The Lord’s Table- The Story Behind the Story

Exodus 11-13

Introduction

Connection

I have always been enamored with great writing.

Songwriting has been of particular interest to me.

The ability to weave a turn of phrase, a lyric, a melodic theme, a rhythm or harmony together to serve the purpose of telling something profound or beautiful in a song is something I really admire.

The same is true in books, stories…movies.

There is a kind of concert that I like called Artist in the Round where the songwriter will tell the background of the story of a song- where they were, what they experienced to write it- and then perform the song.

And if you love that, then Bible study really is for you.

God is the ultimate author, and He is telling an incredible story.

The story cuts to the heart of every person who has ever lived. There is nothing more relevant, though it isn’t always perceived that way.

God is creative. He made the world. He made mankind. He gave us senses. Touch, Hear, Smell, See, and Taste.

Tonight we come to this service, during this week of the year, to a table.

We do so, because the Lord commanded us to remember His death until he comes.

The meal that He was sharing with His disciples was a meal that was also commanded by the Lord to His people, Israel at a particular time.

Tonight, I want us to look at the story behind the story. We remember the Lord’s Supper- communion- through a meal. The Lord instituted it at the passover meal.

Here is the story behind the story.

Tension

The land of Egypt was now a land of ruins.

God's judgment poured nonstop upon Egypt in nine successive plagues.

Pharaoh's heart hardened more after each plague as he vowed he would never let the Israelites go.

Yet God demonstrated His mighty power decisively proving how totally helpless were the gods of Egypt. Like so many houses of straw, one temple toppled after another.

Only a single plague remained (11:1). Indeed the plague would be so intense that Israel must be shielded from the angel of death.

But what would shield them? How could they be covered from the wrath of God

As we explore Exodus 11-13 together we will see that..

The three stages of God’s redemption of His people from Egypt surrounding the passover meal serve as a picture of what He has done for us.

I. The Land of Condemnation (11:1-10)

When we get to chapter 11 we see a final plague.

Note the Biblical text…

Exodus 11:1–3 KJV 1900

1 And the Lord said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether. 2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold. 3 And the Lord gave the people favour 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.

A single plague remained before Egypt would finally give in. Nor is it surprising that the remaining plague would be more disastrous than all the rest combined.

God would send the angel of death to receive the life of all the firstborn in Egypt.

The Egyptian goddess "Isis" was supposed to protect Egyptian children. However, the land was about to fall under the condemnation of death. What an apt picture death would be of precisely what it means to be under the condemnation of sin.

The greatest verse in the Bible says God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to die on a cross to save whomever believed in Him (John 3:16).

However, a mere two verses later proves to be perhaps among the most sobering verses in Scripture, "... he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (3:18). We all are ruined and living under the plague of sin without Christ.

Not only is this the final plague, it is also a far-reaching plague.

Exodus 11:5 KJV 1900

5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die…

According to Scripture, spiritual death comes to all (Rom. 3:10, 23; 5:12). Every strata of society is affected. Whether people are rich, poor, high, or humble, death comes to all for all sinned (Rom. 5:12). God is no respecter of persons. "The soul that sinneth it shall die" (Ezek. 18:4). Death hangs over us like a lingering storm cloud ready to pour the rain of God's righteous judgment. God rejects our first birth for we are born with a sinful nature. We remain unfit for Heaven until we are born again of God's Spirit (John 3:3-5).

Additionally, the final plague is a fatal plague.

Note verse six,

Exodus 11:6 KJV 1900

6 And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.

All over the land of Egypt would be heard shrieks of anguish as each household discovered death had visited their doorstep. The only exceptions would be the Israelites (vv. 7-10).

Exodus 11:7–10 KJV 1900

7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. 8 And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger. 9 And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. 10 And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

Were they better than the Egyptians? No.

Rather God had His hand upon them to deliver them from their bondage.

God never delivers people because they deserve to be delivered. We all earn judgment as our just wages (Rom. 6:23).

Nonetheless, it is out of a great love with which He loved us that He set us free. God's deliverance is always based on grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-10).

The three stages of God’s redemption of His people from Egypt surrounding the passover meal serve as a picture of what He has done for us.

II. The Lamb of Substitution (12:1-30)

Beginning in chapter 12, we have God's solution to the sin problem.

He offers a covering—a shield, if you will—from the angel of death plague. It comes in the form of a substitutionary sacrifice.

Consider, verses 3-5

Exodus 12:3–5 KJV 1900

3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

The day of the month by modern reckoning would be April 18.

The lamb was special.

First, it was a substitutionary sacrifice.

The lamb's blood was intended to cover the Israelites from the power of the death angel (cp. 1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).

Second, the lamb was a selected sacrifice.

It was chosen before it was slain (cp. 1 Pet. 1:20).

Scripture speaks of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). God's Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, was planned before He even created the world!

Third, the lamb was also a spotless sacrifice.

It would be "without blemish" (12:5). One who had sin of his own could not be the atonement for the sins of others. Hence, Jesus was God's flawless sacrifice for sin.

He paid what we could not pay. We are saved because of Him (cp. Matt. 27:4; John 18:38; Luke 23:41). He is God's spotless Lamb. Have you personally trusted in God's spotless sacrifice to save you from your sin?

Fourth, it was a supreme sacrifice (12:5-13).

A living lamb could not save. The lamb must forfeit the ultimate—its life. We are not saved by Christ's perfect, sinless life. Instead, Christ had to offer His life. The Lamb had to be slain. Consequently, He paid the wages of sin owed by us. Death must fall upon an innocent substitute. And, in Scripture, God always provided the substitute (cp. Abraham offering Isaac, Gen. 22:1ff).Hence, the blood of the lamb constituted the protection from death (12:13). "When I see the blood ..." God said the death angel would pass on by.

The significance of blood may be seen throughout Scripture (cp. Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22). Because of the blood, we are protected from sin's penalty. The body of the lamb becomes the provision for life—"eat the flesh" (12:8). Note well: the blood had to be applied. The doorposts must be smeared with blood—a "sprinkling of blood"—as it were (cp. 1 Pet. 1:2; Heb. 9:22).

Finally, the lamb was a symbolic sacrifice. Exodus 12:14

Exodus 12:14 KJV 1900

14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

In other words, this lamb would be a perpetual reminder as to how God saved Israel.

And, it was through a Lamb God would save all people from their sin. John the Baptist got it right, "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

Through God's perfect sacrifice, Jesus paid for our sin, reconciling the world to Himself (cp. 2 Cor. 5:17-21).

Note the sobering scene the Bible records,

Exodus 12:30 KJV 1900

30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and 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.

Midnight came, and with the stillness of it, the night was disrupted by the shrieks of horror and grief. Not a single home in Egypt escaped the agent of death.

Yet, in the houses of the Israelites, all were safely inside because the door had been covered by the sacrificial blood.

The "Lord doth put a difference" between the Egyptians and the Hebrew people (cp. 11:7).

What was the difference? It was not a difference between the goodness of the Hebrews and the sinfulness of the Egyptians. If any are ever saved it is only due to God's love and grace. Rather the difference was in the blood. Jesus is the difference between our acceptance with God or our rejection by Him.

The three stages of God’s redemption of His people from Egypt surrounding the passover meal serve as a picture of what He has done for us.

III. The Life of Transformation (12:31-13:22)

The Hebrew people were transformed that night. For over four centuries, they had been Egyptian casualties—slaves in total bondage to earthly taskmasters.

Now, however, they possessed a new calendar, a new life.

Exodus 12:31 KJV 1900

31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said.

First, they had a new liberation (12:31-42).

How sweet the freedom must have felt! Pharaoh had squeezed them dry. And, he had determined not to let them go free. However, he had experienced the wrath of God first hand (12:32).

Exodus 12:32 KJV 1900

32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.

Afterward, he had a change of heart and sent them away. In fact, the Egyptians themselves urged the Hebrews to leave as quickly as possible. And, in doing so, they took with them a share of the "booty" so to speak (cp. 11:2). God gave them favor in the eyes of their enemies.

As they left Egypt, a "mixed multitude" gathered to leave (12:38), a multitude which proved to be a hassle to Moses' leadership later in the journey.

Exodus 12:38 KJV 1900

38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

When a person comes to Christ, he or she experiences a new liberation from the shackles of sin. Indeed Jesus is the only one Who can break the chains of sin. Through Christ, believers experience a far greater exodus than Israel did from the political bondage they were in.

Second, they also experienced a new consecration (13:1-16).

Exodus 13:1–2 KJV 1900

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.

Since the lamb died for the firstborn, the firstborn now belongs to the Lord. God staked a claim on it. Every Israelite owed their life to the death of the innocent little lamb.

Similarly, every person who is saved from his or her sin owes their life to the death of God's Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. Consequently, the death of Jesus becomes the basis for total consecration to God (cp. Rom. 12:1).

We are God's purchased people. We owe our life to the death of the Lamb. Because Christ died, we live. And, the least we can do is consecrate our all to Him (cp. 1 Cor. 6:18-20).

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 KJV 1900

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s

Finally, they experienced a new destination (13:17-22).

Note what the Scripture says, Exodus 13:17-18

Exodus 13:17–18 KJV 1900

17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: 18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.

God Himself led the people out of Egypt. And, His way was the best way even if it was not the nearest way or easiest way.

God knew the people were weak and would be tempted to immediately go back to Egypt if the circumstances were right.

Exodus 13:21–22 KJV 1900

21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

By a pillar of clouds by day and a fire by night, God directed His people forward (cp. Num. 9:21).

These supernatural elements served as the visible symbols of God's presence. In them, His glory burned on full display (cp. Rom. 9:4).

In addition to His glory, these symbols demonstrated how the Lord saves us, feeds us, protects us, and guides us.

And, while we no longer have either clouds or fire, we nonetheless have the supernatural guidance of His wonderful Holy Spirit to guide our lives (Rom. 8:14).

God does not save us and then leave us on our own. Instead He guides us as His own people, leading us until one day He will come for us (cp. John 14:1-3).

Wrap Up

It was at a meal that memorialized what God did to bring the children of Israel out of condemnation and bondage, by means of a subsitute, into a new life that Jesus instituted a new memorial.

Matthew 26:26–29 KJV 1900

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

Mark 14:22–25 KJV 1900

22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. 23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. 24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

Luke 22:19–20 KJV 1900

19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

1 Corinthians 11:24–26 KJV 1900

24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

Egypt was a land of condemnation. Israel was in total bondage. And, their bondage pictures perfectly our status as sinners before a holy God. We are enslaved to sin without any possible way to escape.

Through God's sacrifice of His only Son Who becomes a substitute for us, all our sin is placed upon Him. Consequently, when we place our total trust in God's substitutionary sacrifice, we are delivered from our sinful bondage. Our lives are fully transformed. We are free!

If you have not experienced real freedom, why not put your faith in Christ today?

Copyright © 2012 Jerry Vines Ministries. All rights reserved. No portion may be altered or copied without written permission.For more information about this and other teaching and growth resources, contact www.jerryvines.com