Exodus 9:1-4 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let My people go, so that they may worship Me." (Because Pharaoh has still refused to obey God's directive, the Lord is about to inflict on him and his people the fifth plague. God's directives are not hard to understand. He speaks clearly. Though often like Pharaoh, we may find them undesirable to follow, they are clear and easily understood.) If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, the Hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field— on your horses, donkeys and camels and on your cattle, sheep and goats. (Again and again, the Lord gives us choices, whether to obey Him or not. He gave Pharaoh an opening to protect both himself and his people. Pharaoh did not have to continue the rebellious path on which he walked. What a tragedy that we, too, so often turn our backs on the Lord's commands. The fifth plague again strikes a sacred deity of the Egyptians, their cattle. They worshiped cattle and prized their horses and livestock, all of which were a tangible source of their wealth. Although the livestock were often housed because of their value, at the time of year of this plague, the cattle likely would have been out in the fields grazing. All livestock not sheltered and in the open fields would suffer a deadly plague, making the Egyptians' losses heavy and extensive.) But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.'" (The previous plagues had brought human and animal discomfort. Now this plague would bring death to the Egyptians' animals. The Israelites had been protected from the fourth plague of flies, and now their cattle would be spared in this plague. Since the cattle of both groups of people lived under essentially the same conditions, the Lord's protection of the Israelite cattle would be very apparent. The Lord was clearly setting the Israelites apart from the Egyptians, and He still sets us apart from the world in countless ways that protect us and give us sure evidence that we are favored by Him.)
