Good Guys Bad Guys

Posted on September 15, 2023 by Elizabeth Welte in Victory Call

Were there good guys and bad guys in Egypt before the exodus?

Let’s consider that first Passover.  Aren’t we prone to see God’s judgement as being only against Egypt? Take a closer look at Exodus 12: God says He will strike all the firstborn IN the land of Egypt (not FROM the land the land of Egypt.)  The judgement was over the entire land, on every household.

God gave Moses the instructions: Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household… you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. Ex 12:1-6 (excerpts)

 

“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it… It is the Lord’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 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 to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:7-13 (excerpts)

 

We think of the Egyptians as the bad guys and the Israelites as the good guys.  But according to Scripture there were no good guys.   The Israelites were as guilty of idol worship as the Egyptians. Joshua and Ezekiel both describe Israel as idol worshipers in Egypt.

Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Joshua 24:14 (underlining mine)

 

But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Ezekiel 20:8 (underlining mine)

 

In every household, Egyptian and Israelite there were false gods, idols.  God was executing judgement “on all the gods of Egypt.” Every household was guilty.

A powerful picture[i] I recently heard struck me:

As the Lord passed over Egypt in the darkness of night, peering into the windows of every house, He saw idols on tables, mantles, and floors. Every home was guilty–Egyptian homes – guilty. Israelite homes – guilty. There were no good guys.  As the Lord passed over, He executed judgement – death to every first born. It was only the blood of the lamb that brought mercy despite the guilt.

 

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 to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:13

 

I personalized this picture.  When God chose me, before the foundation of the world, to be His daughter, He didn’t peer into the window of my soul and say, “Good guy, I’ll chose her.”  Instead, when He peered into my soul He saw sin, idolatry and rebellion and said, “Guilty. By the blood of the Lamb, I will pass over her because of the judgement I executed on My Son, the Perfect Lamb on her behalf.  I will pour out mercy rather than judgement on her.” For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. —1 Corinthians 5:7

This picture humbled me and gave me a greater appreciation for God’s mercy, both of which I need.

May God open our eyes to see ourselves more clearly and may our hearts swell with love, thankfulness and praise for the Perfect Lamb of God, our sacrifice. “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Revelations 5:12

[i] Jeremy Oddy- class instruction 8.4.18

 

 

Written by Diane Hunt: Diane Hunt serves on the board of America’s Keswick and is the Executive Director & CEO of Changed Choices, a Christian non-profit in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.

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This Week’s Verse to Memorize:  “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. ¹² Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:11-12