Theological term
Law of Retribution
3 sermons · All terms
Exodus 12, Part 2
Exodus 12:29–51 records the execution of the tenth plague, the departure of Israel from Egypt, and the regulations governing who may participate in the Passover. The death of every firstborn in Egypt—from Pharaoh's throne to the dungeon—is presented not as arbitrary cruelty but as the righteous retribution of a holy God against a nation that had enslaved and slaughtered His people, fulfilling the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 15. The Passover ordinance, with its requirements of circumcision for participation and the prohibition against breaking the lamb's bones, functions typologically to point forward to Christ, who is our Passover sacrificed for us, whose bones were not broken at the crucifixion.
Wednesday Night Bible Study (Exodus 11:1-10) - June 23, 2021
Exodus 11 presents the announcement of the tenth and decisive plague upon Egypt, the death of the firstborn, through which God simultaneously crushes Egyptian tyranny and liberates his covenant people Israel. The chapter is examined in three movements: the announcement of the plague with its accompanying promises of liberty and prosperity (vv. 1–3), the description of the plague emphasising God's immediate and sovereign action (vv. 4–8), and the rebellion of Pharaoh as the occasion for the multiplication of God's wonders (vv. 9–10). The sermon presses beyond the historical narrative to show how the destruction of God's enemies is inseparable from the blessing of God's people — a pattern running from Exodus through Joshua to Revelation — and grounds both divine sovereignty and human responsibility in the theological framework of the 1689 Second London Confession chapters 3 and 5.
A Biblical View of Criminal Punishment Part 2
Ecclesiastes 8:11–13 frames the whole inquiry: when punishment is not swiftly executed, sinners are emboldened. This second installment in a series on biblical criminal justice critiques the modern prison system on five scriptural grounds, expounds the case of the rebellious son in Deuteronomy 21:18–21, and argues that biblical punishment — including corporal punishment, restitution, and capital sanction — preserves the dignity of the image-bearer in ways that humanitarian penology cannot. The sermon closes by grounding the entire discussion in the necessity of fleeing to Christ, since the law's severity exposes human guilt and points to the Saviour.