Exodus 12 "Firstborn"

Exodus 12:29-30 "And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead."

We should remember at this point the situation. Moses has returned from the desert to tell the Pharaoh of Egypt to let about v37 v38 about six hundred thousand that were men beside children go out of the land. To begin with it must have seemed humerous to Pharaoh that one such as Moses would demand of him such a thing. Pharaoh did not recognize the God of the Hebrew and so at the beginning he must have thought he was only dealing with just a man of low position. Over time and through plagues the king came to realize that more than just a mere man was at work but still he hardened his neck against God.

Now, on this day, the thing God said would happen is happening. Pharaoh and Egypt have paid a great price for forgetting that over 400 years before, it was Joseph's wisdom (given by God) that had saved Egypt from destruction. Pharaoh attempted to do what many people of our day try to do. He tried to ignore God and his commands. It turned out to be a dangerous path to take. God has many attributes including love, grace and compassion. He is also the God of all that exist. Ignoring Him does not make Him go away or stop his plan.

Proverbs 28:14 "Happy is the man that feareth always: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief."