919 Biblical Characters - The Last Plague (Ex. 11-12:41)

- This week I was sitting at my desk when all of a sudden I thought I was having some sort of health issue

- I was seeing things move, that don’t move, if you don’t touch them

- It took a while for me to realise that the shaking desk was not me bumping it but, in fact, was a part of the whole house shaking

- It was frightening but with a building background I was more concerned about cracks in the house rather than the fact of the earthquake

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- The earthquake really made me think about what it would be like to experience one of the judgements of God

- When something out of the ordinary happens it makes us sit up and take notice and this is exactly what is happening here in the plagues that God is bringing upon pharaoh and the Egyptians

- But the final plague in today’s reading is something that is unparalleled and anyone who attempts to give it a natural explanation will run into a dead end

- What is happening here is a discriminate action against the first born - of everything be it human or animal

Yet God has made provision for the Israelites where they may apply the blood of the lamb sacrifice to the door posts and lintel of their houses and avert their firstborn being killed

1. The Spectrum of Judgment

Sounds like a title of a movie, doesn’t it?

Judgement is a key theme here & it is a judgement to demonstrate that Yahweh not Pharaoh nor the gods of Egypt are God

Last week, the last plague was the plague of darkness

To be sure, some have thought that the darkness was an exceptional sandstorm

Maybe, but a darkness that can be felt suggests something much greater

Pharaoh was supposedly the son of Ra the sun god

That suggests that the plague of darkness was to demonstrate that Pharaoh as son of Ra, & the sun god Ra himself, could not stop Yahweh

The sun could not shine

These plagues clearly show that there is only One who is God & that is Yahweh, Israel’s God

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Q. Now you are probably thinking that if Ra is no god why not just say that?

Certainly the OT points out that these are no gods at all!

Isaiah 37:19 NAS

and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them.

However, God consistently lowers Himself to the level of the people who were too entrenched in this sort of thinking

To deal with this problem He demonstrates that people need to look to Him for He is the true God of heaven & earth

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Q. But how weird is this? How long did it take after the flood for mankind to start inventing & worshipping false gods?

This is built into the fabric of every person - the desire to look to something higher

Yet, they got it wrong - instead of being made in the image of God, they turned it around & started to make God in the image of man

Shocking really & this is what God had to contend with time & time again

The faith, the trust people were to have in their creator was misplaced & warped - yes, a consequence of the fall; of the knowledge of good & evil

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- However, again we see God making provision for His people to be able to avert this judgement

- This becomes a watershed moment here because to do what Moses says will have to take a measure of faith, of trust

- The Israelites, therefore, are given an opportunity to escape the wrath of God against the Egyptians; a way of escape; a shelter to come under

But they will have to act in faith - It required action on their part

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The consistency in all the Scripture is that for those of faith, God will provide a way out

This is wonderful - it is not something we can do or create, however, we better be fair dinkum

This is a wonderful provision & we better make sure that we appreciate this provision

This is especially true as the promise of Abraham receives its fullness in the ultimate provision of God, which is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ

Ephesians 5:25 NAS

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

1 Timothy 2:6 NAS

who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

God will make provision for His people & make a distinction between the Israelites & the Egyptians

2. Celebration of Passover & Unleavened Bread

This week, there have been birthdays celebrated, marriage anniversaries celebrated

We do have special moments that we mark out in the calendar for celebration

If you were under slavery & were released, would you want to commemorate that?

The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of WW2 - would you not want to celebrate that?

Of course you would

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This would be a watershed moment in the history of Israel that is to always be remembered

Because not only is it a moment regarding a release from oppression, but a moment when God did the releasing

We have these memorial ”shrines” & they talk about them being “hallowed” turf because of the sacrifices people made to grant us freedom from oppression & tyranny

The emphasis falls on their sacrifice in order to keep us free

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What is laid out here is the celebration that Israel will perpetually have

One of the reasons it is to be remembered & appreciated is because it keeps the fabric of that community in-tack with God & on track with God

When you forget your roots & reason for existence, you disintegrate as a community

You lose your purpose & your meaning

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God is ensuring that they never forget what He has done for them

This is especially to be imparted to the young who had never experienced it first hand

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The unleavened bread in the Bible often speaks of the spread of evil & corruption, but here it is about the haste in getting out of Egypt

It takes time for leaven/yeast to swell the bread - to there is no time to wait

This is a lesson speaking to the haste of moving with God’s historical movement

Once He’s has liberated you, you don’t hang around with the world, you don’t look back

Tragically, when things get tough in the wilderness, some lamented that they had it better in Egypt

Exodus 14:12 NAS

“Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Q. The pagan way & the pagan lifestyle is better than being with the Lord?

During times of hardship, what Christian has not thought that, even for a moment?

But then, repented of those thoughts & realised that life is only found in the Lord our God

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They are to take a lamb on the 10th day of that month which became for them their first month of the year & set the lamb aside until the 14th day of that month when they will slay it as a Passover lamb to be eaten that night

Our Roman calendar is based on the earth travelling around the sun - it takes a year to do that (365 days - 366 leap year)

The Jewish calendar is based on the moon travelling around the earth - it takes 30 days to do that (360 days of that in the year) - obviously they would have to sneak in those extra 5 days every now & then or their seasons wouldn’t match up with their calendar

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The first day of every Jewish month is the new moon, so the 14th day (2 weeks after) of every month on the Jewish calendar will be a full moon- 14th Day is a full moon (always on Passover)

This is why we always have a full moon at Easter time, because Easter is based on the Jewish calendar of Passover which is the 14th day of the Lunar month

It is also why Easter is never the same date from year to year because Easter will have to be moved because we operate on the Roman calendar which is based on the Sun not the moon

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The Jewish months are 30 days each x 12 = 360 days in their year - 5 days short of our 365 days in the year

It takes 365 days for the earth to travel around the sun (by which you have your 4 seasons)- our Roman calendar is based on the time it takes the earth to travel around the sun

It takes 30 days for the moon to travel around the earth - don’t be tricked by the fact that you see the moon travel across the sky at night because the earth is also spinning

The Jews would have had to make compensation now & then or else their seasons would be too far out - hopefully this makes some sense to you

This was to be a celebration in the first month of their year

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Bitter herbs speaks to them about the bitterness of the bondage they were experiencing in Egypt

So this would be an annual event because it will be such a monumental moment for them

3. When I See the Blood

We may question the whole notion of animal sacrifice & ask how on earth could God ask for this thing

Perhaps, we have been too westernised for our liking

The notion of sacrifice had been around for years and it was a way of establishing moral & ethical boundaries

After all, if you don’t have a tangible display of right being commended & wrong being punished, then communities could never thrive

People would be taken advantage of with no recourse but to suck it up

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Justice is a beautiful thing especially when you have been deprived of it

Recompense between people can happen through a monetary fine or payment

It can involve jail time or confinement as a form of punishment

Q. But how can recompense be made to a holy God?

Q. What can anyone do to satisfy the just demands of God?

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If you wrong Him, no monetary payment can be made to Him - what currency does God even use?

The provision that seems to have begun was that of sacrifice - it was the act of paying a price, bearing a cost

That making sacrifice was the duty of every culture - that it was cross-cultural - seems to suggest a common beginning

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The sacrifice God is specifying here is that of a lamb that is slain - a lamb with no bones broken, roasted with fire - this was God’s way & provision for the Israelites to avert His judgement

It’s blood was to be applied with a hyssop plant to the doorposts & lintels

If the Israelites did this, then the destroying angel would pass over their houses - hence the name Passover - & no firstborn would be destroyed

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In the judgements that hit the health & prosperity of the people, the Lord made a distinction between the Egyptians & Israelites with only the Egyptians suffering these plagues

But in this last judgement, the Israelites will have to make a choice - who will they believe & trust?

In the plague of hail we saw that some of the servants of Pharaoh feared the word of the Lord & had their animals brought under in shelter & those animals were spared

Exodus 9:20–21 (NAS)

The one among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses; but he who paid no regard to the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field.

These ones believed or trusted what Moses said was going to take place & it started with a healthy lot of fear as they feared the word of the Lord

I posted a question on our Sermons Telegram channel & it was this…

Q. What impact does the response from Pharaohs officials (Ex. 9:20–21) have on your understanding of faith? Does this go far enough? They escaped one of the plagues, what more would one need to be on "God's side"?

This question is an important one - does this go far enough

I would suggest NO - because motive & inner love & trust for God Himself must accompany the action, not just the will to save your own skin

But the inner motive is not good enough either if it not accompanied by action

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There are beliefs in Christendom that says that all you need is faith & that is all

No “works” because we are saved by faith, but a faith that does not need to take any action period

Now we need to think this through

Imagine you are part of an Israelite household

Would you dare say that in this scenario? Would you dare say that you don’t need to apply the blood to the doorposts and lintels because you believe - you only need faith - & in fact, if you apply it, you may be earning your deliverance by “works”!!!

Now this is silly - you know as well as I that when the destroying angel comes through, your faith counts for zip if you have not acted on the word of the Lord - in essence all that lack of action proves is a lack of faith

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We get this same sort of ridiculous discussion when it comes to baptism

I‘ve been asked many times the question: do you need to be baptised to be saved

What they are really saying is that they believe you are saved by faith & the action of baptism is a work that needs to be done - so in their mind one does not need to be baptised to be saved

Its a loaded question that has come from a tradition that has imposed itself upon the biblical text

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Yet throughout the Bible, the actions of faith are the action of those who are saved

The Israelites who applied the blood had their firstborns spared

Those who didn’t were destroyed by the destroying angel - it’s that simple

Later when Israel were fighting kings in the wilderness, if Moses’ arms were held up, they were winning, if they dropped, they were losing; if Moses arms were up the Red Sea remained separated - actions counted

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What we need to understand is that faith is something active in real life

Q. Do I believe that we are saved by works - or more correctly, if read properly - saved by the works of the law?

Not at all - but I equally believe that if we don’t bring our faith into the sphere of action, then we are just kidding ourselves about our faith

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At this point I’d like us to take notice of what the Scripture says here as to the justification of sparing the firstborn

Firstly, a question: Is a person spared because God saw that they put the blood on the lintels & doorposts? After what I’ve just said you might think yes - but the answer is no

Exodus 12:13 NAS

‘The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; 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.

”When I see that you applied the blood, I will pass over you” - No!

But “when I see the blood I will pass over you”

The locus of God’s interest was in the blood - that is what made the difference

So the blood is available, but you run into trouble if you don’t apply it

The blood is the key, but the blood must be appropriated

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Q. Isn’t this the same with your own faith in Jesus Christ?

Jesus dies for all - His blood is the saving factor in our salvation

He died for our sins

Yet, salvation is not universal - if that were true, then the apostles & every other Christian from their time who went to preach the Gospel, were preaching in vain, if everyone was universally saved

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So salvation is not automatic nor is it universal - a person needs to appropriate that sacrifice

It’s like they have to apply the blood of Jesus to their life

Q. How can you do that? How can you become a Christian?

Well you can believe - yes, that is a must - but Jesus gives us the way & the means to being & becoming a Christian & we should have a fear of the word of the Lord & take note & not rely on traditions, feelings and emotions to gauge whether you are right with God

Matthew 28:18–20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””

- Baptism is the first step in becoming a disciple of Jesus

The apostle Peter goes so far as to frame it in terms of a promise to those who take up discipleship through baptism

Acts 2:38–40 “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!””

Here you have the appropriation of the blood of Christ

It’s like Peter is saying: apply the blood to the lintel & doorposts of your life & here’s how you do it

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Seriously, how can we dismiss his words so flippantly

Does baptism save you - no, only the blood of Christ - His death saves you

But equally, if God gives us the way to apply or appropriate that blood to our lives, then what the heck are we doing refusing Him in baptism?

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The final plague took place & in the middle of the night, great crying could be heard all over Egypt

Exodus 12:29 NAS

Now it came about 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 cattle.

We don’t know if any Israelites refused to apply the blood to the lintel & doorposts so we may assume they all did

But all the firstborn of the Egyptians died - how sad & tragic

It says to me that stubbornness against the Lord NEVER goes well for anyone

What this shows unequivocally is that Yahweh is God & for those who believe in other gods, that it is high time they gave up on those other nonsense gods & came to trust in the God of Israel just as Rahab the prostitute did

Even a prostitute could cross over to the side of the Lord because she believed in Him - & how did she believe?

She gave shelter to the Israelite spies since she knew that Yahweh is God in heaven & on the earth & that Jericho never had a hope of surviving - so she acted out in faith & she & her family were spared

More than that, it seems that King David’s origin came through her family tree

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This says to us that there is no barrier to faith other than the stubbornness & resistance of men & women

But if they lowered their defences, they will have the greatest defence than they could ever hope for

They would come under the shelter of the Lord God almighty

There is no greater blessing - understanding, that standing with Him means standing forever with Him as our guardian, carer, provider - in short, a loving Father that never stops providing for us

But it‘s your choice - God has made provision for you in sending Jesus to die - to deal justly with our sin issue; but then to rise again proving that He is indeed of God & what He achieved at the cross is real & true & can save you for all eternity

Would you come to Christ today? Would you respond to Jesus today?