Thursday: The Divine Judgment
Daily Lesson for Thursday 31st of July 2025
Read Exodus 12:29-30 on how God struck down the firstborn in Egypt. Why did God focus on the firstborn? (See also Hebrews 11:28.)
The last Egyptian plague fell on the firstborn. It was a divine judgment on all the gods of Egypt and upon all the families who worshiped these false gods, which were worthless idols that reflected the people’s own passions, desires, and fears.
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As the earlier plagues had shown, these idols were unable to save the people. Their worthlessness was even more apparent now, during the tenth plague, which brought, by far, the greatest consequences on the Egyptians.
“Throughout the vast realm of Egypt the pride of every household had been laid low. The shrieks and wails of the mourners filled the air. King and courtiers, with blanched faces and trembling limbs, stood aghast at the overmastering horror.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 280.
Pharaoh represented the ultimate power and god of Egypt, and his firstborn son was considered a son of a god. Isis was a goddess protecting children; Heqet was a goddess attending women at childbirth; and Min was a god of reproduction. Besides these, there were several Egyptian gods of fertility. All these gods were powerless in comparison to the living Lord. Moses says: “ ‘Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?’ ” (Exodus 15:11, ESV). Jethro later testified: “ ‘Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly’ ” (Exodus 18:11, NIV).
According to Exodus 1:1-22, the Egyptians had killed newborn sons of Israel on the command of Pharaoh to weaken the Israelites and to subdue and humiliate them. Now God’s punishment strikes the firstborn sons of Egypt. What people sow, they reap.
Our decisions and actual behavior bring consequences. And the painful truth, which we all have experienced, is that we alone don’t suffer from the consequences of our wrong actions. Others, sometimes many others, even innocent others, suffer, as well. Such is the nature of sin.
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In what ways have you suffered from others’ sins? Or, what are ways others have suffered from your sins? What is our only hope? |
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How does scripture possibly explain the divine judgment that God caused through the tenth plague in Egypt particularly the killing of “innocent” first born animals? What sin did the animals commit to be killed by God? Do animals have the capacity as human beings to exercise moral choices? By killing animals what spirituals lessons does God wants us to learn?
From the onset I want to state that divine judgment is indeed divine and can only be explained by a divine God. The only limited explanation I can think of is that, this is a demonstration of God’s absolute sovereignty. The killing of the first-born animals was a symbolic demonstration that Yahweh alone is God. Also, God was giving a warning to mankind that sin has a far-reaching consequence. This was not the first time for sin to affect even the innocent ones. For instance, when Achan sinned (Joshua 7), his whole household suffered. When Adam sinned, all creation was cursed (Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 8:20-22). Sadly, sin can have a communal repercussion. This reminds us that the whole creation is suffering due to human disobedience. It might be strange to suggest that if we want to protect the planet earth, let us stop sinning!
“For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (Romans 8:22, NLT).
Omwenga, I would like to suggest that God did not "judge" the animals. You rightly question the ability of animals to make moral choices.
Only humans are capable of making moral choices, and only humans are thus judged for the choices they make. The animals who died that night in Egypt did not suffer punishment. They just went to sleep as they did any other day.
Humans have ability to make complicated plans and execute them. Animals generally live in the moment with limited expectations of the future. Some also have very limited memory of the past. (I'm thinking of dogs that attack porcupines the third time!) Thus, for me, the idea of God "punishing" animals doesn't make a lot of sense. They just ceased to be.
Even babies and small children just went to sleep that night. End of story. The death of the firstborn was the sleep from which those firstborn will some day awake for the final judgment. It was a punishment on the adults of Egypt - the ones capable of making moral choices and deciding to defy the Creator God.
For the borderline cases of persons not having enough information to make an informed choice, I trust the One who knows the end from the beginning to judge rightly in the final judgment.
I appreciate the thought behind the statement “if we want to protect the planet earth, let us stop sinning!” Might I respectfully suggest that we rephrase that without altering the meaning while sharpening the focus as follows: “… let us reflect Jesus!”
I am reminded of the following amazing statement.
“The revelation of His own glory in the form of humanity will bring heaven so near to men that the beauty adorning the inner temple will be seen in every soul in whom the Savior dwells. Men will be captivated by the glory of an abiding Christ.”—Ellen G. White, Christ Object Lessons, p. 420
If we reflect Christ, it will be because we Know Him whom to know is life eternal (John 17:3).
Our problem is not sin – that has already been dealt with. Our problem is uncleanness that causes sin (see Malachi 3:1-5). The uncleanness is a result of the carnal mind that can only be replaced, not mended (Romans 8:7; Philippians 2:5; 1 John 5:20)
When the focus is on “sin”, then there is a twofold danger:
1) We get overwhelmed by the impossible. We can’t deal with sin, just as Israel couldn’t be freed from Egypt (or later Babylon) - it needs divine intervention.
2) We become proud in our “perceived” accomplishments
It is my belief that both true and false Righteousness by Faith is captured in John 12:23.
"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me"
The key difference relates to who is making statement. See Steps to Christ, p71 for a fantastic summary of this principle.
Just as the carnal mind needs replacing, so does this earth (Revelation 21:1) – which also requires divine intervention.
The final plague in Egypt revealed the deep contrast between the gods of the nations and Jehovah, the true God. As death swept through the land, “there was a loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead” (Exodus 12:30). This great cry was a plea for help but the gods of Egypt were silent. The same Hebrew verb used for Egypt’s cry is found in Exodus 2:24: “And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” Unlike the lifeless idols of Egypt, Jehovah heard His people and acted. This was not only a physical deliverance, it was a spiritual confrontation. Jehovah alone is the living God who hears and saves.
In a complete reversal of power, Pharaoh’s officials came to Moses “bowing down before him and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’” (Exodus 11:8). What began with Pharaoh's hardened heart ended with Egypt surrendering not only their captives but also their pride and wealth. The Israelites didn’t escape in weakness—they left in victory, carrying Egypt’s riches as a sign of God's favor and justice (Exodus 12:35-36). This demonstrates the fullness of God's salvation. When God saves, He does not do it halfway. His power over enemies is complete, and His provision for His people exceeds their expectations.
This story is a challenge me and you to examine our own faith. When our feelings or logic conflict with God's word, whom do we trust? Scripture affirms in Isaiah 55:9, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” The same God who spoke creation into existence, who brought Egypt to its knees, is the God who speaks into our lives today. Will we listen? Will we trust? Only one word holds power to save—God’s. The gods of this world are still silent, but Jehovah still hears.
There is a lot of familiarity between the events of Exodus 12:29-30 and Revelation 19:17-18. The build up before the events are usually a lot. A warning is followed by another - then followed by a quick and immediate blow - an obliteration. The enemies are quickly shatterred and what we read next is a marvelous aftermath.
.....A great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead..... (Exodus 12:30).
,,,,,... saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”...... (Revelation 19:17-18).
Just like that Egypt falls! Just like that Babylon falls!
Where do we stand today? Do we stand for our pride and perceived might? Do we stand for the truth and fear of God?
I have learnt a great message about God's long suffering this week. God did not need 10 plagues to crush Egypt, but He was giving Pharoah a time/chance to just let Israel go and spare his throne from desolation. How long must we wait before turning back to God, and end our worship of idols? Today, we worship politicians, pride, beauty, technology, money, and leisure at a rebellion against loving God - with all of our heart, soul and might.
We sometimes fall into the trap of trying to explain everything recorded in the Bible. That sometimes leads us into convoluted arguments that are difficult to follow, let alone sustain. And when all else fails, we like to quote Isaiah 55:
While I appreciate the idea expressed in these verses, when we quote them it pays to look at the context. Here is a bit of the pretext:
... and the postscript:
And if you still need a bit of context, I suggest you read the whole chapter. It is one of the most reassuring bit of the Old Testament. Judgement and mercy help to complete the picture.
A few days ago, I mentioned a couple of ideas to think about regarding the tenth plague, mainly because I cannot explain what happened all that well. I am also aware of our trite some of our explanations sound. It raises the issue of how we handle difficult passages. I still confess, I don't really know. I have scientific training and can readily admit insufficient data. But, I have faith in the ultimate goodness of God as is evidenced by Isaiah 55.
PS. There is a chapter in C S Lewis's book, "Reflections on the Psalms" on judgement that I have found to be helpful.
I couldn’t agree more. There is the Deuteronomy 29:29 principle, as well as the whole “Israel” – literally, wrestle with God, and the invitation to “Come now, let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18). It is unprecedented that a “god” of antiquity (who is THE God) would suggest such things! The fact that He does, suggests several things of itself:
- There are a truckload of concepts or ideas that our tiny shiny human brains won’t get close to understanding
- There are concepts or ideas that we can understand (to the degree that we can)
- God wants us to struggle with these types of questions
- Our struggles will involve disagreement
- The manner of disagreement will reveal more than the content of disagreement.
Regardless, it is one thing to question God, it is something else to disbelieve in either His existence or goodness because of our questions.
Maurice, your statement has triggered a lot of thinking as you said:
"I am also aware of how trite some of our explanations sound. It raises the issue of how we handle difficult passages."
I recently learned during a study of the Torah (the Pentateuch) that "The Torah was not written for God but by God through Moses for the captives - His son, His Firstborn - in and/or from Egypt. The captives who had until then had been robbed off their identity; robbed off their culture; robbed off their God; and even lost bearing of the Sabbath. God was again introducing Himself to a lost people.
I've been having a different perspective on our recent studies, starting from "The Plagues" last week to "Passover" this week. I'm not sure if my thoughts are valid or not, but I've found myself diverging from the author's viewpoint.
There is a perception - or maybe it is my wrong translation - that God's action on Egypt was God's showdown on Egyptian gods and Pharoah - a lesson for Pharoah. But far from it, I am compelled to think it differently, that all along God was reaching out to Israel. Israel was who God really wanted to mentally/spiritually liberate.
God was talking to Israel in a language they could understand in Egypt (by then) - sights and wonders.
The Israelites had become deeply ingrained in Egyptian culture, adopting their way of thinking. The plagues were a strategic approach to reach this people group, who were accustomed to miracles and magic. By experiencing the plagues firsthand, the Israelites would come to know God's power and authority. The plagues were divided into three phases: the first three plagues allowed them to experience them, the next six plagues exempted them to make them see protection, and the final plague (Passover) directly involved them. This experience would instill assurance in the Israelites of God's almightiness.
My issue with thinking it from the point of God fighting Egypt, is that we may find ourselves losing the "intent and purpose" of God's Mission, which was more to restore "His son, His Firstborn" and less of proving a point to Pharoah. Pharoah was more the object, but Israel was all along the subject, so that God's name would be exalted through them (Israel).
Why the firstborn?
I read that within Egyptian civilization the first-born had absolute power within the family unit. In Ancient Egypt, by law, firstborns were given double-portions of inheritance, and became the head of that family's household, and inherited governmental offices. So the death of the firstborns really impacted the epicenter of the whole cultural and economic hierarchical system in ancient Egypt and was the final greasing of the wheels for liberation of the bottom of that hierarchy, the Hebrew slaves.
Also, God explained before the plagues started that Israel was His firstborn son. Pharaoh was warned that if he refused to release God's firstborn son, his punishment would be that he loses his firstborn son (Exodus 4:22-23).
Now here's another question. Pharaoh was the first-born of the first-born of the first-born. It was from this birthright that he exercised power. If Pharaoh was a first-born son why didn't he die? Maybe it was only the eldest child who died, not first-born fathers and adults? Perhaps this was also a judgment against Pharaoh killing all the infant sons of Israel? Or maybe this Pharaoh wasn't a firstborn son?
The whole order of life has been radically altered since the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. We weren't created to experience pain, sorrow, or death. Yet here we are born into such a life because of the long lasting ramifications of sin. Sadly we perpetuate the fall through our own sinful nature.
Unfortunately, this cycle will continue until Jesus returns and breaks the kingdoms of this world, delivering his people from the curse that sin has brought upon this earth. One day there will be no more of the "former things," which is really all we know now. Jesus, and the "blessed hope," is the only hope for those that dwell on planet earth.