He also brought them out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among His tribes. Egypt was glad when they departed, for the fear of them had fallen upon them. (Psalm 105:37-38)

The Bible tells us that, by the time the last plague was to be unleashed on Egypt, “the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people” (Exodus 11:3). Furthermore, as the Hebrews were preparing to leave the land of their affliction, they were instructed to “ask from his neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold” (Exodus 11:2) thus plundering their former masters. As we have stated before, God makes certain to balance the books with justice; all those years of unrequited toil was repaid with the wealth the wicked. It would seem that the Egyptians were glad to do it; as is written, “The Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, ‘We shall all be dead’” (Exodus 12:33).

The psalmist makes several important points in the verses above. First, God did not ignore the years of sweat, labor and suffering; He made certain they were compensated for their servitude. Secondly, He did not liberate His people — former slaves with nothing to speak of — without the tangible sustenance they would need in the present and the future. As it is written, “The wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous” (Proverbs 13:22). Lastly — and this is the main point for today — He caused their former masters to be glad to see them go. Throughout the plagues, Israel was left to wonder when the day of redemption would come. By the last plague, their enemies would wondering how soon the Hebrews could leave.

The difference between the beginning of the process and its’ conclusion was, those who had shown no fear of God grew to fear Him and His people. When Moses and Aaron first approached Pharaoh, his response to their demand was to say, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2). After the death of the firstborn, he said, “Go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. Go serve the Lord as you have said … and be gone; and bless me also” (Exodus 12:31-32).

Scripture says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). We would be wise to take that to heart, for to fear and honor Him defines the path that leads to life and blessings. There is also this: when we are walking in obedience and the fulness of His purpose, He says, “I will put the dread and fear of you upon the nations” (Deuteronomy 2:25). It’s not so much that I relish the thought of being feared as much as it is, if people fear me because they recognize that God’s favor is upon me, they might be less inclined to harass me. The point is, our God is good to those who love Him; He cares for them and provides for every need — even the ones they haven’t thought about. Thank God, He sees to all our our needs.

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill