Exodus 8:16-19 (Hebrew: 8:12-15)

¹⁶ Then the LORD told Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Extend your staff and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.'” ¹⁷ And they did so. Aaron extended his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the land, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the land became gnats in all the land of Egypt. ¹⁸ The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. ¹⁹ Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of a god.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had predicted.

getting the point

There is some confusion as to what insect the LORD deployed upon the Egyptians at this time. The KJV has “lice” while most modern translations use “gnats.” Some scholars suggest that it was mosquitoes. Growing up in rural Florida, I had my share of both. The gnats were a bother at times, but the mosquitoes posed a greater annoyance, and a more potential threat. When we served as missionaries in the Philippines, we had to take many precautions against mosquitoes and the diseases they carried.

The Hebrew term is used of all small, annoying, biting winged insects, so it could have been a combination of numerous species. What matters is that they were recognized by the Egyptians as being of supernatural origin. But by this time, Pharaoh was so committed to refusing to give in that he would not listen, even to his own advisers.

There is a struggle going on in our hearts today. The LORD wants to rescue us from our sins. He wants to get us out of the bondage we are in. He places his finger on our lives in a number of sensitive areas, and commands us to release ourselves to him. Will we listen, or will we stubbornly refuse, in spite of all the evidence?

LORD, forgive us for holding out so long. You have touched us with your loving finger. May we wisely get the point.