Exodus 11 Devotional

When Patience Runs Its Course

“But among all the Israelites, not even a dog will snarl at man or beast.’ Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.”Exodus 11:7 (BSB)

After nine plagues, God tells Moses that one more is coming, and this time Pharaoh will drive Israel out (11:1). About midnight the LORD will go through Egypt, and every firstborn son will die, from Pharaoh's heir to the son of the servant girl at the hand mill (11:4-5). The chapter does not dress it up. A cry will rise over Egypt like none before or since (11:6).

It did not come without warning. Before the first plague, God had told Pharaoh that Israel was his firstborn son, and that if Pharaoh refused to let his son go, Pharaoh's own firstborn would die (4:22-23). Through nine plagues God was patient, and Pharaoh refused each time. But patience is not indifference, and a holy God will finally judge. The same God makes a distinction for his own people (11:7), and the next chapter shows that it rests not on their merit but on the blood of a lamb. Because judgment is real, his provision matters.

To think about: How does knowing that God's judgment is real change the way you value the mercy he offers in Christ?