Lice: The Finger of God?

Exodus 8:16-19

Today, we are going to look at the third plague—Lice. A Wondrous Christmas Vision in lice? Well, let’s see what we can find out. As you can see, these plagues are increasing. The plague on the water and then of the frogs were great inconveniences to the people, but the lice was directly upon the people. Lice on man and beast. This time, when the magicians tried to duplicate it, they had to admit they were overpowered, and declared, “this is the finger of God.”

There are many references to the finger of God all through the Scriptures. In Psalm 8, God says to “consider the works of His fingers.” Think about it, God has been giving us a vision of who He is by using that one mighty finger to create all the heavens and the earth. The Ten Commandments were written upon two tablets of stone by the finger of God back in Exodus, calling us out of sin and into a holy life. In Daniel 5, the finger of God appeared and wrote Belshazzar’s sin upon the wall. “The God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.” (vs. 23) Belshazzar’s sins were written upon the wall, and everyone could see that “he had been weighed in the balances and found wanting.” vs. 27 The problem was he did not surrender to it, and he died. Why did he die? He saw his sins written upon the wall, but he did not let God write a new law of life upon his heart. In Jeremiah 31:33, the Lord says, “this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be my people.”

Scripture says in Romans 3:23, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It is God only who is able to write His law upon our hearts, by His Spirit, which is the finger of God. God desires to write His will upon the tablet of human hearts, if we would let Him. In vs. 19 of our text, Pharaoh knew that the lice were from the finger of God, but his heart grew hard. Belshazzar saw the hand of God writing his sin upon the wall, and refused to repent, and died. Can you declare that you have been overpowered by God, and admit the finger of God has changed you? This vision has been put before you today. What are you going to do? God is looking for a people to call His own. Do you want to be one of them?

~ Debbie Frantz