Think for a moment about the most insignificant things you deal with every day. Maybe it’s sand on your floorboard, dust in your house, or a tiny gnat that you must keep waving away. These things are nothing, but they remain a nuisance. Now think about what would happen if these insignificant things were multiplied by a million? What happens when the very dust beneath your feet rises up and becomes a suffocating, inescapable swarm? That’s the terrifying reality Pharaoh faced in the third and fourth plagues. God didn't send a dragon or a tidal wave. He sent the smallest things, gnats and flies, and delivered a message that was impossible to ignore.
The text before us today is Exodus 8:16-32. As has been the case, Lord willing, today will be no different as there is much for us to glean and enjoy here. See first…
Plague 3: Gnats (v16-19)
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’” And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.”
Right away we need to remember the pattern of the plagues.[1] Before the final and most devastating plague of all, the first nine plagues come in three sets of three. In each set of three the first plague begins with Moses meeting Pharaoh in the morning (plague 1, 4, and 7), the second plague begins with Moses coming into Pharaoh’s palace (plague 2, 5, and 8), and the third plague begins with no warning at all (plague 3, 6, and 9). This order reveals serves to highlight the last plague which stands in the place of prominent dread.
As this third plague begins in v16 what do we see? No warning, no visit with Pharaoh, no command to let the people go, the plague just begins. God instructs Moses to tell Aaron to stretch out his staff and strike the “dust of the earth” so that it would turn into gnats. Aaron did so in v17, and gnats covered everyone in Egypt. Let’s ask some questions here.
First question, does the phrase “dust of the earth” stand out to you? It ought to. This is not the first time we have come across this phrase in the Bible. It first appears in Genesis 13 when God makes a great promise to Abraham. God said He would make Abraham’s descendants “as the dust of the earth” meaning, He’ll make his descendants so numerous they’ll be beyond count. As glorious as that promise is back then in its context, God uses the phrase here in v16 to indicate how the gnats about to descend onto Egypt will also be beyond count. This is hard to grasp, isn’t it? I mean, we know gnats. One gnat, or a few gnats aren’t that problematic. A simple wave of the hand and they fly away to not bother us again. Will Pharaoh be able to do that here? No way. He and everyone else in Egypt will be so surrounded by gnats that they won’t be able to look down and see their feet clearly. The scope of this third plague is incredible.
Second question, were they really gnats? I ask this because of the Hebrew word here translated as gnats has some other options. Options that seem far worse than gnats. The Hebrew word is ken (pronounced ‘kain’) and it can also refer to…lice or maggots. Gross right? Some of you might have been thinking, ‘Gnats aren’t so bad.’ But lice and maggots? This third plague just turned into the stuff of nightmares. Lice beyond count, crawling all over you, biting you, laying their eggs, making you itch, sick! Or maggots…nasty, oozy, slimy things, creeping over everything and all over you? No thanks! But, it could also be gnats.
Now, you should know that here in the third plague, just like the first two plagues, many try to find a natural explanation. One notable opinion is as follows.[2] Because all the frogs have been destroyed throughout Egypt in the second plague, there necessarily would follow a surge in gnats throughout the land with no frogs to eat them. Thus, this third plague is completely understandable. Church, this is a bad interpretation of the plagues. Why? If we can point to a natural explanation, we lose the main point God is making. All the plagues are miraculous, wonders worked by God for the display of His great power and might. This is what God desires to show both Egypt and Israel.
Third question, why gnats? Remember God is up to far more than just destabilizing Egypt in the plagues, He’s attacking the gods of Egypt and showing Himself to be stronger. Here in the third and fourth plague (which we’ll see soon) God is attacking the Egyptian deity named Khepri, the god of life who is often depicted in Egyptian religious imagery as a flying insect.[3] That God here sends a multitude of gnats and later on a multitude of flies, shows us that He is openly challenging Khepri and displaying how this god can’t do a thing to stop Him. In this the Egyptians learn afresh how strong and great the God of Israel truly is.
While this is all very similar to the first two plagues, one clear difference is found in v18-19. Pharaoh’s magicians tried, as before, to duplicate the wonders God had done, but now they were unable to do so. For these experts in the secret arts, having to admit defeat was humiliating. Let’s pause right here.
I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again now I think these magicians did what they were able to do because of the power of Satan. But what do we learn in their inability in the third plague? Church, learn here the limits of the Devil’s power.[4] Don’t get me wrong, the Devil has power. He has the power to rebel, to tempt, to deceive, to accuse, to hold captive, to afflict, to oppress, to oppose, and to destroy our earthly bodies. But, think of what Satan cannot do. He cannot create, he cannot redeem, he cannot love, he cannot be humble, he cannot undo what God does, and he cannot go where he desires to go, being that he is subject to God’s sovereign pleasure. Like a dog on a leash, the Devil serves God’s designs. All his evil proves to be an instrument for bringing about things far more lovely than he ever desired.
This third plague was a defeat for Satan, as his servants could not create gnats. But the Devil’s greatest defeat was still far off. It would come one day though, on the best of all days, on resurrection morning. He thought he won his greatest battle when the Son of God died on the cross and entered the tomb…all hell rejoiced, and Satan smiled in vile pleasure seeing a dead Messiah. But the Son who died didn’t stay dead, He rose from death, defeating it forever, leading forth a host of captives who come to Him in faith for salvation. In this victory the Devil was defanged.
We must remember this, Church. As Christians we don’t just face hard times, struggles, and seasons of hardship in this life. We face an enemy and must contend with him. So remember, Satan is potent but not omnipotent, wise but not omniscient, present but not omnipresent. God is stronger. God can deliver us from evil. God can enable us to stand against him. And God can keep us safe in His arms. What we see here in this third plague is meant to bolster us in this fight. The Devil is limited, God is infinite. Be encouraged Church…yes we’re in a battle, but we fight an already defeated foe, our victory is sure, his doom is absolute.
Back to the narrative. After these magicians admitted defeat, they told Pharaoh the last thing he wanted to hear in v19, “This is the finger of God.” You might initially think this confession is a conversion to the God of Israel, but it’s not. The word they use here for God is a generic term, and it was a plural term, meaning it was a word they would’ve used to describe their own gods.[5] What are they saying then? They’re saying a power greater than theirs has proven stronger than their magic. They’re admitting that they’re in a spiritual battle, and that they’re losing.[6] And they’re saying these gnats are of divine origin.[7] Yet, even this confession of defeat doesn’t sway Pharaoh. Due to the hardness of his heart, he remains firm in his unbelief.
That’s the third plague. Now see…
Plague 4: Flies (v20-32)
We’ll start with v20-24, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”’” And the Lord did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants' houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.”
As v20 begins the fourth plague we see God command Moses to rise up early and go to Pharaoh as he’s going out into the water. This is the same pattern as the first plague, when the Nile was turned to blood. That this fourth plague begins the same way the first plague does shows us how this fourth plague is the beginning the next cycle of plagues.[8] Pharaoh himself could very well be thinking as he’s going out into the water and sees Moses approaching him, ‘Oh boy, here we go again…’[9] And he would be right to think that. God isn’t done. Much more is about to happen.
For the sixth time, Pharaoh hears God’s command to let His people go, or else. This time if he won’t let Israel go, God will send swarms of flies on all Egypt. The word flies might really mean flies here, but the Hebrew word is general referring to all manner of biting and nonbiting insects.[10] So think flies, but think also horse flies, mosquitoes, no-see-ums, and the like. Psalm 78 gives us an idea of what these flies were like when it says in v45, God “sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them.” That Psalm 78 tells us the flies devoured the Egyptians tells us these flies were of the biting variety. Which is alarming to say the least. Again, this is not just one fly or two flies, or even ten flies. God tells Pharaoh here, that just as the frogs swarmed earlier, so too these flies will now swarm and get into every nook and cranny of Egypt.
But, something new happens next in v22-23. See it? God makes a divine distinction, saying this fourth plague will not touch His people at all. The flies will cover Egypt and every Egyptian, but not one Israelite in Goshen will be bit. Why does God make such a division? Was it because Israel worked so hard to earn God’s protection? No. Israel, as we’ve seen and will continue to see, is a stubborn, sinful, and stiff-necked people. Why then does God make such a division here in this fourth plague? One answer we could give is that God has always been a God who makes divisions. He made divisions at the beginning in the days of creation. He made a division between male and female. He made a division between Noah’s family and the rest of the world, Abraham’s family and the rest of the world, and here He is making a division with the Israelites and the Egyptians.
But, why does God make this divine distinction here in the fourth plague? Answer: because of covenant. In Exodus 2 God heard their groaning and “remembered His covenant…” In remembering the covenant, He came and acted to save His people! Covenant is the guarantee, covenant is the pledge, covenant is the assurance that God will always be God to His people, even despite His people. Deuteronomy 7 states this so well when it says, “ It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love…” (Deut. 7:7-9a).
So God made this distinction, and brought the flies onto Egypt, and see what happened in v24? “…the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.”
But that’s not the end of our text…see the what happens next in v25-32, “Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? We must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.” So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. And the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.”
Here our passage ends with Pharaoh not even bothering to call in the magicians. They failed last time, so clearly they’re no more use to Pharaoh.[11] Instead he tries to bargain with Moses, giving up some ground, offering a kind of partial obedience…saying Israel can go and perform their sacrifices to the Lord within the land. Moses calls him on this, that it would be against Egyptian law, which would be dangerous for Israel. So Pharaoh gives up even more ground and says they can go and leave Egypt, but they can’t go too far away. And quickly, Pharaoh asks for Moses to pray for him. Moses is again faced with a choice. He knows Pharaoh promised this before and went back on his word, so he’s certainly wondering if Pharaoh will do that again. So before leaving, Moses challenges Pharaoh asking him to not go back on his word like he did last time.
So off Moses goes to pray and God removes all the flies in Egypt in an instant. Not one remained. And Pharaoh, after seeing this, went back on his word and didn’t let the people go. Why? Because he hardened his own heart against the Lord.
That’s the fourth plague…
Conclusion:
Church we’ve seen God’s power displayed in Him using the smallest of creatures to humiliate the greatest of enemies, and by drawing a line in the sand at Goshen, proving His covenant faithfulness. The magicians looked at the gnats and confessed, “This is the finger of God.” In this they beheld a power they could not replicate. This power exposed the Devil as limited and finite. But the defeat of Satan was not just in the gnats, ultimately it would come in the empty tomb. So our victory is sure because our God is stronger.
But the most urgent question for us today comes from the divine distinction between Egypt and Israel. There God set His people apart. Church, this is also the reality of the New Covenant. We’re a people God has rescued and redeemed and called out of darkness into His marvelous light. In a true sense we’re citizens of Goshen in a world that is still Egypt.
So, I ask…does your life look like Goshen, or does it look like Egypt? Is the line of distinction clear in your choices, your speech, your priorities, and your worship? Or have the flies of the world, the flesh, and the devil begun to swarm and ruin your life?
Be reminded: God’s covenant is not a suggestion; it is a declaration of ownership. He has redeemed you. He has set you apart. So, live like the people of the covenant. Live like you belong to God, because Church, you do!
[1] Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible, vol. 1 (New York, NY: Norton, 2019) 243.
[2] Philip Graham Ryken, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory – Preaching the Word Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015) 212.
[3] John D. Currid, Exodus 1-18 - EP Study Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: EP Books, 2014) 177.
[4] Ryken, 216-217.
[5] Currid, 175.
[6] Currid, 175.
[7] Douglas K. Stuart, Exodus – NAC (Brentwood, TN: B&H Publishing, 2006) 212.
[8] Currid, 176.
[9] Stuart, 214.
[10] John I. Durham, Exodus - WBC (Waco TX: Word Books, 1987) 114.
[11] Currid, 179. Also notice from this point on, the contest only seems to be between Pharaoh and Moses. With the departure of the magicians, we also see the departure of Aaron as well.
