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Steven Cole · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Cole - This plague may have been an assault on Pharaoh, whom Egyptians believed had the power to maintain the cosmic order. Or, it may have been directed against the Egyptian priests, who prided themselves on purity with frequent washings, shavings, and linen robes. Ryken - Not only were they unable to produce any more bugs, but they were completely covered with them, and there was nothing they could do about it. It was utterly humiliating, especially because the religious leaders of Egypt prided themselves on their physical purity. Before performing their daily rituals, they bathed thoroughly and shaved off all their hair. Therefore, according to John J. Davis, it is “rather doubtful that the priesthood in Egypt could function very effectively having been polluted by the presence of these insects. They, like their worshipers, were inflicted with the pestilence of this occasion. Their prayers were made ineffective by their own personal impurity with the presence of gnats on their bodies....Since Pharaoh’s magicians were servants of Satan, the plague of bugs clearly shows that Satan’s power has its limits. Admittedly, the devil does have some power. The Bible says that his work is “displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9). As we have seen, whether by some clever trick or by some demonic enchantment, Pharaoh’s magicians were able to duplicate the first two plagues. Either way, they performed their magic in opposition to God, and thus in service to Satan.” (Ibid) Exodus 8:19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said. This is the finger of God - 1Sa 6:3,9 Ps 8:3 Da 2:10,11,19 Mt 12:28 Lu 11:20 Joh 11:47 Ac 4:16 But Pharaoh's heart - Ex 8:15 THE FINGER OF GOD Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." - This is no sleight of hand trickery but was God at work. The magicians knew this was no illusion, but clearly spoke of supernatural power from a divinity they call "God." Note they did not the name Jehovah but the name Elohim. One can only imagine Pharaoh's astonishment that his magicians were impotent regarding this miracle. Currid - Because of their failure, the magicians are perplexed. Therefore, they admit to Pharaoh that there exists a power greater than their magic. Their powers have been exhausted, and they have been defeated. Although the magicians appear again in the story (9:11), they never try to reproduce another plague. For all intents and purposes, they leave the scene of battle. In pagan myth the gods do not represent the greatest power of the universe; there is something even stronger—magic. Through the use of magic an external and mystical force beyond the ordinary power of both gods and humans can be brought to bear on natural and human events. The present episode, however, testifies to the limited nature of the power of magic. Magic is not omnipotent, but it is severely confined. Only Yahweh is omnipotent. This point is confirmed by his defeat of the Egyptian magicians in our story. (EPSC-Ex) NET - The word “finger” is a bold anthropomorphism (a figure of speech in which God is described using human characteristics). The point of the magicians’ words is clear enough. They knew they were beaten and by whom. The reason for their choice of the word “finger” has occasioned many theories, none of which is entirely satisfying. At the least their statement highlights that the plague was accomplished by God with majestic ease and effortlessness. Perhaps the reason that they could not do this was that it involved producing life—from the dust of the ground, as in Genesis 2:7. The creative power of God confounded the magic of the Egyptians and brought on them a loathsome plague. Jesus used this same phrase finger of God in refuting the accusation that He was in league with Satan declaring "But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." (Lu 11:20+) In the parallel passage Jesus identified the finger of God with the Spirit declaring "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." (Mt 12:28+) Currid - It should be noted that the magicians do not ascribe the power to the finger of Yahweh but to ‘the finger of Elohim’. Elohim can be used as a very general name for Deity or deities (the word is a plural form). The magicians are not acknowledging Yahweh here but rather some generic greater spiritual force. Although the magicians are now convinced that there is a spiritual battle which they are losing, Pharaoh responds in the same way as he did to the earlier plagues. His heart has not been softened. Cassuto - They admit that there is a power here greater than theirs; and that Moses and Aaron are not working with their own capacities, as they, the magicians, are doing, but that they are the agents of a Higher Power which a human being cannot oppose. But their admission is only a partial acknowledgement. They do not say, ‘the finger of YHWH’, but only the finger of God. They do not yet concede the Divinity of YHWH, but merely acknowledge that there is manifested here some unnamed Divine Power. Nor do they say ‘the hand of God’, but just ‘the finger of God’, that is, they do not admit that it is a real act of God, such as a man performs with his hand, but only that it is a token or subsidiary form of assistance such as a person can render with one finger. After the deliverance we see this phrase used when Moses received the "10 Commandments" - "When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God." (Ex 31:18, see also Dt 9:10). When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said - Although the magicians made a partial admission, Pharaoh did not change his attitude; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. Now Pharaoh even refuses to listen to his own magicians. Note that in this passage we see a descriptive definition of a hard heart, which is a heart that will not listen, in context one that refuses to listen to Jehovah. Jehovah was speaking to Pharaoh through His prophets and His plagues, but Pharaoh adamantly refused to listen. Recall that listen is not just to hear words but to hear and heed or obey those words. This Pharaoh would not do! Exodus 8:20 Now the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, as he comes out to the water, and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me. Rise early in the morning - Ex 7:15 Let My people go - Ex 8:1 A SECOND MEETING AT THE NILE RIVER Now the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning (cf Ex 7:15+) - Again God demonstrates His providence, telling Moses to go (Aaron not mentioned this time). God commands His men not to sleep in, a good pattern for all God's men and women that we might more efficiently redeem the precious time we have left on planet earth!
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Cole adds "Moses refuses on the grounds that to sacrifice in Egypt would be like killing a pig in a Muslim mosque, or slaughtering a cow in a Hindu temple … In the sense that the Egyptians would consider the sacrifice of a sacred animal as blasphemous.” "An “abomination” is something that is off-limits, something that is tabu. It could be translated “detestable” or “loathsome.”" (NET) Cassuto says there are two ways to understand “the abomination of the Egyptians.” One is that the sacrifice of the sacred animals would appear an abominable thing in the eyes of the Egyptians, and the other is that the word “abomination” could be a derogatory term for idols—we sacrifice what is an Egyptian idol. So that is why he says if they did this the Egyptians would stone them. Abomination (detestable, loathsome) (08441)(toebah) is an abhorrent, detestable thing, that which causes horror, repulsion, loathing and extreme disgust to others. Used to describe idols in Deut 32:16 which were abominations that provoked God to anger. The Septuagint translates with bdelugma meaning a detestable thing (Lk 16:15) and anything connected with idolatry (Rev 17:4, Mt 24:15). Exodus 8:27 "We must go a three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He commands us." three days' - Ex 3:18 Ex 5:1 as He commands us - Ex 3:12 10:26 34:11 Lev 10:1 Mt 28:20 MOSES REFUSES TO COMPROMISE We must go a three days' journey into the wilderness And sacrifice to the LORD our God as He commands us- Similar to what Jehovah had told them in Ex 3:18+ "So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’" Thompson - Actually, it appears that Moses is a little weak-legged here. He was never told by God to tell Pharaoh this. But Moses is using this logic to say we need to go three days away so we will be away from the Egyptian mainstream of religion because we don’t want to do anything that is an abomination to Egyptian religion. Exodus 8:28 Pharaoh said, "I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Make supplication for me." I will - Ho 10:2 Make supplication for me - Ex 8:8,29 9:28 10:17 1Ki 13:6 Ezr 6:10 Ec 6:10 Ac 8:24 PHARAOH OFFERS A COMPROMISE Pharaoh said, "I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away - Notice he acknowledges the LORD your God. What is Pharaoh doing? Is he really broken and contrite? Of course not, but he does want relief from the consequences of his sin. Notice he still has a condition (only you shall not go very far away) indicating he still wants to be in control. " The point is very strong to safeguard the concession" (NET) Make supplication for me - Pharaoh wants the heat turned down so to speak, even as he had requested in Ex 8:8 THOUGHT - Are not we all like Pharaoh from time to time in that we desire for God to remove the consequences of sin, consequences which we are responsible for? That's a rhetorical question! All of us have sinned and experienced the dire consequences of our sin. Like I would always tell my kids when they were considering bad choices "You have freedom to make your choice, but you do not have freedom to chose the consequences that result from you sin, consequences God either allows or sends in the form of discipline (Heb 12:5-11)." Exodus 8:29 Then Moses said, "Behold, I am going out from you, and I shall make supplication to the LORD that the swarms of insects may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh deal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD." tomorrow - Ex 8:10 deal - Ex 8:8,15 Ps 66:3 Ps 78:34-37 Jer 42:20,21 Ac 5:3,4 Ga 6:7 Then Moses said, "Behold, I am going out from you, and I shall make supplication to the LORD that the swarms of insects may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow - Moses gives a specific time which will undergird that this is due to the LORD's sovereign control. only do not let Pharaoh deal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD." - Currid comments that "Moses agrees to act on the request of Pharaoh. However, as Pharaoh places a restriction on his plea with ‘only’ (8:28), Moses puts an ‘only’ limitation on his fulfilment of it. The caveat is that Pharaoh should ‘not deceive again’. The verb ‘to mock/deceive’ in this case signifies the pretence of doing something, but wilfully failing to execute it. Pharaoh has been acting the part of the conniver, the schemer, the liar: Moses sees right through the false swearing and misrepresentations and he does not countenance such activity." Thompson - Moses said to Pharaoh that he would ask God to remove the bugs by tomorrow, but he warned Pharaoh that he had better not change his mind again. Exodus 8:30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the LORD. made supplication to the LORD - Ex 8:12 9:33 Jas 5:16 MOSES INTERCEDES A SECOND TIME So Moses went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the LORD - Interesting that he would not do this is his presence. Exodus 8:31 The LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of insects from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people; not one remained. GOD ANSWERS MOSES AND REMOVES INSECTS The LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of insects from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people; not one remained - For the second time Jehovah answered Moses affirmatively. The extermination was complete so that not one remained. Again we see evidence that this was clearly a miracle wrought by the sovereign power of Yahweh! Exodus 8:32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go. Ex 8:15 4:21 7:13,14 Isa 63:17 Ac 28:26,27 Ro 2:5 Jas 1:13,14 AGAIN PHARAOH HARDENED HIS HEART But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go - The pressure was off again and again Pharaoh did not keep his word. Note the effect of the hardening is to reject Jehovah's call to let His people go. For lists of all episodes of the hardening of Pharaoh's heart see "Hardening of the Heart of Pharaoh."