The Lord Makes a Distinction

Exodus 11:7b

When Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to submit to God, He brought crushing plagues upon Egypt. The final plague was the death of all of Egypt’s firstborn. As Moses announced this plague to Pharaoh, he did so with great anger. We’re not told why, but I suspect it was because Moses was frustrated with Pharaoh’s stubbornness and saddened that things had to come to this. For a person of normal psychological makeup, it would not be pleasant to announce that every single family in a nation was about to lose its firstborn child.

But as Moses announced what was coming, he made sure Pharaoh understood that God would make a distinction between Israel and Egypt. This terrible plague would not come upon the Israelites as it would on the Egyptians. It occurs to me this little verse has much for us to consider in our day.

Nowadays, it is not popular to make a distinction between things. It’s not popular to say we’re not going to allow people into our country from certain other countries, making a distinction between nations. It’s not popular to say we are against radical Islamic terrorism, making a distinction between religions. It’s not popular to say we’re building a border wall, making a distinction between people on one side of it and people on another. It’s also not popular to make a distinction between males and females, saying if you were born male, you should not enter the restrooms, showers, or locker rooms of females, and vice versa. It’s not popular to make a distinction between moral and immoral behavior, saying if you have sexual relations with someone of the same sex, that is immoral, if you have sexual relations with someone to whom you’re not married, that is immoral, but if you are monogamous and faithful in marriage, your sexual practices are moral. It’s certainly not popular today, nor has it ever been popular, to make a distinction between people who will be accepted by God and people who will not, to say, these people are “saved” and they will be with God, but those people are not, and they will be separated from Him.

These kinds of distinctions are unacceptable to many modern people, who confidently assure us of their “wrongness.” Yet the Bible, in this short verse of Exodus, but also in many other places, says the Lord does make a distinction. Can you imagine if this were to be announced on the news today, that the Lord makes a distinction between Egyptians and Israelites? God would certainly be branded a racist, a hater! How could He possibly say such an outrageous and cruel thing! Egyptians are human beings! They have a right to be accepted and thought of in completely equal terms, do they not?! How could God be so unjust, so openly prejudiced against the people of an entire nation, and one so ancient and proud at that? What about the contribution to progress and culture Egypt had made over thousands of years? They were one of the most ancient of civilizations, far more powerful and advanced than almost any other people of that time. The pyramids, the hieroglyphs, the Sphinx – what great achievements and creativity they had exhibited! They were wonderful people, were they not?

Yet God did make a distinction. And what He said was absolute and final. It really doesn’t matter what humans may opine, if God declares something, does it? If He said this, it was so. Now, humans may disagree. They may complain. They may rail against God’s decree. But as God, He is the final authority, isn’t He? I’m sure pundits could analyze God’s decision, and show why it was wrong-headed. I’m sure some government office in Egypt could show why this would bring great harm to society, set a bad precedent, teach young people to discriminate, set back progress. But if God exists, and He made this entire world, this universe, and He has all power to act on whatever He decrees, does it really matter what everybody in the entire world says? I’m sorry, but I don’t think it does! His Word is Law. He will do what He has said. Human beings would be wise to accept His decrees and adapt their lives to them, rather than rail against them as prejudiced and unfair!

It seems a great majority of people in our society are not sure God even exists. They have their doubts about it, though most people, deep in their hearts, admit to having an intuitive belief in a Supreme Being. Whether or not He/She/It makes any distinctions, however, is less clear to people. They’ve been so bombarded with politically correct thinking for so long, their concept of absolutes and distinctions is really fuzzy now. Most have come around to thinking any Supreme Being is probably pretty much like they themselves, warm and accepting of everybody, with practically no firm borders or limits or distinctions about anything.

It’s funny though, because the same people, just about all people in fact, if pressed, will admit there are certain things that are just wrong and immoral. It’s wrong to torture babies for fun. It’s wrong to shoot an unarmed black youth who’s not harming anyone. It’s wrong to discriminate. This is the case across all sorts of groups and cultures or schools of thought, even the most liberal and free-thinking. That’s point one.

Point two: Nature certainly has some clear distinctions and barriers. Fish can’t breathe air, and nor can land animals breathe water. A bird can spring from a tall building and fly away, but if a human tries the same thing, he or she will do devastating harm to him or herself on the hard ground below. Two men or two women cannot produce offspring. A human body cannot ingest certain poisons and live, or endure temperatures either above or below a certain level. The sea shore is a definite barrier between the sea and the land, and there is a clear distinction between earth and sky or the atmosphere and space.

It seems to me we human beings can easily recognize most of these natural distinctions and we’ve learned to accept them and adapt. But in recent times, many of us have thought it possible to ignore so many other distinctions and get around them.

Maybe we should reconsider! I saw a tee shirt years ago with this catchy slogan: There are two truths you should know: 1) there is a God, 2) you are not Him. I think that’s a clear distinction people should all recognize, don’t you?

If we once recognize that distinction, there are lots of others that follow. The God who created all there is set up many distinctions in nature and human nature. He makes a distinction between right and wrong, between wisdom and folly, between heaven and hell. He has told us in His Word that not all are accepted by Him, that broad is the road that leads to destruction and most people today are walking on it. Narrow is the way that leads to life and few find and follow it. Jesus is the only way to reconciliation with God and eternal life.

God has made the line of distinction between death and life very clear and real as well. One day all of us must cross it, and when we do, there is no coming back. Just as He made a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites, He makes a clear distinction between those who have submitted to His Son and will enter eternal life and those who have not. We might disagree with His standards or requirements or find them unfair. The wisest thing to do, however, is to submit to them, to cross the line of distinction, and to identify with God’s people, not the people of this world. The Lord makes a distinction between the groups. Which one are you a part of?