Daily Lesson for March 29, 2016

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Exodus chapter 12 verses 29 through 32:

29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. 31 Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said. 32 Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!”

The story of Exodus is a reminder to us of just how much, and how quickly all may be lost when a nation is left in the hands of the arrogant, obdurate, and hard-hearted. Was it years, or just a few months?  Perhaps it was just weeks, and the great Egyptian empire was brought to its knees because of the pride of Pharaoh and his people.

I think of other houses ruined by the pride of leaders and nations. I think of the first photographic images of total war taken of Richmond, VA in the aftermath of the Civil War. And with that goes in my mind Lincoln's words from his Second Inaugural, that "every drop of blood drawn with the lash" was being repaid by another "drawn with the sword".  Then there are the pictures of Berlin and Dresden, while cities brought to rubble by Allied bombs.  Or, even closer, we look at pictures from Syria, where Assad's refusal to give up power has left him president of a nation in ruins.

The words from Lamentations come to mind, when the city of Jerusalem was left vacant and desolate upon its own fall, "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?"

The Exodus story is a cautionary tale, warning us against hubris, folly and the arrogance of power.  And the warning for us is not to pass by the Egypts in our history books and consider them as nothing. For they were something indeed -- mighty and powerful and great.

And then the midnight hour came; and there was a cry in all the land.  And by then it was too late.

Let the people's with ears to hear always hear.