What can we learn about God's justice from Exodus 11:8? Setting the Scene “ ‘All these officials of yours will come and bow down before me, saying, “Go, you and all the people who follow you!” After that I will depart.’ And he went out from Pharaoh in the heat of anger.” (Exodus 11:8) Key Observations • The coming submission: Egypt’s proud officials will soon bow to Moses, acknowledging God’s authority. • The decisive departure: God sets the moment when His people will leave, not Pharaoh. • Holy indignation: Moses’ anger reflects God’s righteous displeasure at prolonged injustice. What Exodus 11:8 Reveals about God’s Justice • Justice is patient yet certain – Nine previous plagues offered ample opportunity for repentance (Exodus 7–10). – Romans 2:4–5 affirms that God’s kindness aims at repentance, but stubbornness stores up wrath. • Justice vindicates the oppressed – Israel’s centuries of slavery (Genesis 15:13–14) are about to end by God’s hand. – Psalm 103:6: “The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.” • Justice humbles the proud – Egypt’s elites, once dismissive, will bow. – Proverbs 16:18 warns that pride precedes a fall; God’s justice ensures that outcome. • Justice is executed personally by God – “After that I will depart.” God Himself determines the timing and method. – Deuteronomy 32:4: “All His ways are justice.” • Justice is accompanied by righteous anger – Moses’ heated exit echoes God’s holy wrath, not uncontrolled rage. – Mark 3:5 shows Jesus looking “around at them in anger…,” revealing divine opposition to hardened hearts. Justice Unfolding through the Ten Plagues 1. Warning plagues (1–3): Mercy mixed with judgment; Egypt could have relented. 2. Intensifying plagues (4–6): Increasing pressure highlights God’s tolerance and Pharaoh’s hardness. 3. Devastating plagues (7–9): Direct blows to Egypt’s gods expose false security. 4. Final plague foretold (10): The death of the firstborn will balance the scales of justice, matching Pharaoh’s earlier slaughter of Hebrew babies (Exodus 1:22). 5. Result: God’s people freed, Egypt humbled, and God’s justice publicly displayed. Living Out These Truths Today • Trust God’s timing when facing injustice; He sees and will act (Psalm 37:5–7). • Avoid hardness of heart; humble repentance averts judgment (Isaiah 30:18). • Reflect righteous indignation without sinning—hate evil, love good (Ephesians 4:26; Amos 5:15). • Leave vengeance to God, who judges justly (Romans 12:19). • Celebrate deliverance as evidence that God keeps every promise (2 Corinthians 1:20). Scriptures that Echo Exodus 11:8 • Psalm 9:7–8 – God judges the world with fairness. • Isaiah 61:8 – “I, the LORD, love justice.” • Galatians 6:7 – “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” • Revelation 15:3 – “Great and marvelous are Your works… righteous and true are Your ways.” |
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