Jesus Died For Us

The Lord’s Table - the Gospel

Last week we saw

God raise up Egypt as the most powerful empire in the world

God raise up a Pharoah who did not know Joseph

anti-Semitic, feared uprising of Israelites

Pharoah plotted to murder baby Israelites

Instructed midwives - God thwarted his plan - Midwives feared God

kill Israelites by throwing them into the nile - God used Pharaoh’s own daughter to save Moses out of the water

Who is supreme? Who has all the power? Who is sovereign?

God reveals His name to Moses in the burning bush - YHWH

Not jus the sum of His attributes - He is supreme and self-existent

Also shows His relational nature towards Israel

He hears their cries and He knows - sends Moses and Aaron to them

People respond with faith - but is their faith true? Do they really believe that God is supreme? Do they really believe that He is the sovereign even over Pharoah?

Dear friends, as we come to the Lord’s table today, let us consider the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

4. God Battles Pharaoh and Egyptian Pantheon ()

4. God Battles Pharaoh and Egyptian Pantheon ()

But before we do so I want to remind you that we practice an open communion here at heritage. If you are a believing Christian, having trusted Christ as your Lord and your Savior, feel free to celebrate this memorial with us this morning. As you partake, be careful to examine you heart before God and come to Lord seeking His mercy here at the Table. Here you will find abundant mercy and strength from the Lord Jesus Christ who has shed His blood to forgive your sins and who even now intercedes for you, before the Father in Heaven as our Great High Priest. Now, if you have not trusted in Christ, or cannot in good conscience take the emblems, we ask that you would let the cup pass

A. God’s Command and Pharaoh’s Challenge (5:1-23)

Now, let us consider the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Paul writes this in 4, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Paul says that “Christ died for our sins.” Indeed in Jesus all our sins have been forgiven, our debt has been cancelled and we have been reconciled to our God. Praise God! Christ died for our sins! Let’s walk through this wonderful gospel truth.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ex 5:21). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

After meeting with the people of Israel, Moses and Aaron have their first meeting with Pharaoh. They declare to Pharaoh in verse 1, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” However, Pharaoh responds with defiance and disrespect, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” Pharaoh is here challenging YHWH. He says that he does not know Him, meaning that He does not recognize YHWH as God. In response Pharaoh makes his own divine command in verse 7, “ 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.” 10 So the taskmasters and the foramen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’” Pharaoh wants to demonstrate that he has power over Israel and they are his slaves. He makes his point by forcing them to make bricks without the straw provided. Now they have to bend down or get on their knees to pick up the straw to make bricks as a demonstration of their enslavement to Pharaoh. After this occurs the people grumble against Moses, wishing that he had not come to Egypt to deliver them for he has only angered their lord, Pharaoh. This grumbling causes Moses to experience doubt as well, verse 22, “22 Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.” Moses had forgotten that God had revealed to him several times that Pharaoh would resist.  

First, Christ - It wasn’t just anyone, no it was the sinless Son of God. It was the Spotless Lamb of God. Through faith His life is our righteousness and His death is the full payment for our sins.

B. The Lord’s Assurance of Deliverance (6:1-9)

So then, Christ, the Son of God, Died - Yes, Jesus died. He was the sacrifice who on the cross, bore the wrath of God for our sins. As Paul says in , “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Lastly, For our sins - Indeed Jesus died not for His sins, but rather for our sins, in our place, as our replacement. He is our all sufficient sacrifice, our Perfect Substitute. As the Prophet Isaiah proclaims in , “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

In response to this complaining and this doubt we find a patient God, look at verse 2 of chapter 6, “ 2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’” See here the longsuffering and love of God for His people. Even when they doubt Him and do not trust Him, He continues to reveal Himself to them and assure them that He will carry out His plan. He declares again to Moses that He is YHWH and that He has waited until this time to make Himself truly known to His people. He revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and He had covenant relationships with them but what He plans to do now with His people will show Himself to them on a far greater level. He promises again that He will redeem them from their current master, Pharaoh, so that they will be His people. He then promises that He will be their God and that He will return them to the promised land. 

Christ died for our sins! His death was so satisfying and so sufficient that not only did it satisfy God’s wrath, it purchased for us beautiful gospel promises. As Paul began Ephesians, we who are in Christ have been blessed with every spiritual blessing the heavenly places. These blessings and these promises are amazing and they are ours because Christ died for our sins. Consider these promises found in that are now yours in Christ, verse 1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” and then starting in verse 35, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (, NASB95)

As

C. God Charges Moses and Aaron (6:10-30)

Dear brothers and sisters, these emblems at the table remind us of His broken body and shed blood. They remind us that Christ died for our sins. this is what we remember here at the table. This is very good news. Our sins have been forgiven and through Jesus we have become the children of God. As we take the bread and the cup, remember that this is a picture oof the gospel, the sufficient sacrifice that God provided when Jesus gave His body and blood on the tree at Calvary.

Skip to letter D

Brother’s Please come forward---Tim will you pray for the Emblems

D. The Introduction to the Plagues (7:1-13)

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.” (, NASB95)

At the beginning of chapter 7 we see again how God declares to Moses that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart, verse 1“1 And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh's heart...” What does that mean? In chapter 3:19, God revealed to Moses, 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand” What this shows us is that Pharoah already desires in his own heart to keep the Israelites from leaving. At its root, Pharaoh’s resistance is a result of his own sinful desires. That being said what we see here is God declaring that he will harden Pharaoh’s already resistant heart. What this means that God will play a role in preventing Pharaoh's heart from changing under the pressure of God’s wrath.And in 7:3-5 we see God’s purpose in doing this, “ though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” If Pharaoh broke after the first plague then God would only have shown a small amount of his power and signs and wonders and Egypt and all the nations around them would not have known that He is YHWH. God caused Pharaoh’s own attitude to intensify so that He will glorify and magnify His name and demonstrate His power against the Egyptians and for His people. To sum it up, God was actively involved in effecting Pharaoh’s heart in order to accomplish His will for His glory. However, Pharaoh’s heart was already bent in this direction on his own and is therefore guilty for his actions. 

Background to the Plagues

Now before we get to the plagues, there is some background that is needed. In that time each nation was represented by their own gods. When a nation attacked another nation, it was believed that their respective gods were battling as well. If your nation won, your gods were the reason for your victory. If you lost, your gods lost and could even be considered dead. The 10 plagues are not random acts of God’s judgement. They are designed to symbolize God defeating the false gods of the Egyptian pantheon. That being said, one must not think that there was some supernatural battle going on in the spiritual realm between God and the gods of Egypt. The purpose was to show Egypt, Israel, and the world that the gods of the greatest nation of the world were nothing. They were dead false idols and the only real true God is YHWH. There is another interesting background feature of these 10 plagues. In where we see the account of God creating the world there are 10 instances of God speaking. God demonstrated His awesome power by speaking 10 seperate times to create the world and God demonstrated His awesome power here when He used what He created 10 seperate times to destroy Egypt.  Lastly we need to know that there is an order to the 10 plagues. The plagues are grouped based on lesser severity and impact to greater severity and impact like so: 1-3; 4-6; 7-9; 10.

E. Plague #1: Water to Blood - 7:14-25

In verse 14 we see God send the first plague, “14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh's heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed. 17 Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.”’ Now, The first plague was an attack against the god of the Nile Hapi. The Nile was the life blood for the economy and agriculture of Egypt. This impacted all the major cities located on the Nile where most of all Egypt lived. By turning the Nile into blood, God was symbolizing that Hapi was killed in battle. It was very inconvenient for it required people to dig wells to drink fresh water. It also killed a major food source: fish. Pharaoh tries to demonstrate that he still has divine power by using  magicians to recreate God’s plague and this is slightly comical because it requires that the magicians take good drinking water and change it into blood, making it undrinkable. 

F. Plague #2: Frog Infestation (8:1-15)

The second plague was an attack against Heqt, the goddess of childbirth and midwives. She was symbolized by a frog. Let’s look at verse 1, “1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. 3 The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 4 The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”’” 5  And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.” By multiplying the frogs in the land so that they became a nuisance, the people of Egypt became irritated with the symbol of Heqt and wished to remove this symbol from their sight. Again, this plague was simply annoying and not life threatening. Also, the magicians are able to cause frogs to multiply in the land which again is slightly comical because it made the situation worse. See in verse 10 that God brings the plague and then removes the plague so that Pharaoh and all Egypt will know that there is no one like the Lord our God. Ultimately God is demonstrating His dominance over the most powerful man on earth. 

G. Plague #3: Gnats (8:16-19)

The third plague was an attack against Geb the god who controlled the dust of the earth. Let’s start in verse 16, “16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’” 17 And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. 18 The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. Obviously Geb lost his control because the dust was turned to gnats and they were everywhere.  This again is not a life threatening plague, but it is very annoying. Notice that the magicians were unable to reenact this plague and even go as far as warning Pharaoh that these three plagues have just been the fingertip of God’s wrath. In other words they were saying,  “Pharaoh, let them go. This is just the tip of the iceberg.” However Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he did not listen. 

H. Plague #4: Flies (8:20-32)

The fourth plague begins the next level of plagues. Look at verse 20, “20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 21 Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. 23 Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.” This was an attack on Khepri who was represented by the scarab fly.  The scarab fly was not your ordinary fly it had pincers that could grab onto chunks of skin. This morning plague Is not lethal, but it is harmful. Another distinction of this next level of plagues is that this plague only affected the land of the Egyptians. Goshen, where the Israelites were located was spared by this plague. Also notice that there is no mention of the magicians. They have given up.

I. Plague #5: Pestilence on Cattle (9:1-7)

The fifth plague is against Hathor, the god of cows. Verse 1, “1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, 3 behold, the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. 4 But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.”’” This was a very damaging plague that crippled a large portion of the food production and economy of Egypt. The Egyptians can not eat fish and now they can not eat beef. However, this is not completely lethal in nature. Lastly, in verse 7 we see that notice the cows in the land of the Hebrews were spared, “7 And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.”

J. Plague #6: Boils (9:8-12)

The sixth plague is an attack against Isis the goddess of medicine. We see it starting in verse 8, “8 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.” The Egyptians are covered in boils and Isis is unable to heal them. Notice again that this plague only affected Egypt. Lastly, see that Pharaoh’s magicians could not even stand because of God’s power. 

K. Plague #7: Hail with Fire (9:13-35)

The seventh plague begins the next level of plagues. God reiterates his message to Pharoah in verse 1, “13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. again that He is demonstrating His wrath on Pharaoh “so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. 17 You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. ” It is so important that we learn here that God is glorified in the deliverance of His people and in His judgement against His enemies. We must also see how terrifying it is to be an enemy of God. He is worshipped with awe and reverence. There is no room for exalting oneself, only for humility. This 7th plague begins in verse 18, 18 Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19 Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.”’” 20 Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, 21 but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field. 22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.” 23 Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.” This plague is attacking the god who controls the skies, Nut. God is showing that Nut has no control by sending massive hail to all the land of Egypt except Goshen. God tells Moses to warn the Egyptians of this plague and those who listened to him and kept themselves and their livestock inside were spared. Now even some of the Egyptians are seeing that their gods and their Pharoah are powerless and that what YHWH says, He will do. Furthermore, not only are all the fish and cows gone, all the grain from the fall harvest is gone as well. Surely this devastated the economy and caused a famine in the land of Egypt. Lastly, see how the plagues are no longer just annoying or harmful. This plague is deadly. 

L. Plague #8: Locusts (10:1-20)

The eighth plague is an attack against the god Seth who controls chaos and famine. In verse 3 we see Seth has no control, “3 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. 4 For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, 5 and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field,6 and they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.’” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh. 7 Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” God sent locust to eat up all that was left by the hail. This was a devastating plague for after the locust came there was no food at all left for the Egyptians to eat. They would have to rely on hunting and whatever stores of food survived the plague of hail. 

M. Plague #9: Darkness (10:21-29)

In the Egyptian pantheon the most worshipped god other than Pharaoh himself was the sun god, Ra. In the 9th plague God demonstrates that Ra is a false god with no power, “21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.” This darkness is so dark that it can be felt. The darkness was present in every part of Egypt except Goshen where the Israelites lived. This served as the most visible example of God’s love for His people and His wrath against His enemies. All of Egypt would have known for those three days that the only God was YHWH and He was the God of the Israelites. And yet, Pharoah still did not let the Israelites go. 

N. Plague #10: Death of Firstborn (11:1-12:30)

A. Before Pharaoh (11:1-10)

This tenth and final plague moves to the final level of plagues. This plague isn’t just lethal, it is nation destroying - verse 1, “4 So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, 5 and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. 6 There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. 7 But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ 8 And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. God has raised Egypt up to be the most powerful nation in the world and will bring them down in one night with this final plague. It is important to remember that, in the Egyptian pantheon, Pharaoh was considered the ultimate god over the Egyptians. He is the one who was supposed to have the most power and the most authority.  In the beginning God warned Pharaoh that if he did not let God’s firstborn, Israel, go, He would kill Pharaoh’s firstborn and here we see God fulfill this promise (). Also notice that God will not be using an element of creation to carry out this plague. He will perform it Himself. God declares that when He performs this plague there will be a wailing and crying throughout all of Egypt  such as never been heard before. And yet, not even a dog will bark in the land of Goshen where the Israelites live. Remember that it was once Israel who was crying out in pain due to the enslavement of Pharaoh. That cry will pale in comparison to the cry that God will cause with the final plague. 

B. The Passover (12:1-30)

The Tenth plague is not just the finale of God’s judgement on Pharaoh and Egypt, it marks the beginning of God’s deliverance of His people from Egypt. We see this in verse 1, “1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. 7 “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it...12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord.13 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 no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast...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 will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. 24 You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. 25 And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. 26 And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” God instituted a national celebration of this moment that should continue for generations beyond the one of Exodus. Each household had to take a lamb without blemish and kill it. This lamb was to be a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the Israelite people; meaning that the lamb died in their place, making them holy before God. They then took the blood of the lamb and  marked the doorpost of their house so that when the Lord came to kill the firstborn He would pass over that house. The blood was a demonstration of their holiness before God which excused that household from the plague that was to be performed against the Egyptians. See in this that even though the Israelites were God’s chosen people, they were marked by sin just like the Egyptians. Moreover, notice that they, like their forefather Abraham, were called to exercise faith by performing a sacrifice based on the command and promise of God. After Moses instructs the Israelites the text says in verse 27 that “the people bowed their heads and worshiped. 28 Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. 29 At midnight the Lord struck down 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 the livestock. 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 someone was not dead.” What a contrast…worship and silent awe with those who experienced grace; weeping and wailing with those who experienced judgment.

5. The Exodus ()

A. Physical Move and Fulfillment of Prophecy (12:31-42)

Remember that back in Genesis (; ; ) that God promised Abraham, Jacob and Joseph, that He would deliver Israel out of Egypt after 4 generations. Well now the time had come, “31 Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said. 32 Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!” 33 The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead...36 And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. 37 And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. 38 A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds...40 The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. Moses writes that on that very day God delivered Israel after 430 years, thus fulfilling the promises that He made before. See also that God fulfills His promise to Moses that Israel would leave with great possessions as well as silver and gold from the Egyptians. Lastly see that not only did the Israelites leave Egypt, but a mixed multitude of Egyptian citizens left amongst them, showing that even some Egyptians became slaves of YHWH. 

B. Remembering the Deliverance (12:43-13:16)

The section ends with God commanding that the Passover is to be observed by His people alone. He declares that no foreigner should eat of it unless they become circumcised. Specifically God mentions the slave who wishes to partake of the Passover. This was instituted to remind the Israelites that they were slaves before and if they had not been purchased by God there would be no passover to celebrate. Therefore, the Israelites should circumcise the foreign slaves and sojourners (immigrants) who desired to worship God so that they can celebrate Passover as well. This feast should be celebrated as a remembrance of what God delivered them from. It was to instruct the future generations in worship verse 8, “8 You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt.10 You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year...14 And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.” For generation after generation, Israel was to celebrate Passover and remember God’s salvation as if they were there too. 

Questions for Application

What does God reveal about Himself in the plagues? What does He show towards Egypt? What does He show towards Israel? What does He show towards all His people in all time including us? How does the Passover set up for Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross some 1400 years later? How does Israel’s command to remember the passover relate to our command to remember Christ when we celebrate communion.