The ancient texts offer some fascinating perspectives.

Let's look at Exodus 12:23, the verse describing the pasach, the Passover: "The Lord will pass to smite Egypt, and He will see the blood on the lintel, and on the two doorposts, and the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come to your houses to smite you.”

The Midrash, specifically Shemot Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, asks a profound question about this verse. It quotes Job 31:14: “What shall I do when God rises? When He reckons, what shall I answer Him?” The Midrash attributes this verse not just to Job, but also to the angel who oversees the world, and even to all of humankind. Why? Because it speaks to a universal anxiety about divine judgment.

The Midrash then draws a fascinating parallel between three different periods and modes of divine judgment: the time of the Flood, the Exodus from Egypt, and the Messianic future.

We find regarding the generation of the flood that God judged them while sitting, as it is stated: “The Lord sat enthroned at the flood” (Psalms 29:10). The judgment was absolute: “He blotted out all existence” (Genesis 7:23). A devastating, complete erasure.

But in Egypt, the Midrash tells us, God judged them while passing. As it is stated: “The Lord will pass to smite Egypt,” (Exodus 12:23) and “I will pass in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12). A more targeted, yet still devastating, judgment.

Now, consider the future, the Messianic Age. The Midrash envisions a different kind of judgment. As it is stated: “And His feet will stand on that day” (Zechariah 14:4). And further, “Therefore wait for Me, said the Lord, until the day that I rise up forever… for all the earth will be devoured with the fire of My jealousy” (Zephaniah 3:8).

The implication is clear: if God judged the generation of the Flood while sitting, and the Egyptians while passing, what will happen when He stands to judge the world? Who will be able to withstand such a judgment? This is why, the Midrash says, mankind will echo Job’s question: “What shall I do when God rises?”

But there’s more to it than just fear. The Midrash offers a reason for this future "standing" judgment. It's "because of the outcry of the poor, for the sigh of the needy." As Psalm 12:6 says: “For the oppression of the poor, for the sigh of the needy, now I will rise, says the Lord.”

So, the ultimate judgment isn't just about divine power or wrath. It's about justice. It's about God responding to the cries of those who suffer. It's a powerful reminder that our actions have consequences, and that God is ultimately concerned with how we treat the most vulnerable among us.

This Midrash from Shemot Rabbah isn't just a historical analysis of different periods of judgment. It's a call to action. It challenges us to consider our own role in creating a more just and compassionate world, so that when the time comes, we might have a better answer to that eternal question: “What shall I do when God rises?”