Psalm 136:10

Psalm 136:10

The firstborn of Egypt

From verse 10 to verse 22, the Psalm now deals with events in Israel’s past where there is clear evidence of the hand of God. Each one of these instances is treated as being worthy of separate mention and to each is attributed the phrase, “His love endures forever.” 

We start in Egypt where the Hebrew slaves were in bitter anguish at the hands of their cruel slave masters. Life was miserable, they were trapped with no means of escape and no hope for tomorrow. Egypt had become their prison. The orders that precipitated the slaughter of the firstborn sons of Egypt are interesting and chilling, Moses was ordered to speak one last time to Pharaoh, and these were his words, “This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.” Exodus 4:22-23. In other words, the killing of Egypt’s young men was not a mindless, bloodthirsty and vengeful act of murder, it came after months of pleading and negotiating between the Lord God and the man who thought He was God. Pharaoh had already been offered 9 chances to heed the word of the Lord, and he had blown them all. Now he was forced to choose between God’s firstborn son, Israel, and the firstborn sons of Egypt, and we all know what happened! 

We obviously learn from this that it does not pay to thwart the Lord’s plans or to stand in His way. But please note that God does not act without warning nor does He dispense justice without good cause. Pharaoh had it coming, his hard heart was never going to bend to the commands of a God who He though inferior to Himself. The cause of Egypt’s downfall was not the Lord our God but the foolishness of one man, as is so often the case. Let’s not try to outthink or outwit our God, or even to diminish Him as most world leaders do. He will have His way, not because He is wrathful and enraged towards His enemies, but because His love endures forever towards His children. Hallelujah!

 

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