Death Of Egyptian Firstborns: Is It Fair?

Our sermon series in Exodus is progressing well. We started in Exodus 3 where we are introduced to God's personal name - Yahweh! The "I AM WHO I AM."  The God who sees, hears and comes down to help the oppressed. He did it then, He is still doing it today. The just and merciful God - Yahweh - demonstrated His mercy in saving and freeing rebellious Israel from their slave masters. And, at the same time executed His judgement in severely punishing the Egyptians. He does it in His own time (430 years after their enslavement). He is not in a hurry like we are. yet His Judgement is always on time and flawless. There is no miscarriage of justice with Him. 

Robin did an excellent job of expounding Exodus 11 and 12 to us on Sunday.  In those chapters, we experience the mercy and judgement of God simultaneously. "Every firstborn son in Egypt" died, not by some freakish accident of nature, but by the direct act of God's judgement. And every firstborn of Israel lived. We must not gloss over the events of these chapters. Neither does God intend or expect us to explain it away. It calls for sober reflection and careful examination.  The immediate question that comes to mind is, how is it fair or just for a loving God to kill innocent children? Is this act of brutality consistent with the nature of God? Is the God of the Old Testament the same as the Jesus we see in the New Testament? These are difficult questions with no easy answers. I'll attempt to answer the first question as faithfully and biblically as I can, and maybe continue with the others next.

 1. How Is It Fair Or Just For a Loving God To Kill Innocent Children? 
One can't adequately answer this question without understanding the background to the story. Pharaoh was an evil and wicked king. In Chapter one of Exodus, we  read how he had subjected the Israelites who were invited into Egypt as friends to 'servitude, slavery and slaughter' as Ryken and Hughes put it in their commentary "Exodus: Saved For God's Glory." Pharaoh said this to all his people, the Egyptians - "Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile." (Exodus 1:22). And they did. The Nile reeked from the stench of the innocent babies killed by Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Their innocent blood cried out to God from the Nile. Their only crime is that they were born Hebrew (Israelites). The killing of the firstborns of the Egyptians was God's judgment on  Pharaoh and his people, who were complicit.

Secondly, there were nine plagues prior to the tenth. These were opportunities for Pharaoh to repent and avert the ultimate death that was visited on his people. The nine plagues were God's mercy, which was constantly rejected by Pharaoh nine times over (Exodus 7-10). It was Pharaoh who arrogantly insisted that "death" is the only way the stalemate will be resolved. In saying to Moses, "Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die," he sealed his fate. (Exodus 10:28). In other words, he said to the Almighty God, I am done negotiating with you, Israel is staying put, and I will kill Moses if he broaches the conversation again. He believed, falsely, that he had the power to take life. He rejected God's mercy, and the only thing remaining when any man rejects God's mercy is death. 

Thirdly, there was a final warning to Pharaoh. God predicted in Pharaoh's hearing, that the firstborn of all Egyptians will die (Exodus 11:4-6), but Pharaoh still did not take this warning seriously. It was an utter disdain for God and Moses His servant. It was a stalemate. So, something had to give. The die was cast and there was no turning back. It's either God stays true to His word or Pharaoh repents and averts the imminent calamity, otherwise God proves to be impotent and unable to carry out His threats. In the end, Pharaoh didn't repent, God stays true to His word and He proves, as He has done through all ages, that He is more than able to do what He says. He has no rival, He has no equal. None can stop Him from keeping His Word. He is the LORD of all. The Almighty God. 

Fourthly, the judgement of the tenth plague was non-discriminatory! Did I hear you say... what? Just wait, let me explain. The Passover was the only remedy to avert the death of firstborns in every home in Egypt that fateful night. The condition was this "when I see the blood, I will pass over you". (Exodus 12:13). It was inevitable that something had to die in every household that night. And something did die. In the Israelite household, a lamb died as a substitute for their firstborn son. In the Egyptian household, their firstborn son died. Death visited every home indiscriminately that night. 

Think with me for a minute. For instance, if an Egyptian heard about God's warning, took it seriously and killed a lamb as prescribed and put the blood on the door frames of their home, they would have been spared, don't you think? We don't know if any of them did. But, if they did, I believe they will have been spared. Conversely, if there were Israelites who for any reason failed to put the blood on their door frames, their firstborn would have been killed.  The requirement to escape death that night was not faith, it was simply obedience. There would have been many doubters who's firstborn sons were spared, simply because they acted in obedience, whilst still doubtful. So, in that sense, the judgment was non-discriminatory. Granted, many of the Egyptians would not have "got the memo", but that's largely due to their ongoing rebellion against God.

Fifthly, It is important that we know that the fact they were firstborn does not mean they were all children. Many of them, if not most will have been adults. It is also important to note that since man's fall from grace in Genesis 3, the verdict of death as the wages of sin still stands. The only way out of death is to receive the grace of forgiveness, which comes by accepting God's offer of mercy. An offer Pharaoh rejected. Salvation is a gift of God. It was a gift the Israelites did not deserve, nor can earn. That gift is still available to us today. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23).

We all love justice. When we are oppressed, we want the oppression to stop, and the oppressor punished. This instinct in us is a God instinct. God wants justice too. His judgement is perfect and flawless. There is no miscarriage of justice with God. We get things wrong, He doesn't. He knows all things, we don't. Nothing is hidden from Him. Not so with us. All the information available and necessary for judgement is not always accessible or presented to us. But with God, all the information and data from before the world began is at His disposal. So, when he decides to act, He acts justly and with no room for error. Ultimate perfection is part of His nature. No innocent person gets punished by God. The killing of the firstborns in Egypt was God's act of judgement. We may not always or fully understand His judgement, but that does not make it wrong. If we can't admit anything, we must admit this... He knows. And we don't. 

To be continued...