“Not a dog will bark”

The 10^th and final plague God brought upon Egypt before bringing his people out of the land has come to be known as the Passover, and is recorded in Exodus chapters 11-12. This “plague” consisted of God going through the land of Egypt about midnight and killing all the firstborn in the land, from the richest to the poorest, and even including the firstborn among the cattle.

In order to preserve and protect his people, God instructed them to sacrifice lambs and to then apply the blood of these lambs to the lintel and the two doorposts of their homes. God told his people that as he passed through the land to kill all the firstborn, he would “not allow the destroyer to come into” any house that had the blood upon the lintel and those houses, but that he would “pass over” those houses.

The entire incident served as an illustration of the redemption that is ours as a result of the blood of Jesus, whom Paul referred to in 1 Corinthians 5:7 as “our Passover.” Just as God did not allow the destroyer to enter any home having the blood of the Passover lamb upon the doorposts and lintel, so now he will not allow the destroyer to enter any home in which there are Christians who have been washed in the blood of Jesus – the Passover “lamb” of the New Covenant.

But there is more to be seen in this story that has application us as Christians today. In Exodus 11:4-7 God gave Moses a glimpse of the future, telling him what he was going to do on the night of the Passover. After saying in verses 5-6 that all the firstborn in Egypt would die, causing a great cry to be raised throughout the land of Egypt, God told Moses:

“But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal. Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.”

This statement gives us a glimpse of both how protective and how powerful God is when it comes to his children. The phrase “Not a dog will bark” translated literally actually says, “Not a dog will sharpen its tongue.” In a situation where destruction and death were all around them, God’s protection of his people would be so complete as to be almost redundant. Not only would their firstborn not be killed by the destroying angel, they wouldn’t be bitten or even so much as barked at by a stray dog!

God made it clear that his purpose in this incredible display of his power and protection was not merely the safety of his people, but in order to “make a distinction between” those who were His people and those who were not. God wanted it to be obvious to all that he treated those who had entered into a covenant relationship with him differently than those who had not.

And this continues to be God’s desire and purpose today – to “show himself strong” in the lives of those who have entered into a covenant relationship with Him through the blood of Jesus (Matthew 26:27-28), thereby making a distinction between them and those who have not believed in him. And as this distinction is seen by the world around us, they, like the Egyptians, will come to know that our God is God!