that party are innocent. They have a brain and a conscience and through that they know the basis of right and wrong. There is an assumption that this missing girl may have OD’d at that party and is missing because of that. The rest of those at the party are afraid to speak up for fear of being punished for their complicity in this evil.
This is one of many tragic stories of the effects of trying to live in a vacuum away from the true God. The mercy and grace of God keeps us from hearing of more tragedies like this than we already hear of. The reality is that there are many people who are perishing because they reject the true God. Many parents and grandparents live with the constant fear that maybe one of their children or grandchildren will get caught up in the drug scene or some other evil vice that will see them die at a young age. Yet those same parents and grandparents never seem to connect the dots that even if they or their children live to grow old, they will still die one day. Without turning to the true God for salvation, their end is no better than that of Pharaoh.
Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt were given 10 distinct opportunities to know there is a true God. Pharaoh was already hardened but the nation could have learned from this. God was not on Pharaoh’s side, because he did not want any part of God.
We have looked at the third of the ten plagues that God would send against Pharaoh and Egypt. Each one brought more devastation, yet the people just hung in there and tried to manage in the midst of the trouble. The LORD would even separate out the land of Goshen from the rest of the population. That still did not cause people to wake up.
We are living in a time of trouble in Canada and across the world. More and more trouble is coming. Most people are just resisting the truth and continuing to try to find a way to cope with the devastation that we are facing. Some call it “climate change” and others talk of a “pandemic”. The devil is the father of lies and he is very good at his craft.
Don’t be like Pharaoh. Don’t be like the people of Egypt who just followed a blind leader. Trust in the LORD. Know His peace and blessing. In the midst of the storm, God’s people can be at peace with Him and thus they do not throw up their arms in despair. They have a hope that is sure.
Pastor Bartel