Question description

I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. I will make a difference between My people and your people...

Exodus 8:22–23

When there were plagues and pestilences all over ancient Egypt because Pharaoh refused to let God’s people go, God said about the children of Israel: “I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell…I will make a difference between My people and your people.” The Bible records that although Egypt was plagued by swarms of flies and other pestilences, the Israelites were safe in Goshen, completely untouched by the troubles! 

Not all the Israelites(Jews per se) were righteous, and their understanding of Righteousness and Holiness is attached to offering Sacrificial Lambs to the Lord. The divine protection in the land of Goshen led me to think about whether there is a significant difference in God's Grace(that comes out of His love) shown to the Israelites before the ten commandments were given compared to the Grace shown to us in this era.

Are there significant differences between the Grace shown to them(the Israelites) before the ten commandments and the Grace we are enjoying in this era?

 Thanks

Answer description

I had to do much praying before determining how I should answer this question. Certainly, the needs in Moses' time or the time of the apostles would be different than those we face in modern day life. And thus God's provision might seem to be a bit different becaquse of the circumstances. But if we look a bit deeper we understand that human nature has not changed. Fear, discouragment, anxiety and love in ancient times are the same emotions that people of our time face. And these are the root of our prayers to God for provision. Nothing about this has changed. And then there is the Provider, God Himself. In the Word, one of His attributes is "immutability", which means He cannot change. Here are some verses which speak to this fact. (Ps 33:11)(Mal 3:6)(Heb 6:17)(Heb 13:8) & (James 1:17) But the certainty in all of these verses is that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He simply does not change. So if this is true, then how could His grace change ? Grace comes from His love for all mankind and since this love does not change, then His grace will not change either. I know Christians who say that the God of the Old Testament was angry and mean, while the God of the New Testament is loving and kind. But this simply is not true. And I always point them back to spending more time studying Scripture. For there are countless times in the OT where God expresses His love for His people. And the God of the NT hates sin and rebellion no less than He did in olden times. So I think the answer to your question is that we have to understand God for all that He is. And one of the clearly stated things we learn about Him is that He cannot change. And thus, anything else relating to Him cannot change either. We, as humans, read things or see things and interpret them through our human abilities. And to us we can see things as different. But when we allow ourself to try to understand events or circumstances through His eyes, there is the realization that He is the same as He has always been, the Immutable God, who never changes.

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