Mercy in the Midst of Judgment

There is a temptation to read the Exodus account with the showdown between Moses and Pharaoh, and to find satisfaction in the smackdown God is dishing out.

Keep in mind, Israel is a nation of slaves, who emigrated to Egypt in a time of famine, but who never did call Egypt their homeland. They came to Egypt (with the exception of Joseph) as free men. They became slaves over time. Much of Egypt's position of wealth and power was directly linked to the instructions Joseph gave to a previous Pharaoh in response to God's dream.

Adding insult to injury, Israel had no reason to be slaves.

During the famine, Egypt's people had traded their freedom for food.

Genesis 47:19-22. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate." So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh’s. As for the people, he made servants of them from one end of Egypt to the other. Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land.

Egypt had forfeited their freedom, but Joseph and his family were not impoverished or begging for food. They would have had no reason to submit to the Pharaoh as a servant.

The Bible lapses into roughly a 400 year period of silence. Things change, families grow. Politics shift. The new regime has forgotten the contribution of Joseph and his family. The Pharaoh sees only a group of people who have not assimilated, do not consider this their homeland, and are a significant wild card should Egypt's enemies rise up against them. What should he do?

His solution is to reduce their strength. Kill their male children. We know the story, about how this backfires and lands Moses in the royal household.

When the conflict between the godly and the wicked heats up, why shouldn't a righteous person cheer? Justice has been meted out. Vindication of the oppressed! After all, aren't the judgments by God himself? What's not to like? The good guys are winning!

God takes a moment in the midst of His judgments to narrate His own story. By this point, we've had blood, frogs, gnats, flies, a killing plague on livestock, as well as boils. God is now setting the stage for a killing hail.

He's done something else, too. The first few plagues were generalized, and affected all of Egypt. Later, however the flies and the plague on livestock did not affect Goshen, where the Hebrews lived. Now He is giving even the Egyptians advanced warning and instruction about the next plague.

Why?

Because despite the antimony between God and Pharaoh, God is using Pharaoh to accomplish His goals. (Refer to Romans 9) It's a lot like how He used Judas.

What goals?
To make His Name Great.

Look at the speech Moses gives Pharaoh just before the Hail falls:

Ex 9: 14-21
For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them."'" Then whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field. (emphasis mine)

God could have wiped Egypt out, but that did not suit His plan. Why? Some of the Egyptians began to "fear the Word of the Lord". (e.g. place confidence in what God said, and take action based on it.) When God's person is esteemed, and his Name is elevated, the outflow of that is an increased reverence for and obedience to His Word.

God is quick to show mercy. He seems to rejoice in it. Even to Egypt, the "enemy".

God patiently deals with them, and overcomes their objections to faith. Frogs and flies are gentle rebukes, but effective at getting attention. And some believed in time to respond in faith before the Killing Hail.

What response should this passage require of us?

We should be reminded to love our "enemies" and be prepared to extend God's mercy to them.
We should be aware of whether we esteem His Name, His Person, and His Word.
We should heed the commandments and warnings given in His Word.
We should be grateful for His patience in dealing with us, not according to His Justice, but according to His mercy.
We should be quick to accept his correction, before He has to use stronger methods of steering us away from sin.
We should seek to make His name great among those people who do not presently esteem it. For where it is Great, they will also esteem His Word, which will have a harvest of righteousness in their lives, for their eternal benefit.
And finally, we should see the parallel to the warning against the coming judgment of Hell. God seeks to get our attention in time to exalt His Name, and act upon the Word of the Lord.