Is God’s judgment too severe? It is fairly shocking. There is a death in every house. And yet, God had given 9 warnings with the previous plagues and now he warns that every firstborn will die.
Is this fair? Well, remember what Pharaoh had done to the Israelite baby boys. And when you remember that the wages of sin is death, then this is a fair judgment. When we struggle with the severity of God’s judgment, it is usually because we have downplayed the seriousness of sin. God is a holy God, and all sin against Him is awful. It deserves death. And yet, in His great mercy the Lord offers a way out. There will be a death in every house, but the Lord provides a substitute. If His people will take God at His Word and do what He says then the lamb will die instead of the firstborn son.
Don Carson gives a really helpful illustration to help us think about how this works:
“Picture two Jews, by the name of Smith and Brown. Remarkably Jewish names.
The day before the first Passover they’re having a little discussion in the land of Goshen, and Smith says to Brown, “Boy, are you a little nervous about what’s going to happen tonight?”
Brown says, “Well, God told us what to do through his servant Moses. You don’t have to be nervous. Haven’t you slaughtered the lamb and dobbed the two door posts with blood—put blood on the lintel? Haven’t you done that? You’re all ready and packed to go? You’re going to eat your whole Passover meal with your family?”
“Of course I’ve done that. I’m not stupid. But, it’s still pretty scary when you think of all the things that have happened around here recently. You know, flies and river turning to blood. It’s pretty awful. And now there’s a threat of the first-born being killed, you know. It’s all right for you. You’ve got three sons. I’ve only got one. And I love my Charlie, and the Angel of Death is passing through tonight. I know what God says; I put the blood there. But it’s pretty scary, I’ll be glad when this night is over.”
And the other one responds, “Bring it on. I trust the promises of God.”
That night, the angel of death swept through the land. Which one lost his son?
And the answer of course is: neither.
Because death doesn’t pass over them on the ground of the intensity, or the clarity, of the faith exercised. But on the ground of the blood of the lamb. That’s what silences the accuser.
The blood silences the accuser of the brothers as he accuses us before God. He silences our consciences when he accuses us directly. How many times do we writhe in agony asking if God can ever love us enough, if God can ever care for us enough after we have done such stupid, sinful, rebellious things after being Christians for 40 years?
What are you going to say, “Oh, God, I tried hard, you know. I did my best. It was a bad moment”?
No, no, no.
I have no other argument! I need no other plea! It is enough that Jesus died, and that he died for me!
We overcome him by the blood of the lamb. There is the ground of all human assurance before God. There is the ground of our faith. Not guaranteeing intensity of faith—so fickle are we.
It’s not the intensity of our faith but the object of our faith that saves. They overcome him on the ground of the blood of the lamb.”
How amazing that though we deserve God’s judgment, Jesus is the Lamb of God who will take our sin, if we take Him at His Word and trust the rescue He provides.
As God’s people leave Egypt, it is just as God had said, they have become a great nation (12:37), some from the nations are brought in (12:38), and its been the time God said (12:41, see Genesis 15:13)
In our reading from Ephesians 2 we see that even though we were dead in our sins, God made us alive through Christ, because of His great love for us, and the blessing promised to Abraham is fulfilled in people from every nation being brought in the same way – whether Jew or Gentile, its all about faith in the true Passover Lamb, our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Light and Momentary Troubles 
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