Passover and Yahweh’s Justice
Now it came about at midnight that the LORD struck all the 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. 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. Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “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” (Exod 12:29-32, NASB).
Someone once asked me: Are we to consider Yahweh’s killing of the first born in Egypt a just act? When one thinks about that first Passover midnight, there was no other like it, as God’s avenging angel struck down Egypt’s firstborn, save Israelites who placed the blood of a sacrificial lamb painted on their doorposts with hyssop. The Lord sent the destroyer who then struck down “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.” It was from this tenth plague that Pharaoh moved to set free the Israelites.
Yahweh’s plagues upon Egypt, including the killing the firstborn on the night of Passover, collectively can be considered fair and just divine retribution. Exodus begins with Pharaoh coming into power and conscripting Hebrews into a life of hard labor (Exod. 1:8-14), essentially making them a slave cast. Pharaoh even ordered midwives Shiphrah and Puah to kill new born Hebrew boys, and when they refused (because they feared God), he did not relent, and commanded his people to cast Hebrew boys into the Nile (Exod. 1:15-22).
One can point out that inasmuch as Pharaoh was commanding many horrible things to be done to the Hebrews the masses followed his lead. They were not innocent bystanders; instead, they willfully carried out Pharaoh’s evil commands to harm the Hebrews. Perhaps they even had the same sentiments as Pharaoh. Granted there were Egyptians who feared the Lord’s warnings through Moses (Exod. 9:19-20), and through the course of the plagues some became convinced God’s was behind all that was happening (Exod. 8:19), whereas others became favorable to Moses and the Israelites (Exod. 11:2-3; 12:34-35); however, that was not enough to break the grip of Pharaoh or insight the populace to a regime change. The Egyptian consensus was to side with the evil ruler until the end. Egypt, for the most part, had become a nation run by corruption with her people—from king to commoner— collectively shared in the same sin. All this to say is that God can righteously act against a nation of people who individually and collectively are led by corruption. God’s plagues were the just punishment to a people who were individually and collectively led by corruption.
In fairness, Yahweh also kept the Israelites to the same standard. Moses commanded: “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God. You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measurement of weight, or capacity. You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin; I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt. You shall thus observe all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them; I am the LORD.” (Lev. 19:33-37). Deuteronomy 27-28 offer blessings and prosperity in the promise land upon those who kept their covenant with Lord in obedience but curses and exile to those who broke their covenant with the Lord. If the Israel committed the same evils as the Egypt, they would likewise suffer divine wrath.
God is righteous and He does not turn a blind eye to the injustices done by sinful people. The real issue is nobody stands innocent before a holy and righteous God. Who can escape the wrath to come? God, however, can also extend mercy. Just as the Passover lamb’s blood kept the destroyer from killing the firstborn in the Israelite’s household, the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, allows sinful people to enter into a right relationship with God. Christ died for sinners, and He rose again so that those who believe could receive eternal life.
Someone once asked me: Are we to consider Yahweh’s killing of the first born in Egypt a just act? When one thinks about that first Passover midnight, there was no other like it, as God’s avenging angel struck down Egypt’s firstborn, save Israelites who placed the blood of a sacrificial lamb painted on their doorposts with hyssop. The Lord sent the destroyer who then struck down “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.” It was from this tenth plague that Pharaoh moved to set free the Israelites.
Yahweh’s plagues upon Egypt, including the killing the firstborn on the night of Passover, collectively can be considered fair and just divine retribution. Exodus begins with Pharaoh coming into power and conscripting Hebrews into a life of hard labor (Exod. 1:8-14), essentially making them a slave cast. Pharaoh even ordered midwives Shiphrah and Puah to kill new born Hebrew boys, and when they refused (because they feared God), he did not relent, and commanded his people to cast Hebrew boys into the Nile (Exod. 1:15-22).
One can point out that inasmuch as Pharaoh was commanding many horrible things to be done to the Hebrews the masses followed his lead. They were not innocent bystanders; instead, they willfully carried out Pharaoh’s evil commands to harm the Hebrews. Perhaps they even had the same sentiments as Pharaoh. Granted there were Egyptians who feared the Lord’s warnings through Moses (Exod. 9:19-20), and through the course of the plagues some became convinced God’s was behind all that was happening (Exod. 8:19), whereas others became favorable to Moses and the Israelites (Exod. 11:2-3; 12:34-35); however, that was not enough to break the grip of Pharaoh or insight the populace to a regime change. The Egyptian consensus was to side with the evil ruler until the end. Egypt, for the most part, had become a nation run by corruption with her people—from king to commoner— collectively shared in the same sin. All this to say is that God can righteously act against a nation of people who individually and collectively are led by corruption. God’s plagues were the just punishment to a people who were individually and collectively led by corruption.
In fairness, Yahweh also kept the Israelites to the same standard. Moses commanded: “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God. You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measurement of weight, or capacity. You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin; I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt. You shall thus observe all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them; I am the LORD.” (Lev. 19:33-37). Deuteronomy 27-28 offer blessings and prosperity in the promise land upon those who kept their covenant with Lord in obedience but curses and exile to those who broke their covenant with the Lord. If the Israel committed the same evils as the Egypt, they would likewise suffer divine wrath.
God is righteous and He does not turn a blind eye to the injustices done by sinful people. The real issue is nobody stands innocent before a holy and righteous God. Who can escape the wrath to come? God, however, can also extend mercy. Just as the Passover lamb’s blood kept the destroyer from killing the firstborn in the Israelite’s household, the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, allows sinful people to enter into a right relationship with God. Christ died for sinners, and He rose again so that those who believe could receive eternal life.
