Sunday October 17, 2021

Trinity Bible Church

Trinity Bible Church was founded to provide in-depth biblical teaching so that Christians can understand the nature and implications of the gospel to their everyday lives, learn to think biblically about challenging issues of the 21st century, surmount the inevitable problems and adversities of life through the sufficient grace of God and the principles of His Word, and grow to spiritual maturity.

God not only provided us with a perfect and complete salvation based upon His grace and the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross, but also with a marvelous revelation or disclosure from God to mankind. The Christian life begins with learning to live on the basis of the unique ability God has provided through the filling of God the Holy Spirit and the timeless principles, promises and provision explained in His Word. As the Christian grows, he must also develop the ability to think and interact with every area of life from the framework of God's own thinking.

The vision of Trinity Bible Church is to teach the Bible so that believers can develop critical thinking skills about every detail of life. Only by growing to spiritual maturity, is the believer able to develop a spiritual impact on the world where God has placed us, and become prepared for a future destiny to rule with Jesus Christ in His eternal kingdom.

====

In the book of Hebrews, as called out in Chapter 11 - Moses is an example of the type of Faith that has as its object bible doctrine resident in the soul. We are in the midst of our study, our review of the role that Faith placed in Moses life. But I want to put a couple of pieces together, points of understanding, to allow us to properly proceed. It will make sense when we bring it all together.

First - I want to give a recap on the book of Hebrews.

These believers in the book of Hebrews are about to give up on their understanding, their doctrinal understanding about Jesus being the Christ, the Messiah of Israel. These Jewish believers are under tremendous pressure to cave on the concept of Jesus as the Christ, and intend to return to Rabbinic Judaism which has rejected Christ. This will have terrible consequences. The book of Hebrews is written to reason with these individuals, and to provide everything they need to turn from that pressure, to address all of the doctrine they have misunderstood - which misunderstanding made them vulnerable to the pressure, and to teach them the correct doctrine that they might have the resources to not only resist this pressure, but to victoriously overcome it, and to move into the victorious Christian life based on grace that comes from the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and embracing that grace provision through Faith.

But what kind of faith?

Hebrews 11 explains it to us:

Our first example given was of Abel who relied on or placed faith in doctrine to guide his sacrifice. He understood God’s word, obtained directly from God and Adam and Eve, and reflected his understanding in his sacrifice. God Testified that Abel’s sacrifice was pleasing, that Abel was righteous (justified before God). Able walked in divine viewpoint, as a believer, made sacrifice according to God’s doctrine, and though dead still speaks from that sacrifice today. Bible doctrine in his soul was the object of Abel’s faith. he focused on divine truth from God.

Enoch walked in divine viewpoint with bible doctrine in his soul being the object of his faith - he pleased God, and was taken from this earth to be with God, because Enoch pleased God. But Hebrews 1:6 tells us that it is impossible to please God without bible doctrine functioning in the soul, and that we must diligently pursue it. Bible doctrine in his soul was the object of Enoch’s faith. He focused on divine truth from God. We are instructed to have the same diligence that we might please God.

Noah was informed by the bible doctrine in his soul. Empowered by divine viewpoint and doctrine, he prepared an ark, through which the unbelieving and faithless world was condemned and through his reliance of bible doctrine in his soul, Noah was declared not only as heir of the plan of God, but of the entire planet. Bible doctrine in his soul was the object of Noah’s faith. He focused on divine truth from God.

Not Saving Faith

So, as we have examined the objects of Faith that are spoken of here in Hebrews 11, we have shown that Faith in the Gospel, is not what we are being instructed in. This is not the faith in Christ that results in salvation, or justification.

We are NOT dealing with Salvation faith in Hebrews 11 (Or James 2:14-26 )

Not Faith-Rest

This is also not the Faith in promises or the character of God or biblical rationals that results in our REST, the undergirding of our soul, in fellowship and in divine viewpoint, and functioning in reliance upon God. We have the doctrine called Faith Rest which we cite to encapsulate that beautiful and highly necessary doctrine used in facing the circumstances and vecissitudes of life. Again, a vicissitude is a change or variation, usually intended to communicate unforeseen changes in circumstance or experience that affects one’s life, especially in a trying way. Vicissitude is a synonym for the word difficulty, but more precise, with a focus on the change in our circumstances. FAITH in the promises of God, in the faithfulness of His character, allows us to meet the greatest of obstacles and difficulties or vicissitudes in complete rest, as we rely upon God and not our selves. Now to clarify, the doctrine of Faith Rest has nothing to do with whether you are having a serene day vs. an overactive hyper-fragmented day of distractions, trauma, and impending urgency. Rather, Faith-Rest has to do with whether you are RELYING on God’s promises and character or not. This is not a reliance on the effort or exertion that you can supply, hanging on with all of your strength, but rather this is a reliance of FOCUS. You choose to believe God. You choose to FOCUS on simply BELIEVING, we could say FAITHing, in God’s Character and His assurances. This works because you have as your object a promise. for example, Proverbs 3:5-6 , or one that I relate to even more from Isaiah 42:16,

in the NASB it says 16 “And I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone.”

I also like the HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible) 16 I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on paths they have not known. I will turn darkness to light in front of them and rough places into level ground. This is what I will do for them, and I will not forsake them.

I first learned this verse in the midst of a personal crisis. The world was coming to an end. I couldn’t figure out which way to go, or what to do. So i popped this tape into a casette player, and clicked play - and this light guitar played and then the singer sang these words - I will lead the blind in a way they do not know. Wow - I thought, that’s me Lord. In paths they do not know I will guide them. That is what I need Lord. I will turn darkness into light before them, and rugged places into plains. Lord - I need you just like that. These are the things I will do, and I will not leave them undone! Wow - a promise with certainty. My heart cried out to the Lord - as I hit rewind and listened to that promise again, and again. Then I said - Lord, if this were only a promise from your word so that I could rely on it. LOL I said that because I did not know this verse or its address in scripture. And I did a funny thing - I flopped open my NASB bible, and it opened to exactly Isaiah 42, and I looked at verse 16. And I cried. Tears leaked from my eye holes because this was a promise from the word of God. I know you have all been there. I wanted a verse I could rely on. God had one - all cued up, and ready for me. God is amazing.

Now - two things: I don’t advise in playing bible roulette. don’t do it! Don’t ask God questions, and then flip open the bible for an answer. God has called us to study his word, to learn it and know it from end to end. Second, we are to store HIs scripture in our souls. We are to locate, find, and mine the promises of God’s word from Genesis to Revelation. That is our calling. That is what we are here for. My job is to feed the sheep of God His truth from His word, not my ideas or thoughts. Study of scripture begets doctrine - doctrine begets bible based thinking - this results in the utilization of doctrinal rationales otherwise known as viewing life through the lens of divine viewpoint. God in His grace does somehow pepper our life with divine appointments, opportunities to witness or share the gospel, to counsel or be counseled with the pure scripture. That is God’s prerogative. But we are required to study to show ourselves approved to God as workmen that do not need to be ashamed because we rightly divide the word of truth. 2 Tim 2:15

Now Each of the examples in Hebrews 11 is an object lesson on how faith must point at the correct doctrine. Faith in the wrong object is useless and worthless and is actually destructive. Faith in the wrong object at the point of salvation leads to eternal separation from God. Faith in false promises leaves people stranded, dependent on self, man, or worse - spiritual entities of darkness, but not on God. And incorrectly understanding biblical truth has a consequential negative impact on the believer’s thinking and living. However, throughout Hebrews 11 we have examples of those who correctly believed, or believed in correct doctrine - and the eternal consequences of that faith placed in the right thing, which repercussions were immediate , going on to impact all of history, and will end with eternal provision and blessing that proclaims the grace of God into the eternal future.

So what is Faith?

Drilling Deeper!

It turns out that faith is about WHAT you believe, and WHO you place your trust in. It should be fairly obvious that you don’t just BELIEVE - but you BELIEVE SOMETHING. This is part of what we have been addressing in Hebrews Chapter 11: as it deals with faith. Faith must have an object. Faith cannot be in faith. Faith is always inconsequential - it is what we place our face in, that is consequential. In fact it is never about the fact THAT you believe something - because everyone believes something; believes in something. Ephesians 2:8-9 goes a step further to teach us that faith is not meritorious - that there is no merit to the one who believes for believing. But if what is believed is the finished work of Christ on our behalf, that is an understanding of the atoning work of Christ - then we are saved. It is God’s gift. Salvation is the gift of God, given to any who place trust in Christ for salvation. We didn’t earn it. No work is involved. Nothing of merit can be accrued to our account. Believing is NOT meritorious. Everyone believes something. But if you believe what God Says - everything is different.

Now I want to bring up an aspect of faith - that many talk about. Great fiery sermons have been preached on it. People tell each other this what they need to do. It is endorsed by Hollywood, and front row parishoners alike. And this idea is that we need MORE faith. You must grow in your spiritual life demonstrated by increasing amounts of faith.

Now I want to state this as academically and respectfully as I can muster:

The concept of amounts of faith, is just pure poppycock that Christians use to hide their self righteousness behind. It is a means of immaturity, self agrandizement, puffery, over competitiveness; and is used to bully and intimidate. It can easily become a jousting fest to compare who thinks they can demonstrate the most faith. I guarantee that this phrase is uttered by thousands of preachers, and worship leaders, and pastors, and evangelists on this very Sunday: You need more faith! We need more faith! God help us to increase in faith!!

But in the NT, the concept of quantities of faith is reflective of whether you have faith in the right doctrine or don’t. It has nothing to do with your spiritual life, your faithfulness to God, ability to hear from God, your place of fellowship with God, your ability to be used by God, or your ability to do the works of God. And of course it is not about the ability to speak in tongues, or be part of the latest wind of charismatic, pentecostal, vineyard movement, prophetic ministry, etc.

We repeat from before: IT is NOT about FAITH IN FAITH. It is about whether you have faith in the right doctrine, or you don’t.

Let’s get an understanding of where this idea might come from in scripture, and an understanding of what is actually meant in those passages.

Now I want to give us an example: we know of the faith of the mustard seed, that will move a mountain. We have parallel passages that cover Christ talking about this , in Matthew 17:14 - 21 , Mark 9:14-29, Luke 9:37-42. Be aware that at this point in Christ’s ministry he has been rejected as the Messiah by Israel. Israeli leadership have committed the unpardonable sin against God the Holy Ghost, and have blasphemed Him (this means they labeled God the Holy Spirit as a liar, in testifying through miracles that Jesus was the Meshiac, the Christos, therefore they stand condemned for refusing to recognize the work of God the Holy Spirit). Thereafter Jesus the Meshiac only heals people based on need or faith. He turns his back on Israel, and will no longer presents Messianic signs to them - except one, the sign of Jonah - death and resurrection. We reviewed that sign this previous Easter Sunday - where we saw that Jonah died and was brought back to life: which is the sign of Jesus the Christos, who will die and be raised in new life.

Now Jesus sends His disciples out to heal and cast out demons - to minister to the sheep of Judaiah. And then we have a little bump in the road. Jesus, and the three apostles, Peter, James and John come down from the mount where Christ is transfigured, and they find the Other Nine Apostles in a dispute, with a great multitude around them.

Some scribes while questioning the apostles had created a dispute, which stirred up the great multitude. they were using the failure to challenge Yeshua’s Messiahship.

In our Matthew passage Matthew 17:14-21 we hear a Father describe his son as epileptic, suffering grievously, oft falling into the fire, oft into the water. Luke Luke 9:37-42 adds that a spirit takes him, he cries out, tears him, that he foams, bruises him sorely, and hardly departs (meaning gives him no relief).

This is an extreme case of demonic control, including epilepsy and suicidal attempts. Now at this point the Apostles were experienced in performing exorcisms, but were unable to cast out this demon.

In Mark 9:19 Christ immediately responds to this situation - He emphasizes first that this is a FAITHLESS generation, in that this is the generation that rejects Him as Messiah, but still follows looking for a sign. They have no Faith in Jesus as Christ. In terms of our understanding of faith, which must always have a direct object - in this case, the Jews need to be but are not trusting, believing, knowing that Jesus is the Messiah.

Christ continues - Mk 9:19, How long shall I be with you? how long shall I bear with you. In Luke 9:41 He said Bring hear your son. Mark 9:20 says, they brought him unto Him. This means away from the multitude. The demon made one last attempt Mk 9:20 and Luke 9:42 and dashed him to the ground, tearing and foaming, attempting to destroy, and convulsing him..

In Mk 9:21 Christ asks the father of the boy “how long since this been coming to him?” “From a child!”

the Father said in Mk 9:22 “If you can do anything, have compassion on us, and help us”. However, the phrase if you can was not a confession of faith, but rather of doubt. Yeshua would have to correct this.

In Mk 9:23 He responded: If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes . Mk 9:24, the father of the child immediately understood and responds with tears, Lord I believe, help my unbelief. In Mk 9:25 we see that Christ having removed them from the multitudes, quickly cast out the demon, as He saw a multitude running towards them. The demon left violently. Although the miracle was a private matter, the masses could not fail to see the result, and Luke says Luke 9:43 that they were all astonished at the majesty of God.

But the issue is not settled for the perplexed disciples. How come they were unable to cast out his demon despite having done so successfully many times?

Christ, in answering the disciples gave two reasons: First, this kind can only come out by prayer Mk 9:29. Prayer and fasting is a Hebraism for … prayer!. Nothing mystical or works oriented to see here: prayer is prayer. So first we see that THIS kind is unique. What kind? A dumb spirit according to Mark 9:17. Dumb demons were different. Pharisees could cast out all kinds of demons, but not the demons that caused dumbness. The disciples could cast out demons in Yeshua’s name. But dumb demons could only be cast out by prayer, according to Christ.

Huh? First we must understand the technique of demon casting used by the pharisees and by the disciples, which was similar, involved interrogation with the demon. Speak to it. Ask it questions. Then using its name as a pivot point, command the demon by name to come out. The Disciples would go further by falling back on the authority of the Messiah - Jesus the Meshiac.

So this kind must come out by prayer - not by command. Huh? Well how does prayer get the demon cast out? Quite simple, actually - by prayer means that God is doing the casting out. The apostles pray to God - and God the Holy Spirit casts out the demon.

But you will see in Mark 9:25 that Christ commands the Deaf and dumb spirit to come out of him and to enter him no more. But that isn’t Yeshua praying, is it? If you remember, back in Matthew when John the Baptist questioned if Jesus was the Meshiac, Jesus answered: The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor (not the rich) are given the good news (of the Meshiac, the Messiah). These are the signs of the coming of the Messiah. Then in Matthew 12:22-30 Jesus heals the blind and mute man who was demon possessed - who no pharisee could heal. This is the messianic miracle that results in the Pharisees accusing Christ of healing, based on the power of Satan. In this Jesus points out that Israel has committed the unpardonable sin - the rejection of Christ as Messiah, and in that sin they have committed the blasphemy of God the Holy Spirit - they called the work of God the Holy Spirit the work of Satan. And Christ apprises them of the consequence in Matthew 12:31-32, of eternal unforgiveness. These men, and this generation, will be judged based on what they said about the miracles of Christ. Matthew 12:33-37 informs us that the words are the indicator of the central thoughts of the soul … and by these words will be justification or condemnation.

As an aside - this is the point in which Israel is condemned and judged as a nation - based on their unbelief and lying words which reject Christ as the Messiah. They are cut off, at this point, in this passage - though they do not recognize it, and their standing among all nations will be destroyed in AD 70, when Titus sacks the temple. But I want to note, that in Romans 10, the Apostle Paul addresses this exact issue, and almost the exact same words. Israel seeks to be established as righteous by the Law of Moses. But they do not see that Moses is a type of Christ. The type is always inferior to that which it represents - the object that is revealed in the typology, what we call the anti-type. In Romans 10:4 we learn that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. In other words righteousness comes through Christ and His work - not through the laws of Moses which in part serve to depict Christ. Fulfillment of the law, including for Israel, comes at believing in the Messiah. Romans 10:9-10 speaking of the Jews, resumes the very concept stated by Christ in Matthew 12. And we are told in Matthew that belief and words are joined, resulting in condemnation or justification. Paul here states the same in Romans 10:9-10, that belief and words are joined, with the result in Romans 11:26 that all Israel will be saved. These are the parenthetical points in the timeline of Israel’s being cut off based on their rejection of Christ as their Meshiach, and of Israel’s being restored based on belief and confession of Jesus as their Meshiac. First Parenthesis is in Matthew 12, with the second parenthesis being in Matthew 25:31-46 when Jesus the Messiah returns as the King of Glory to physically save all of Israel, who has just believed and been saved spiritually, and then Judge the Nations before rolling out the recreation of the earth for the Millennium and the beginning of civilization 3. Romans 11:26, which corresponds to Matthew

Back to our account in the Gospels, so that we might better understand faith.

Now our first reason the disciples could not cast out the demon was - This kind come out by prayer. Here is where the popular preaching put the emphasis on prayer, or even get catholic or mystical in bringing fasting into the explanation. But they miss out the main point: THIS KIND. It is about the kind. Even the pharisees, who regularly cast out demons, remarked that dumb demons could not be cast out. This act was thought to be reserved for the Messiah - He alone would be able to cast out the dumb demons.

Now Matthew 17:20 tells us the second reason, the apostles could not heal the possessed boy: They lacked faith. He said, because of your little faith. Now follow closely here, because this is the heart of our issue on faith. Their improper methodology revealed that they had a lack of faith. If they had faith - they would have prayed. But without faith, they were engaged in a protocol of casting out demons in the name of Christ. Some would follow, pharisees, and others who are not believers or followers of Yeshuah the Mishiac, who would be casting out demons in His name. We see this in Mark 9:38-39, where someone who is not a follow of Christ is using His name to cast out demons - but not THIS KIND. Now Jesus makes a very important point in Matthew 17:20. Oh man, the sermons and teachings I have heard on this. The books that have been written. From Puritans to modern day “Prophets”.

A couple of points are needed to understand this passage. I think it is important on this point to remark that biblical interpretation is greatly hurt when the bible is pealed away from the life and times and history of the Jewish people. The Mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds on the farm - but common. Every one had seeds and leaves of the mustard plant in their kitchen. The mustard seed was small and everyone could visualize it when it was mentioned. Now Christ had just come down from Mt. Hermon, so he could have been referring to that Mountain, but more likely, according to Arnold Fruchtenbaum in his commentary on the gospels Yeshua - the life Messiah from a Messianic Jewish Perspective, because of the context of the story of the demoniac boy, it is used in the sense of King, Kingdom or a throne. This is a reference to casting out the demon. The reference to the mustard seed is indicative of the presence of something. How much faith does it take to get saved? A little bit more than none. Size is never the issue - what is believed is the issue. What is the object of your faith. What do you believe?

If the disciples had been reliant on God - they would have prayed. God the Holy Spirit would then have cast out the demon. The problem is not that the disciples did not have enought faith - the problem was that they placed their faith in the wrong thing - something they could do, instead of relying on God. Reliance on God, His promises, and the depths of scripture, is always the answer.

Returning to our study of Moses we can make continued application wih an updated awareness of Faith.

Now the Egyptians had faith in vairous false Gods. None of the Hebrews, that is God’s promised people who are the descendents of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph are supposed to be placing their faith in the false Gods of Egypt. But we find that what should be is not always what is in actuality. Now we ended last week with a quick review of the correlation between the Plagues and the Gods and Goddesses of Egypt.

Plagues

References

Possible Egyptian Gods and Goddesses of Egypt Attacked by the Plagues*

1. Nile turned to blood

Exodus 7:14–25

Hapi (also called Apis), the bull god, god of the Nile; Isis, goddess of the Nile; Khnum, ram god guardian of the Nile; and others

2. Frogs

8:1–15

Heqet, goddess of birth, with a frog head

3. Gnats

8:16–19

Set, god of the desert

4. Flies

8:20–32

Re, a sun god; or the god Uatchit, possibly represented by the fly

5. Death of livestock

9:1–7

Hathor, goddess with the cow head; Apis, the bull god, symbol of fertility

6. Boils

9:8–12

Sekhmet, goddess with power over disease; Sunu, the pestilence god, Isis, goddess of healing

7. Hail

9:13–35

Nut, the sky goddess; Osiris, god of crops and fertility; Set, god of storms

8. Locusts

10:1–20

Nut, the sky goddess; Osiris, god of crops and fertility

9. Darkness

10:21–29

Re, the sun god; Horus, a sun god; Nut, a sky goddess; Hathor, a sky goddess

10. Death of the firstborn

11:1–12:30

Min, god of reproduction; Heqet, goddess who attended women at childbirth; Isis, goddess who protected children; Pharaoh’s firstborn son, a god1

1 John D. Hannah, “Exodus,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 120.

The plague judgments will be referred to numerous times later in the Old Testament, by the Lord in the gospels, as well as in the New Testament.

In part, because the Exodus of Israel stands as a teaching event for 2 key things: The substitutionary redemption that is the Passover. We should think of substitutionary redemption when we think of the Passover. A payment is made.

So when we get into talking about the Exodus event, the picture here is just of that – it is substitutionary atonement. And it's such a great rich picture with the death of the Passover lamb that it amazes me that in the early church because they had divorced themselves from the Jewish backgrounds in the early second century after the Bar Kokhba Revolt in 135 the Gentile Christians pretty much ostracized the Jewish Christians and they begin to interpret the Old Testament and New Testament totally within a Greek sort of background. They lost the meaning (the significance) of a lot of Old Testament passages. It wasn't until the Reformation (and earlier than the Reformation) almost a thousand years before certain things were recovered. When Anselm first clearly articulated substitutionary atonement about 1000 AD that could've been done 500, 600, 700 years earlier if they had just really understood the Old Testament sacrificial system. But, by divorcing themselves from the Jewish backgrounds which is part of an anti-Semitism that leaked in; you lost this whole concept of substitutionary atonement.

So the Passover represents substitutionary atonement and the Feast of Unleavened Bread which begins with the Day of Passover is the first day of the weeklong of the feast of Unleavened Bread speaks of separation which is exactly what is happening in the Passover event as God is separating His people from Egypt. And it's a picture of the believer being separated from the world and then the event where they go through the Red Sea and Moses parts the Red Sea is identification with Moses in his faith. So it is a picture (a foreshadowing) of the baptism by the Holy Spirit as Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 10.

So these events are really important because God gives us these little snapshots to help us to understand these more abstract doctrines that we get into in the New Testament referred to as substitutionary atonement, referred to as the separation of the believer from the world, consecration. It’s related to the whole Doctrine of Sanctification as well is the concept of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

So verse 28 focuses on Moses keeping the Passover. So let's look at the description of this in Exodus 11 and 12.

NKJ Exodus 11:1 And the LORD said to Moses,

The first 3 verses focus on God giving initial instructions to Moses. In the first verse, for the first time indicates the limits on the plagues. Up to this point Moses doesn't know how many they're going to be. They just keep coming, and he has no idea when they are going to end and when the pharaoh will finally release the Israelites.

"I will bring yet 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.

In other words, God gives a promise here that this is it and when this occurs pharaoh will finally completely tell you to leave. So then He gives Moses instructions on what he should tell the people.

NKJ Exodus 11:2 "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."

For 430 years they've been slaves in Egypt. Now they're getting their payday. This isn't - they're not stealing the money. They're asking for their Egyptian masters to give them whatever they have, and the people do it. That's the thrust of verse 3.

NKJ Exodus 11:3 And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians.

The Egyptians were glad to do it in other words. The word there for favor indicates grace and the Egyptians were glad to do it and the reason is because of Moses.

The next sentence says:

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.

So there is a motivation now not only to avoid further judgments; but also because of Moses and the Egyptians who had always hated the Semites and had a strong anti-Semitic prejudice willingly give to the Jews all that they have that’s valuable.

NKJ Exodus 11:4 Then Moses said, "Thus says the LORD:

This is what he's going to say to the people and to pharaoh.

'About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt;

Now it doesn't say midnight tonight, midnight tomorrow, midnight next week. So there's a vagueness here to give pharaoh time to I think about it as to how he will respond.

NKJ Exodus 11:5 'and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die,

Now this is important because the eldest had the right of primogeniture. He is the heir. He received the double portion of the inheritance. He is the one who was to carry on the family name especially among the aristocracy and among the royalty. It is the firstborn that got the greatest education. So if the firstborn is wiped out, you're basically destroying the intellectual capital of the next generation. You’re wiping out that generation that had received the best education available in Egypt.

So it's not only that but as the firstborn of pharaoh, his son was considered to be divine as the pharaoh was considered to be divine because he would then be the one to take the throne when the current pharaoh died (when his father died.) So this is a direct attack by God on the whole concept of the deity of the pharaoh.

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.

Now some of you who are tracking with me and remember what we covered the last time are going to say. “Well, wait a minute. Wait a minute. I thought all the animals were dead.”

And, it sort of sounds that way and I wanted to go back and address this. Last time when we look at the fifth plague the comment was made in verse 6 – this is in chapter 9, verse 6.

NKJ Exodus 9:6 So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died.

Now if all the livestock of Egypt died (which is what 9:6 says), then how can the firstborn of the animals die in chapter 11? I thought they all died back in chapter 9. It seem that way, doesn’t it? Well, then you had the plague of hail which had another problem. Well, you have to look back at verse 3, chapter 9 verse 3.

Moses said:

NKJ Exodus 9:3 "behold, the hand of the LORD will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep -- a very severe pestilence.

That key phrase is “in the field.” Those that were sheltered in the barns (in the stables) were not affected - only those in the field. This same phrase occurs in the seventh plague which is the plague of the hail and says in verse 19 with the warning of the hail raining down in verse 18 says:

NKJ Exodus 9:19 "Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die." ' "

So it appears that they had an opportunity to protect some of their livestock by bringing it into the barns, bringing them into the stables. But those that were left out in the pasture – those were the ones that suffered judgment. So they didn't wipe out all of their domestic stock in one blow. But, it did take out a large segment of them; but there's still a tremendous amount left.

Now in verse 5 of chapter 11 the plague of the firstborn is going to come on the humans as well as the animals - from everyone. Verse 6 gives the consequence of it.

NKJ Exodus 11:6 'Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before,

In other words this is a one-of-a-kind of judgment.

nor shall be like it again.

Now that language is very similar to language that Jesus uses in Matthew 24 to talk about the judgments at the last half of tribulation period. Daniel used it to refer to the judgments during the tribulation period. So, this foreshadows that. It is the tribulation judgment worldwide and they are one of a kind.

So verse 8 goes on to say:

NKJ Exodus 11:8 "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.

In other words Moses is saying that when this happens all the people (all the servants) of pharaoh will come to me and they will they will beg us to leave.

NKJ Exodus 11:9 But the LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt."

NKJ Exodus 11:10 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.

So the judgment is going to be enacted.

Now chapter 12 gives the escape clause for the Israelites and that is the Passover. The Passover is that key event around which I think all of the Old Testament acts because this Passover event is the major picture of redemption and judgment in the Old Testament. Of course the flood was in Genesis 6; but this is even more so and it is picked up as such in the New Testament.

God begins a new calendar, verse 2.

NKJ Exodus 12:2 "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.

So this is the month of Nisan in their religious calendar. It’s the seventh month of the civil calendar. The Rosh Hashanah occurs for us in our calendar around September - late September or early October. That begins the civil calendar; but the religious calendar, the calendar related to the observances related to the spiritual life of Israel begins in Nisan which is roughly from the middle of March to the middle of April, that period in the spring.

So the instructions are given. The first instruction is that the congregation on the tenth of the month (very specific):

NKJ Exodus 12:3 "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.

So the lamb is going to take care of the whole household. That speaks to unlimited atonement that not everyone in the house may believe or trust or understand what's going on with the Passover; but nevertheless that one lamb would take care of everyone who was in the house. That’s unlimited atonement. So they would take a lamb and they would take it on the tenth day and they were to examine the lamb for 4 days. It was not to be killed (sacrificed) until the 14th.

In the 5th verse we read:

NKJ Exodus 12:5 'Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year.

Literally, a son of the first year – so it's about a year old.

You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

NKJ Exodus 12:6 '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.

Or, “between the sunsets” is how it reads in the Hebrew. So there’s debate about exactly when that was to have taken place. But these are all instructions for the initial observance of Passover. Things change. I'm not sure really when some of the other elements came in; but this has to do with the first (the very first) Passover. So they would kill it probably between the period of sunset and complete darkness. Then they would take the blood from this lamb that was without spot or blemish; and they would put it on the doorpost or the lintel of the houses where they eat it.

NKJ Exodus 12:7 '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.

NKJ Exodus 12:8 'Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

Now the lamb foreshadows the work of the Lord Jesus Christ - foreshadows the work of the Lord Jesus Christ as Paul indicates in 1 Corinthians 5:7.

NKJ 1 Corinthians 5:7 Therefore purge out the old leaven,

….uses all the symbolism here in applying this to the life of the church there at Corinth.

that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened.

So it's a picture of the unleavened bread. So here's the point.

For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us

So that’s his point. Jesus Christ is clearly identified as our Passover, as the Passover Lamb. This is what John referred to ( John the Baptist) in John 1:29 when he saw Jesus coming toward him.

He says:

NKJ John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

So when an Israelite would hear this, they're thinking of that sacrificial lamb, their thinking of the Passover lamb and there's an identification made in the New Testament that that lamb (that Passover lamb) that was the spot or blemish was to depict the Lord Jesus Christ.

Peters says the same thing in 1 Peter 1:18-19. It begins with a causal participle because:

NKJ 1 Peter 1:18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

NKJ 1 Peter 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ,

Remember that phrase “blood of Christ” indicates His death.

as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

So the New Testament makes a direct claim that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the picture from the Old Testament that that Passover lamb was for portraying something about the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The fact that it was without spot or blemish indicated the impeccability or sinlessness of the Lord Jesus Christ (or the Messiah) that He would be without sin.

The reason that the lamb is kept from the 10th to the 14th is to examine it (to evaluate, to make sure) that it is without spot or blemish. It was a time of examination and investigation.

So Jesus entered into Jerusalem on the 10th day of Nisan in 33AD. This is what we call Palm Sunday although I don't think it was on Sunday. He enters into Jerusalem on that day and then He is examined until the Day of Preparation which is when He is sacrificed. The Day of Preparation would actually technically be the 13th because Passover by the time of the life of Christ in Judea; the day began at dusk. So from dusk to dusk you have you have your daytime.

John said Jesus died on the Day of Preparation. So the 14th begins at nightfall on Wednesday and Jesus is sacrificed on the cross that afternoon on the Day of Preparation between 12 noon and 3 pm.

So He is evaluated. When you read through the Gospel accounts between the period of His entry into Jerusalem until He is taken (arrested) at the Last Supper; there is a time when He is constantly being questioned and interrogated by the Pharisees, by the Sadducees, by the Herodians. This is the examination of the Passover Lamb from God. He is being evaluated to see if He in all that testing passes all that testing and temptation that occurs demonstrating that He is qualified to go to the cross. And He is the lamb. The lamb as I've said many times in our Revelation series is used some 27 times as the favorite title that John uses of Jesus in Revelation.

Revelation 13:8 is one of those passages.

NKJ Revelation 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

…indicating that the plan of God was from the beginning of creation to offer the Second Person of the Trinity as the substitute for mankind. So there's this evaluation period between the tenth in the fourteenth.

Then there is specific description given about the sacrifice. He is to be killed. The carcass is then to be roasted. They are to take some of the blood and put it on the doorposts and on the lintel. The lintel is the crosspiece at the top of the door. So if you have blood on each doorpost and blood on the top and then you connect the dots, you have a cross. That is the foreshadowing of the cross and the death of Christ.

So there are specific instructions given then.

NKJ Exodus 12:8 'Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

Eating is a picture of fellowship. It is also a picture of accepting something into yourself. You are receiving it into yourself and so it becomes a picture of faith. Anyone can eat. Anyone can believe. Eating is taking something and making it a part of yourself. So trusting in Christ is depicted by eating. It is the same picture we have in the Lord Table. When we eat the bread, drink the cup that is a depiction of faith that we have accepted Christ; we were receiving Him into our life. So to eat the flesh on that night with the unleavened bread - the bread of course we learned later (from later revelation) depicts the humanity of Christ. It is unleavened because leaven depicts sin. So the bread is to be unleavened. There's no sin there because the bread pictures Jesus Christ as the bread of life. They are to eat it with bitter herbs. The bitter herbs depict the bitterness of the slavery that they have had under Egyptian bondage. So the bitter herbs depict sin and the solution to the sin is of course the substitutionary sacrifices of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then verse 9 says:

NKJ Exodus 12:9 'Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire -- its head with its legs and its entrails.

Why? Because it’s judgment. There is a particular kind of death that the Savior had to go through. He could not have died from being hit over the head. He could not have died from just any kind of death. He couldn't have just said, “Okay, I’m going to die for the sins of the world,” and had a cardiac arrest. He had to die a violent penal death because it is depicting the fact that He is the one being judged for our sins.

Then verse 10:

NKJ Exodus 12:10 'You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.

So then they were instructed that after they ate it; they would stand up eating that the first time because they were ready to leave. God was going to release them from their bondage, and they were eating in haste.

Later one of the questions in the Jewish Passover is why did they eat standing up and we eat lying down. It is because the first time they were being delivered from slavery; and now they can eat lying down resting because they're resting in what God has already done. It’s a great picture of the faith rest life of the believer that because Christ has done it all; we have a sufficient Savior, a sufficient salvation, a sufficient Savior and a sufficient Scripture we can rest in the provision of God.

Now that doesn't mean that life is always going to be easy. It doesn’t mean that at all. God didn’t promise us a life without adversity; but He promised us the resources to handle the adversity and to live in and with the adversity without letting the adversity overwhelm us in discouragement, depression, sadness and failure. That's one of the things that people always have trouble with.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says:

NKJ 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape,

Most people never hear the rest of the verse.

“Good! God’s going to get me out of this and things are going to change and life is going to be good. I’m going to get to escape it.”

No the way to escape:

that you may be able to bear it.

What? That means you're going to stay in and under the pressure. God’s not going to take it away. This is something - I was talking to a pastor earlier today.

He said, “That is the biggest trouble,” (and mentioned somebody I knew) “that they have. What they hear no matter how much you tell them differently, all they hear is that somehow God is going to change their circumstances.”

That verse doesn’t say God is going to change their circumstances. It's going to change your mental attitude. When you're focused on Christ, your mental attitude changes so you can handle the circumstances. But God is not going to change your circumstances just because it's tough. It is tough and that's what you have to learn to handle to grow and mature as a believer.

So they're ready to leave. They have dressed. They’ve packed. They're ready to go.

NKJ Exodus 12:12 '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.

God strikes the firstborn: 2 years old, 7 years old, 14 years old, 25 years old. And the liberals have a terrible time with this.

“How can you worship this God that kills babies and kills children and kills teenagers just because they're firstborn?”

What they don't realize is number one every Egyptian was told what the escape clause was that all you have to do is take the lamb that is without spot or blemish, sacrifice it and put the blood on your doorpost and the firstborn will not die. But they refused to accept God's provision of deliverance for the 10th judgment.

The second thing they failed to note is that they blow up this a false idea of love. They then impose that on God. It is such arrogance that that little bitty finite man… It's like you go out in your backyard have this little ant in the ant bed and starts shaking his fist at you and say, “You know, you just don't do anything right. I’m going to tell you how to do everything and how to take care of this yard.” And that's exactly what it's like when you have of these liberal theologians come along and say, “How can this be a loving God?” They always focus on the person who is being punished. They never focus on the crime itself and the fact that because God is righteous and just and love He must execute justice among sinful rebellious creatures. And He gives them grace upon grace upon grace upon grace, opportunity after opportunity to turn to God’s solution. He not only tells them there's going to be judgment; but He gives them a way out - every time. But they reject that. So now God is the one who's going to bring the judgment upon them.

As we will continue to go through chapter 12, God says in verse 13:

NKJ Exodus 12:13 '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.

What happened this night was that there were thousands of firstborn in the houses in Egypt that died; but none, not one in the house of Egypt. That’s the Doctrine of Separation and separation is based on obedience to God's revelation.

So verse 14:

NKJ Exodus 12:14 'So this day shall be to you a memorial;

That’s the same language that we have with the Lord Table. It is a memorial, something to remember.

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.

NKJ Exodus 12:15 'Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.

So the Passover is the first day of that week observance of unleavened bread. That first day which is the day of Passover:

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.

That's means- it's not capital punishment; but they are kicked out. They lose their citizenship. They are removed from the congregation because of their disobedience to God. So God obviously took that to be very important. Why? Because it is depicting something about the Person of the Savior. You can't mess around with what God has said in God’s description of these events.

Now verse 16 says:

NKJ Exodus 12:16 '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.

NKJ Exodus 12:17 '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.

So he goes on to describe some of the basics. Moses then repeats the instructions for applying the blood.

NKJ Exodus 12:22 "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.

Hyssop is s always used in a context of purification, the context of purification of cleansing. So they take the hyssop, dip it in blood and put it on the lintel. So that is described.

Then we get into the results of the plague in verses 29 and 30.

NKJ Exodus 12:30 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.

So it shows in Egypt there was virtually 100% disobedience even after 9 judgments. They still don't get it that it's going to happen that when Moses said “Thus saith the Lord,” that God was going to bring it about. That shows the hardness of the unbeliever, the hardness of the person who is set against God. It's not about reason. This has got to be one of the most irrational things that you can think of. But it has nothing to do with reason. How in the world we think can someone who has witnessed the previous 9 plagues and they hear what's going to happen, refuse to believe it's going to happen? It's because they're rejecting God. It's not because they are stupid. It's that they have made a prior decision to reject God and a biblical view of reality. So we see that around us all the time. People again and again , friends, family members - they just don't have anything to do with Christianity; and they reject it completely from the foundation all the way up. They don't want to have anything to do at all with Christianity and they never will.

But our job as believers is to constantly be kind, constantly be giving them the gospel, looking for opportunities. We don't want to absolutely drive them away by pestering them with the gospel; but looking for and praying for those God-given opportunities we have that God can create certain situations that will make them teachable or give them an opportunity to listen again.

Now when you get little further down into chapter 12, we have the various regulations related to the Passover.

NKJ Exodus 12:43 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it.

It's not for Gentiles. It is only for Israel because this is a picture of what He is doing for the nation as a whole in redeeming them the payment price to free them from bondage to sin – I mean to Egypt which is a picture of our bondage to sin.

NKJ Exodus 12:44 "But every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it.

In other words circumcision is a picture of being loyal and identifying with the Abrahamic Covenant. That was the sign of the Abraham Covenant. The Sabbath is a sign of the Mosaic Covenant. So it only applied to a servant if that servant identifying himself with Israel and with the Abrahamic Covenant. In contrast a sojourner (this would be someone who was just traveling through Goshen or someone who just temporarily staying with them):

NKJ Exodus 12:45 "A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it.

…because they they're not identified with the Abrahamic Covenant.

In verse 46:

NKJ Exodus 12:46 "In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones.

So it’s to be eaten in the house with the family. Each household had his own lamb. You couldn't transfer it. You can’t transfer your faith to somebody else in the house. No lamb was to be broken because no bone was going to be broken when Jesus was on the cross. That’s the depiction there.

NKJ Exodus 12:47 "All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.

NKJ Exodus 12:48 "And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it.

This is how a Gentile would become identified with Israel and become part of Israel. They would be a proselyte and enter into the heritage of Abraham. There are several Gentiles such as Rehab and Ruth who entered into Israel. Rehab was a Canaanite who entered at Jericho. Ruth was a Moabitess. They are both in the lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ.

NKJ Exodus 12:49 "One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you."

So you have two different rules or regulations there.

Verse 50 summarizes it:

NKJ Exodus 12:50 Thus all the children of Israel did; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

NKJ Exodus 12:51 And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.

So that brings us to the next verse which is going to emphasize the escape from Egypt, the deliverance itself as Moses parts the Red Sea. So next time we will take a look at the issues related to their departure, the Red Sea, their advance to Mount Sinai and the role that the parting of the Red Sea plays in terms of being a picture of baptism according to 1 Corinthians 10 :1-3.