At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of 
Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.
Exodus 13:29-30
I can’t imagine reading that verse and not be taken aback. For me, this kind of destruction seems to be a repudiation of all that I know about God. God is kind and merciful, patiently caring for and protecting his children. Yes, I understand that this is the culmination of a series of judgments against the Egyptians for Pharaoh’s stubborn refusal to free the Israelite slaves. Yes, I understand that this is a retribution for the slaughter of Jewish infants. And yes, I understand that this account foreshadows Jesus, the Lamb of God. But still, I read this and shake my head and furrow my brow and wonder – was that really God?
But to dismiss this as an anomaly would also be a mistake. We worship a God who does not act in accordance with mere human understanding. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:7-9.)
He certainly shows love to a thousand generations, (Exodus 20:6) but to insist that God only be kind and merciful and to ignore his right to judge and punish evil is to make an idol and a graven image from our own imagination. What kind of God do we worship if he is limited to our preferences?
So here’s where I land. I do my best to love God and trust him with the entirety of who I am even when I don’t understand what he’s doing. He promises that if I do this, I won’t need to fear his judgment, because he will keep me on the right path. (Proverbs 3:6)