The Line in the Sand: God’s Covenant Distinction

Introduction

We’re continuing our study through Exodus, and we find ourselves at a critical turning point in the narrative of the plagues. We’re looking at Exodus 8:20-24, which describes the fourth plague – what our English Bibles call “the plague of flies.”

Imagine living in a country where the cost of living is skyrocketing, where natural disasters seem to be increasing, where wars are breaking out. People are angry. They blame the leadership. Politicians scramble to deflect blame to their opponents. You feel this pressure every time you go to the grocery store or fill up your gas tank.

Now imagine that someone went publicly to your nation’s leaders – on television, in front of everyone – and said: “Here’s what’s coming next. More hardship. More disaster. And it’s completely avoidable if you’ll just do what’s being asked of you.” And then imagine that exactly what was predicted happened. Not once, not twice, but repeatedly. Each time, the disaster gets worse. Each time, there’s a clear way out, but the leadership refuses.

This is where we find ourselves in Exodus 8. This is the world that Pharaoh is now navigating. And understanding this context helps us grasp not just what’s happening in the text, but what God is revealing about His character, His purposes, and how He engages with the powers of this world.

Exodus 8:20-24:

²⁰Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. ²¹Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. ²²But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. ²³Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”‘” ²⁴And the LORD did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.

Body

I. The Nature of the Plague: Understanding עָרֹב

The first thing to notice is something that might surprise you. Verse 21 says: “I will send swarms of flies.” But the Hebrew text actually doesn’t say “flies.” The word is עָרֹב (arov or arob), and it simply means “swarm” or “mixture.” The root meaning is “mixture” or “mixed swarm.” The Hebrew text deliberately does not specify what kind of creatures made up this swarm.

So why do all our English translations say “flies”? The translation tradition likely comes from Psalm 78:45, which we’ll look at in a moment. The ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint, translated this word as “dog-flies” – a particularly nasty, biting kind of fly. And from there, the tradition stuck. But the Hebrew original leaves it deliberately vague.

Why does this matter? Because the ambiguity emphasizes the chaos of what happened. This wasn’t just a swarm of one kind of insect. This was likely a terrifying mixture of various biting, stinging, crawling creatures. Imagine flies, gnats, hornets, wasps, possibly even scarab beetles – all swarming together in such numbers that verse 24 says “the land was ruined by the swarms.”

Psalm 78 gives us a retrospective look at this event. Listen to how the psalmist describes it in Psalm 78:40-48:

⁴⁰How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert! ⁴¹They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel. ⁴²They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe, ⁴³when he performed his signs in Egypt and his marvels in the fields of Zoan. ⁴⁴He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams. ⁴⁵He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.

Notice that phrase: “which devoured them.” This wasn’t a minor inconvenience. This was devastating. The psalm also mentions “the fields of Zoan” – that’s Tanis, one of Egypt’s royal cities in the Nile Delta. This grounds the plagues in real history, in a real place. These aren’t mythological tales. These are historical events that happened in a specific location to real people.

And here’s something else from Psalm 78, verse 49. The psalmist says God sent “angels of destruction” on them. There’s a spiritual dimension to these plagues that we sometimes miss. These aren’t just natural disasters that God is using. These are acts of divine judgment, executed by God’s angelic agents.

II. The Pattern of Escalation

Now, let’s zoom out and look at the larger pattern. God isn’t just sending random plagues. There’s a deliberate escalation happening here. Each plague builds on the previous one in severity. And this is crucial: Moses always makes the next plague contingent on Pharaoh’s response.

Think about this from Pharaoh’s political position. He’s not dealing with an abstract theological problem. He’s dealing with a very public, very concrete political crisis. Every single day, conditions in Egypt are getting worse. The Nile turned to blood – that was devastating. Frogs everywhere – that was disgusting. Gnats covering everything – that was maddening. And now this: swarms of biting, stinging insects filling the houses, covering the ground, making life unbearable.

And Moses has told him exactly what’s coming before each plague hits. This is public knowledge. The servants know. The people know. And they know that Moses has said there’s a way out: “Let my people go.”

Remember our modern parallel? Think about how people respond today to economic hardship, to natural disasters, to wars. Consider: there are riots happening in our time based on hearsay alone – rumors, accusations, unproven claims. Now imagine what kind of response there would be with demonstrable, unavoidable evidence of the culpability of the leadership. Imagine if everyone could see, with their own eyes, that the leadership’s refusal to comply with a reasonable demand was the direct cause of their suffering.

This is Pharaoh’s nightmare. And here’s what this reveals about God: God knows how to apply pressure in a meaningful way to effect the political scene. But it’s not just that He knows how – it’s that He demonstrates His active willingness to be effecting things in the realm of human politics and power.

This should matter to us. We live in a world where we often feel powerless in the face of corrupt leadership, unjust systems, political machinations. We wonder if God cares, if He’s involved, if He’s doing anything. Exodus says: Yes. God is sovereign over nations and leaders. He knows how to apply pressure. And when His purposes require it, He will intervene in human affairs in ways that cannot be ignored.

III. The Separation of Goshen: A New Development

Now we come to what is perhaps the most significant aspect of this fourth plague. Look at verses 22-23:

“But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”

This is the first plague where God explicitly protects His people from the judgment falling on Egypt. The earlier plagues – the blood, the frogs, the gnats – those affected everyone. Egyptian and Hebrew alike. If you were in Egypt, you suffered. But now, God draws a line. Literally. A geographical line.

Goshen was in the northeastern part of the Nile Delta, where the Israelites lived. And God says, “That land will be set apart. No swarms there.” And then He tells us why: “That you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.”

Let’s unpack the theology here, because it’s profound.

First, this proves divine intervention. Natural disasters don’t discriminate. If there’s a real swarm of insects, they don’t stop at a border. They go wherever there’s food, wherever conditions are right. But only God can selectively judge. Only God can say, “This plague stops here, at this line.” The separation of Goshen proves this is not a natural phenomenon that Moses is somehow predicting or manipulating. This is the finger of God.

Second, this reveals God’s identity. “That you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.” God’s purpose throughout the plagues is not primarily to punish (though judgment is part of it). His primary purpose is revelation. He wants Pharaoh, He wants Egypt, He wants His own people, and ultimately He wants us, to know who He is. He is Yahweh. He is the covenant-keeping God. He is present “in the midst of the earth” – not a distant deity, but an involved, active, present God who cares about His people’s suffering and acts on their behalf.

Third, this foreshadows greater redemption. Look at verse 23: “I will put a division between my people and your people.” The Hebrew word there for “division” is fascinating. It’s פְּדֻת (pedut), which can mean “division” or “distinction,” but it’s closely related to the word for “redemption.” Some scholars think it should actually be translated “redemption” here.

Do you see where this is going? This separation of God’s people from the judgment falling on Egypt is pointing forward to something. It’s pointing to Passover. It’s pointing to that night when the angel of death will pass through Egypt, and God’s people will be protected by the blood on their doorposts. The protection of Goshen previews the greater redemption to come.

And for us, as Christians reading this, it points even further forward. It points to that ultimate redemption in Christ, where God draws a distinction between those who are in Christ and those who are not. Where judgment falls, but His people are protected – not because of where they live, but because of whose they are.

IV. Pharaoh’s Response and God’s Complete Deliverance

Let me read verses 25-32, which describe Pharaoh’s response and what happens next:

²⁵Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” ²⁶But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? ²⁷We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us.” ²⁸So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” ²⁹Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.” ³⁰So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD. ³¹And the LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. ³²But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.

Notice Pharaoh’s negotiation tactic. He says, “Fine, go sacrifice to your God – but do it here in Egypt.” This is a classic compromise. He’s trying to give them something while still maintaining control. But Moses sees right through it.

Moses explains why they can’t sacrifice in Egypt: “The offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians.” What does he mean? The Hebrews would sacrifice sheep and cattle. But Egyptians revered certain animals as sacred. The Apis bull was worshiped in Memphis. The ram was associated with the god Khnum. Hathor was depicted as a cow. To sacrifice these animals in front of Egyptians would be seen as an act of desecration and blasphemy. Moses says, “If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?”

This demonstrates Moses’ wisdom. He understands both the theological necessity – worship God as He commands – and the practical danger – mob violence. But more than that, it demonstrates a deeper truth: true worship of Yahweh is incompatible with Egyptian religion. They can’t compromise. They can’t blend the worship of the true God with the pagan practices around them. They must go into the wilderness, away from Egypt’s influence.

Pharaoh tries another compromise: “Okay, go into the wilderness, but don’t go very far.” Still trying to maintain control. And then, interestingly, he asks Moses to “plead for me.” The tyrant becomes the supplicant.

Moses agrees to pray, but he warns Pharaoh: “Let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go.” Moses has seen this pattern before. Pharaoh promises, Moses prays, God removes the plague, and then Pharaoh reneges.

And notice what God does in verse 31: “And the LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained.”

Not one remained. Think about that. This isn’t a gradual dissipation. This isn’t the swarm slowly dispersing over days or weeks. God removes them completely, instantly, miraculously. This is divine deliverance in astounding entirety.

And what does Pharaoh do? Verse 32: “But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.”

V. Corporate Responsibility and the Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart

This brings us to two crucial theological principles that we need to understand.

First, the principle of corporate responsibility. Notice who suffers in this passage. It’s not just Pharaoh. Verse 21 says the swarms will come “on you and your servants and your people.” Verse 24 says the swarms filled “the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined.”

The people suffer because of their leader’s decisions. The Egyptian people had no vote. They had no say in Pharaoh’s decision to hold the Israelites in slavery or to refuse Moses’ demands. Yet they bore the consequences. Their houses were filled with the swarm. Their land was ruined.

This reflects a biblical principle that runs throughout Scripture: we are organically connected to our leaders. For good or for ill, leadership matters. Nations and peoples bear the consequences of their leaders’ choices.

This principle is deeply embedded in Scripture. Paul points this out in Romans when he discusses how sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and death through sin (Romans 5:12). Adam’s sin affected all humanity. We inherited not just the consequence of his sin, but we’re implicated in it. Conversely, Christ’s obedience brings righteousness to all who are “in Him” (Romans 5:18-19).

This principle of corporate solidarity is countercultural to Western individualism, but it’s essential to understanding Scripture. And it’s essential to understanding what’s happening in Exodus. The Egyptians suffer because of Pharaoh’s hardness of heart.

Second, the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. Verse 32 says, “Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also.” This is now the fourth time we’ve seen this. But there’s a pattern developing that we need to notice.

Up to this point in the narrative, every time we read about Pharaoh’s heart being hard, it’s either active – “he hardened his heart” (8:15) – or passive – “his heart was hardened.” But starting in chapter 9, verse 12, the wording switches: “But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh.”

This pattern is crucial for understanding God’s justice. Back in Exodus 4:21, God told Moses, “I will harden his heart.” And people have struggled with this ever since. How can God harden someone’s heart and then punish them for being hard-hearted? Isn’t that unjust?

But look at the pattern. Pharaoh first repeatedly hardens his own heart. Again and again, he sees God’s power, he feels the pressure, he makes promises, and then he hardens his heart and breaks those promises. Only after Pharaoh’s persistent self-hardening does God judicially harden his heart.

This demonstrates divine justice. God gives Pharaoh multiple opportunities to repent. When Pharaoh continually rejects God’s mercy, God confirms him in his chosen path. This is judicial hardening – God giving someone over to their persistent rebellion.

Paul talks about this in Romans 1. Three times in that chapter Paul says God “gave them over” or “gave them up” to their sin (Romans 1:24, 26, 28). When people persistently reject God, suppress the truth, refuse to honor Him, God eventually says, “Fine. You want to go your own way? I’ll confirm you in that path.” That’s judicial hardening.

And that’s what’s beginning to happen with Pharaoh. He’s had chance after chance. He’s hardened his own heart again and again. And soon, God will harden it for him. God will confirm him in his rebellion. And the final plagues will come, culminating in the death of Egypt’s firstborn and the Exodus of God’s people.

Conclusion and Application

So what do we take away from this passage? Let me give you several applications:

1. God is sovereign over nations and leaders. We live in tumultuous times politically. There’s a temptation to despair, to feel that things are out of control. But Exodus reminds us: God knows how to apply meaningful pressure to effect political change. He doesn’t just have the power – He demonstrates His active willingness to intervene in human affairs. This should give us confidence in prayer. When we pray for our leaders, when we pray for justice, when we pray for God to intervene, we’re praying to a God who has demonstrated throughout history that He can and will act.

2. God protects His people in the midst of judgment. The separation of Goshen is a beautiful picture of God’s care. His people weren’t spared from hardship – they experienced slavery, they saw the early plagues – but when judgment intensified, God drew a line and said, “My people are protected here.” This points forward to our ultimate protection in Christ. When judgment comes – and it will come – those who are in Christ are safe, not because of their own righteousness, but because of His.

3. True worship cannot be compromised. Moses’ refusal to sacrifice in Egypt or to stay close to Egypt’s borders is instructive for us. We live in a culture that constantly wants us to compromise our worship, to blend biblical Christianity with cultural values, to stay close to the world’s way of thinking. But true worship of God requires separation. Not physical separation necessarily, but spiritual distinctiveness. We cannot serve both God and the values of this world. We must be willing to go into the “wilderness” if that’s what faithfulness requires.

4. Corporate responsibility is real. Leadership matters. The leaders we choose, the leaders we follow, the leaders we tolerate – their decisions affect us all. This should make us careful about who we support and follow, and it should make us earnest in prayer for those in authority. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 tells us to pray for all who are in high positions. Why? Because their decisions ripple out and affect everyone under their leadership.

5. Persistent hardness of heart leads to judicial hardening. This is a sobering warning. When we repeatedly resist God’s truth, when we continually suppress what we know to be right, when we harden our hearts again and again against His merciful calls to repentance, we’re in danger of reaching a point where God confirms us in our rebellion. The time to respond to God is now. The time to soften your heart is today. Hebrews 3:15 warns: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

If you’ve been resisting God – maybe you’ve heard the gospel, you know it’s true, but you keep putting off a response – don’t harden your heart. Don’t be like Pharaoh, who had chance after chance and squandered them all. Respond to God’s mercy while it’s available. Turn to Christ while He’s calling. Because there may come a point where God says, “Fine. You’ve made your choice. I’ll confirm you in it.”

But for those of us who are in Christ, let this passage fill us with confidence. We serve a God who is sovereign over all things, who protects His people in the midst of judgment, who will see His purposes through to completion. Our Pharaohs – whatever systems or powers seem to hold us captive – cannot ultimately prevail against the Lord of all the earth.