I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose my son. When he and his wife were living in New Zealand, we went to visit them. On my return I dreamed that he had died and woke up in tears. I quickly rang him to say how much I loved him. He must have thought I was losing it, but my grief was real and I needed to hear his voice.
How many warnings must I get before I will listen to the voice of God? Sometimes my heart is hardened to His voice and I presume upon His grace before I come to Him and humble myself before Him. Pharaoh’s arrogance is a sad reminder of what can happen when someone stubbornly makes a stand against the living God and steps out from under the umbrella of His grace. Your firstborn son may not die, but certainly your life will be characterized by a spiritual death that brings grief to God’s heart. He desires none should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Pharaoh shouts "Get out!" to God as well as Moses. Egypt shouts "Get out!" to God as well as Israel. The Passover is forever linked with that night of grief and the ensuing exodus. Parents in Israel ever since that day have been obligated to teach their children it’s meaning. Children listen in awe at the story of how the blood of a lamb protected them.