Exodus 11 “Where Justice and Love Meet”

Exodus 11 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:

• At the Cross – Chris Tomlin
• How Deep the Father’s Love for Us – Stuart Townend
• Jesus Paid It All – Kristian Stanfill

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• God’s Story: Passover – Lesson for Kids
• Nothing Is Impossible by Planetshakers performed by Grace Chapel Kids – Song for Kids
• GOD’S LOVE IS BIG [Official Lyric Video] | Vineyard Kids – Song for Kids
• Never Let Go Of Me | Shipwrecked VBS | Outback Rock VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth arelocated in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

God tells Moses that He has prepared the final plague (v.1). This plague will be the death of every “firstborn” in Egypt. When this judgment falls, Pharaoh will no longer resist but urgently drive the Israelites out. God commands the Israelites to ask the Egyptians for silver and gold items (v.2). God causes the Egyptians to look favorably upon the Israelites and causes Moses to be regarded as a great man (v.3). God is preparing everything so that the Israelites can leave Egypt with abundant wealth.

Moses goes to Pharaoh and delivers God’s message: from Pharaoh’s household down to every Egyptian family, the firstborn sons and even the firstborn of livestock will die (vv.4–5). There will be an unprecedented wailing throughout Egypt because of this (v.6). But the Israelites will be spared from this plague (v.7), and Pharaoh’s officials will come pleading for them to leave (v.8). After speaking these words, Moses leaves Pharaoh’s presence.

Verses 9–10 provide a summary of the events thus far. God is taking such drastic action because of Pharaoh’s hardened heart. God is preparing this final act to break Pharaoh’s stubbornness.

Meditation:

We tend to desire unlimited freedom to choose sin for ourselves, while at the same time expecting God to offer us unlimited forgiveness. We believe our sinful choices should be endlessly permitted, and God should forgive, patiently endure, and wait for us. We often do not want to think of God as a Judge or a Disciplinarian. We assume that God’s patience must have no limit and that His love must be unconditional in a way that dismisses justice. That is why some people claim that hell cannot exist—or, if it does, it will eventually be empty because God’s love will prevail.

From our limited human perspective, love and justice appear to conflict. We assume that if love is to be preserved, justice must be ignored, and if justice is to be upheld, love must be sacrificed. We expect God to display only “love without justice.” People who think this way often question God’s justice and love when they read the story of the ten plagues. From a purely human standpoint, what God does seems to contradict both principles of justice and love.

However, love is not the opposite of justice. In God’s love, there is justice, and God’s justice is fulfilled through love. Love without justice is powerless, and justice without love is cruel. True justice includes love, and genuine love carries justice with it.

God’s justice demands punishment for sin, while God’s love calls for the sinner’s forgiveness. This is why God chose the cross. The cross is the place where justice is fulfilled through love and love is perfected through justice. In this sense, meditating on the story of the ten plagues ultimately leads us to the cross.

Prayer:

We look to Your cross, Lord. It is the place where justice and love meet—
where judgment and forgiveness are embraced together.
We offer our whole being at that place.
Let us die to sin with Jesus Christ, and live for righteousness. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: God’s love and justice are never in conflict—they come together perfectly at the cross. While God is patient and loving, He also takes sin seriously. The story of the final plague reminds us that God’s justice and love lead us to the cross, where sin is judged and sinners are forgiven.

• For Preschool-Elementary
  • Why do you think God wanted Pharaoh to let the Israelites go?
  • What happens when someone makes bad choices over and over again?
  • What does the cross tell us about how much God loves us?
    
    
• For Youth
  
  
  • Why is it important to remember that God is loving and just, not just one or the other?
  • How does the story of the tenth plague help you understand why Jesus had to die on the cross?
  • Have you ever felt like you wanted a second chance? What does God’s love and justice tell us about how He gives us new chances?