• Read Exodus 12:29-14:9

MORNING— Judgement at Midnight

• Focal Passage: Exodus 12:29-31

“Now it came about at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt… Pharaoh arose in the night… and he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, ‘Rise up, get out from among my people…’”

Midnight arrives with vengeance. 

Pharaoh had resisted God through warning after warning, sign after sign. He had negotiated, delayed, hardened, relented, and hardened again. But at midnight, the struggle ended.

Every house in Egypt experienced loss. Scripture is unflinching: “There was no home where there was not someone dead” (Exodus 12:30). Rank, wealth, power, and lineage offered no protection. The gods of Egypt were silent. The throne of Pharaoh was powerless.

And yet—on that same night—Israel walked free.

What changed?  It wasn’t Israel’s strength or Moses’ eloquence.  Certainly not the sudden compassion of Pharaoh.

What changed was God’s timing.

Earlier God had declared: “Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord” (Exodus 12:12). This night was not merely about release; it was about revelation. Egypt would know Who truly ruled. Israel would learn Who truly saves.

Notice the reversal: Pharaoh does not negotiate at midnight. He does not threaten. He summons Moses and Aaron and commands, “Go.” The man who once scoffed, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” now urges God’s people to leave—immediately.

Deliverance often feels delayed…
but when it comes, it comes decisively.

There are seasons when God allows the night to deepen—not because He has forgotten, but because only the night can finally expose false power and stubborn hearts.

• Reflection:  Is there a “midnight” you are seeking to avoid, when it may be the very moment He intends to set you free?

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EVENING— Freedom Won, Freedom Pursued

• Focal Passage: Exodus 14:5-9

“Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled… Pharaoh made ready his chariot and took his people with him… and overtook the sons of Israel as they were camping by the sea.”

Freedom is rarely uncontested.

Israel left Egypt loaded with silver and gold, guided by the pillar of cloud and fire, marching as a redeemed people. The promises were being fulfilled. God was leading. The night was over.

And then Pharaoh changed his mind.

Scripture says his heart turned—not because God failed, but because power never relinquishes control quietly. The same Pharaoh who begged Israel to leave now mobilizes chariots. He pursues what he had just released.

This is a sobering truth:
Deliverance does not mean the enemy stops chasing—it means the enemy no longer has authority.

Pharaoh’s army was terrifying: six hundred elite chariots, officers, horses, and soldiers—an overwhelming force against a newly freed people with families, livestock, and no weapons. From a human perspective, Israel looked foolish to have left.

But Scripture has already told us something Pharaoh did not understand:

“The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” (Exodus 14:14)

There is a difference between being pursued and being owned.

A person who has broken free from addiction may still feel cravings.
A forgiven believer may still hear the voice of accusation.
A redeemed people may still see chariots in the distance.

But pursuit does not equal defeat.

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
— Romans 8:1 (NASB 1995)

Pharaoh could pursue Israel, but he no longer owned them.
He could threaten, but he could not judge.
The sound of chariots did not mean the verdict had changed.

God had already spoken.

He speaks the same to you.

• Reflection:  What still feels like it is chasing you, even after God has declared you free—and how does Romans 8:1 change the way you interpret that pursuit?
• Closing Prayer:  Father, I thank you that, through Christ, you have defeated the enemy of my soul.  I have been set free.  Help me daily remember that when the enemy tries to reassert control over my life.  I embrace your statement:  He whom the Son sets free will be free indeed.  Amen.