He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land, the first of all their strength. (Psalm 105:36)

Many of the previous verses in this psalm recount the plagues God poured out upon Egypt. The final plague, the death of the first born, is the one that broke the stubborn pride of Egypt, leading to the release of God’s people. It’s a shame that it took such a severe reproof to bring Pharaoh to his knees, but at the same time, he decided to double down in his resistance to God’s sovereignty. Then there is this: the death of Egypt’s first born was Divine justice; it was measure for measure — God’s way of balancing the books.

It is written, “You shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe” (Exodus 21:23-25). While it may be difficult for us to reconcile a loving God with this standard, we must also remember that He is just. The unrepentant risk paying the wages of their sin with surrendering the protection of His forgiveness. Because Pharaoh was so resistant to the Word of God, he placed his own son at risk — why? Years before another Pharaoh issued the decree that called for the young sons of Israel to be drowned in the waters of the Nile. There is no telling how many perished, but I have no doubt that the Creator took note of each one.

The fact of the matter is, the Egyptians were compelled to mourn their firstborn as recompense for the suffering endured by the Hebrews who lost their children to the whims of an evil man. It is written, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). Amazingly, Pharaoh wouldn’t let it go; his stubbornness pushed him to pursue Israel into the wilderness right up until the moment that the sons of Egypt were cast into the waters of the sea, lost forever. Measure for measure! God doesn’t play — He’s serious. That being said, there is a way to escape this sorrowful conclusion — repent! Let us not harden our hearts to God’s Word nor turn our ear away from His voice when He says, “Repent!” May we quickly and, in humility, turn from our errant ways and be saved.

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill