#DailyDevotion Will You Escape The Final Judgment?
Lent day 37 Wednesday
Read Ex 10:21—11:10
Exo 10:22-23 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. (23) They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived. Exo 11:4-5 So Moses said, “Thus says the LORD: About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, (5) and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.
The plague of the firstborn calls for faith if you were going to escape it, like the plague of hail. Except for with the plague it falls upon both Egyptian and Israelite. For to escape the final judgment, one must have faith in God’s word whether you were raised in the Church or not. Those who had faith put the lamb’s blood on their doors that night and the firstborn lived. In like fashion, we too must have faith in Christ Jesus if we are to escape the judgment that is coming upon the world. What must we believe?
In these two plagues we see the judgment of God against His only Son, His Firstborn for the sin of the World.
On the one hand we see the darkness that covered the earth as the Father’s judgment against sin is laid upon Jesus and he becomes sin for us. The Light of the World is extinguished as he becomes utter sin, darkness, and death. The Father turns His back on the Son and he cannot behold his face.
We see the wrath of the Father has he kills his firstborn. The firstborn of the Israelites were to be redeemed with blood. They belonged to the Lord. But the true firstborn, Jesus of Nazareth is called to be the substitute firstborn. The Father sacrifices Jesus on the wood of the cross so we may live.
And so while we think it was terribly cruel for God to inflict these punishments upon Egypt he laid the greater punishment upon his one and only begotten Son, Jesus, the son of Mary. This he did for you so you may escape the wrath of God where the Egyptians did not.
Lord God, Heavenly Father, we thank you for afflicting your Son Jesus instead of us so we may live to your glory. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.