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Exodus 12:29–32
“At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead” (vv. 29–30).
The Israelites trusted the Lord when, through Moses, He revealed that the only way to escape the tenth plague was to apply the blood of the Passover lamb to their door frames. They did all that God had commanded Moses and Aaron (Ex. 12:1–28). Soon thereafter, at midnight as God had said (see ch. 11), “the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock” (12:29).
Perhaps the most striking thing about this act of God was that no one but those who had painted the lamb’s blood on their doors was exempted. From the most powerful Egyptian (Pharaoh) to the most powerless Egyptian (the Egyptian citizen who was also a prisoner), all the people suffered the loss of the firstborn (v. 30). Even the livestock were not exempted. Matthew Henry comments that this demonstrates the impartiality of God’s justice. All the families who were guilty of sin, and their animals, and who had not made use of the Lord’s provided means of atonement—the Passover lamb—fell under divine judgment. Pharaoh’s high social standing did not exempt him from God’s sentence. Truly, the Lord God Almighty “is not partial and takes no bribe” (Deut. 10:17).
Exodus 12:31–32 explains that this last plague finally convinced the pharaoh to release God’s people from slavery. Upon a first reading of the text in English, it seems as if Pharaoh had a direct meeting with Moses and Aaron to tell the Israelites to leave. Yet had not Moses prophesied that he would not see Pharaoh again after the meeting in which he told the king that the final plague was coming (10:29)? There is no contradiction here. The Hebrew word translated as “summoned” in 12:31 can refer to a meeting that takes place in the presence of another, but the word usually refers to making a proclamation or to sending news to someone through a messenger. Apparently, Pharaoh, having seen the death of all the Egyptian firstborn, sent word to Moses and Aaron by a court official that they and the rest of the Israelites were free to go.
In earlier dialogues, Pharaoh tried to get the Israelites to leave their young or their flocks behind (10:1–29). Now, Pharaoh releases them all, including their animals. He is under a curse and he knows it. The only way for him to find any kind of blessing again is for the reason for the curse—the Israelite slaves—to go (v. 32).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
God’s impartiality in judgment is good news. It means that no one will get away with his sin because of superior social standing or other factors. It means that even if powerful people seem to escape justice on this side of heaven, they will by no means escape it when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead.
For Further Study
- Numbers 8:14–19
- Psalm 78:51
- Psalm 105:36
- Psalm 135:8–9
- Hebrews 11:28