His Finger

DEVOTION

EXODUS

HIS FINGER

Ex 8:16-19

16 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,' and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats." 17 They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came upon men and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. 18 But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. And the gnats were on men and animals. 19 The magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said.

NIV

It is said the Egyptians also worshipped the ground, especially the fertile basin around the Nile. Whether they had assigned a god name to the ground is unknown. However, if what it is said about their connection to the ground, God is once again showing his power is greater than all of their gods.  This particular plague was not able to either be reproduced or removed by the magicians using their black arts. This is certainly an act of God, but also we can see the forces of darkness are not unlimited in power, but any authority they do have is controlled by God. This is certainly the truth revealed to us within the narrative of the life of Job. This particular plague must have been really nasty. Gnats or as some would translate lice were upon the people in swarms. But our lesson is neither about God having all authority which we have already known from our experience with him and his word, nor about the plague itself. But our lesson is once again about the heart of Pharaoh. Although we know his heart is hard against the Israelites, there is new evidence about his heart. He has resolved not to let them go. His insistence to not release them has a twofold purpose. Perhaps first and foremost is they are his labor force. They are his slaves, to use in any manner he deems right. If he chooses to treat them harshly he may do so. If he deems to treat them even more harshly he may do so. He has the ultimate authority over their lives. Why would he want to let loose of that situation, that kind of power? The second reason may well be because he considers himself to be a god, and he is not about to submit to the god of his slaves. We use the small g in this case as this would be the way in which Pharaoh might consider him, just another god, like him or one his people worship. But this time it is a little different. This time his magicians, his practitioners of the black arts could not only reproduce or remove these gnats, but they told Pharaoh this was the finger of God. It is interesting the Hebrew word that was used regarding the actions of the magicians does imply to make, as they reproduced the same type of plague, but this time it is a different word. This time the Hebrew word can also imply to take away. Because this plague of gnats would have infested themselves upon the bodies of the priests of the black arts they certainly would not want to increase or reproduce it, but to take it away. They could not, and so with this great plague upon them, they tell Pharaoh it has to be the finger of God, the God of the Hebrews, the God who is greater than all their skills in the black arts. Pharaoh increases his resolve to not let the Israelites go. Although with all the counsel from the wisest of men in his realm he will not believe in God. How much evidence will it take? We know the answer to that. As well as we know many will not accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior even though we present evidence of his power. When people, even when we believers are struck with certain plagues, if we can call hardships plagues, do we know God can remove them? When we suffer from a material plague, financial hardship, God can provide. When we suffer from an illness, God can heal. When we suffer from any type of infirmity, God is able to deliver us. We have experienced his deliverance from sin and its punishment. He can deliver us from everything. Pharaoh simply refused to accept the power of God. Do we refuse to accept his power in anyway? Do we refuse his power to provide, to heal, and to deliver us from any adversity? Do we look to the power of man before we look to the power of God? These men told Pharaoh, they could not match or undo that which God has done. Let us always look to God first. Let us see his finger at work.