12:23-28
The Lord was going to pass through Egypt to strike the Egyptians. Note the reference to Himself as “the destroyer”. This is no easy passage, and salvation is no easy matter. Moreover, the exodus and what went with it, was not something that was to be forgotten, it was to be remembered by every generation. They would, eventually, enter the Promised Land, when they did so they were to remember from whence they had come, and how the Lord had rescued them. Future generations were to be reminded of what had happened. No generation exists alone, but is built upon all that has gone before. Here the key thing is the generations knowing that it was the Lord who had rescued them, without the Lord there would have been no nation.
12:29-32
So at last the plague takes place. “At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt”. We should note that it was the Lord who did this. The Bible is far less squeamish thaan we are about the Lord’s involvement in these matters. This struck everyone, there was no escape, even if you were in a palace or in a dungeon. There was a cry all across Egypt at the horror of what was happening, every household was affected. Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron and tells them to go, all of them, taking everything with them. There are no ifs and buts this time. Interestingly, he also asks Moses to bless him. This could be ironic, or a serious request, recognising the power associated with Moses.
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