Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. Exodus 8:16-17 NIV
I ran across this photo of a dog wearing a mosquito net in Greenland. Arctic mosquitos are found in the summer months on the tundra. They like shallow pools of water and feeding on reindeer whose only defense is to run. It is recommended for humans to wear protective netting and many use it on their doggies too.
God used swarms of gnats and flies on Pharoah and the Egyptian people when Pharoah repeatedly denied the Israelites freedom to go and worship God. There were many other plagues that beseiged the Egyptians until finally the Israelites escaped through the dry bed of the Red Sea while their pursuers drown in its waters.
I’m not sure anything could have protected Pharoah’s hard heart from all the plagues but we have a protection when it comes to all the things in this life that threaten to destroy us. I Peter 5:8 tells us that Satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Beezlebub is sometimes used in place of Satan and can mean the lord of the flies.
So will a mosquito net help us keep out all the irritants of everyday life? Maybe not, but God is our Protector. Isaiah states that no weapon formed against us will prosper and in chapter 41, he says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all”.
Instead of netting covering our human bodies, God tells us in Ephesians 6 to put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. We have the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the sword of the spirit and protecting our head is the helmet of salvation.
Mosquito netting will definitely help to keep the bugs from feasting on you but to protect ourselves spiritually we need to feast on the word of God and access the spiritual weapons that only Jesus can supply. Just as the reindeer flee the mosquitos to higher ground, we can flee tempation and then stand in the power of God’s might knowing we are covered by his blood and the battle belongs to the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:15).
Just Another Dog Devotion 