Exodus 11:4-6

4            Moses said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘About midnight I will go out into the middle of Egypt,

5            and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the mill, and all of the firstborn of the livestock.

6            There will be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been, nor will be any more.

The Death of the Firstborn

The death of the firstborn directly challenges the Egyptian belief system. How? The firstborn held a special status and were viewed as heirs to family legacy and divine blessing. This plague highlights God’s power over life and death, the opposite of the Egyptian gods who were helpless. The firstborn of Pharaoh would have been the future god-king of Egypt. This would have dealt a major blow to the Egyptian royal family and their belief that they had divine status. This will ultimately show how resisting God’s will results in Pharaoh’s resistance was ultimately futile. The death of the firstborn affects all people in Egypt. The mention of the female servant shows the lowest rung of society, but her firstborn will receive the same judgment as Pharaoh’s. God’s justice is equitable and from this. The death of the cattle’s firstborn represents the totality of this plague. Cattle were a key part to Egypt’s economy and religious practices. Their firstborn dying knocks down their agricultural wealth and religious symbolism.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: The death of the firstborn challenges a core facet of the Egyptian belief system. What was a recent belief that you felt challenged on? What was your process of working through it and what was the result?

Accountability for Your Actions

The plague affects all parts of Egyptian society. The judgment that comes from God is both impartial and comprehensive. The death of the firstborn son affected all the Egyptian families. The death of Pharaoh’s firstborn son affected their family personally as well as the future of their lineage in power. The death of the firstborn son of the servant girl affected even the lowest on the societal hierarchy. The death of the firstborn cattle affected the societal, economic and religious practices. God’s judgment affected all people and parts of the world, all because one person did not follow God’s command – Pharaoh.

Now, am I saying that Pharaoh deserved his own son dying because of this? No. No human should have to face the death of their own child because of their own decisions, either indirectly or directly. However, it’s a reality that some people face.  I think about how many children die because of both direct and indirect decisions of their parents, guardians, and the legal systems of both adoption and foster care. Parents would abuse their children – causing physical and mental harm to their children. The systems can view the children as numbers to the system instead of humans, and the children can face physical and mental abuse because of system limitations. Our decisions have a consequence, no matter how we view it. Our decisions have consequences for ourselves, and for those around us, whether we realize it or not. These consequences can happen immediately and can happen in the future.

The point is that the consequences of Pharaoh were severe, and may have been culturally and historically appropriate for the time and culture they were in. I can see where the stories of the ten plagues beg the question: “Is God a violent god? Is God an angry god? Why did God cause these plagues to happen? Why did innocent people have to suffer?” These are all valid questions to ask, because we read these things in our modern context – they are unimaginable. No one could read this and believe this could happen to us, right? However, it can.

Let me explain. Do I believe that God is violent? No. In this context, God acts powerfully in judgment against oppression, reaching extreme measures to free the enslaved Israelites. Do I believe that God is angry? I believe God can be angry, but in the same case that a parent can be angry when their child does not listen to their commands. I believe God wants us to commit our lives to Him and create a committed relationship with Him so that we can bring the Kingdom of God and good news to all people. God wants us to love each other in the same way that God loves us. When humanity makes intentional choices to rebel against this ideal, God will use His powers of justice to show us the consequences of our rebellion. It’s hard to say for sure, but what if the Egyptians participated in treating the Israelites like Pharaoh did? I think we might be

I think about how some followers of Donald Trump lash out towards people who do not follow and believe in the same things they do. They will berate, bully, and abuse people for the sole reason that they do not believe what they do and claim superiority over others. Sound familiar? Again, I’m not saying that MAGA followers or Trump followers should have their firstborn killed as a result. Far from that. I would want to see actions of accountability. Their harmful rhetoric and actions that they spread should have consequences. Unfortunately, we’re seeing people not receiving those consequences (yet). We’re seeing harmful decisions and rhetoric displayed everywhere and no accountability or justice taking place. Even when lawful orders to cease harmful actions have been given, our administration has often ignored them. It’s hard to stomach seeing this injustice occur. It’s hard to have trust in a system that has no accountability. It’s hard to watch innocent people suffer because of these injustices. We need to voice our concerns. We need to hold others accountable for their actions. We don’t need to play God, being judge, jury and executioner, but we do need to use our words and actions to be His hands and feet to help encourage accountability to occur.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What is one thing you were others were held accountable over?

Next series: God’s Grace and Immutability || Contradicting the Word || Part 1