Exodus 11:1-12:36
Notes
Transcript
The last couple of weeks, we looked at 9 of the plagues of Egypt. They were important for the Lord to show His power over the gods of Egypt. What else does that tell us? Who was Pharaoh supposed to be to the Egyptians? An incarnate god of Egypt. Moses knew he was just a man, he spent 38 years in the family of Pharaoh. He knew the training, he knew the customs...he knew he was just a man. That didn’t stop him from claiming godhood and a false throne.
At the outset of this study, I said Pastor John MacArthur said this book is the birth certificate of the nation of Israel. These 2 chapters today are the pivot point in the story, breaking free from captivity, getting instruction for worship, and then being driven toward the promised land.
It started as a continuation of the book of Genesis, listing the names again of the 70 who followed Jacob into Egypt. In those years in captivity, the nation of Israel would be put under intense scrutiny and persecution. So much so, that the time came when Pharaoh had forgotten about Joshua and all he had done for Egypt, saving them from the famine, and making Egypt the country that saved the world during those years.
At that time, Pharaoh became tired of the Hebrews and saw them as troublesome, because they wouldn’t assimilate into the Egyptian culture? Why? Because they had a different God than Egypt, AND, they had strong families. Families that would impart the knowledge of their heritage on their children. So, Pharaoh decided to decimate these people by killing the male newborns, which would not allow them to fight back anymore, cripling the family unit by removing the men and then taking advantage of the women and absorbing them into the culture.
The Hebrew women were amazingly resilient, but the men were not to be messed with. They lived among a hostile nation at the end and weren’t messed with. They were skilled, and smart, awaiting a savior that would lead them out of captivity. Someone would have to lead them out, to draw them out. That someone would be Moses. An unlikely character. We talked about the fact that Moses spent 40 years in the house of Pharaoh thinking he was somebody, then spent 40 years in the wilderness learning he was nobody. Now, he’s finding out what God can do with a Nobody. From piety, to humility, to integrity, Moses had to be undone before he could be remade.
satan, our enemy, wants to break us. He knows he can wait us out. All he has to do is distract us long enough, keep us in the dark, keep our minds focused on the what-if’s of this life and he has us. In the chapters today, we come to the end of the plagues. The end of this man Pharaoh who indignantly rejects all of the signs that Yahweh is this God that he’s never heard of before.
Why did God do this to Pharaoh? Why would a good and just God do something like this? Because if there is evil in this world, there must be good. The Lord has Moses tell Pharaoh exactly what is going on here, after being indignant for 6 plagues, Moses gives a passionate speech to Pharaoh, saying:
16 But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. 17 As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go.
We talked last week, about the fact that God’s Glory, Power, Grace, and Mercy will be declared in all of the earth one day, for all to see. Right now, he uses us for that same reason. In us, in the good and the bad decisions we make, He makes Himself known. It’s awesome to think he can us little ol’ me, or little ol’ you, right? He can either lift us up, or crush us underfoot to teach a lesson. What it comes down to, is does our sin own us? The lesson today rests on the choice we make, to follow and know Jesus, or to reject Him. The choice is ours.
Passover is the most important festival to the Jews, and it’s because of these 2 chapters we’re going thru today. I could take weeks going thru every little lesson here, but I’m going to give it in a big chunk today to hit the highlights and make it understandable for the younger audience here. I want them to understand what’s going on here too and it’s significance to why we believe what we believe.
When chapter 10 ends, it ends with this exchange:
28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!” 29 So Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.”
I said Moses would not see Pharaoh’s face again, and the way I worded that was wrong. Moses will see Pharaoh again, but it won’t be to declare anything to him. But where Chapter 10 ends and 11 starts, it’s just a continuation of the story. I’ll tell you, reading Genesis-Deuteronomy you’ll notice this a lot. It’s written as a story, and was not written with chapters and verses in the original language. It’s made to read along and not stop as we do. So let’s dive into Chapter 11 as we move thru this story:
1 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. 2 Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.” 3 And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.
Verse 1 in the NIV says “And the Lord HAD said to Moses. And this is more accurate of the way the wording is in the Hebrew for the beginning of this chapter. All 3 of these verses reference that God had already told Moses these things before the last time he came to see Pharaoh, as well as confirming that the Hebrews would be driven out, and will take with them “gifts” from the people of Egypt.
21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”
Moses had gained much notoriety in the land, who was this man who would dare stand up to the god-man Pharaoh? Who would challenge their gods with miracles and wonders, and fantastically defeat these false idols? They started to admire Moses for his boldness. Even those of Pharaoh’s house thought he was a great man. Integrity isn’t something we should take lightly. We need to remember to fight against the inner man or woman. That person wants to shine, stand out, and that’s OK, as long as you’re not making yourself your own idol. We didn’t come to be served, but to serve, amen? Let’s continue on, and remember, Moses hasn’t left the sight of Pharaoh yet, after Pharaoh says “get out of my sight, or I’ll kill you.”
4 Then Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. 6 Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again.
Who will go out about midnight? Does God say He’s sending an angel? No, Moses uses the word “I” here. God is going out into the midst of Egypt. He is coming. This can’t be done with the Egyptian false gods. They’re under Yahweh’s control.
Moses warns, in the middle of the night, this will happen. When? Tonight? Tomorrow? Jesus said, regarding the end times, but he’s also talking about OUR end time:
42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Pharaoh is the master of the house. He’s been given enough instruction, just as we are thru our Bibles, to know what’s coming...we just don’t know when. The Lord is coming when all of Egypt would be resting, in the quiet time, when they will least expect it...EVEN THOUGH there will be a high alert. I’ve said before, we shouldn’t struggle with trying to figure out what God’s saying. He’ll reveal Himself to us at the appropriate time, and it’s up to us to respond to Him at that time.
Be OK with not knowing the day or the hour. Just be ready, as much as you can be. Are there skeletons in your closet? All over your floor? Right behind your door every time you open it? It’s time to clean them out. You’re not hiding from the Lord. He knows already what’s in there. How long does He need to call you until you respond? Or is it going to come like Pharaoh here, and be the last call before judgement? Pray about it right now, as we’re moving thru this message if you’ve got that secret sin you haven’t dealt with yet, you don’t know when your time will come.
And, like we talked about last week, God will use ALL THINGS for His purposes. Let him make your change a redemption story instead of a cautionary tale. Pray about that...then dig in deep with someone close to you who will not placate your sin but help you remove it. We have brothers and sisters here who specialize in exactly that, because they do spiritual surgery all the time on themselves.
Moses continues on here:
7 But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’ 8 And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will go out.” Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger. 9 But the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10 So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.
Moses makes the distinction that ALL CREATION will understand from this lesson who God’s chosen people are. In the end, even, He will separate believers from non believers, and there will be no argument at that time. We have one life to live, and it’s not the culmination of the things we do in this world that will matter. Only one thing will matter, who is Jesus to you? Who is your advocate before the Father when your knee will bow?
Moses was right to be angry. Have any of you experienced that? When you spend so much time reasoning with someone and they refuse to see it. Your logic is sound, your argument had very few holes in it...It ends with “Don’t you see how much I love you?” And they don’t.
Moses didn’t get deterred though, he didn’t dwell, he didn’t do what we all do, and spend a week rehashing it in our mind. He got right back with the Lord, because He had instruction for him to deliver:
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.
This month in Hebrew would be called Abib. To the Egyptians, this was the 7th month of the year. Abib is translated ear of corn. It’s when the green ears were ripening on the stalks. It would be changed to Nisan when they are in Babylonian captivity. Nisan means “deliverance” or “miracle.”
The Lord is taking back ground, just like He will in our life when we turn over to Him. That’s when our life truly begins, from the day of our redemption forward. Everything else we’ve done up to that point has been in vain, serving ourselves. Moving on, we need to be full-in for the King. Moses gets right to work:
3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. 7 And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
So, the Lord gave specific instruction to His people. Do this, on this day, be ready. The Lord is always purposeful in what He does, and His level of detail shows how much He cares. The symbols of the Seter - which means “order” in the Hebrew, are undeniable to the Christian.
The Lamb without Blemish, clearly pointing to Jesus. Take it on the 10th of the month, 10 meaning divine completeness. Keep that lamb with you and your family for 4 days. You would need to protect that sheep (or goat at this time) and keep it with your family at that time. That means your family would get to know it, right? Your kids would become attached too.
Then, your whole family, all of Israel would slaughter them at twilight. I know what’s going on in your mind, what a cruel thing to do to a child? Why would you do this? It’s important that families instruct their children the facts of life and death. More important, though, to explain the atoning sacrifice of the lamb that would take away the sins of the world.
I’m sorry, I can’t get into all the details for sake of time, but this whole portion of scripture is so perfect in it’s representation of Christ and His suffering for us, maybe we’ll do something about this for Resurrection Sunday. We may be doing a Seder meal this year too, if we do, this will all make so much more sense to you. Let’s continue on, we’ve still got a lot of scripture to go thru.
8 Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. 10 You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. 11 And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.
Scholars point to the way they are to be dressed when they take the meal as the fact they would need to be ready to move, but more than that, this is how servants used to have a meal. It’s how they were dressed, girted and ready to get back to work. They were also to consume the animal, meaning they are to take it into themselves. The consummation of the meat would make them ritualistically clean.
There is the what they should do, here is the why:
12 ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. 13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
The Blood of the sacrificed lamb is the sign to EVERYONE, and the Lord would take it seriously. Again, Yahweh says “I” when He says who will strike the land of Egypt. He is the avenger. We need to take comfort in that. We seek justice, but we don’t want justice. The Lord will take care of His business. The blood means nothing if it’s not applied. Back then, it was applied to the house. After Jesus came, it was applied to the person. The Blood must be applied to your life for you to be saved. There’s nothing we can do to save ourselves but be obedient.
14 ‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. 15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
Leaven is a representation of sin to the Lord. What does leven do? It makes the bread rise, right? It’s bloat, filler. That’s what sin does to us. For 7 days, 7 means perfection to the Hebrews. They were to abstain from leven, just as we are to turn from our sin and purge ourselves of it. It’s an impossible task, we’re loaded with sin, but again, the representation is what the Lord wants from us. It is what separates us from God, and will forever.
Again, more instruction as to what should be done:
16 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you. 17 So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. 18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’ ”
These 7 days in the spring were for the Lord. Now, this time, The Feast of Unleavened Bread lasted one day, and we’ll see in a few verses, the people will be driven out and there will be no leaven, they will have to take the bowls with them. I was in Israel for this feast in 2018. It was a stressful time. All I wanted was a pizza with pepperoni...but I couldn’t get a pizza, nor could I get pepperoni because it’s not kosher. The rules are strict, the hotel had to go thru a major cleaning to all of the dining and kitchen areas to make them ritualistically clean.
The Lord is saying thru Moses: Do this in remembrance of Me. Now, Moses needed to give the command from the Lord to the people.
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. 23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.
Thruout Genesis, the blood of the substitutionally sacrificed animal was important and was to be handled properly. Now, why did I use that word? Because the term “atonement” is under attack in the church today. What does atonement mean? An easy way for our kids to remember it is to sound it out: at-one-ment. It means to be made one, or made right with God for our sins. From the beginning, the only way sin was atoned for was thru sacrifice. So, for our kids today, we, as Christians, believe in substitutional atonement, which means that Jesus was the sacrifice that took the place of our sins to allow us to go to heaven. He was our substitute, our replacement. Thru His sacrifice for us, we are made His righteousness here. It’s the only way to get to heaven.
Moses is still talking here:
24 And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. 25 It will come to pass when you come to the land which the Lord will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. 26 And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’ ” So the people bowed their heads and worshiped. 28 Then the children of Israel went away and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
Here is where you all come in. It shall be when your children say to you “what do you mean...” Parents, who is the authority in your house? This is Moses saying “It’s your job, as parents, to lead your children.” It’s your job to instruct them. Not ours. We’ll help, but it’s your job. And get this, they want you to do it!
Why is it hard to talk to us? Because we make it so, or we have been doing it wrong...it’s time to reset that. My daughter asked me the other day: A friend of mine and I were talking about this, and I figured, because you were a Pastor, you’d know...How long were Adam and Eve in the garden before they were expelled?
I looked at my daughter like “do you really think I can answer that question?” BUT, instead of those words coming out of my mouth (which they already have) I helped her ask the questions I would ask to see if there is a way to find out when, if we can. She came to me, as the authority in her life. WE WANT THAT parents. Give them what you’ve got. Help them reason. Show them resources. Family is vitally important to God. It’s destroyed in our culture.
Kids, ask your parents the hard questions. Open up to them. Expect their heads to explode and their faces to contort around...but expect an answer. My kids crack me up “Hey, Pastor Aaron said no electronics at the table.” They’re not wrong. I need to be the guinea pig. Let your kids speak truth to you and call you out. They’ll make you better, and you’ll make them stronger.
29 And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. 30 So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. 31 Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the Lord as you have said. 32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.”
Now, I misspoke last week, Moses didn’t, but I did. I said this would be the last time Moses would see Pharaoh, and that was wrong. What I meant to say was that this is the last time Moses would come to Pharaoh on his own. This is the last time.
So all of the firstborn of Egypt were struck down by the Lord. Finally the prophecy was fulfilled that the Hebrew people would be driven out of the land of Egypt, all the people and the herds, but Pharaoh takes a parting shot, in his anguish, he wishes to be blessed. Pharaoh was totally obstinate, and even when face to face with the consequence of his sin, didn’t repent, but asked for a blessing. That selfishness isn’t lost today either, is it? We all want the blessings but none of the work to get there.
The prophecy isn’t done though:
33 And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. 35 Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. 36 And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
The people weren’t angry, they were fearful, a reverential fear. They all just lost their firstborn children, but they still saw fit to send the people with clothing, silver, and gold. Why? Because they knew that they were going to sacrifice and worship Yahweh. They were saying “worship for us.”
The Hebrews weren’t pirates, they were pilgrims. The Egyptians knew their gods were nothing compared to Yahweh. Just like today, there is no god like our God. They needed a deliverer, they needed a savior, and God chose to use a man named Moses to take on the mantle. Moses didn’t want the job, but the Lord was patient with him and knew Moses would rise to the occasion.
Worship team
Now, we, as people tend to identify with people in stories. I mentioned it last week, people feel so sorry for Pharaoh, they throw out excuse after excuse, missing the message behind it. That message is the representation in the story here. Let’s look at that representation here at the end of this part of the book of Exodus.
Egypt represents what? The world we live in, the world that wants to keep us in bondage, slavery, making bricks, building a kingdom here on earth for satan.
The Hebrew people are God’s people, today represented by the church.
Pharaoh represents satan, constantly calling us to compromise, oppressing us, and wanting more than anything to keep us from Jesus. Keep our eyes on us and our surroundings. Looking down, side to side but never up.
Now, look at this story. What happened to the people of Egypt when they found their firstborn were killed at the hand of the Lord? They screamed in agony, their torchbearer for their family was just removed from their family. Even Pharaoh had his torchbearer stripped from him.
What does Egypt represent? The world around us. What does this world do when we turn to Christ? It kicks and screams, doesn’t it? They just lost their torch bearer. Satan lost the one he could use to turn the world inside out.
The enemy KNOWS YOUR WORTH. More than you do! he understands more than you do what it cost for that carpenter to hang from the very wood he would use to make things new out of. What is the last thing Pharaoh says? Bless me! What’s he’s really saying is...don’t forget me. He hopes you’ll be back, hat in hand, admitting your conversion was false.
Yes, what happened to Egypt was the fault of Pharaoh. His grandfather tried to kill the babies in the Nile. His dad wanted Moses killed. There are times when the people suffer at the account of the leader. That’s why it’s so important to understand that God raises up leaders to teach lessons. Just as Moses told Pharaoh.
Thru these events, though, we’ll see that a mixed multitude came with the Hebrew people out of the land. People were changed by these events.
The condition of the heart was important in Egyptian culture. In the afterlife, their heart would be weighed against a feather. If it was heaver than a feather, they were not allowed into the promised afterlife. They were sent to the underworld. There are hieroglyphs of this. Even God is saying, for being so disrespectful to MY PEOPLE, even in your own afterlife you’ll be found lacking as your heart of stone is weighed against that feather.
What does this mean to us? It means that when we turn our lives over to Christ, that’s when the battle for our soul begins. Up until that point, there’s nothing to fight over. People still reject the Cross today, even thought the reasoning is sound. They, like Pharaoh, don’t want to change. In most cases, they know what it will cost them. You knew what it cost you. Egypt around you struggled without you.
You stopped being on their team, stopped cosigning on their bad decisions. YOU are what is now missing in their lives. Thru that pain of losing you, would they follow you? Are you willing to lead them out of Egypt into the promised land?
You are the key ingredient in this story. Moses delivered the people, someone who thought he’d screw everything up the moment he opened his mouth. Thru Moses’ perseverence, people were saved. People had something to believe in. Solid faith. Unwavering thru the good and the bad. The Egyptians followed the Hebrews not just because they were following Moses, but because they were following their friends.
It starts with how we lead our families. Husbands, do you lead your house as Christ leads the church? Do we submit to the authority of Jesus? Are we worthy to be followed? My family is holding me to that. They’re here listening today.
Wives, mothers, do you submit to authority? Do you hand that over willingly? It’s hard, most of us don’t deserve it. I had to earn that trust, it was good for me. Lead righteously.
How can we lead others if we can’t lead there? People will know we’re false if we say one thing and do another. How are they to do hard things if they don’t see us doing them?
The enemy won’t stop calling us, won’t stop coming after us, even when we think we’re long gone, he’ll send for us again. Keep fighting the good fight! Don’t give in. If you haven’t turned your life over to Christ yet, know the fight is just beginning in your ears right now. Your eyes are opened to what you must do. Repent and turn from your sin. Jesus is the only one that can save you from the fire of hell. Don’t delay. 2 people per second die across this world. It could be you next.
The Lord is calling you today. He doesn’t want you to have that hard heart anymore. He wants to do that surgery you’ve been waiting for in your chest, to come in and help you clean house. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. It doesn’t matter how worthless you feel because you gave it all away. He makes all things new. Fight the urges. Fight the lust. Fight the temptation to lie, cheat, steal.
It hurts, believe me I know it does. Death waits for no person. It’s the one thing we’re guaranteed in this life. But if you’re born twice, you only die once. Next week, Jeff Johnson will be teaching, I’m sure he’s going to talk a little bit about that. Cry out to Him. He knows. The birth is the hardest part. After that, it’s time to truly live. Amen? Let’s pray.
