In the dead of night, the silence was pierced by loud cries of desperation and panic. As foretold by the Lord, He struck every family in Egypt. Exodus 12:29 said that every firstborn in the land of Egypt, “…from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle…” was hit. There was loud wailing everywhere in Egypt. Death came upon all the firstborn of Egypt. No family was spared. This was exactly what verse 30 said, “Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead.” But the situation was different in Goshen. The blood from the Passover lamb smeared on doorposts and lintels averted the angel of death. The people of Israel were spared as they obeyed the Lord and did as instructed. This event marked out how God differentiates between those who are His and those who are not. It’s the faith and trust His people placed in the blood of the sacrifice He had provided. Those who believe in God are marked out for a great eternal destiny.
The whole nation came to a standstill. Death was experienced in every home. In a moment of great dismay, Pharaoh realized that he could not stand up against the Lord. His will finally wilted and he bent to the Sovereign will of God. Summoning Moses and Aaron, he said in desperation, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, worship the Lord, as you have said. Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also.” This was truly ironical. He was reluctant to let the people go but now he was ordering them to leave. They were told to get up and get out. There is one thing that we need to know. Ultimately, God’s will for our life will always come into fruition.
God always fulfills His Word. Remember in Genesis 15:13-14, God said to Abraham these words: “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward, they will come out with many possessions.” Notice that: “they will come out with many possessions.” It was payback time. For more than 400 years they slaved without pay. Now God was ensuring that they get back what was due to them. So, we are told that “…the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Thus, they plundered the Egyptians.” The word used here is plundered. They carried as it were, the spoils of war. The word plunder is a term of victory. It was a victory for God’s people. That day the children of Israel “about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children” left Egypt. Together with them en route to the promised land was “a mixed multitude …, along with flocks and herds, and a very large number of livestock.”
Just like His plan for the Israelites, God does have a plan for our redemption as well. It has to do with the blood of Jesus Christ, the sacrificial lamb He Himself has provided. It is the blood of Christ that will keep us from the devastating consequence of sin. His blood that never congeals and will save us from the gutter-most to the uttermost. We are indeed blessed! Let’s stay on the journey with God!
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