Day 2 of 10
Plagues and Passover: Judgment and Mercy
God defeats the powers and shields his people
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
Read Exodus 12:1-13 and 12:29-32. Through ten plagues, God breaks Pharaoh's power. The final plague — the death of the firstborn — is the decisive blow. But God provides a way of escape: the Passover lamb.
Reflection
The ten plagues are often treated as a sequence of natural disasters, but they are far more than that. Each plague targets a specific aspect of Egyptian religion and power. The Nile turns to blood — an assault on Hapi, the Nile god. Darkness covers the land — a defeat of Ra, the sun god. The plagues are a theological argument, conducted through acts of power. As Wright explains: "The plagues are not random acts of destruction. They are a systematic dismantling of Egypt's gods and Egypt's claim to ultimate power. Each plague says: Pharaoh is not lord. The God of Israel is Lord."
The final plague is the most terrible and the most revealing. God will pass through the land, and every firstborn in Egypt will die (Exodus 12:12). But God provides a way for Israel to be spared: a lamb, slaughtered at twilight, its blood applied to the doorposts and lintel of each Israelite home. "The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you" (12:13).
This is the Passover — and it becomes the most important ritual in Israel's life. Goldsworthy identifies its centrality: "The Passover is the heart of the Exodus — and it becomes the heart of everything. The lamb is slain, the blood is applied, the people are spared. This is the pattern that will find its ultimate expression at Calvary."
Notice the elements of the pattern. There is judgment — the firstborn of Egypt die. There is substitution — a lamb dies in the place of Israel's firstborn. There is application — the blood must be applied to the door. And there is deliverance — those under the blood are spared. Every element will reappear at the cross.
The night of the Passover changes everything. Pharaoh summons Moses: "Go, serve the LORD, as you have said" (12:31). The grip of Egypt is broken. Not by Israel's strength, not by military prowess, but by the blood of a lamb. The Exodus has begun.
Going Deeper
Paul writes: "Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7). The connection is not an analogy — it is a fulfillment. Jesus is the lamb whose blood shields God's people from judgment. How does understanding the original Passover deepen your appreciation of Good Friday?
Key Quotes
“The Passover is the heart of the Exodus — and it becomes the heart of everything. The lamb is slain, the blood is applied, the people are spared. This is the pattern that will find its ultimate expression at Calvary.”
“The plagues are not random acts of destruction. They are a systematic dismantling of Egypt's gods and Egypt's claim to ultimate power. Each plague says: Pharaoh is not lord. The God of Israel is Lord.”
Prayer Focus
Thank God for the blood of the Lamb that shields you from judgment. Confess that you are not saved by your own effort but by God's gracious provision.
Meditation
The Israelites had to apply the blood to their doorposts. The lamb's death alone was not enough — they had to act on God's instruction. Where is God asking you to actively trust his provision?
Question for Discussion
The plagues systematically dismantled Egypt's gods and power structures. Do you think God still confronts and dismantles the 'gods' a culture trusts in -- economic security, military strength, technology -- and if so, what might that look like in your context?