March 01, 2024 | Be God's Light
Death of Firstborn
Scripture: Exodus 11(NIV)
1 Now the Lord had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely. 2 Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.” 3 (The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.)
4 So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. 5 Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. 7 But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. 8 All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.” Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.
9 The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.
Devotional
God made several promises to Moses with this plague:
It would be the final plague.
Pharaoh would refuse to listen, again.
Every Egyptian firstborn son would die, including Pharaoh’s son.
Even Egyptian owned animals would be affected.
There would be loud wailing throughout Egypt.
Not even the dogs who belonged to the Israelites would be harmed.
Pharaoh would let the Hebrew people go and drive them out completely.
The Egyptian officials would beg Moses to take the Hebrews and leave.
Egyptian neighbors would give the Hebrews articles of silver and gold.
Look at each one of these promises again. How would each of them would have impacted the Egyptians physically, emotionally, and in any other way? How would they have impacted the Israelites, as they prepared to flee? How would this have sustained the Israelites over the next forty years as they awaited entering the Promised Land?
Psalm 119:41 says, “May your unfailing love come to me, Lord, your salvation, according to your promise.” What are some of the promises of God that sustain you as you journey through life? Are there any promises of God that you long to experience? Any you have walked away from?
Poem
Did It Have To Come To This?
It started with a little fight
Between the two of us
I just wanted this and that
You wanted to be right
We soon forgot the real issue
And focused on the pull
Me, grabbing, snatching, wanting more
Hands on the rope now bruised
If one of us would just let go
And let the rope fall slack
I wonder if the thing would rest
And we'd see friend, not foe
But, no; we just could not resist
We both just want our way
The conflict has become our drug
Did it have to come to this?
