Sunday: One More Plague
Daily Lesson for Sunday 27th of July 2025
The prophet Amos declares that “ ‘the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets’ ” (Amos 3:7, ESV), and through the prophet Moses, He revealed to Pharaoh what was coming next. The most solemn warning was given to Pharaoh. This will be a just judgment upon pride, exploitation, violence, and idolatry, all of which have triggered these calamities upon Egypt.
Read Exodus 11:1-10. What warning did God give before executing judgment upon Egypt?
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God gave Egypt time—three days of darkness (Exodus 10:22-23)—to think about recent events and what they meant. He also provided their last explicit warning, the last chance to do the right thing.
But Exodus 11:8 says that Moses “went out from Pharaoh in great anger” (NKJV). Why would Moses leave in anger? Most likely because he knows the tragedy, the tenth plague, is going to hit a lot of innocent people—all because of Pharaoh’s hardness of heart.
Also, the number ten is significant in biblical symbolism. Ten represents fullness or completeness. (Think of the Ten Commandments as a complete revelation of the divine moral law.) The ten Egyptian plagues point to God’s full expression of His justice and retribution.
God is the Judge, and He is against pride, injustice, discrimination, arrogance, exploitation, cruelty, and selfishness. He is on the side of the sufferers, the abused, the mistreated, and the persecuted. God will execute justice, which truly is another expression of His love. (See Psalms 2:12, Psalms 33:5, Psalms 85:11, Psalms 89:14, Psalms 101:1, Isaiah 16:5, Jeremiah 9:24.)
We too should try the best we can to be both loving and just. However, we can easily fall into extremes, one way or another. Out of “love” we turn a blind eye to wrongs, to things that need to be corrected. Or we can coldly execute justice as if it were something made of steel. Neither extreme is correct. Instead, this is the ideal: “And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8, NKJV).
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If we can’t get the perfect balance (which we can’t), why is it better to err on the side of mercy instead of justice? Or is it? |
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“The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet” (Nahum 1:3, NLT).
The Pharaoh thought he could outrun God! He thought he had the strength and resilience to outlive God’s will. God is sovereign and his divine will must come to pass. No human power can thwart what God has set out to do. God provided multiple chances to Pharaoh to change course, but he hardened his own heart. God had the power to strike Pharaoh dead at once and bring His purpose to fruition instantly, but He was merciful to him. God’s patience to go through the ten plagues was a pure act of longsuffering (2 Peter 3:9). God's mercy delayed judgment, but He could not cancel it for the unrepentant king. God does not overlook sin; He deals with it righteously (Romans 2:5).
As a stern warning, never should anyone mistake God’s patience for passivity, or His mercy for weakness. He is slow to anger, but He will not allow evil to triumph forever. The story of this ancient Egyptian king is a profound case study in pride, spiritual blindness, and testing God’s patience. This story is preserved in the Holy Scripture for our warning and instruction (1 Cor.10:6,11).
The last and most devastating of the ten plagues in Egypt was the death of the firstborn. God, through Moses, warned Pharaoh that every firstborn in Egypt—from the child of Pharaoh to the child of the servant—would die if he continued to refuse to let the Israelites go. At midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt. However, the Israelites, who had followed God's instructions by marking their doorposts with lamb’s blood, were spared. This final blow broke Pharaoh's resistance, and he finally allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt.
Before this, Moses had been sent repeatedly to Pharaoh with God's command to “let My people go,” but each time Pharaoh hardened his heart. After delivering God’s final warning, Moses left Pharaoh's presence "in hot anger" (Exodus 11:8). His anger reflected both God's righteous fury and Moses' frustration with Pharaoh’s stubbornness and the suffering it caused. Moses' wrath symbolized the climax of the escalating conflict between divine justice and human pride, setting the stage for the Israelites' dramatic deliverance.
I read this lesson study last night so that I could sleep on it. But writing inspiration didn't come. So this morning I went birding and just happened to run into a theologian friend of mine. I told her about my problem and she agreed, "Its a tough one!" The only solace I have is that I am in good company.
I could write something that sounds good in Seventh-day Adventist circles but it would sound rather trite and even a bit superior if I talked to my non-believing friends about it.
The issue is that we have a loving God who is the source of good, and yet in the tenth plague God kills off the first-born of the Egyptians. We like to put a "Christian Spin" on this, but it is very hard to convince non-believers about this. I do not have a nice simple answer to this.
Here are a couple of ideas that you may like to consider. Please understand I am not suggesting that these provide the ultimate answer, but rather may provide some discussion in your lesson study groups.
Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we do not have to explain all the hard bits of the Bible, but we need to understand and live the bits we do know about the love and grace of God.
Personally, I have to believe that, based on what The Lord has revealed about Himself, that He is way beyond our understanding of what He has revealed.
Isaiah 40:28 NIV
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
That the firstborn males in Egypt, who had no choice over their gender, country they were born, or time in history of their birth, would be subject to death simply because of the choices of an obstinate king is a question that tests our faith. But I believe that if we are so humbled so as to have the privilege of standing on the sea of glass, that we will have no doubts as we sing God’s praise!
I suggest an amendment to
In ancient times, God's people were more focused than we are now on God's supremacy over all, since they lived in the midst of the worship of false gods around them. Perhaps we need to regain that focus. After all, the emphasis on the love of God is near meaningless if He is just another god. It is His supremacy that makes His love for each of us poor humans so astounding.
It wasn't that the ancients didn't know about Satan, as some scholars like to suggest. After all, the book of Job was likely written by Moses before Genesis was written.
Neither do I believe that Moses put his own interpretation on what he observed that Passover night in Egypt. I believe Moses was inspired to write what he did. And he wrote that God sent a destroying angel to kill all the firstborn.
We get into trouble when we try to be "kinder" than God, and we, in fact, bring pain, suffering and death down on a lot more people by our "kindness." (Example: Here in America, is is common for people who murder go free after a very short time in prison: Result: More people get killed. Under God's rule, by contrast, the person who willfully killed another was executed, resulting in one deserved death instead of more undeserved deaths.)
Let us consider those "innocent" firstborn who were killed that night:
First of all, the "firstborn" were not just babies and children. Most were teenagers, adults, parents, grand-parents. The were no longer "innocent," and they all had the choice to find shelter in the homes of the Hebrews - just like the people at the time of Noah could have found shelter in the ark.
Secondly, the parents of babies and small children had a choice about whether or not to put their firstborn in harm's way. They refused God's offer of protection.
If those firstborn babies had lived to adulthood, what would have been the result? Given their parentage, how likely is it that they would have grown up to be heaven-defying idolaters like Pharaoh? And how likely is it (given that their parents refused the shelter they could have had in the homes of the Hebrews) that they would have grown up to worship the Creator in spirit and truth and thus be saved eternally? Further, do we have reason to believe that the life of worshipers of idols (1500 or so) was a life of light, joy and peace?
Remembering that the first "death" is only a sleep puts a different perspective on everything. The judgment and the real death for those not hid in Christ come later. (I rather suspect that the babies who died that night will be as though they had never been. The adults who died that night will be judged according to their works - whether of faith or of rebellion.)
I actually think it's possible that the babies that died will be saved. I know Ellen White made some statements about some people being as if they never were, but she also said she didn't have an absolute answer on that subject. For me, I look at what the scriptures say about children not being condemned for their parents' sins and feel God would not do something He told us not to do.
At any rate, these judgments are for a greater purpose. The Israelites weren't just any people, they were the people that Jesus would come from. Their preservation was paramount. Without a Saviour, no one, first born or later born would have any hope.
Yes, it is possible. I just think it is unlikely, considering the laws of hereditary and that 50% of our behaviors result from genetics. (I think that explains Ex. 20:5.)
I just know that our God will always act in harmony with His character of self-renouncing love, and that's enough for me.
Your last paragraph is really important.
Thanks for your input.
For those wondering, this is the quote from Ellen White that I was thinking of:
I said to Brother Matteson, “Whether all the children of unbelieving parents will be saved we cannot tell, because God has not made known His purpose in regard to this matter, and we had better leave it where God has left it and dwell upon subjects made plain in His Word” (Selected Messages, 3:315)..
Genetics is important but we all know that even within a family different children follow different paths. We cannot control our genetics and I believe God does not condemn us for what we can't control.
There is another obscure example in the Bible - Jeroboam (wicked king)'s son who is prophesied to die. In I Kings 14:13, after saying that this young prince will die, prophet Ahijah tells Jeroboam's wife that Israel will morn for him and he will be the only one buried because "he is the only one in the house of Jeroboam in whom the Lord, the God of Israel, has found anything good." That hints that this boy will be in Heaven even though his parents were wicked.
But ultimately we don't know and have to trust God will do what's right for each individual. I do know Jesus death is enough for everyone.
Christina,
In 2 Selected Messages Page 260, Ellen White speaks of infants in heaven with no parents.
“As the little infants come forth immortal from their dusty beds, they immediately wing their way to their mothers’ arms. They meet again nevermore to part. But many of the little ones have no mother there. We listen in vain for the rapturous song of triumph from the mother. The angels receive the motherless infants and conduct them to the tree of life.” 2SM 259.6-2SM 260.1
God is Love. What would be His self renouncing love?
And…all those killed that Passover Eve…as well as those who died in the flood, death of Sennacherib’s army, and any event where people were killed (laid to sleep) by God protecting the path of the Messiah (Isa 40:1-5), will be resurrected to complete their lives, further illustrating God’s character of love, as well as illustrating the cost of making decisions “against” God.
Would God save those who were innocent…ie: babies and toddlers and young children? As well as innocent adult?
You wrote,
It seems to me that a natural "great calamity" that would kill all the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast, and spare all the firstborn of families with blood on their doorposts would stretch the credulity of even the most ardent secularists.
Yes, a "great calamity" did take place: All the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast, were killed in a single night. And all those sheltered in homes with blood on the doorposts were spared. And, yes, God did use that great calamity to deliver His people - but it wasn't a "natural" calamity. It came about through the direct action of God, in behalf of His people.
Of course, another scenario would be that the Exodus account is not accurate or inspired, and something happened only to "the best of the nation's human resources and the pedigree animal breeding stock."
I don't think we want to go there on this blog.
Praise the Lord!
Thank you, Maurice, for your comment. A deep look at it has brought me some peace of mind. Trying to explain God through modern moral codes or human understanding can put us in conflict with God's sovereignty, which is a daunting prospect. We often try to sanitize our understanding of God, making it difficult to fathom stories in Scripture that challenge our perspectives.
Sovereignty means God has power and authority above all. He is not limited to our standards and order but works within His supreme sphere. Prophets like Habakkuk struggled with understanding God's justice. The Word of the Lord to Isaiah is clear, as he prophesies the coming of Cyrus to crush Babylon for God's name's sake. In Isaiah 45:7, God says, "I form the light and create darkness; I make peace and create evil."
The Hebrew words "ani mevi' ra'ah" (I create evil) highlight God's supreme authority. It's clear that God knows everything and is supreme. Interestingly, the servants and people of Egypt understood this, accepting and even trying to intervene with Pharaoh during the plagues. They respected Moses' work, as seen in Exodus 11:3.
This passage speaks to us today about reverence for God. Our struggles can affect our faith, but we can learn from the Egyptians' example.
Maurice,
I don't think we have to tiptoe around the wrath of God. Sin will ultimately be cleansed from the Earth by the total eradication of the wicked and contemptuous. "The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom" Ps 111:10. The three angels message of the everlasting gospel in Revelation 14:6,7 begins with the words "Fear God..." The people we meet every day who don't know the love of God must be shown the love of God but also must be warned "to flee from the wrath to come" Mt 3:7
Maurice, you are so right. There are many parts of the Bible that are challenging to understand, but God has not called us to have all the answers. Instead, He calls us to trust, obey, and reflect His character—especially His love and grace, which are made clear through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
It's important to remember that we don't need to give in to pride or feel pressured to "have all the answers," especially when ministering to others. Often, a humble, grace-filled life speaks more powerfully than any theological explanation.
Yes, Bible study is important—but what truly transforms both our lives and the lives of others is living out the clear teachings of Scripture: love, mercy, justice, and faithfulness. That’s when the Bible becomes more than just a book we read—it becomes the life we live.
Here’s what came to mind when I was reading this part of the lesson this morning. Pharaoh, like Eve, chose disobedience, which affected innocent people. I doubt that the Israelites understood what the blood on the doorposts represented, they just knew they should do it, God would teach them what it meant later. I also have struggled with the “destroying angel”, but this morning the text Isaiah 33:14-16 came to mind. Is it possible that this angel was like the Glory of God in Isaiah? Read the text and see what you think.
Judgment belongs to the Lord. We should strive to avoid passing judgment on anyone because only His decisions are perfect. What we all need is the mercy of Jesus, Who is at the same time our Lawyer and Judge.
Justice or Mercy??
As I go about on a daily basis, and in my interaction with others, I endeavor to err on the side of Mercy.
When I think of the goodness of Jesus in my life, and the Grace extended to me time after time, then I can't help but to extend mercy to those around me!!!!
What is grace?
I've heard it described this way... applied to someone found guilty...
Justice is getting the payback you deserve
Mercy is not getting the payback you deserve
Grace is getting the favor you don't deserve
Hi Esther!,
I look forward to your insightful and thoughtful commentary each week.
Grace according to the original Greek used in the New Testament Received text is the Greek word "Charis". This word Charis means especially, "The divine influence upon the heart and it's reflection in the life." From this Greek word we get the English words such as charisma, character, charm etc. All those who receive God’s grace exhibit these heavenly fruits of the Spirit: Love, Joy , Peace etc.
When the Spirit of Christ, His Grace, rests in a Christian there will be seen a spontaneous outflowing of his character of love to all we meet!!
Thank you, Ed, for your kindness, and that adds so much knowing the root Greek word and how it translates into English words. This is a new understanding for me that the 9 listed fruits of the Spirit are ALL aspects of grace and being gracious, like a palette of colors making up a new color! I guess that's why being gracious is indiscriminate because it's an uncontrollable outflow of the giver's character and not based on behavior of the receiver. Praying that His Spirit in my heart will spill out more and more!
Today’s lesson poses an interesting question: “If we can’t get the perfect balance (which we can’t), why is it better to err on the side of mercy instead of justice? Or is it?” At first I thought: “Is this question legitimate?”; then I thought: “Can we as humans judge God’s Mercy or Justice” in order to find our own balance? I came to think that both are expressions of the same foundation – His Love - because they emanate from the same Source.
If the question relates to our human sense of ‘fairness’, I think it would be quite easy to establish a balance between ‘mercy’ and ‘justice’. When considering our daily lives, we usually encounter numerous challenges in which we are called to find the ‘middle ground’ as exemplified in the Truth expressed in Mica 6:8.
But what about the question in light of God’s Justice and Mercy - how He applies it? Do we always see eye to eye with Him? I would say ‘no’. We often grumble because the circumstances we continue to deal with do not meet the hoped for quick resolve.
I think the real challenge or danger lies in how we respond when things do not go our way. Do we judge God harshly, or do we continue to hold fast our faith in a just and merciful God, which, ultimately, is the basis of our relationship with Him in the first place?
Our faith-based relationship with Him will always encounter challenges, though none of them should lead us to doubt the Love our Creator has for His children – profound, unconditional, and immeasurable – expressed by His Justice and Mercy - 1 John 3:1. .
One of my favorite descriptions of Jesus is in Isaiah 42:3-4. I think it’s one of God’s favorite descriptions of Himself too because He repeats it in Matt 12:20-21.
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
Anyone caught in the crosshairs of sin, their own or someone else’s, is nursed tenderly like something precious that is about to break or flicker out. I’ve held the twisted little bird that cracked itself forcefully against our window, tearfully suspending my breath for what seems an eternity, thinking for sure it was about to die, and all of a sudden it surged to life and flew off. I’ve vigorously fanned a struggling flame, camping in the drizzle, rearranging the sticks and fuel, eagerly longing for that bit of fire to ignite and bring warmth, comfort and a cooked morsel. Yes, I’ve felt my own self to be a bruised reed and a flickering light, aware of Him working over me to bring me back to life, giving this hope of fullness of life His full attention. I take comfort in knowing we are precious to God, He who dreamt us into being and sustains us each moment will never stop pouring His love out upon us.
This is true now and it was true for the Egyptians and Hebrews all of those years ago. Not one who was bruised was trampled, and not one who had the flicker of the Holy Spirit in them was extinguished. Each thin fragile blade of grass painted with the blood was saved. Each flickering flame of infant faith in saving grace was protected. In the midst of His holy war against pride and cruelty, no one is caught in His crosshairs by accident or error. On His Judgement Day, on that so-dark battlefield, He is the unyielding terrifying Lion to the stubborn, and the gentle self-sacrificing Lamb to the surrendered (Is. 30:12-14, 18).
I have been really impressed by your comment Esther. I have realized how much of God's treasure I am despite my defects. I pray that God works in my life to correct my defects.
In regards to the last question, I think it's simplistic to think that we have to choose between mercy and justice. I don't think they are necessarily at odds with each other. The verse in Micah does put them together.
I heard a sermon on this subject where the preacher pointed out that justice and mercy are not opposite. What was opposite is sacrifice (ie. "I desire mercy not sacrifice" in Hosea 6:6 and later quoted by Jesus). He suggested that in every situation where we exercise justice (for example as a parent disciplining a child, an employer with workers, in the church), we can combine mercy with justice. That is exactly what God does. And what is the key to doing this? Micah 6:8 mentions a third thing - "walking humbly with your God". When we do this, justice and mercy are much easier.
I believe that in the great controversy Satan believed he had God in a corner so as to say God could not be consistent in His character and be both just and merciful. At the cross Jesus demonstrated that both His love and justice (His law) are in complete harmony with each other and are immutable as to His character. “God is love”, and this fact is demonstrated no less in His justice than in His mercy. If we don’t get it we can be assured the problem lies wholly in our feeble understanding.
God, in His wisdom and grace, presented us types and figures of the true before He actually brought in the Truth, Christ. Some of these figures were Adam1 (Rom 5:14), Abraham and Isaac, Joseph, and most definitely Moses (Dt 18:15), the redeemer of Israel from Egyptian slavery. Who then is Pharaoh in the type scenario and who/what does Egypt represent?
God sent Moses to Egypt to execute judgments on that land and deliver His people out of Egypt to their homeland, earthly Canaan (Gen 15:13,14). Then he did the last judgment, the death of the firstborn, which so softened and weakened Pharaoh, that he released the Israelites to their destiny.
God sent Christ from heaven to this world to execute judgments on this world (Jn 12:31,16:11) and deliver His people out of sin slavery in this world (Mat 1:21; Gal 4:4-7) and take them to their heavenly home. Every miracle Christ performed was judgment on Satan’s kingdom - casting out demons, all healings especially those on Sabbaths (Lk 13:11-17), resurrection of the dead. He demonstrated His power over nature quelling the great storm - “Shh-h, be still” (Mk 4:39).
But the blow that rendered Satan powerless (Heb 2:14,15) like Pharaoh was Christ taking His people’s sins, Satan’s firstborn son (Jn 8:44; 1Jn 3:5,8), on Himself crucifying them in Himself (1 Pt 2:24), taking them away “as far as the east is from the west”. No accusation can be brought against God’s people (Rom 8:31-35). We usually have no problem with God executing His wrath on His own son. However, there seems to be much sympathy for and complaining over Pharaoh’s son’s demise…
Christ then commissioned His disciples to go make disciples of all peoples because Satan can in no way prevent the salvation of any child of God.