Miracles Of Judgment, Signs Of Mercy

Miracles of Judgment, Signs of Mercy

God’s judgment against Egypt and her gods came in the form of ten plagues: blood, frogs, gnats, flies, disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and death. One by one through the ten plagues, God defeated the gods and goddesses of Egypt (Exodus 12:12). The Egyptians worshiped the Nile River and called it “the father of the gods.” The first plague, therefore, was blood in the Nile River. The Egyptians worshiped cows, so cattle disease was brought on the land. They even worshiped the sun, so the ninth plague brought darkness over the land.

The plagues were miracles of judgment. They are often referred to as signs—signs that showed the world that God is God and must be worshiped as God. Similarly, Jesus performed miracles throughout his ministry, which John called “signs” throughout his Gospel. But these were miracles of mercy, not judgment.

But while the plagues on the Egyptians showed that worship of the created order brings God’s judgment, Jesus’ miracles showed that with the Lord, all that is deadly in creation—illness, demonic forces, nature run amok, and even death itself—can be overcome by life. Jesus’ signs were purely redemptive in focus. They showed that he had come not to judge but to save, not to express the wrath of God but to show the love of God (John 3:16-18; 12:47). As Jesus healed the disabled, fed the hungry, and raised the dead, he transformed and transcended the signs in Exodus. Water was turned into wine rather than blood. Instead of inflicting disease, Jesus healed disease and disfigurement. While the final plague in Exodus was the death of the firstborn, one of the final signs of Jesus recorded in the book of John was the raising of Lazarus to life.

Sadly, just as most of the Egyptians refused to worship God even though they’d seen his power in the plagues, most of the Israelites also refused to embrace Jesus. John wrote, “Despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him” (John 12:37).

But some saw the signs and embraced the One they pointed to. “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12, NIV).

I see the signs that point to you, Jesus. In them I see your power and your compassion. Because I see the signs, I don’t have to live in fear of your judgment. I can rest in your mercy and grace.