Let us turn once again to God's
Word and turning to the portion of Scripture that we read in
Exodus chapter 8. And I'll read again from verse
20 through to verse 23. And the
Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand
before Pharaoh. Lo, he cometh forth to the water,
and say unto him, Thou saith the Lord, let my people go, that
they may serve me. Else, if thou wilt not let my
people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and
upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses. And the houses of the Egyptians
shall be full of swarms of flies, also the ground whereon they
are. And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which
my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there. To the
end, thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the
earth. And I will put a division between
My people and thy people. Tomorrow shall this sign be. Taking for our text these words,
in verse 23 in particular, God says, And I will put a division
between my people and thy people tomorrow shall this sign be."
We have it again later in chapter 11 at the end of verse 7. That ye may know how that the
Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. A difference or a division And
you will observe here in the word that I announced as our
text, Exodus 8 and verse 23, that the margin tells us that
the word that's rendered division in the Hebrew literally means
a redemption. I will put a redemption between
my people and thy people. Tomorrow shall this sign burn. And it's that particular emphasis
that I want to concentrate on this morning. This division,
this redemption that the Lord God puts between the Egyptians
and the Hebrews. What we have here of course is
the fourth of the ten plagues. the plague of flies, a swarm
of flies and in all of this of course God is dealing with the
Pharaoh and the Egyptians showing something of his majesty as he
comes to visit his terrible judgment upon them. In chapter 3 and verses
19 and 20 God says, I am sure that the
king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand
and smite Egypt with all my wonders, which I will do in the midst
thereof, and after that he will let you go. God had determined
that the children of Israel were to come forth out of that bondage,
that cruel bondage which was Egypt, but they would be brought
forth by the mighty hand of God and in bringing them out God
would visit judgments upon the Egyptians and these judgments
of course come in the form of these ten plagues. But here with
regards to this fourth of the plagues, this swarm of plagues,
it's this statement that we have in verse 23. I will put a division,
I will put a redemption between my people and thy people, says
the Lord God. First of all then, to consider
the separation that we see God himself making at this particular
time. And in this, of course, God is
revealing something of his divine sovereignty. It is God who makes
the difference. God who is pleased to deal with
the Hebrews in a very different manner to that that he manifests
in his dealings with the Egyptians. And we think therefore of the
words of the Apostle in that ninth chapter of the epistle
to the Romans where Paul speaks so plainly of the divine sovereignty. He makes reference, does he not,
there to God's dealings with the Pharaoh in chapter 9 of Romans
and there at verse 17 the scripture says unto Pharaoh even for the
same purpose have I raised thee up that I might show my power
in thee and that my name might be declared throughout all the
earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth." He has mercy
upon the Hebrews but now God is seen to be the one who is
hardening the heart of the Pharaoh so that he will refuse to let
the children of Israel go. in chapter 9, and verse 16, In
very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show
in thee my power, and that my name may be declared throughout
all the earth. It's that particular verse it
would appear that the apostle has in mind in what he is saying
there in Romans chapter 9. Again, in chapter 10, the Lord
said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart,
and the heart of his servants, that I might show these my signs
before him, and that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son,
and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and
my signs which I have done among them, that ye may know how that
I am the Lord. In all of these things God is
revealing something of His majesty, His greatness, something of His
sovereignty, and it is God who makes the distinction, God who
makes the difference. He has mercy, as I say, upon
the Hebrews, but He hardens. He hardens the heart of Pharaoh,
and Pharaoh at times hardens his own heart. And so these terrible
judgments are repeated. In all, as I say, there are ten
plagues that are visited upon the Egyptians. Here in this chapter, verses
16 following, we have the plague of the lice. And we see there
how God's sovereignty extends on all hands. Even the minute
particles of dust are under the sovereign hand of God. Look at what it says in verses
16 and 17. The Lord says unto Moses, Say
unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land,
that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And they
did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote
the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast. All the dust of the land became
lice throughout all the land of Egypt. Even particles of dust
are under the hand of God and God exercises sovereignty in
turning the dust into life throughout all the land. All God's sovereignty,
it extends, does it not, to small things, to minute things. The
Lord Jesus tells us, I am not two sparrows sold for a farthing,
and one shall not fall to the ground without your heavenly
Father. If there are any hairs of your head, says Christ, they
are all numbered. And there in the Gospel when
Christ is speaking of the sparrow as it falls to the ground, he
is not speaking of the dying of the birds. But the word has
regard to the way in which the sparrow will at times come to
the ground to find its food. It's all under the sovereign
hand of God. God's hand is to be discerned
in all things. We see it in the extent of the
divine sovereignty, the minute particles of dust. are subject
to the will of God. But then also here we see how
that all the powers of darkness are also subject to God's hand. After Aaron smites the dust and
turns it to to lice We read this concerning
the magicians, the Egyptian magicians. Verse 18, The magicians did so
with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. But they could not. So there
was lice upon man and upon beast. Then the magician said unto Pharaoh,
This is the finger of God. and Pharaoh's heart was hardened
and he hearkened not unto them as the Lord had said." There
were occasions quite clearly when the magicians of Egypt could
use their enchantments and they were able in some ways to hate
the works of God. In a way, surely this was part
of God's judgment. What followed? What followed
that they should seek to do what Moses and Aaron were doing? it was part of the judgment of
God upon them. But we see quite clearly how
God's works are far greater than all those powers of darkness. Go back to chapter 7 and there
at verse 10 where we have the rods cast down
before the Pharaoh Moses and Aaron went in unto
Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded. And Aaron
cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and
he became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the
wise men and the sorcerers. Now the magicians of Egypt, they
also did in like manner with their enchantments, for they
cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents. They
ate the works of God. But Aaron's rod swallowed up
their rods and he hardened Pharaoh's heart that he hearken not unto
them as the Lord had said. How the rod of Aaron swallows
up all the enchantments, all the black magic that was practiced
by the magicians of Egypt. How we see that God's power extends
even over the works of darkness. And we know we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, says Paul, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places. And yet, even with regards
to these things, we know that God is sovereign. Well, what
does he say concerning those false teachers, those men who
were peddling erroneous doctrines? When he writes to Timothy, Paul
says, they shall proceed no further. All of these things are under
God's hand. He is that One who is the Sovereign,
not only over minute things, but over even evil things and
all the powers of darkness. Jude writes, concerning Satan,
O ye reserved in everlasting chains unto darkness, unto the
judgment of the great day. And these things are constantly
unfolding to us in Scripture. We see in the case of Job, of
course, both in chapter 1 and again in chapter 2, that Satan
is no free agent. In order To do anything he must
obtain that permission from God. For whatever he can come and
trouble Job in any way. God is not the author of sin. And yet here is the mystery,
God's sovereignty extends over those powers of darkness. What do we see here then? In
the text that is before us this morning. I will put a division
between my people and thy people. Tomorrow shall this sign be. How this separation that God
makes is very much emphasized here in the words of the text
because we have the same truth really declared in that previous
verse, verse 22. God says, I will sever in that
day the land of Goshen in which my people dwell, that no swarms
of flies shall be there. So God makes a difference between
the land of Goshen wherein the Hebrews are dwelling and the
land where the Egyptians are dwelling. I will sever in that
diocese, I will put a division between my people and thy people. Here we see the sovereignty of
God again. how it's constantly emphasized,
how this separation is seen to be absolute. And why so? Well,
we're told there at the end of verse 22, to the end, thou mayest
know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. God's sovereignty
then is absolute. The separation is emphasized. But we see, and this is the point
I want to emphasize in particular, we see here that this separation
involves redemption. And that's the significance,
is it not, of the marginal reading. I will put a redemption, it says,
between my people and thy people. The word that is used is literally
the word for a ransom. I will put a ransom between my
people and thy people. Now, as we've said, God is dealing
with the Egyptians, he's dealing with the Hebrews, he's dealing
with the Hebrews in the way of mercy, he's dealing with the
Egyptians in the way of judgments. And why was this judgment visited
upon the Egyptians? It was because of their sins.
It was because of their sins. in chapter 7 verse 4, Pharaoh
shall not hearken unto you that I may lay my hand upon Egypt
and bring forth mine armies and my people the children of Israel
out of the land of Egypt by great judgment. It was a judgment.
Why was God judging them? Because of the cruelty that they
had manifested towards the Hebrews. How wicked they had been. Remember the end of chapter 2?
And we came to pass in the process of time the king of Egypt died
and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage and
they cried and their cry came up unto God by reason of the
bondage and God heard their groaning
and God remembered His covenant with Abraham with Isaac and with
Jacob and looked upon the children of Israel and had respect unto
them or they'd been treated so wickedly by Pharaoh and by the
Egyptians, and God visits his judgment upon them, and he visits
his judgment, of course, in terms of the plagues. And we see the justice of God
in those judgments. Remember back at the beginning
how the Pharaoh decreed that there should be the slaughter
of those children, the end of chapter 1 Pharaoh charged all
his people saying every son that is born ye shall cast into the
river and every daughter ye shall save a life and when God comes
and visits these plagues how we see the equity of God's dealings
it was the Pharaoh who had made the Nile and all its tributaries
a bloody river And so, what is the first plague? All the waters.
All the waters throughout Egypt are turned into blood. See, it's
an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. And then we come
to the last plague, the tenth plague. It was the destruction
of all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians who were killed.
just as Pharaoh had sought to kill all of those sons that were
born to the Hebrews, so God deals in like when he comes to visit
that final judgment upon Pharaoh. God is dealing with these Egyptians
because of their sins. This is the way of God, is it
not? but also we have to mark the
fact that the Hebrews were guilty of sin and yet here we see that the judgment
doesn't come upon the Hebrews I will sever in that day the
land of Goshen in which my people dwell that no swarms of flies
shall be there he says and yet Has the Egyptians had sinned
so also have these Hebrews been guilty of sin? We're told in
the book of the prophet Ezekiel and there in chapter 20 at verse
5 and the following verses. Ezekiel chapter 20 verse 5 following say unto them thus saith the
Lord God in the day when I chose Israel and lifted up mine hand
unto the seat of the house of Jacob and made myself known unto
them in the land of Egypt when I lifted up mine hand unto them
saying I am the Lord your God in the day that I lifted up mine
hand unto them to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into
a land that I had aspired for them, flowing with milk and honey,
which is the glory of all lands. Then said I unto them, Cast ye
away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves
with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. But they
rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me. They did
not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, Neither did they
forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, I will pour out
my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the
midst of the land of Egypt. But I roared for my name's sake,
that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom
they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them in bringing
them forth out of the land of Egypt. They were guilty whilst
they were there in Egypt. They began to worship the abominations
of the Egyptians. They were guilty of idolatrous
ways. And yet, God did not deal with
them in the way of judgment. Now God, of course, will by no
means clear the guilty. He is a just God. He must punish
sins. So what is the difference between these Hebrews and the
Egyptians? The Egyptians God deals with
because of their sins, His judgments come upon them, but not so with
regards to these Hebrews. And here it is in the text, you
see, this is the difference. This is the division. I will
put a redemption, He says, a ransom between my people and thy people the language that we have in
Job 23 and verse 24 deliver him from going down to the pit I
have found a ransom there is the difference oh how God deals
with the Hebrews so graciously so merciful, He makes provision
for them. And we're told here at the end
of this verse, this shall be a sign. Here is that that really
is directing us to the Gospel, a sign of the Gospel. And the
great truth that is unfolded to us when we come to the Gospel
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What was the purpose
of his coming into this world that he might offer that great
ransom price? We know that ultimately when
God brings out these Hebrews it's all associated with the
feast of the Passover when the destroying angel comes upon the
land how he passes over the houses wherein the Hebrews are dwelling
because they are sheltering under the blood of the paschal lamb,
that blood that was taken when the animal was slain and put
upon the doorposts and the lintels. It was that redemption that God
provided for the Hebrews that no provision was made for the
Egyptians. This is the distinction, this
is the difference. And here we have that that directs
us into the great truth that's set before us in the New Testament
Scriptures. It's the doctrine. of particular
redemption. It's the great truth of what
we call limited atonement, that the death of the Lord Jesus Christ
is limited in this sense that it is for a particular people,
for a specific people. It's not a general redemption.
If it were a general redemption, then surely all must be saved,
but all are not saved. is for those whom the Father
had given to the Son in that eternal covenant of grace. And we sang of it just now, did
we not? Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood shall never lose
its power till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin
no more. Christ is given that great promise
in the covenant that He shall save the travail of His soul
and shall be satisfied." All that trouble, all that suffering,
the shedding of His blood, the pouring out of His soul unto
death, it cannot be in vain. As many as the Father had given
to Him in the Eternal Covenant, they must surely and certainly
be saved. Look at the language that we
have when we come to the New Testament in what Paul says there
in Hebrews chapter 2 at verse 9 and the following verses. Verse 9 is one of those verses
that is often seized on by those who want to contend for a universal
redemption. It speaks of Christ dying for
every man. Paul writes, we see Jesus who
was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering
of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace
of God should taste death for every man. And so those who would
contend for universal redemption say, ah, here is a verse you
see, it's so clear, it's so plain, it's every man. but then we have
to learn to always read scripture in its context and so we consider
what the apostle goes on to say he says it became him for whom
are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons
unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings for both he that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are
all of one for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren in the midst
of the church when I sing praise unto them. And again, I will
put my trust in him. And again, behold I and the children
which God hath given me. And in these verses we see quite
clearly just who every man is. It's not every man in the sense
of all and sundry. It's all sorts of men that are
being spoken of. And every man is therefore defined
here, it's many sons. Verse 10, it became him for whom
are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons
unto glory. And then they referred to as
his brethren. I will declare thy name unto my brethren. They
are spoken of as the church. In the midst of the church will
I sing praise unto them. And then again they referred
to as the children which God hath given man. It's quite evident
then that every man is not a reference to all. but specifically to those
who are spoken of in those ensuing verses. This is the redemption. There was no redemption for the
Egyptians. The provision was only made for
the Hebrews. And this is the great truth,
I say, that is held before us in this text. I will put a redemption
between my people and thy people." For what has the Lord Jesus Christ
accomplished by His dying? He's not just made salvation
a possibility for all. He has made that salvation sure
and certain for as many as the Father had given to Him. And how God, always such a just
God. As we've said, His dealings are
always equitable. when he punishes these Egyptians
how we see that the punishment is so befitting what they were
guilty of they were murderers they made the river to flow with
blood and so God visits that first plague in terms of the
waters turn to blood, that last plague, in terms of the destruction
of all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. God is a just
God and we see it with regards to that great work of redemption. If the Lord Jesus Christ really
did make a universal payment, then surely all are to be saved. It would be most unjust of God
to demand payment from any individual, if Christ had shed His precious
blood for that particular person. As Toplady says, payment God
cannot twice demand, first at my bleeding shirt, His hand,
and then again at mine. Oh, the great sacrifice there.
It has accomplished a sure salvation for particular sinners. but then
there's another there's another sacrifice that he's spoken of
here in the context look at verse 25 following how Pharaoh called
for Moses and for Aaron and said go ye sacrifice to your God in
the land And Moses said, It is not meet so to do, for we shall
sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our
God. Lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians
before their eyes, and will they not stone us? We will go three
days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our
God, as He shall command us. What is this particular sacrifice
that is being spoken of? well it's worship really that's
what God requires of them we're to offer the sacrifice of praise
to God that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks unto his name
this is what God requires of them and so here at verse 27
Moses says we will go three days journey into the wilderness and
sacrifice to the Lord our God as He shall command us. It's
what God commands. They are to worship Him. They
are to come out of Egypt. As we've said, they were guilty
there. They have been following the ways of that idolatrous people. They've been worshipping the
abominations of the Egyptians. They must come out of that. And
they must worship the Lord alone. This abomination of the Egyptians,
there's some reference here to cattle. They did worship the
cattle. The very idea of the golden calf,
it would appear, was something that they had learned when they
were there in Egypt. This is why it was such a terrible
sin. We have it recorded, of course,
later here in the 32nd chapter when Moses was there in the mount
receiving all that instruction, from the Lord God, as that Aaron was the one who
makes them a God. The people break off the golden
earrings which were on their ears and brought them on to Aaron
and he received them at their hand and fashioned it with a
graving tool after he had made it a molten car. And they said,
These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of
the land of Egypt. The car it was something that
they learnt whilst they were amongst those Egyptians and they
are reminded here by Moses himself it was but an abomination we shall sacrifice the abominations
of the Egyptians to the Lord our God he says lo shall we sacrifice
the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes and they will
not stone us they couldn't do this thing they
were to come out they were to be separated this is what God
himself required of them as he shall command us they say there
or Moses says there at the end of verse 27 I will worship you
sir is that which also must be separated Worship must be just
as God himself has commanded. When it comes to the worship
of God, our first concern, of course, is not to please men. We're not to make our worship
attractive to the world. There are those who seem to have
that idea. Why don't we make our service
something that will be more attractive to those outside? We're not here
to please men, rather are we to serve God. This is what we
see in Moses. It was what God commanded that
Moses must do. And that is still the same for
us. We are to beware of what the Apostle Paul calls any will-worship. It's not what we will, it's what
God has willed, it's what God himself has commanded. God is
a spirit, says the Lord Jesus. and the true worship, the true
worshippers worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Those two aspects of our worship,
spirit and truth. Oh yes, true worship is spiritual
in its very nature. We need to be those who recognize
our dependence upon the Holy Spirit, to be in the Spirit.
on the Lord's Day, not just those who are going through the motions,
not just an external performance. But our heart is to be in these
things. That is the acceptable sacrifice, the broken spirit
and the broken heart God does not despise. But as our worship
is to be spiritual, so it must also be in truth, it must be
in accordance with the truth of God's Word. It's what God
commands. not what we imagine will be pleasing
unto men but then also here we see the great purpose of God
in this 27th verse we will go three days journey it says into
the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he shall
command us there's another reason for going into the wilderness
is there not? and it is found in Hosea chapter 2 and verse
14. The Lord said, Behold, I will
allure her and bring her into the wilderness and speak comfortably
unto her. All God will take His children
into the wilderness and there He will come in His alluring
ways there He will draw near and speak gracious words and
comfortable words. But what of the wilderness? What
is that wilderness? Well, the children of God have
to feel that wilderness that is within their own hearts in
a spiritual sense. We have to be made to feel something
of the reality of our sins, the barrenness, the natural barrenness
of our hearts. We have to be made aware of what
we are. We know that the Lord Jesus Christ himself has said,
They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that
are sick I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And what a blessed thing it is
if we're those who have any sense of our sinnership before God.
Isn't this where it begins? Those who have that sense of
their sinnership have a real interest in that great work of
redemption that the Lord Jesus Christ came to accomplish. Christ died for sinners. And
those who are sinners, you see, while they have an interest in
this great work, this redemption, I will put a division, I will
put a redemption, you see. between my people and my people.
Tomorrow shall this sign burn. Ought to be those then who know
what it is to have an interest in that great
work that the Lord Jesus Christ himself accomplished when he
died upon the cross, when he made the one sacrifice for sins
forever. And when the Lord brings that
to us how it refreshes the soul. The promise is this in Isaiah,
I will make the wilderness a pool of water, he says. I will make
the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water. How the Lord comes to those who
are sinners and he makes it known to them that that salvation that
was wrought by Christ was accomplished for such as they are. There is
a difference, there is a distinction. The Lord Himself must do the
work and He must do that work in the soul of the sinner or
the Lord then be pleased to come and so work in us that we might
see that we have an interest in this division and that we
are that people who are separated. I will sever in that day the
land of Goshen in which my people dwell that no swarms of flies
shall be there. To the end thou mayest know that
I am the Lord in the midst of the earth, and I will put a division,
I will put a redemption between my people and thy people. Tomorrow
shall this sign burn. May the Lord bless to us His
Word. from whence this fear and unbelief
hast now, O Father, put to grief thy spotless Son for me? And
will the righteous judge of men condemn me for that deadly sin
which, Lord, was