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.

It is important to keep grounded in life. Those who are born again are held in the Father’s hand. We are safe and secure. It is important to follow Jesus to grow in Him. There are too many professing Christians who lack a right foundation. In Canada certain media outlets are reporting on a decision made by Parks Canada to ban what they classify as a “Christian” concert from being held on government property. We already know that Islam uses public, taxpayer funded streets to hold their blasphemous prayer meetings. This is protected by Canadian tax dollars. We also know that everything that is called “Christian” is not Christian. This so-called “Christian” concert that is taking up air time, is not a Christian concert. First of all, Christians do not hold concerts. Christians are all about preaching the Gospel of Christ. Our music is music that honours God, not feed the flesh. Our atmosphere is such that it reflects the holiness of God, not the filth of the world. Our message is one of redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ, not a sensual message that feeds the flesh and exalts the devil.
As we follow God’s work through Moses in the book of Exodus, we do not see any entertainment. We see a God Who is holy and all powerful, Who is revealing His power to a pagan nation as well as to His children who needed to get away from that pagan nation so that they could be prepared to enter the land that He had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
In verse 16 the LORD commanded Moses to tell Aaron to stretch out his rod and smite the dust of the land and bring forth lice throughout the land of Egypt. This would certainly not be a picnic. This would certainly not be anything that people would want to have. Lice are destructive little creatures. They suck your blood and make you sick. They destroy life. This is what the Pharaoh wanted. He did not care about his people. He rejected the true God and God was intent on showing him and the nation of Egypt that there is only one true God. Playing religion can only go so far. Eventually the facts will be presented.
In verse 17 we read that Aaron obeyed the LORD. The lice was in man and in the beasts. In verse 18 we see that the magicians tried to imitate this plague, but they could not. God is in charge. He allowed the devil to try to impress the people with his powers for a short time. Now the LORD was going to make it abundantly clear that this was His hand at work. God would rather see sinners saved. He takes no pleasure in the wicked. He will judge the wicked. He will use them for His glory.
In verse 19 we see that even the magicians were not going to pretend this plague was nothing. They understood this was the finger of God. The magicians did not say this was the hand of God. They could see just how powerful the LORD was.
Foolish Pharaoh insisted on resisting the LORD. He was isolating himself even from those he had elevated to a powerful place of influence in his kingdom. He would not even take the counsel of his magicians. Proud, godless people are just ‘too wise’ for anyone else. They have their counsellors, but if their counsellors do not agree with them, then they just dismiss their counsellors.
The only real counsellor there is for man is God. He has given us the only true counselling manual, and that is the Bible. The Bible shows us who we are from birth. We are wretched sinners. God directed Jeremiah to write:

Jeremiah 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
10  I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Pharaoh was willfully deceived. He was trusting in his own heart. His heart was wicked and not trustworthy. He did not even know just how wicked his heart was. The good news is that the LORD knew what Pharaoh’s heart was like. He was exposing him for who he truly was. The people of Egypt would have been wise to reject Pharaoh’s leadership. They would have been wise to submit to the true God. However, they did not choose to do that.
The magicians began to see that their leader, the Pharaoh was wrong. They could see they were powerless against the LORD. They did not turn to the LORD, but they could see this was bigger than what they could control. It is important for people to come to see they are not in control. It is important to not just recognize that, but then to turn to the LORD in repentance and trust in Him. We do not read that the magicians did that.
Today we can see many things happening in Canada that are beyond our control. We can also see our politicians foolishly ignoring God and suggesting that they know how to deal with every problem we face. They think they know how to fix the hot weather and the storms, etc. They point to their false science as their source of wisdom. Anyone who thinks, knows that the politicians are lying to themselves and to us. Sadly most people do not think. They have been brainwashed from their youth into believing there is no God and that things have evolved to where we are now. They foolishly believe that if we stop using fossil fuels that we will “magically” see things improve. Meanwhile they promote the use of alcohol and drugs as a means of finding an escape from reality. None of that works. It just makes matters worse. However, they insist on pursuing their foolishness just as Pharaoh refused to acknowledge the true God.
Pharaoh would eventually lead his armies into the Red Sea and they would drown there. That was not their end. That was only the end of their physical lives here on this earth. They are currently in torment already and they will be raised up to meet the Lord Jesus Christ at the great white throne judgment. Jesus will reveal to them how they chose to reject the Truth and then He will pronounce their sentence in the lake of fire. They will be there for all eternity.
There are thousands of people in Canada today who are choosing to reject the truth and are choosing to follow the liars. These thousands are not in danger of drowning in the Red Sea, but they are drowning in sin. Destruction is the end for those who reject the Truth.
Be sure you not only can see the finger of God at work today. Be sure you know the true God and that you are being held in His hand today. That is the only place of safety. He will keep you safe once you are in His hand. Those who are in His hand, need to be feeding on His Word daily in order to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Safety is found in following the LORD and submitting to His will.
Pastor Bartel