Reading: Exodus Chapter 11-12.
Ill:
• Some dates are etched into our memories:
• January 1st.
• February 14th.
• November 5th.
• December 25th.
• July 16th!
If you were Jewish one date you would never forget was:
• Was the fourteenth day of Nisan.
• The start of the Jewish religious calendar.
• The month of Nisan takes each spring around March-April.
• It is co-incident with Good Friday and Easter.
• Just as we mark modern history by B.C. and A.D.
• So the Jew would mark his calendar by the fourteenth day of Nisan.
In other words an event took place that changed the course of Jewish history;
• The event is want we call Passover.
• An event that is still celebrated today.
• As we will see over the next couple of months;
• Out of this event would eventually come our BOB (communion).
• So today’s passage is a foundation passage;
• That will give us insight into the weekly event we call BOB (communion).
(A). Background:
(1). The Plagues a warning ignored:
Ill:
• Man fed up about being told by his friends that he is going deaf;
• Finally goes for a examination to get his hearing checked.
• The doctor pulls out a watch from his desk and asks;
• “Can you hear it tick?”
• He moves to the far aside of the room;
• “Can you hear it now?”
• He moves into the corridor;
• “Can you hear it now?”
• When he returns he says to the man;
• “You haven’t got a hearing problem, you just don’t listen!”
Nine times Pharaoh was warned by God through Moses,
• To “Let my people go!”
• He heard the warning but he stubbornly refused to listen to
• To bring home to him the serious of his condition;
• God sent nine devastating plagues upon the land:
Ill:
(1). Blood (Nile River turned to blood).
(2). Frogs,
(3). Gnats,
(4). Flies,
(5). Livestock epidemic,
(6). Boils,
(7). Hail,
(8). Locusts,
(9. Darkness.
Notice:
• With each new plague there is an increasing intensity:
• There is a gradual build up from discomfort, to disease, to danger, to death.
Remember that these plagues were a warning:
• Warnings are a sign of love and concern.
• God could have brought the worst plague first,
• But again and again and again (9x) he gave Pharaoh a chance to “Let his people go”,
• But sadly Pharaoh refused to heed the warning.
CHAPTER 11 IS REALLY A BATTLE:
(1a). It is a Battle of the Gods.
• Often we forget that this was a religious contest,
• A contest between the true God of the Hebrew slaves and the false gods of Egypt.
Ill:
• Every one of those 10 plagues,
• Was an attack on a particular Egyptian god.
• The 9th plague particularly was a special insult to Pharaoh,
• For he was believed to be the incarnation of the sun-god.
• Yet the so-called ‘sun god’ cannot prevent darkness over the land.
• He like all the other false gods are powerless to act against the true God!
• The message of the plagues was quite obvious:
• For the Egyptians to understand.
• This one, invisible God of the Hebrew slaves;
• Is far more powerful than all the gods of Egypt!
(1b). It is also a Battle of the wills.
• By the time we pick up the story:
• 9 out of the 10, plagues have run their course.
• But while the spirits were breaking among the Egyptian people,
• Their leader Pharaoh, stubbornly refused to let the Hebrews go.
Ill:
• But in this battle of wills there is only going to be one winner.
• Ill: Livewires: “There’s going to be one winner and it won’t be you!”
• Pharaoh was about to learn an important lesson:
• It is not a question of WHO will win. It is only a question of WHEN God will win.
(b). The Prediction: A Plague of Sorrow (Chapter 11)
(1). God speaks to Moses (verses 1-3)
• Knowing that this final plague would secure the release of His people,
• God instructed Moses to prepare for the Exodus, the departure from Egypt.
1Now the LORD had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely. 2Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.
• Now that’s a strange thing,
• The Hebrew’s were to ask their neighbours for silver and gold.
Question:
• Why would the Hebrews need silver and gold?
• Wouldn’t food and water be the logical supplies for a desert journey?
Answer:
• The command to take precious articles,
• Wasn’t bad planning, but rather it was forward planning, thinking ahead!
• When the people got to Mount Sinai.
• They would need silver & gold to build the tabernacle (portable super-tent).
Remember these people were slaves:
• So even if their was a merchants warehouse in the middle of the desert,
• They would have no money for them to buy their much needed precious metals.
• So God, who knew what the problem would be,
• Solved the problem before it would ever arise!
• Yet notice that God did not explain why the Hebrews would need it.
• He simply said, get it, and they did - they obeyed.
Question: What about the absence of food and water from God’s list:
Answer:
• This would give God the opportunity to show His people,
• That He could provide for their needs.
Verse 3:
3(The LORD made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.)
• Obedience brings blessing;
• And God blessed his leader and his people for their obedience!
• Everyone, it seems, was listening to Moses and acting favourably toward the Hebrews.
• Everyone…………….. that is except one man……..Pharaoh.
(2). Moses and Pharaoh (verse 4-10)
• Now came the time for Moses to announce God’s final judgment to Pharaoh.
• Pharaoh has one last chance to let God’s people go.
4So Moses said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. 5Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well.
(2a). Moses before Pharaoh;
Scan the passage you will notice that Moses announces 5 truths to Pharaoh:
(1)
• Chapter 11 verse 4:
• Moses told him that something is going to happen at midnight.
(2).
• Chapter 11 verse 5:
• All the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die.
• Moses is quite specific in his details;
• No-one will escape, it will even include you Pharaoh and even your cattle!
(3).
• Chapter 11 verse 6:
• This wave of death would cause unprecedented sorrow in all the homes of Egypt.
• This would be the disaster of all disasters,
• Not just because it affected everybody, but because of how it would affect everybody!
(4).
• Chapter 11 verse 7: Yet, despite this national disaster,
• The households of the Israelites, however, would not be touched.
• In fact not even a dog will bark,
• Egypt will be in chaos but the Israelites will be at peace.
(5).
• Chapter 11 verse 8:
• After this tragedy, there will be an exodus, a mass departure.
• Pharaoh your grip on the people of God will finally be broken.
• And the Hebrew slaves will finally be allowed to leave.
REACTIONS OF MOSES AND PHARAOH:
• Moses announces 5 truths to Pharaoh,
• And Pharaoh rejected this warning:
Notice: the end of verse 8: “Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh”.
• It might have been Pharaoh’s stubbornness and pride,
• That caused Moses to leave the king’s presence “in hot anger”.
• It might have been the prospect of such widespread death and misery,
• But either way, when Moses left the Pharaoh he was fuming.
(2b). Moses before the Hebrews:
• Moses left the presence of Pharaoh,
• And came into the presence of the Hebrews.
• And as he stood before the Israelites,
• He started to prepare them with the message God had given him to say.
• And they begin to set up a memorial (custom in honour of an event).
• And so the subject now changes from a prediction to a fulfilment.
(c). The Memorial: The Passover Meal
(Exodus chapter 12)
SELECTIVE INFORMATION:
• It always amazing me, when I read the Bible,
• What information God chooses to record and to discard.
You might expect, after 430 years of slavery:
• That Moses, the author of the book of Exodus,
• Would spend quite a bit of time on the Exodus itself,
• Think about some of the details;
• The logistics of organizing and mobilizing two million Hebrews,
• Yet in a couple of lines Moses records the barest of information,
• Regarding this most incredible event.
Question: Why?
Answer:
• Because God wants to focus our attention on other things.
• And these other details have a more important and higher priority.
• The focus in the chapter relates to the details of the Passover;
• To how it was first observed and to its continuing importance in the life of Israel.
• From this time on,
• It would become a solemn ceremony regularly observed by the Israelites,
• It would be a yearly reminder,
• Of the high cost of their deliverance from slavery to freedom.
Notice: Verse 2:
This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.
• So important was this Passover,
• It would mark the beginning of the religious year for them.
• Ill: Just as we mark modern history by B.C. and A.D.
• So the Jew would mark his calendar by the fourteenth day of Nisan.
So 3 times (don’t miss the repeated emphasis):
• First: Verse 14:
• Second: Verse 25:
• Third: Verse 26-27:
• God reminds the Hebrew people never to forget the events of this day.
(3a) Some Details to Observe
6 Instructions were given by Moses to the people:
• Remember to these Israelite families this was all new.
• They had never done anything like it before.
(1st). Verses 3-4:
• On the tenth day of the first month,
• Each Hebrew household had to choose a lamb.
• Or if a family was too small for a lamb,
• The man could call on his neighbours family to join with them.
(2nd), Verse 5:
• The lambs were to be unblemished,
• They were to be one-year-old males, they were rams.
Ill:
• We have farmer friends who take new born lambs into their kitchen.
• To hand feed them until they are ready to go back in the sheep pens.
• Listen: you can forget that romantic idea here:
• These animals were rams.
• It would be a strong creature, in the prime of its life. It had horns,
• Just imagine the chaos of that it would cause.
• And the Israelites were instructed to;
• Keep the ram in their house for 4 days.
(3rd). Verse 6:
• On the fourteenth day of the same month,
• All of the Israelites were to kill these special lambs at the twilight hour.
• Just having a lamb was not enough,
• It had to be killed to have any protective benefit.
(4th). Verse 7:
According to the instructions given:
• The Israelites were save some the blood that drained from the carcasses,
• And that was to be painted on the two doorposts and lintels of each Israelite home,
(5th). Verses 8-10:
• That same evening that the blood was applied:
• The Israelites had to roast the lamb and eat it completely (all of it),
• And they were to eat it with side-dishes of:
• With unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
(6th). Verse 11:
• The Hebrews were to eat the meal quickly and be ready for travel;
• So they ate with their sandals on their feet and their staffs in hand.
• No pyjamas that night,
• They even kept their shoes on (completely out of place in an Eastern home).
Question:
• Why did they need to go through all this trouble?
• Wouldn’t it be nicer just to lean back, enjoy a relaxing meal,
• And relish the thought of their oppressors getting their just rewards,
• And contemplating their approaching freedom?
Answer: Why is found in verse 12:
• There was more going on here than just a meal.
• This was God’s plan for saving the Jews from His wrath and securing their freedom.
Verse 12-13:
12“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
Ill:
• The colour of blood is scarlet, maroon.
• Which is the hardest colour to see in the dark.
• Blood is almost impossible to see in the dark with the human eye.
• But not to dark for an angel!
(3c). The Response of the Hebrews
Verse 27b:
“Then the people bowed down and worshiped.
The Israelites did just what the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron.”
• When the Israelites heard what the Lord wanted them to do and why,
• They responded in obedience.
• And it was a good thing, too,
• For God’s arrow of death was on its way to Egypt.
(d). The Fulfilment: Death of the Firstborns
Verse 29:
29At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt”.
Question: Does that sound familiar?
Answer:
• Of course it does:
• That’s exactly what God said he would do.
• At exactly the time he said he would do it – midnight!
• God keeps his word – He always does!
Verse 29:
“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.
Question: Does that sound familiar?
Answer:
• Of course it does, that’s exactly what God said he would do.
• God keeps his word – He is serious!
Verse 30:
• Is a sad pathetic verse:
• Once Pharaoh and the Egyptians realized what had happened it was too late!
“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.”
• Feel the pain in that verse;
• Egypt is raped by death.
And in contrast:
• The Hebrew’s are eating roasted lamb,
• And the other dishes that were part of that Passover meal.
• And there is not a dying one in the entire group,
• And as Egypt wails and mourns, the Hebrew’s are safe and protected.
• Question: Why?
• Answer: Because they did it God’s way! They followed his instructions.
Verse 31:
31During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. 32Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”
• Pharaoh sits before Moses and Aaron a broken man;
• And he simply says; “Go! And the sooner the better”.
• He responded of course according to God’s plan.
• Men might win the battle but God will always win the war!
(e). The Exodus: Freedom for the Hebrews
Verse 35-36:
• And so they went.
• And they went with the wealth of Egypt.
Verse 37:
• Tells us where they went;
• “The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth.
And it also tells us how many of them went:
• There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.
• Many scholars think that there was about 2 million all together.
They left Egypt with the logic,
• The God who can protect us when death has completely surrounded us;
• Will continue to protect us whatever our circumstances and situation.
Verse 38: Tells us who went with them:
38Many other people went up with them,
as well as large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.”
• They were accompanied by a “mixed multitude”:
• Possibly other nationalities that were also in slavery, maybe even some native Egyptians,
What a miraculous day!
• The Lord’s deliverance, from slavery to freedom!
• Memorialised in this incredible event called Passover!
(f). The symbolism: A picture of Jesus.
• Let’s just scan through the story once again;
• And appreciate what it says concerning Jesus.
(1). The Lamb was Needed.
• Note that death was to come to all firstborn, both Egyptian and Hebrew.
• Unless they were protected by the blood of the lamb.
NOW FOR YOU AND ME:
• All have sinned,
• And there is no difference.
• Judgement is coming.
• It is not a case of if, it is more a case of when!
• Now do not miss this point:
• All those who have trusted Christ as saviour and Lord are “under the blood” and saved.
(2). The Lamb Chosen before it is slain.
Ill:
When a Hebrew Boy went out to the herd with his father:
• And asked him; “Dad, why are choosing a lamb to be killed”;
• The answer he got was simple: “It’s either him or you!”
• Moses told the people when to selected it - on the tenth day,
• And when to kill it “between the evenings” of the 14 and 15 days,
• In other words;
• The lamb was set-aside for death.
So too with Christ:
• 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 20:
• “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.”
(3). The Lamb - Spotless.
• The lamb was to be a male,
• And without blemish, there was to be no spot or stain
• The lamb was meticulously inspected;
• Any blemish or spot would disqualify it.
So with Christ:
• A picture of Jesus in whom there was no sin.
• 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 19: “The precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
(4). The Lamb - Tested.
• From the tenth to the fourteenth days,
• The people watched the lambs to make sure it was satisfactory;
So with Christ:
Jesus Christ was tested in various ways:
• (1). In the wilderness Matthew chapter 4.
• (2). 3 years of public ministry, when he was on show.
• (3). Before Pontius Pilot – on three occasions:
Quote example 1 (Luke chapter 23 verse 4):
4Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
• Greek word used is ‘Iteos’ which means;
• “No flaw, no reason for rejection”.
Quote example 2 (Luke chapter 23 verse 14)::
Pilot said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him.
Quote example 3 (Luke chapter 23 verse 22)::
22For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty.
(5). The Lamb - Slain.
• A living lamb was a lovely thing,
• But it could not save!
• Remember God’s words to Moses, “When I see the blood”.
• Not “When I see the Lamb”.
So with Christ:
• We are not saved by Christ’s example or His life;
• We are saved by His death.
Ill:
• Of course, killing a lamb seemed like foolishness to the wise Egyptians,
• But it was God’s way of salvation (1 Corinthians 1 verses 18-23).
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 2
(6). The Lamb – Application (of the blood).
(a).
• The lamb was to be slaughtered in the doorway.
• The blood was then applied to the lintel on a bunch of hyssop
• (Which incidentally was the herb used when they offered Jesus wine vinegar;
• When he was on the cross).
(b). Think about where the blood was applied:
• Verse 22: “Basin”- trough, channel that was dug.
• Then they applied it over the door and the side-posts.
Ill: ill:
Makes the sign of the cross. More poignant: marks of Jesus:
“See from his head, his hands and feet, sorrow and love flowed mingled down”.
(c).
• Note the progress: “a lamb” (vs 3), “the lamb” (vs 4), “your lamb” (vs 5).
• This parallels “a Saviour” (Luke 2:11), “the Saviour” (John 4:42), and “my Saviour”
Ill:
That’s a nice Porsche sports car, there’s my Porsche sports car.
(7). The Lamb - Time.
(a). The hour:
• Christ was crucified about 12 o’clock.
• And that is exactly the time when the Passover lamb was killed.
(b). The month:
• Passover lambs were being slain on the fourteenth day of the month,
• The same time when Christ was being offered.
(c). Calendar:
• The Jews have a religious and a civil calendar,
• And Passover marks the beginning of their religious year.
• The death of the lamb makes Exodus a new beginning,
• Just as the death of Christ makes a new beginning for the believing sinner.
(8). The Lamb - Eaten.
• One important part of the Passover,
• Was the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
• Leaven (yeast) in the Bible is a picture of sin:
• It works silently; it corrupts and puffs up; and it can only be removed with fire.
• The Jews had to put all leaven out of their homes at Passover season,
• And they were not allowed to eat leavened bread for seven days.
• The blood of the lamb was sufficient to save from death,
• But the people had to feed on the lamb to get strength for their pilgrim journey.
So with Christ:
• Salvation is just the beginning.
• We must feed on Christ if we are to have the strength to follow Him.
• Christians are a pilgrim people (v. 11),
• Always ready for their Lord’s orders to move on.
(9). The Lamb - Roasted.
• The lamb was to be roasted with fire,
• It could not be boiled or fried and certainly not eaten raw.
• Fire in the Old Testament speaks of judgement.
• Which speaks to us of the sufferings of Christ on the cross.
Quote: 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21:
21God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
(10). The Lamb - fully consumed.
• Nothing was to remain to be eaten later;
• No “leftovers” can satisfy the believer,
• For we need a whole Christ.
• We need a completed work on the cross.
• Furthermore, leftovers would become corrupt,
• And this would ruin the type; for Christ who did not see corruption (Ps. 16:10).
(11). The Lamb - Trusted
• It took faith to be delivered that night!
• But God’s Word had spoken and that was enough for Moses and his people.
• Remember the people were saved by the blood,
• And assured by the Word (v. 12).
No doubt many of the Jews were safe under the blood who did not “feel safe”:
• Just as we have Christians today who doubt God’s Word,
• And worry about losing their salvation.
• God did exactly what He said He would do.
• And the Egyptians urged the Jews to leave the land,
(12). The Lamb - Honored
• The lamb had died for the firstborn;
• Now in chapter 13, the firstborn would belong to God.
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal.”
• The nation would forever honour the Lamb,
• By giving their firstborn, their best to the Lord.
• Chapter 13 verse 9 was a reminder that:
• Their hands, their eyes, and their mouths would be given to the Lord for His service.
Passover story is summarised in one New Testament verse:
Quote: John chapter 10 verse 9:
I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.
