Exodus 8:19, commentary and pictures

Aaron at God's command turned the dust of the land into lice throughout Egypt, and Pharaoh's magicians tried by their enchantments to do the same but could not produce them. Seeing their imitative power at an end, they told Pharaoh the plague was the act of God by His own power, which human skill and unbelief cannot equal. Even after that confession Pharaoh's heart was hardened and unmoved, and he would not listen to them nor release Israel, just as the Lord had said. The signs through Moses were wrought not by human ability but by the power of God, while the magicians wrought by the power of the devil to counterfeit the true work, until God by His controlling power cut off the imitation and suffered the deception to go no further. Their failure gave Pharaoh sufficient evidence and removed all excuse for unbelief, yet Satan worked through them to harden his heart and keep Israel in bondage, prefiguring his effort to destroy faith in Christ's work to break Satan's power and set captives free.

Lice Plague and Confession

After relief from the frogs Pharaoh hardened his heart again and refused to let Israel go. At God's command Aaron stretched out his hand and the dust of the land became lice throughout all Egypt. Pharaoh called on his magicians to do the same by their enchantments, and they tried but could not produce the lice.

God actively prevented the magicians from even appearing to produce lice before themselves or the Egyptians. Seeing their imitative power at an end, the magicians told Pharaoh that the plague was the act of God by His own power, acknowledging their power could not match His. The plague was also a judgment on Egyptian idolatry, because priests harboring such an impure insect were considered unfit to approach the altars, so worship could not be performed while it lasted.

Even after the magicians confessed, Pharaoh's heart was hardened and unmoved, he did not listen to them and stubbornly refused to release Israel, just as the Lord had said.

God's Superior Power

Moses and Aaron acted as servants of God under His command, while the magicians acted as servants of Satan under his command. The signs wrought through Moses came not by his human ability, influence, or power but by the power of God, while the magicians wrought not by their own science alone but by the power of their god the Devil, with Satan aiding them to counterfeit the true work. The expression finger of God names divine power that human skill and unbelief cannot equal.

Their failure to produce lice proved the work of God superior to the power of Satan, whose enchantments can imitate only a few things. This limit had already appeared when their rods became serpents but Aaron's rod swallowed theirs. God would not suffer satanic deception to proceed further, but by His controlling power cut off the channel through which Satan worked. In this way He ended the imitation of Moses and Aaron and left even his instruments unable to save themselves from the plagues.

The signs were meant to show Pharaoh that God had sent Moses to command him to let Israel go to serve Him. The magicians' failure removed all excuse for unbelief by giving Pharaoh sufficient evidence to believe if he would. That evidence compelled even the magicians themselves to admit God's power.

Foreshadowing Christ's Deliverance

Moses breaking bondage to deliver the captives prefigured Christ at His first advent breaking Satan's power to set captives free. His work was to convince Pharaoh that the great I AM had sent him to command that Israel be let go to serve Him. Satan was unwilling for Israel to be released from bondage to serve God and stood on the ground to destroy the influence of God's work through Moses. His purpose was twofold, reaching to the immediate contest in Egypt and down through all ages.

Through the magicians Satan counterfeited the true signs to make his instruments prevail, working to harden Pharaoh's heart against the manifestations of God's power, to stagger the faith of Moses and Aaron in the divine origin of their mission, and to keep Israel from being released from servitude. Beyond Egypt he aimed through all ages to destroy faith in the mighty miracles of Christ.