When the Faithful God Makes a Distinction: Faith and Trust in Exodus 9
Under pestilence and boils, God's people are untouched — the same faithful Lord upon whom our faith rests.
GOD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the ETERNAL, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go to worship Me. For if you refuse to let them go, and continue to hold them, then GOD’s hand will strike your livestock in the fields—the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the cattle, and the sheep—with a very severe pestilence. But GOD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of the Egyptians, so that nothing shall die of all that belongs to the Israelites. GOD has fixed the time: tomorrow GOD will do this thing in the land.’” And GOD did so the next day: all the livestock of the Egyptians died, but of the livestock of the Israelites not one died. When Pharaoh inquired, he found that not a head of the livestock of Israel had died; yet Pharaoh remained stubborn, and he would not let the people go. Then GOD said to Moses and Aaron, “Each of you take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. It shall become a fine dust all over the land of Egypt, and cause an inflammation breaking out in boils on human and animal throughout the land of Egypt.” So they took soot of the kiln and appeared before Pharaoh; Moses threw it toward the sky, and it caused an inflammation breaking out in boils on human and animal. The magicians were unable to confront Moses because of the inflammation, for the inflammation afflicted the magicians as well as all the other Egyptians. But GOD stiffened the heart of Pharaoh, and he would not heed them, just as GOD had told Moses. GOD said to Moses, “Early in the morning present yourself to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the ETERNAL, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go to worship Me. For this time I will send all My plagues upon your person, and your courtiers, and your people, in order that you may know that there is none like Me in all the world. I could have stretched forth My hand and stricken you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been effaced from the earth. Nevertheless I have spared you for this purpose: in order to show you My power, and in order that My fame may resound throughout the world. Yet you continue to thwart My people, and do not let them go! This time tomorrow I will rain down a very heavy hail, such as has not been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. Therefore, order your livestock and everything you have in the open brought under shelter; every human and animal that is found outside, not having been brought indoors, shall perish when the hail comes down upon them!’” Those among Pharaoh’s courtiers who feared GOD’s word brought their slaves and livestock indoors to safety; but those who paid no regard to the word of GOD left their slaves and livestock in the open. GOD said to Moses, “Hold out your arm toward the sky that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, upon human and animal and all the grasses of the field in the land of Egypt.” So Moses held out his rod toward the sky, and GOD sent thunder and hail, and fire streamed down to the ground, as GOD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt. The hail was very heavy—fire flashing in the midst of the hail—such as had not fallen on the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. Throughout the land of Egypt the hail struck down all that were in the open, both human and animal; the hail also struck down all the grasses of the field and shattered all the trees of the field. Only in the region of Goshen, where the Israelites were, there was no hail. Thereupon Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I stand guilty this time. GOD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Plead with GOD that there may be an end of this thunder and of hail. I will let you go; you need stay no longer.” Moses said to him, “As I go out of the city, I shall spread out my hands to GOD; the thunder will cease and the hail will fall no more, so that you may know that the earth is GOD’s. But I know that you and your courtiers do not yet fear the ETERNAL God.”— Now the flax and barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud; but the wheat and the emmer were not hurt, for they ripen late.— Leaving Pharaoh, Moses went outside the city and spread out his hands to GOD: the thunder and the hail ceased, and no rain came pouring down upon the earth. But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he became stubborn and reverted to his guilty ways, as did his courtiers. So Pharaoh’s heart stiffened and he would not let the Israelites go, just as GOD had foretold through Moses.
Exodus 9:1–20 portrays the fifth and sixth plagues on Egypt. In both, the LORD 'makes a distinction' between Israel and Egypt, demonstrating His covenant faithfulness and inviting Israel — and us — to trust Him rather than Pharaoh's hollow threats.