Wednesdays with Moses

Read Exodus 11:4-7 – Then Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’… ” (NKJV)

God’s judgment comes in many forms. In most cases, the natural law of consequences or “reaping what you sow” is at work among our choices. But there are occasions such as this where God demonstrates His sovereignty over events and brings cataclysmic results. None can argue that the Egyptians were unworthy of such judgment. Their treatment of the Israelites and their rejection of God justify His actions, just as God is more than just to judge us. But the greatest miracle of the story is that the same judgment wasn’t extended to the Israelites. They hadn’t unilaterally demonstrated trust in God. They weren’t deserving of the grace to be found in a lack of judgment. But God’s redemptive purposes were at work, proving His power to target His judgment with unparalleled precision. God’s protection of Israel in the midst of the plagues reveals the difference between tragedy and judgment. In the tragedies associated with a fallen world, some of the righteous experience hardship alongside the wicked, but God operates His judgment with flawless accuracy.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.