Exodus 8 A Plague of Gnats/Lice
16 So the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Raise your staff and strike the ground. The dust will turn into swarms of gnats throughout the land of Egypt.’” 17 So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded them. When Aaron raised his hand and struck the ground with his staff, gnats infested the entire land, covering the Egyptians and their animals. All the dust in the land of Egypt turned into gnats. 18 Pharaoh’s magicians tried to do the same thing with their secret arts, but this time they failed. And the gnats covered everyone, people and animals alike.
19 “This is the finger of God!” the magicians exclaimed to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.
This time, God doesn’t bother warning Pharaoh; Pharoah has had plenty of warnings and has ignored all of them, so there’s no point. Some versions translate this plague as being lice rather than gnats. Now these insects are covering everybody in Egypt, including the animals. David Guzak in his Enduring Word Commentary points out, “This plague struck at the heart of all Egyptian worship, especially at their priests. The Egyptian priesthood was extremely careful about hygiene and ritual cleansing; an infestation of lice made them unable to worship their gods. The plague of lice was also upon every beast. The gods of Egypt would not receive the sacrifice of lice-infested animals, so this stopped their sacrificial system.” The magicians are stumped and horrified; they immediately warn Pharaoh that they can’t duplicate this plague. Even if Pharaoh is unwilling to acknowledge the power of God, the magicians realize they are up against something far more powerful than any of the demons they have been following. And as the gnats or lice continue to drive the Egyptians and their animals crazy, things are about to get even worse.
A Plague of Flies
20 Then the Lord told Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand in Pharaoh’s way as he goes down to the river. Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 21 If you refuse, then I will send swarms of flies on you, your officials, your people, and all the houses. The Egyptian homes will be filled with flies, and the ground will be covered with them. 22 But this time I will spare the region of Goshen, where my people live. No flies will be found there. Then you will know that I am the Lord and that I am present even in the heart of your land. 23 I will make a clear distinction between my people and your people. This miraculous sign will happen tomorrow.’”
24 And the Lord did just as he had said. A thick swarm of flies filled Pharaoh’s palace and the houses of his officials. The whole land of Egypt was thrown into chaos by the flies.
There’s no agreement on the kind of insects that are coming in swarms; however, it’s likely that at least some of these insects are biting ones, inflicting wounds on all the Egyptians and their animals. Once more, the Egyptians have no means of worshiping, for they cannot offer animals covered with biting flies and bleeding wounds from those flies.
This time, God spares the Israelites, sending the biting flies to bite only the Egyptians and their animals. Has God removed the gnats/lice from the Israelites? Possibly. Now God is drawing distinctions between His people and the Egyptians. The magicians evidently make no effort to copy this plague, indicating that they have reached the end of their powers.
25 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. “All right! Go ahead and offer sacrifices to your God,” he said. “But do it here in this land.”
26 But Moses replied, “That wouldn’t be right. The Egyptians detest the sacrifices that we offer to the Lord our God. Look, if we offer our sacrifices here where the Egyptians can see us, they will stone us. 27 We must take a three-day trip into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, just as he has commanded us.”
28 “All right, go ahead,” Pharaoh replied. “I will let you go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God. But don’t go too far away. Now hurry and pray for me.”
29 Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the swarms of flies will disappear from you and your officials and all your people. But I am warning you, Pharaoh, don’t lie to us again and refuse to let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”
30 So Moses left Pharaoh’s palace and pleaded with the Lord to remove all the flies. 31 And the Lord did as Moses asked and caused the swarms of flies to disappear from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. Not a single fly remained. 32 But Pharaoh again became stubborn and refused to let the people go.
Does Pharaoh really intend to keep his promise, or is he simply saying whatever is necessary to get rid of the gnats and flies? Only God knows, but it’s obvious that Pharaoh is still clinging to the idea that he has some kind of power over the Israelites. Obviously, it’s going to take more suffering before Pharaoh finally lets the Israelites go.
What must Moses and Aaron and the Israelites be thinking by this point? “Surely,” the Israelites think, “now Pharaoh is going to relent and let us go.” But Moses has come out of a royal upbringing and he knows how stringently Pharaohs are instructed that they are divine and therefore all their decisions are correct and have no need for change. It’s likely that Moses and Aaron pray and ask God for advice, at which point, God tells them to hang on and keep going. At this point, Moses and Aaron can only cling to the peace through the assurance that God can give them.
Why is God dragging this whole process out rather than simply going straight to the final plague? God is concerned about the Egyptians as well as the Israelites; in fact, God is even concerned about Pharaoh. While we might read these stories and hope that Pharaoh will give his just reward in the end, God wants Pharaoh to repent and humble himself and continues to give him every opportunity to do so.
Where does the peace of God enter in these two plagues? The Israelites can take hope when God protects them from the biting flies, sending that plague only on the Egyptians. From now on, God will protect the Israelites from the remaining plagues, and the Israelites can rest in that protection. Each time God demonstrates more of His mighty power, the Israelites should be learning to trust God even more than they have before. That trust can give peace, even while the situation has yet to be resolved.
Face it, many of us are enduring unresolved situations. We might be struggling to find a new job or struggling with family problems. We hope for God’s intervention but we’re not sure what He will do. Like the Israelites, we can continue to trust God and enjoy the peace of that trust as we wait for God to bring ultimate solutions. What good will it do for us to allow ourselves to descend into fear?
Isaiah 40:28-31 tells us, “Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
Take heart! God knows your struggles and He wants you to have peace in the midst of them.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You and rest in Your peace, even while we are still waiting for things to work out. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment