God makes a difference

Shortly before the last plague comes upon Egypt, God has Moses say the following to Pharaoh, among other things:

“Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again. But as for all the sons of Israel, not even a dog will bark, whether against man or animal, so that you may understand how the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel” (Exodus 11:6–7).

God is speaking here about how he distinguishes between the Egyptians and the Israelites. What kind of distinction was that? And why was it so?

Now, Pharaoh had already shown himself earlier to be an ungodly man. Among other things, he had in effect said: “Who is God, that I should submit myself to him?” But the people of Israel had also shown what kind of character they had. The people had turned against Moses and Aaron and grumbled because the relief they had hoped for had not yet come. On the contrary, Pharaoh had even increased their work. And at the beginning of the second book of Moses we do read that the people cry out, but we read nothing about their having cried out to God. They had cried out because of the taskmasters, because of the burden, but they had not explicitly cried out to God.

And now, shortly before the people depart, God says this. “I will make a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites.” By nature, there was no difference. By nature they were all sinful people and guilty before God. And it is no different today. Romans 3:22–23 says: “There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

How, then, was the distinction brought about? God would bring about the distinction through the blood of the lamb. The Israelites were to apply some of the blood of the lamb they had slaughtered to the doorposts and the lintel. And God would say: “Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will come upon you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:13). The distinction, then, was produced solely by the effect of the blood of the lamb, and it was the faith of the Israelites that led them to apply this blood—faith and obedience to the word of God.

In this way, the atoning effect of the blood of Christ is the basis for believers’ acceptance with God and for protection from God’s judgment, which rightfully would have come upon us as well. Here already in the second book of Moses, at the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt, we find a beautiful foreshadowing of the effect of the blood of the Lord Jesus. We are delivered from God’s judgment through the blood of the Lamb.

Romans 3 then shows us that God now justifies every believer. It is an act of God’s righteousness, because the judgment has been carried out on the Lord Jesus. He has already borne the judgment for my guilt. And because God is righteous, he judges sin only once. And I may go free—yes, justified.

What a wonderful distinction that God makes. Not because of me, not because there would be anything special in me or you, but because we stand under the protection of the blood of the Lamb of God. This blood is infinitely precious in God’s eyes. He, the Lamb without blemish and without spot, has shed it. To him be eternal thanks for it.