Today we read about seven of the ten plagues: blood, frogs, lice or gnats, flies, livestock, boils, and hail. The magicians of Egypt could perform the first two plagues, however, it probably would have been more helpful if the magicians had turned the blood back to water and had gotten rid of the frogs instead of increasing the number of frogs. But luckily for the Egyptians, the Egyptian magicians’ magic stops after the second plague. And the magicians come to the realization that “This is the finger of God.”
We also see the Lord setting His people apart during the plagues:
- “I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. I will make a difference between My people and your people.”
- “And the Lord will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.”
- “Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.”
God desires for His people to be set apart from the people around them in a way that attracts others to the hope we have because of our relationship with the Lord. When Jesus arrives on the scene, He says we should be set apart as a light in this dark world – “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). Soon in the story, the Lord will give the Israelites laws to live by and instructions on approaching Him through the sacrificial system. However, that doesn’t mean that others, outside of the chosen Israelites, who have faith in the Lord can’t become one of His people. Did you notice in Exodus 9:20-21 that some of Pharaoh’s servants are starting to fear the Lord? We will see that a mixed multitude of people, including some non-Israelites as well as the Israelites, will escape Egypt, so keep reading. (Exodus 7:14-9:35)
Chronological Bible in Layman's Terms 