God's Judgement

Question

Pharaoh ordered the midwives to kill any male child at birth and let the females live. Why did God allow all the first born of egypt to be killed when what pharaoh did was evil?

Answer


Pharaoh's command to kill the male Hebrew children is certainly an act of evil. He did this because he could no longer trust the Egyptian midwives. It was an act of gross murder which deserved punishment. Pharaoh did this in order to prevent the people of God from growing in numbers.


We cannot compare Pharaoh's evil act of killing Hebrew children with God's act judgment that resulted in the killing of the first born child of all of Egypt. God's judgment is always righteous and just. God never does injustice. When God sent the angel of death to move over the land it was the final plague to teach Pharaoh and the Egyptians a lesson for their stubborn disobedience. God also made a provision for His own people to escape the judgement by asking them to apply lamb's blood on their doorposts. It was God's execution of judgment on those who opposed Him and extension of mercy to those who trusted in Him.


There is clearly a parallel here between this scene in the book of Exodus with the final judgment of God when Jesus Christ returns. Everyone who comes under the protection of the blood of Jesus Christ by trusting in Him will escape the wrath of God. The rest of them will face God's wrath on the day of judgement. God's judgment and wrath also indicates His perfections and cannot be termed as injustice. God’s holiness demands that the world be punished for their sins. No one can complain against God’s standard of judgment.