Exodus 8:22 " '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. 23 I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This miraculous sign will occur tomorrow.' "
As I read that, I would wonder: How come the Lord made a distinction only after the first three plagues -- of blood, of frogs and of lice? Couldn't he have made the distinction from the start?
Was there a law of sowing & reaping at work? The Israelites in 5:21 blamed Moses & Aaron for Pharoah's harshness, saying they were the cause of their sufferings -- that their actions have "put a sword in their hand to kill us." Even though God spoke further encouraging words through Moses, the people would not listen "on account of their despondency and cruel bondage" (6:9). Because of they had indeed, gone against the Lord in their rejection of Moses, they suffered as the ungodly Egyptians suffered, through three plagues.
Perhaps, sufficiently humbled at seeing the power of God, they could have repented. And so, God spared them the rest of the plagues.
I can only speculate. But mysteries like these make the bible so much more interesting.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, when unfortunate things happen, help us to see how Your hand is at work to bring us to a better place. Help us not to grumble & complain, but to see your faithful providence in action. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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