12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:12-13)
Death touched every house in Egypt. The Bible says that there were people out in the streets in the middle of the night wailing because of the loss. Can you imagine this scene? Imagine tonight, if in your town someone from every home was dead when the sun rose tomorrow. Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue? What was the cause? How could this happen? The mass funerals, devastation, & panic would be unimaginable.
This was the scene in Egypt. God had promised that this would happen if Pharaoh did not let his people go. God started with turning water into blood, sending gnats & flies on the land, to taking the life of every firstborn in Egypt. God was determined to show his character & glory to Pharaoh, the gods of Egypt, the Egyptian people, & among his own people as well. And show his glory he did.
What we often miss in the midst of theses plagues & God's wonder is what God is doing with is people. Starting with the fourth plague, God doesn't allow his people to experience what the Egyptians do. God starts differentiating between the Egyptians and his people. At one point, there is total darkness in the whole land, except in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites live. Can you imagine this scene? Darkness everywhere, but Goshen is glowing!
When God says that the death angel will pass over Egypt, his people are not excluded from this. The death angel will still pass over them but the application is different. They were instructed by God to kill a lamb and put blood on the doorposts. When the death angel passed over, they would be protected by the blood. So, although we see God making a distinction between his people & the Egyptians, there is something common to them as well.
Death touched every house in Egypt.
Death took either the firstborn or the lamb. But death was certain in every house. In the Egyptian's homes and in the homes of God's people.
Death is coming to us all. We know that 1 out of every 1 person dies. Death is certain. But what isn't certain is what this death means for us.
Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death. We all are born into spiritual & physical death because of sin. Because of this, someone must pay for our sin. There are two options. Either we will pay for our sin with our own lives (the Egyptians) or the Lamb will give it's life for us in our place (Israelites).
This event in OT history points us to the future & calls us to examine our own lives. Are we trusting in ourselves in this life? The result will be our certain death. Or, are we trusting in the Lamb? If so, God's wrath will fall on him and pass over us, resulting in our eternal life.
We have been given a choice. Which one will you choose? Death is certain. Death is coming. The wrath of God is sure. Will it fall on us or the Lamb?
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