The Distinction

UV 597/10,000 The Distinction “ But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal. Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.” Exodus 11 v 7 Egypt is a symbol of people who distance themselves from God. Israel is a metaphor for people who are intimate with God. They live in the umbra of His shadow and not just in the outer fringe or “ penumbra”. Therefore, God in return promises to put protective fencing around the latter. So much so, when disaster strikes the former, no dog will stare or even bark at the people who are intimate with the Lord. In a time of prayer recently, the Lord revealed that “ neither any dog nor any fly will stand before you.” The Lord acts as a Lion of Judah for each of us. He wrestles with the principalities and powers of darkness and wrests victory for us. During His earthly ministry for thirty three years, the Lord Jesus remained a Lamb. But, after His resurrection, He manifests as a mighty lion. Satan though he is described as a roaring lion, has now become a defeated lion who is terrified at the very mention of the name of Jesus. The word “ disaster” comes from the French root, “ des astre” meaning evil star. But, the Lord Jesus is the Bright and Morning Star who dispels all evil and blesses us with the overflow of His goodness. The distinction that the Lord makes between Egypt and Israel is not out of any partiality. Any human being regardless of nationality, religious background or occupation or class or gender or culture or lifestyle can be part of Israel. Even in the midst of any disaster, man-made or natural, the Lord is in our midst and is in control. He does it to show that He makes a distinction between the righteous by faith and the wicked by lack of faith, between him who serves God and him who does not. Even in the third type of disaster, God-caused to reveal His power, the Lord will be a sufficient shelter and refuge to His chosen people. The mark of distinction that He makes is the cross signed in His blood upon our foreheads, doorposts and windows. During the three days of darkness during a God-caused disaster in Egypt, there was light inside the Hebrew homes. The Jewish Passover which commemorates the saving of the blood marked Hebrew homes from death is a metaphor for the amazing redemption that the Lord will cause for each of us several times in the course of our lives. Prateep V Philip