22 “‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land.
The Israelites have had to deal with the blood-water, the frogs and the gnats. I am sure they were bothered and they questioned what Moses and Aaron were doing. I can imagine some grumbling and complaining. It probably seemed as though things under the Lord’s reign were worse than under Pharaoh’s. But now they are protected from the flies. The Lord makes a distinction between His people and Pharaoh’s people. The flies will not be where the Israelites live. I bet there were some Egyptian visitors after the flies came. Some Egyptians crossed over, at least temporarily to Goshen to escape the flies. They might not have fully understood their theology, but neither did the Israelites. Their understanding of the Lord was growing each day. With each act of power the Lord was teaching, teaching, teaching. They were experiencing His power at work. They could see that Israel was special. They saw the provision of protection. They saw the presence of the Lord in the absence of the flies. Where the Lord was, there was safety. This lesson is true in our lives as well. Even when the world is falling apart, our physical health waning, our relationships blowing up before our eyes, we can know and experience the presence of the Lord. And when He is present, we know that no matter what happens in this life, we will be OK. Death loses its scariness, since the Lord has power even over death. Dying can be scary, all the pain and suffering, but death is relief and a glorious reunion. The Lord deals differently with His people than with others. We are the favored. That does not mean we do not suffer in this world, but that even in our suffering we can know that God’s favor has not left us. We are loved.
The Arnold Journey 