Exodus 11

The Lord would not send warnings forever. The time had come for a final plague. “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt.”

This plague was the one that God talked to Moses about in the beginning of His instructions regarding His Word to Pharaoh. Up to this point, Moses had not delivered God's message plainly. But now the actual moment had come.

As early as Exodus 4, God instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh that Israel was His firstborn, and if the king of Egypt would not let God's firstborn go, God would kill Pharaoh's firstborn. Moses presented God's claims in a less direct way. Now the sanction of God, taking the life of Pharaoh's firstborn, could no longer be ignored.

God also told Moses that some time after this final plague, Pharaoh would finally let Israel leave Egypt. Even beyond a passive allowing of his slaves to leave the country, the king would actually push Israel out. He would drive them out completely.

Prior to that final moment, Moses had two more divine errands. First, he had to enlist all the men and women of Israel to ask their Egyptian neighbors for silver and gold jewelry. Israel would not leave the country of Egypt without gifts. The Lord would move the hearts of these adversaries to provide this blessing to the Lord's people.

This was exactly what happened. The Israelites had the boldness to make this unusual request, and the Lord granted them favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. Through all of these signs of divine judgment, Moses had developed a reputation among the Egyptians as a true man of power. They considered him a great man, and they gave the Lord's people what they asked for; jewelry that was to be used according to the Lord's command.

Second, God sent Moses to Pharaoh to say the last Word: “Thus says the Lord: About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, 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.”

This was a devastating announcement that should have been considered carefully by Pharaoh. The Lord had been true to every Word He had spoken. Nine plagues had been announced, and nine plagues had come and gone. Was there any reason to doubt the Lord's intention or His power?

God not only spoke of what would take place, but even of the emotional shock of this devastating judgment. There would be “a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.”

If this was what would soon take place, what would the Egyptians do to the Israelites? Would they be filled with rage? God announced beforehand that the Lord would protect His people. No matter what the hearts of the Egyptians might have been tempted to say or to do, the Lord was in charge of all these events. He said that “not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel.”

By now we should know very well that God “makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.” We have seen that most recently, and most dramatically with the plague of darkness. God arranged it so that the Israelites had light, while all the land of Egypt was covered with a darkness that was so deep that it could be felt. Moses now revealed to Pharaoh that even the servants of Pharaoh would bow down to this servant of God, this man, Moses, to whom Pharaoh had displayed such profound disrespect. The people would be eager for the children of Israel to get out of Egypt. And then, at long last, the people would go.

This time it was Moses who left “in hot anger.” But why would Pharaoh not take this matter to heart prior to the great wave of death that would soon spread over the nation? The Lord told Moses why: “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

Are we able to take in the weight of the divine reasoning in these words? The Lord knew exactly what He was doing throughout this epic contest. He could have destroyed Pharaoh and all of Egypt in a moment. That was not His plan. He had a better idea, one that would involve a greater display of His wonders before Pharaoh. That was why the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart.

The scandal of the cross, and the persecution of the church has continued over many centuries. These sinful horrors and so many other acts of providence that we do not understand are not without purpose. God's ways are good even in these events. It is the enemies of the Lord, and not God, that are deeply wicked in their hatred, their slander, and their murder. If we cannot grasp this today, a day is coming when the righteousness of the Lord and the evil of His adversaries will shine in glorious light. Until that day, we can trust Him. Remember His love for us displayed in the cross of Christ. See in that same cross His unflinching commitment to do what is right.

Pharaoh would not humble himself before God. He hardened his own heart. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart too, for His own good purposes. Pharaoh would not pay attention to the signs and wonders displayed before His eyes, and He would not let the people of Israel go out of his land.