When the first born of the Egyptians were killed on the eve of the Exodus, it was certainly God's doing. We read of that in Exodus 12:12. But, is it correct to say that an angel of death accomplished God's will in this?

The plagues sent upon the Egyptians, detailed in Psalms 78:43-51, tell us how God accomplished them. Verse 49 says it was by "sending evil angels among them." The evil was not the nature of the angels, but it is saying that the angels worked evil, or destruction, on the Egyptians. Although the plagues are said to have been wrought by God, he used the angels as agents to carry out His will. The same thing has been done countless times by the Lord, so it is not strange to find such occurring in this matter. For the Angels to carry out the specific destruction on orders from God is rightly expressed as God doing it.

In Exodus 12:23 it says, "For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. " Notice that is does not say destruction, but speaks of a destroyer as a person. Hebrews 11 :28 speaks in the same way: "By faith he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the first born should not touch them." The term in the New Testament has the meaning of destroying, especially by slaying. God used angels to accomplish the plagues on Egypt, and used one in particular to carry out the slaying of the firstborn; yet it was still God doing it.

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Page last updated: March 03, 2003