The first camping trip our family had when we moved to Michigan in 2014 was to Algonac State Park on the St. Lawrence River. I think that was the state park that destroyed Ana’s desire to go camping. We took our dog Dusty with us and Friday afternoon, we all went for a walk through a trail, through the woods. In about the middle of the trail, there was a swarm of gnats, flies, mosquitoes or some flying insect that covered us. They covered Dusty and all of us. We took off running, thinking we could out run the swarm, but we could not. They finally left us alone when we got out of the woods and back to the campsite. I’m not very fond of insects flying around my head – even if they don’t bite.
We have been studying the Ten Plagues God brought on Egypt to get Pharaoh to let Israel leave slavery and worship Jehovah God. We studied Plague #1 on January 1st and Plague #2 on January 8th. Each of those lessons are available to watch on our website or through podcasts. Today, we look at Plague #3…
What Was Bugging Ol’ Pharaoh?
God was interested in Pharaoh changing his mind and He gave him warning several times so he could change his mind and spare Egypt from the disaster of the plagues. But also, when God struck without warning, it showed that God could strike without warning! God is not obligated to follow any time scale at all; He is only obligated to behave according to His own nature. God was in complete control and He could have killed Pharaoh’s first born at any moment He wanted. But, through the first nine plagues, Pharaoh hardened his heart to such an extent that neither God’s grace nor His wrath would affect Pharaoh.
De-Creation and Disorder:
This third plague may have been intended to judge the god of the earth, Geb (see 12:12). The emphasis in the text is on the “dust of the earth.” Notice in the next plague that God says He wants Israel to know that He is in the midst of the land (8:22). God does not rule over this piece of land or that piece of land. He rules over every scrap of every land in every nation.
Paul writes in Colossians 1:16-17 that Jesus holds all things together. He has to be the center of our world.
Satan Has His Limitations
When God turned the Nile to blood, the Egyptian magicians did something weird – they also turned water to blood (7:22). When God brought the frogs on the land of Egypt, the Egyptian magicians also brought forth frogs (8:7). It’s weird that these men did not undo what God had done. They actually made things worse! That’s what happens when we allow Satan to control our thinking. He makes things worse! In this plague, the Egyptian magicians make one last effort to show their power is equal if not superior to the God of Israel. But, they could not do it! Notice 8:18.
God’s Finger:
Pharaoh’s magicians had enough common sense to realize that they could not duplicate what God had done this time. They were also smart enough to confess that this was the “finger of God” (Exod. 8:19a).
Let’s briefly consider the other few times where the “finger of God” is mentioned… In Psalm 8:3, David considered the heavens the work of God’s fingers. Moses tells us that God inscribed the Law – at least the Ten Commandments – on stone with His finger: Exo. 31:18. The best place to see the “finger” of God is in the work and ministry of Jesus Christ. In fact, when Jesus cast out evil spirits, He told His Jewish audience that He did so by the “finger of God” and this showed that the kingdom prophesied by Daniel (7:13-14) was about to be established: Luke 11:20.
Just as Moses led Israel out of slavery in Egypt, so Jesus leads us out of the slavery of sin. He’s more than just a “new Moses.” The Hebrew writer says Moses is a servant in the house while Jesus is the Son over the house of God (3:5-6). In that text, the writer says that Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses.
Jesus has defeated the power of Satan and He has opened up heaven to us. When we look at the life of Jesus we can only confess: “This is the finger of God!” Only God could have resolved the power of sin; only He could have raised Jesus from the dead.
What we cannot afford to do is follow Pharaoh’s pattern. He hardened his heart – notice he changed his heart before he refused to listen. Even when the finger of God was evident, he refused to humble his heart. He refused to give glory to God. Let’s not follow his pattern.
Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses. He defeated the power of Satan and has opened heaven to us. “This is the finger of God!” Soften your heart and listen to Him.
Paul Holland
