Theological Commentary: Click Here
God sets up
an incredible message within this passage.
He does it in two different ways.
We see it literally in the plundering of Egypt. We will see it figuratively in the plague.
First of
all, look at the plundering of money.
This isn’t a case where some poor unpaid slaves finally get what they
deserve. This is entirely the case of
the Egyptian people willing to do anything to get rid of these Hebrew people
and the God who keeps cursing them. But
here is the subliminal point underlying this chapter and the next few chapters
to come. We can ignore God and cast God
out of our life. But in order to do so,
it will cost us something. There is
always a price we pay when we ask God to leave so we can continue in our own personal
version of darkness.
This leads
us to the sacrifice of the firstborn, which God promises in this chapter. It will not only cost the Egyptians their
gold and precious stones, it will cost them their first born. God is making the point that it costs the
Egyptian people their firstborn to get rid of God. But in a great spiritual reversal, remember
what the price is for us to re-enter the family of God. For us to be a part of God’s family, it will
cost Him His firstborn son! For us to
cast God away, we pay the price. But for
us to be able to embrace God, it is He who pays the price for us.
That’s
grace. It may feel strange to talk so
deeply about grace in a chapter that focuses on impending death. However, that is absolutely the grace of God. Even in the midst of darkness and
destruction, God can send a message of grace.
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