Exodus Sermons (written) – Page 15

Exodus 12:29-36 (The Plague on the Firstborn)

Charlie Garrett Exodus, Exodus Sermons (written), Old Testament, Sermons, Torah Sunday, July 19th, 2015Sunday, July 19th, 2015 0 Comment

Exodus 12:29-36
The Plague on the Firstborn

For the second and last time in Exodus, the kneading bowls of the people will be mentioned. The first time was during the plague of frogs which filled the kneading bowls of the Egyptians. This time it will be contrasted with the kneading bowls of the Israelites which will be filled with dough and then wrapped in cloth to keep out contamination.

The only other time these kneading bowls are mentioned is in the book of Deuteronomy – once in Israel’s expected blessings for obedience, and once in their expected curses for disobedience. A kneading bowl is something personal to the household. It is where the bread is made.

The bread is prepared and it is brought to the table. The table is where the meal is. And the meal is where life’s most tender moments with family and friends often occur. We can think of our kitchen counter as today’s kneading bowl. We keep it clean and we prepare our meals on it.

Nobody would consider eating food that was prepared on a counter filled with roaches or mold… well maybe roaches – no probably not. We take good care of where we prepare our meals because we want to stay healthy and because we want to eat food which tastes good and which doesn’t have bugs in it.

When we go into a house which isn’t clean in this way, we will find any excuse for not eating what is offered. But in considering this, do we make as much effort in our spiritual house? Is our spiritual bread prepared without contamination?

How carefully we tend to our physical food, but how carelessly we often tend to our spiritual food! Do we take time to read God’s word? And if we do, do we simply read it in order to say we’ve read it, or do we savor it as a meal of the purest sort?

And in what other areas do we neglect to live in a spiritually pure manner? Do we eat the bread of immoral images? Do we consume greed or envy over possessions? Do we drink up bitterness by the mug full? What is it in our lives that we can correct for in our spiritual meal?

Adherence to the word carries great benefit. Failing to adhere to it carries great consequences. Israel as a nation found this out, and each individual will find it out as well. Some are blessed and realize it in this life. Others won’t find out until it’s too late. Let’s be sure that our kneading bowls are filled with unleavened bread as we walk in this life we have been granted.

Text Verse: “Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.” Deuteronomy 28:17

A cursed kneading bowl is a kneading bowl that is defiled and unsuitable for use. It could also be an empty kneading bowl that leaves one staring at it wondering when they will eat their next meal. Either way, it is useless to be used for what it was designed.

The kneading bowls of Pharaoh and Egypt were defiled, but they failed to pay heed. Now, eight plagues later, they will suffer the greatest plague for having not learned the lessons of the past. It will be such a terrible thing that they will urge Israel to leave.

Let us learn the lesson of the kneading bowl and keep ours clean and undefiled. Let us keep our lives holy and our doctrine pure. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Let us partake only of the true Bread, the pure and unleavened Bread of Christ which is revealed in His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Go, Serve the Lord as You have Said (verses 29 & 30)

²⁹And it came to pass at midnight

Nine plagues have come upon Egypt. Nine times they have been afflicted by the hand of the Lord. The land has been ruined and death has been seen. And with the distinction being made between the Egyptians and Israel, the plagues would have been all the more wondrous.

Several times, Pharaoh seemed ready to relent and release captive Israel, even speaking aloud that it would happen. But because of his stubborn heart, he always found a reason to back off from actually following through with his words.

His heart was hard and it only grew harder through the carefully timed wonders which the Lord sent into the land. Now, for several days there has been darkness in the land. The people would have been beside themselves as they sat in their houses, not being able to even tell if it was day or night.

Here at midnight on the 15th of the month of Aviv, the worst terror of all would come upon the people of Egypt. Being the 15th of the month, it would be a full moon, the most propitious time of all for the Exodus of Israel. They would have the moon to illuminate the land as they picked up their belongings and headed out of Egypt.

But for the Egyptians, midnight would make the plague all the more horrifying. The people would have slept, waking to hear the sounds of death consuming their loved ones. Their minds would have been dull and the darkness would only make the calamity more terrible. Would the death strike others? Might it even… even strike me?

And Pharaoh would have the overwhelming horror that he had been told in advance that the plague was coming. In their final meeting, Moses told him that midnight was the hour for it to occur. Whether he believed it possible or not then, he now realized the truth of the statement. Death had come at midnight.

^{29 (con’t)}that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt,

Unlike all of the other plagues which could possibly be seen as natural, this one cannot. The death of the firstborn only is unique and cannot be ascribed to anything except a targeted attack. There is a purposeful, willful intent behind the action. Nature does not act in such a way, ever.

No amount of speculation concerning what type of natural phenomena will ever adequately resolve what occurs here. Attempts to find them have only proven the one so speculating to be foolish. The attack will come against all people in all living conditions and even against the animals.

But more than that, those with the blood applied, even if in the exact same neighborhood, will be spared. The impossibility of this being a natural event is assured. Let us accept the narrative at face value and not attempt to undermine the magnificence of what occurred on that sacred midnight in the land of Egypt.

Be advised though that there are so-called scholars who would so attempt to weaken the account. The liberal scholars at Cambridge state as they often do that the text has been manipulated. Here are their words –

“This particular form of the tradition (Sage) evidently first arose partly through the influence of the Isr. spring-offering of the Passover, partly through that of the Isr. custom of dedicating the first-born, which together brought into the tradition the sparing of the houses and first-born of the Israelites, and transformed the Egyptians who perished in the plague into first-born.” (Liberal and perverse “scholars” at) Cambridge

May they be judged appropriately for their lack of faith in the surety and truthfulness of God’s holy and superior word!

And yet, as straight forward as these words appear, there is room for some argumentation. Concerning those targeted, they have been interpreted in a multitude of ways. Is this speaking of only the firstborn son, or the firstborn who opens the womb, regardless as to whether it was a male or a female?

Does it mean all the firstborn in a house? Because if so, it could mean the grandfather who was a firstborn of his mother, the father who was the firstborn of his mother, and so on. If it includes women, then it could include an aunt or a mother.

Some scholars say the word “firstborn,” which is bekor implies a male only. Others disagree. Some even argue that the word, which can mean “chief” or “most” can be speaking in a superlative sense, such as the “most favored.” Little agreement is found among those with such diverse opinions.

However, the narrative itself, as well as the pictures found throughout the Bible, gives us the proper answer. Exodus 1:16 details Pharaoh’s words which said –

“When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” Exodus 1:16

A few verses later, in verse 22, Pharaoh gave another command –

“So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, ‘Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.'” Exodus 1:22

Pharaoh had ordered the killing of Israel’s sons and the Lord would now slay the firstborn sons of his land. And as a certainty of this, In Exodus 4:22, we read these words –

“‘”Then you shall say to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn. ²³So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.”‘” Exodus 4:22, 23

In these verses, the word ben or “son” is used in conjunction with bekor or “firstborn.” This was targeted only at the males. Whether it means the males of all generations or only those of the youngest generation is not specified, but if Pharaoh himself were a firstborn, then it would mean only the youngest, because he didn’t die. If not, then we can’t know.

No matter what, because of their treatment of God’s firstborn son, called the Israelites, they would now be so treated. As Jamieson-Faucett-Brown notes –

“They were made, in the justice of God, to feel something of what they had made His people feel.” Jamieson-Faucett-Brown

^{29 (con’t)}from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne

The highest seat in the land was not exempt from the punishment of the plague. And in fact, he was the most deserving of it, having sat in the royal seat, overseeing the unjust laws and crimes committed against the people of the Lord.

He had been given his warning before the first plague that this day would come and he refused to heed it. With each subsequent plague, the day of this judgment drew nearer, and yet he continued to stubbornly refuse to pay heed to the words he had heard and the marvels he had beheld.

^{29 (con’t)}to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon,

Curiously, these words do not read the same as the warning given in Exodus 11. There it said –

…and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. Exodus 11:5

There is a possible reason for the change which can be answered by the fact that elsewhere in the Bible captives worked at a grinder while in prison. This is seen in Samson who was taken captive by the Philistines. In Judges 16, it says –

“Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.” Judges 16:21

However, this doesn’t explain why the change was made, only a possible answer for it. And so I would suggest that this change is to point us to the work of Christ. In Exodus 11:5, it says –

“…the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill.”

Grammatically, this could be saying that the firstborn is behind the handmill or the female servant is behind the handmill. However, my friend Sergio notes that –

“Context wise, it continues a sentence where in the first part it uses the exact same language and reference: firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to firstborn of the maidservant who is behind the handmill.”

He goes on to say that, “I understand that Pharaoh was the one who sits on the throne, not his firstborn. Only when Pharaoh dies, then his firstborn takes his throne.”

In the exodus, we have to remember that the lamb was sacrificed in place of the firstborn. I don’t think it would be stretching it to say that Christ died for all people and this is reflected in Him in the words of Exodus 11. He truly was the Firstborn behind the stone in His grave, represented by the millstones.

And yet at the same time He is the Firstborn of the female servant. Mary called herself “the maidservant of the Lord” in Luke 1, she being the mother of the Lord. Thus in the ambiguity of the wording – He fills both roles.

In Exodus 12, He was the “Firstborn of the captive in the dungeon” meaning the Firstborn of fallen man, and yet he was the “Firstborn in the dungeon” meaning the grave. The same word for “dungeon” here, ha’bowr, was used in Genesis where it was called “the pit.” In those sermons, it was clearly a picture of Christ in His death.

Finally, the continuity in the ability to mean both things extends to the phrase “from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne.” In the Joseph sermons, Pharaoh which means “Great House,” pictured God on His throne. And so the same ambiguity in the wording can be applied here also. It can read either “Pharaoh who sat on His throne,” or “the firstborn who sat on His throne.”

Jesus sat on the throne of heaven, but condescended to come to earth where He died as the Firstborn Son of God. This is seen in Colossians 1 –

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. ¹⁸And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” Colossians 1:15-18

He is also the Firstborn who sat on His throne as is spoken of numerous times in the New Testament. One which fits this perfectly is found in Hebrews 1 –

“But to the Son He says:
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.'” Hebrews 1:8

I do believe this evaluation is correct. It is showing us that there has been an exchange made. The firstborn of God, the firstborn of the maidservant, and the firstborn of the captive are all picturing the Lord and His wondrous work for the people of the world.

Because of what He has done, we may now join Him as the firstborn registered in heaven, as the author of Hebrews tells us –

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, ²³to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect…” Hebrews 12:22, 23

God did not cause the people of the world to suffer unjustly. And there is nothing that has happened to us that He was not willing to endure Himself.

^{29 (con’t)}and all the firstborn of livestock.

The word here should be translated as YLT states it, “and every first-born of beasts.” This word is behemah, which means any beast, whether livestock, a family dog or cat, the camel at the hitching post, or any other beast in the land. There is a reason for this particular judgment.

Due to Egypt’s animal worship, the Lord was showing that all animals were under His authority, even those which had not yet been named in any judgment. If they had made an idol of Rover, he would now be shown as a false god. If they had made an idol of Fifi the cat, it would now be proven false as well. The Lord created, and the Lord has judged.

³⁰So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians;

Whether it was the sounds of death which awakened the living, or whether it was the sounds of the living who knew of the death which awakened all others, everyone in Egypt was aroused from their sleep because of what had transpired.

Only the deaf would lay in a peaceful slumber unless they too were awakened to mourn their own dead. Egypt had been crushed before, but never had it received such a punishing blow which reached to the very heart of all people…

^{30 (con’t)}and there was a great cry in Egypt,

Pharaoh was warned of exactly this in Chapter 11 –

“Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again.” Exodus 11:6

Ancient travelers of past ages have recorded the habits of the Egyptians when death came near to them. Compiling several scholars’ notes on this, Adam Clarke gives the following summary for us to consider –

“No people in the universe were more remarkable for their mournings than the Egyptians, especially in matters of religion; they whipped, beat, tore themselves, and howled in all the excess of grief. When a relative died, the people left the house, ran into the streets, and howled in the most lamentable and frantic manner.” Adam Clarke

With a culture known for such outlandish mourning over the dead, the term tseaqah gedolah, or “great cry” probably should be considered an understatement. Words would fail to describe the sounds emanating in the darkness of night in the land of Egypt.

^{30 (con’t)}for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

If, as I suggested earlier, only the firstborn son of the house was destroyed, then these words might be taken as hyperbole. Not every house would have a firstborn son, but every house with one would suffer the plague and have dead among them.

But even in houses without a firstborn son, there still could have been firstborn animals. If someone had a favorite monkey that they idolized, or a precious puppy that they loved, they too would have been afflicted by the plague, even if it were less painful than a human child.

And considering that everyone would know a house with a firstborn son, then everyone would have been personally touched by what occurred. The plague would have afflicted every person in the land and the mourning sounds would have been beyond our ability to put into words.

In one final mighty blow upon man and beast
The Lord came through Egypt the land
From the greatest even to the least
No family was exempt from His punishing hand

Except those who had applied the blood
The precious blood of a lamb, innocent and pure
For those there was safety from the deathly flood
Behind the doors, they were safe and secure

Judgment has been rendered upon Egypt’s sin
Upon Pharaoh and all his subjects in the land
Their rebellions had finally done them in
No family was exempt from the Lord’s punishing hand

II. Be Gone! (verses 31 & 32)

³¹Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night,

There is again argument and dissension among scholars what these words mean. Did Pharaoh call for Moses and Aaron to come before him? If so, then it would seem to violate what was said in Chapter 10 –

“Then Pharaoh said to him, ‘Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!’
²⁹So Moses said, ‘You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.'” Exodus 10:28, 29

However, scholars attempt to argue that because of the urgency of the situation, he called for them to appear before him again. However, Chapter 11 answers this and shows that to not be the case. Moses, knowing in advance what would occur said these parting words to Pharaoh –

“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!” Exodus 11:8

Speculation is unnecessary. Pharaoh sent his messengers while he mourned over his dead. He was unwilling to personally go and beg for them to leave.

^{31 (con’t)}and said, “Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel.

Exactly as Moses had said would come about, Pharaoh now fulfills, imploring not only Moses and Aaron, but all of the people of Israel to leave. And he gives the reason for the order, finally realizing what he ignored throughout the entire period of the plagues…

^{31 (con’t)}And go, serve the Lord as you have said.

This was the original request made in the first meeting between these three back in Chapter 4, “…let my son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” All of the pains, all of the destruction, all of the death and misery could have been avoided if Pharaoh had simply allowed Israel to go.

But when one doesn’t know the true God he is just another of many gods, or he may even be considered a false-god or no-god at all. Unfortunately, when we don’t recognize the Creator, we cannot anticipate what He is capable of. Israel forgot their Lord and they were all but destroyed, twice.

The world has, like Egypt in these verses, all but forgotten the Lord, and the plagues of Egypt will come on a global scale. When it is all said and done, there will be little left. And all of this is because of a failure to serve the Lord, just as He has requested since the beginning of time.

³²Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone;

Not only were they granted leave, but they have been granted absolute leave. Everything they possessed was to go with them, exactly as the Lord said in Exodus 11 –

“I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether.” Exodus 11:1

Not only is the word from Pharaoh a grant to go serve the Lord, it is a petition begging them to go, even directing them to go. His thoughts were so overwhelmed with the events of the past months and of what occurred that night, that he could only long for them to be gone. But in their going, he looked for release from any further plagues by speaking the continuing words of verse 32…

^{32 (con’t)}and bless me also.”

u’berekhtem gam oti, “and bless me also.” The words are plural, “you (plural) bless me also. Imagine the emotion of the man which would cause him to utter these words to his great foes. The last time they stood face to face, Pharaoh threatened their lives if they ever came before him again.

And yet now, the broken man can only beg for a blessing. No other words could so exactingly show forth his complete submission to the Lord. In Genesis 47:7, the first thing that Jacob, who is Israel, did when coming into the presence of Pharaoh was to bless him. In Genesis 47:10, the last thing he did before leaving Pharaoh’s presence was to again bless him.

Now 215 years later, the last thing that is requested by Pharaoh of Israel’s representatives, is a blessing. It is a nice touch tying the two stories together in a unique way. Jacob voluntarily blessed Pharaoh in the past. Pharaoh now begs for more.

“Bless me also!” cried the people who wouldn’t repent
“Bless me also!” cried those who persecuted the people of the Lord
“Bless me also!” they cried when the plague was sent
“I know now I should have paid heed to His word

“Bless me also!” cried the arrogant leader of the land
“Bless me also!” he cried after leading in wickedness
“Save me from any further punishment from God’s hand
No more curses please! Instead I implore you to bless

How can we ignore the Lord every single day?
How can we ignore Him year after year?
And then ask Him to bless us when things don’t go our way
We humans are incurably dull I do fear

III. The Plundering of the Egyptians (verses 33-36)

³³And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste.

The word for “urged” here is khazaq. This same word has been used nine times already in Exodus in relation to Pharaoh. Eight of them were concerning the hardening of his heart. One was concerning his continued holding of them instead of letting them go. Now it is used concerning the Egyptians urging Israel to go.

The irony in the use of this word now is amazing. The same word which has been used concerning their continued bondage in Egypt is now being turned around as an urgent appeal to get them to leave… immediately. And the reason for the urgency of their request is in the continued words of the verse…

^{33 (con’t)}For they said, “We shall all be dead.”

kulanu metim – “We.all.dead.” Their alarm at what had transpired was so great that they were certain their own death was at hand. As Benson notes –

“When death comes into our houses it is seasonable for us to think of our own mortality.” Benson

Having helped out in the mortuary in Japan while in the service, I can testify that this is true. When you’re around the dead in an enclosed space, you will inevitably think of your own mortal state. In the case of the Egyptians, they could only think that the death would transfer to them as well.

It was as if a sentence of death hung over their heads, calling to them because of the presence of the Israelites. They wanted Israel gone so that the sentence would be commuted.

³⁴So the people took their dough before it was leavened,

Because of the urgency of the moment, the dough that had been prepared for the exodus was not leavened when they left. There is no contradiction in this and in the instructions found in the earlier verses of this chapter. There it said –

“So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. ¹⁵Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.” Exodus 12:14-15

Those verses I just read were in anticipation of the exodus and were to be a memorial. There is no reason to think that the general populace knew of these instructions. They simply made bread day by day and added the yeast in before they baked it.

In the case of the Israelites on this night, they waited to leave, but had no idea that they would nearly be forced out in a moment. The Lord knew what they didn’t and anticipated the annual ritual in advance of the actual circumstances which precipitated it.

The dough or batseq comes from the verb batseq which means to swell. It implies that dough swells through fermentation, but in the case of this dough, it was not yet leavened and would not swell.

^{34 (con’t)}having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders.

As I said earlier, this is the second of only four times that the mishereth, or kneading trough, is mentioned in the Bible. The first was during the plague of frogs where it said that the frogs went into the kneading troughs of the Egyptians. They were small elongated wood or wicker troughs where dough was made.

They were lightweight and could be easily carried as described here. Wrapping them, or anything else like this, was a common way of carrying things. In parts of the world, it still is. This is what Ruth did when she left Boaz on the night of their meeting at the threshing floor.

She used her shawl as a way of carrying the barley that he gave her to take home. When I lived in Japan, my wife did this for me every day with my lunch. She’d wrap it in a large piece of cloth, usually one of my bandanas, and I’d carry it to work. Even thirty years later, my friends that I served with still bring that up from time to time.

If I were to look for a reason for the inclusion of this verse, which on its surface seems unnecessary to the account, it would be that it is a picture of Christ. The lamb died in place of the firstborn. In Christ, He died in place of the sinner.

He is sinless, just as the dough was unleavened. Sin results in death, leaven results in corruption. He, being the sinless Bread of life, is carried by the Lord’s people in their Exodus from the world of sin. Like Israel who carried heavy burdens for the Egyptians, we carried a heavy burden in spiritual Egypt, but we carry a light one in Christ. He referred to this in Matthew –

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

³⁵Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing.

As was seen before in reference to this, the King James Version blindly followed after the Geneva Bible and used the term “borrowed” instead of “asked.” It is the most unfortunate of translations which has led to all kinds of scandalous remarks concerning the Lord and the Lord’s people.

If they “borrowed” and didn’t intend to return, then they stole. Such is the nature of a mistranslation. It has led to many accusations being levied against the soundness of the account. The people asked and the Egyptians gave.

The word for “articles” here can mean a whole host of things from weapons to utensils and from cups to plates. Articles of silver and gold and also garments are requested, not to enrich the Israelites, but for what they will do with them in the wilderness.

They are heading out and will soon develop an organized mode of worship which will continue on until the coming of Christ. These articles will be used in the building of the tabernacle, every detail of which pictures Jesus. God is plundering the Egyptians in order to form this worship for His people.

Likewise, in Christ, God took from humanity in order to build His greater and eternal Temple. He did it in that Christ came from the stream of humanity to be the true Ark of that temple. And He has done it from His people who have become living stones in His temple. Every detail is given to show us hints of the glory to come in Christ.

³⁶And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested.

All of Egypt would have been aware of the plight of the Israelites and they would have known that the Lord had judged Egypt because of them. They would look on Israel with fear, yes. But they would also look on them with a sense of realizing the wrongs that had been committed against them. As Matthew Henry says –

“Thus the Lord took care that their hard-earned wages should be paid, and the people provided for their journey.” Henry

Today, people continue to send money to Jewish causes and for the return of those who want to make the move back to the land of Israel. They do it because they perceive the injustices that have been committed against them in the past.

If each person in Egypt were given a single gold ring, a single silver cup, and a one nice garment, it would come out to an immense amount considering the number which is recorded as departing. If one person decides they will no longer go to Starbucks or Disney World because they don’t want to support the gay agenda, it may only mean $100 a year in lost revenue.

But if all Christians were united in this effort, it would deprive them of hundreds of millions of dollars a year, maybe more. Such is the nature of accumulated wealth. When the tabernacle is to be built, Moses will ask the people for donations for the effort. However, after a while this will be seen –

“Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, ⁵and they spoke to Moses, saying, ‘The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.’
⁶So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, ‘Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.’ And the people were restrained from bringing, ⁷for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done—indeed too much.” Exodus 36:4-7

In the end, the extraordinary amount carried out collectively was individually a moderate repayment for many hard years of service, and a just recompense for harsh injustices against them.

*^{36 (con’t)}Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

Each individual Egyptian was glad to have helped in a small way, but the Egyptian economy as a whole was severely harmed in a big way. It is like the common adage, “I went broke saving money” when buying many items that were on sale. Egypt was plundered one small donation at a time.

The Pulpit Commentary provides us with a graphic explanation of the sight of Israel ready to depart –

“The result was that the Israelites went forth, not as slaves, but as conquerors, decked with the jewels of the Egyptians, as though they had conquered and despoiled them.” Pulpit

Everything about this final plague on Egypt speaks of the work of Christ. In the greatest sense, God judged the world’s sin through His own Firstborn. There is a price for redeeming. In Egypt, it was with the firstborn of the people of the land, or with an innocent lamb.

In the world we live in, it can only be from the Firstborn of God, who also is the Lamb of God. Every picture of the past goes both ways, and both ways point to Christ. It is all about Him. Imagine that… we have been purchased by the very Creator of all things through the most precious life, that of Jesus.

How can we turn away from so great a salvation? How could we escape God’s wrath if we did? Nothing but the blood… nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ can wash away our sin. If you have never called out to Him for healing and restoration, please do so today. Let me tell you how you can…

Closing Verse: “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.” Deuteronomy 28:5

Next Week: Exodus 12:37-51 (The Exodus) (36th Exodus Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Plague of the Firstborn

And it came to pass at midnight
That the Lord struck all the firstborn
In the land of Egypt, showing His might
And how the land did mourn!

From the firstborn of Pharaoh
Who sat upon his throne
To the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon
And all the firstborn of livestock, man and beast did moan

So Pharaoh rose in the night from his spot
He, all his servants, and all the people of Egypt
And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not
A house where the life of one wasn’t stripped

Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night
And said, “Rise, and out from among my people go
Both you and the children of Israel
And go, serve the Lord as you have said, yes even so

Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said
And be gone; and bless me also, now that my son is dead

And the Egyptians urged the people
That they might send them out of the land in haste
For they said, “We shall all be dead.”
Hurry! There is no time to waste

So the people took their dough
Before to it they could leaven impose
Having their kneading bowls as we know
Bound up on their shoulders, in their clothes

Now the children of Israel had done as tasked
According to the word of Moses, he did tell
And they from the Egyptians had asked
Articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing as well

And the Lord had given the people favor
In the sight of the people of Egypt
So that they granted them what they requested
Thus they plundered the Egyptians; their wealth was stripped

With this final plague, Israel is ready to leave
After many years of hard bondage the time is spent
And while the people of Egypt moan and grieve
Israel will take part in the great exodus event

And each of us who has called upon the Lord
Has likewise been brought out from hard bondage too
When we heard the message of Jesus, the spoken word
He revived our spirit; in Him we have been created anew

Wonderful stories of times gone by
And yet they are relevant to the lives of each one of us
And so with our voices to Him let us shout aloud and cry
All hail the glorious name, the exalted name of Jesus!

Thank You for the new life You have granted to us
Thank You O God, for our Lord, our Savior, our precious Jesus

Hallelujah and Amen…

Exodus 12:21-28 (What Do You Mean By This Service?)

Charlie Garrett Exodus, Exodus Sermons (written), Old Testament, Sermons, Torah, Torah (written) Sunday, July 12th, 2015Sunday, July 12th, 2015 0 Comment

Exodus 12:21-28
What Do You Mean By This Service?

The night that I started typing this sermon, I got up at about 12am or so as I usually do to finish the night downstairs. The reason why I do this isn’t important, but I can say that when I get down there each night, I do enough things before lying down that I don’t fall right back to sleep. Instead, my thoughts will wander through events of the day or whatever else is on my mind.

As I was thinking about the sermon typing of that day, a few thoughts came to mind. As of November 2014, the entire Bible is now translated into 531 languages and 2,883 languages have at least some portion of it. That means that human minds are reading, studying, and contemplating the Bible in all of these languages.

And certainly God is revealing different aspects of His word to different people based on their language. I am convinced that different languages will open the Bible in different ways. Knowing, or at least being able to study, the Bible in the original languages has a unique benefit, but the concepts, pictures, and eternal truths which are drawn out from this book are not limited to those languages.

However, there is a uniqueness in the biblical languages that will reveal things that cannot otherwise be drawn out through other languages. That is why it is important to at least study those original languages. God has hidden marvelous clues concerning His Son, His plan of redemption, and the pictures which point to both in them.

As always, today I will give you highlights of the Hebrew language which are unique and which cannot be discerned from any English translation. And why can I do that? Because they are available to any and all via the internet!

And so as I lay there thinking about His word, I thought, “How blessed we are here today!” We have not just one version in English, but somewhere around 900. We have thousands of tools for studying the word. We have all of the combined commentaries of more than 2000 years of scholars, pastors, and theologians.

This is the most biblically blessed age in all of human history. And yet, modern sermons may expand on biblical truths, but not biblical insights. And many hardly even expand on biblical truths.

The airwaves are awash with feel-good, pre-written sermons which can be bought on line or found in one of a thousand sermon-layout books which have been printed to help pastors not worry about exerting any real effort in their weekly responsibility.

Instead, they take what someone has done, add in a few personal life-applications, and get back to other “more important” things. I was given dozens of sermon prep books before I started preaching and I have never used one. In fact, they went in the recycle.

Going through the Bible one verse at a time is sermon work in and of itself. As I will never go through these particular verses again in my life, I want these sermons to be a record of my love and respect for this eternal gift, the Holy Bible. And your attendance each week is a similar mark of respect for the One who gave us this treasure. May the Lord be glorified through our pursuit of His superior word!

Text Verse: Thus says the Lord:
“Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
²For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”
Says the Lord.
“But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word. Isaiah 66:1, 2

Of all of the wonders which fill the universe, there is a certain place where the Lord finds pleasure. Heaven is filled with His glory as He occupies His throne. The earth is adorned with evidences of His tender care. It is a blue pearl in the midst of a swirling universe of majestic wisdom.

And yet, with all of the splendor which is seen here, He calls our home His “footstool.” To Him, it is simply a place where He can rest His feet. By His knowledge, all things exist in heaven and on earth, but yes… there is a certain place where the Lord finds pleasure. Where is it? Well, He just told us.

It is in the one who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at His word. Imagine that! In all the glorious magnificence of heaven and earth, He regards such a person. This is how important the Holy Bible is to Him. And this is how favorably He regards the one who holds it in high esteem.

Let us never fail to do so. Instead, let us love it, pursue it, cherish it, and tremble at it… just as we would tremble at the sight of His own majestic face. Let us so regard this wondrous gift. Great marvels are to be found in His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Hyssop and Blood (verses 21 & 22)

From verse 20 to 21 we have been transported from one time frame to another. In verses 1-20 the instructions anticipated the coming Passover and were probably given before or during the plagues of locusts and darkness. Now in verse 21, we have been forwarded in time to the day of the Passover for the final instructions of this great and momentous event…

²¹Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them,

In verse 3 of this chapter, the Lord spoke these words to Moses –

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

In that verse, Moses was told to speak to all the congregation of Israel. In this verse, he only summons the elders. The implication is that, as often occurs, the representatives of the people speak to the people as mediators.

When the CEO of a company speaks to his staff, they in turn pass the words on to their subordinates and so on down the line. However, he is said to speak to the entire company when he actually only speaks to a handful of people. This is the same way that Moses is speaking to the congregation.

He speaks to the elders, meaning the chiefs of the tribes, and they will in turn speak to those below them. In this way, the entire congregation will quickly get the message that is to be conveyed. And the message contains words which anticipate their release…

^21 (con’) “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves

The words are mishku uqehu lakhem tson = draw and take to you (the) flock-animal. The Hebrew is ambiguous and it could mean one of two things –

“Go, and take your flock animal,” or
“Withdraw from the flock your animal.”

If this is the day of the Passover, which the text implies, the first is surely correct. They had been told to have the animal ready on the 10th and then to slaughter it on the 14th. As this is the 14th of the month, the day of the Passover, Moses isn’t asking them to go get an animal, but to go get the animal which had been selected.

^21 (con’) according to your families,

This direction and its explanation was given in verse 12:4 –

“And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb.” Exodus 12:4

“According to your families” means that the animal which had been selected was designated for a certain number of people which may have included people from other families. The reason for the repetition will be realized in the next verse because it is something that wasn’t explained before.

^21 (con’) and kill the Passover lamb.

Let’s do some learning from these few words about Bible translations –

…and kill the Passover lamb. (NKJV)
…and slaughter the Passover animal. (NLT)
…and slaughter the passover-sacrifice; (YLT)
… and sacrifice the Phase. (Douy-Rheims)
…and kill the passover. (KJV)
…and kill the Passover. (World English Bible)

…and kill the Passover lamb. The NKJV inserts the word “lamb” for what they believe is clarity. But the word for “lamb” in the earlier part of this verse is tson. It means an animal of the flock and so it could be a lamb or a goat. They have made an assumption that they believe adds clarity, but it is not wholly correct. Further, as we will see, the word “Passover” is used in a special way. The insertion does not convey the intent of the verse.

“…and slaughter the Passover animal.” The NLT gets the terminology better than the NKJV, because tson is an unspecified animal. It could be a goat or lamb, and so “animal” is clearer. But the insertion is still unwarranted.

“…and slaughter the passover-sacrifice;” Young’s literal translation explains the Passover as a sacrifice. Although not incorrect, if one understands the Bible in context, the word “sacrifice” is unnecessary. It is a learning tool which is not inappropriate, but not necessary for one schooled in the feast.

“… and sacrifice the Phase.” Douy-Rheims uses an obsolete word for “Passover.” The etymology of the word is from the Latin translation of the Hebrew, and so this is not incorrect. The word Phase, which means “phase,” “stage,” or “aspect” may be tied to the moon, which is full on the night of the Passover.

“…and kill the passover.” The KJV terminology is correct. The word “Passover” is applied to the lamb itself. Therefore, the word is put in place for the sacrifice being offered. This is comparable to what is said in 1 Corinthians about the Rock –

“For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” 1 Corinthians 10:4

The word “Rock” is substituted for and yet means “Christ.” One word is given to mean both. This is the intent here with the word ha’pasach or “the Passover.” The word means the animal to be sacrificed, which in turn signifies the entire feast.

However, the KJV is still not complete. The reason is that they wrote it with a small “p” when in fact, it is a proper noun and should be capitalized. And so, let’s go to one more translation…

“…and kill the Passover.” The World English Bible gets the gold star for literal intent, clarity, and grammar. They capitalized the “P” on “Passover.” I hope you enjoyed this minor excursion into Bible translator’s preferences and how they can affect other areas of Bible knowledge. And the reason for all this is because of what the Passover symbolizes. The answer is found in 1 Corinthians 5 –

“For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.” 1 Corinthians 5:7 NASB

The reason for the minute detail of what the Hebrew is actually saying is because of what the Hebrew is actually picturing. In the end, it is all about Jesus. Today, take time to read 1 Corinthians 5:7 in as many translations as you can. There you will see a wide range of variations. I chose the NASB because it most accurately reflects what the original Greek says.

²²And you shall take a bunch of hyssop,

Here is something new which was not mentioned in the earlier verses explaining the ritual. The people are now told that they are to use a bunch of hyssop with which to apply the blood. This was not previously stated.

The word “bunch” is aguddah. It is the first of four uses of this word in the Bible. It means a band as in a band of men. The reason for telling you this is that it wasn’t just a single piece of hyssop, but a bunch. The blood was to be heavily spattered on the doorposts and lintel. The directions are specific – the blood is to be evident.

The word hyssop that we use today comes from the Hebrew through the Greek. In Greek, it is hussopos and this is a transliteration from the Hebrew ezov. You can hear the similarity ezov/hyssop. It is an herb native to the Middle East and elsewhere. It has antiseptic, cough relieving, and expectorant properties.

Because of this, it is used as an aromatic herb and for medicine. It’s a brightly colored shrub with dark green leaves. During the summer, it produces bunches of pink, blue, or, more rarely, white fragrant flowers.

The hyssop is mentioned only 10 times in the Old Testament, and with but one exception found in 1 Kings 4, it is consistently used in connection with purification. In one of the most moving psalms of the Bible, the 51st, David pours out his heart to the Lord over his sin before the Lord.

He had gone into another man’s wife and then had her husband killed to cover up the act when she became pregnant. In complete remorse for his actions, he penned this psalm which includes these words in the 7th verse –

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7

David understood the significance of the hyssop and included these words, understanding that if he wasn’t so purified, he would be cut off from his people, just as his predecessor Saul was. But the Lord looked on his heart with favor and purified him.

However, the hyssop finds its ultimate fulfillment not in the Old Testament, but in the New. The hyssop of the Passover from Egypt only prefigured the hyssop of the true Passover. The words are recorded in John 19:28-30 –

“After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst!’ ²⁹Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. ³⁰So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”

In Exodus, the hyssop applied the blood to the openings of the door. In John 19, the hyssop was applied to Jesus’ mouth, the opening of the Door, as He called Himself. It is a prophetic announcement that the only way to be saved is through Him. The hyssop then is a symbol of His work – His word and His Spirit as explained by Paul in Ephesians 5:25-27 –

“…Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

The Passover of Egypt only looked forward to our greater Passover from sin. Thank God for Jesus Christ, our true and eternal purifier from all iniquity and unrighteousness.

^{22 (con’t)}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.

The word “basin” here is saph. It means a cup or bowl, but it also has the secondary meaning of threshold. This is the first time that it is used in the Bible and it is used twice in this verse. The repetition of the word has intent.

The cup holds what is in the cup. In Zechariah 12, the same word is used to describe Jerusalem as a “cup of drunkenness.” In Jerusalem will be God’s fury against the nations –

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.” Zechariah 12:2

The same thought is found in the exodus account. The cup holds the blood and the blood is what withholds God’s wrath. Therefore, the cup and what it contains, is not only symbolic of protection for those who possess it, but they are symbolic of God’s wrath for those who don’t.

The war against Jerusalem of the future is in no small way depicted here in the book of Exodus. The secondary meaning of this word, saph, is threshold. The word is used in the same way as it is here in Exodus as it is in the book of Zephaniah –

“Flocks will lie down in her midst,
All beasts which range in herds;
Both the pelican and the hedgehog
Will lodge in the tops of her pillars;
Birds will sing in the window,
Desolation will be on the threshold;
For He has laid bare the cedar work.” Zephaniah 2:14 (NASB)

Therefore, we are being shown that. “Theologically, it becomes a symbol of God’s presence in holy power or judgment.” (HAW) Through the use of the blood in the basin, there at the threshold of the house, God’s power to save and His righteous judgment are being depicted.

^{22 (con’t)}And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.

This is the second new addition from the earlier explanation of the Passover and it explains why the words “according to your families” were repeated. Whoever came into the house to share in the meal was expected to stay in the house and not leave. They were not to go back to their own house after eating, but to stay put.

Those who were selected to join the family meal were considered as a part of that house until the plague was accomplished. What it should indicate to us is that any redeemed by the Lord should be considered as close to us as our own family. They have been passed over and are now a part of a greater family. Unfortunately, this isn’t yet realized among believers and it won’t be fully so until the day when we stand in the presence of the Lord and forget all of our petty differences.

Those who awaited the Lord’s deliverance in Egypt, and those of us who await its fullness now, can both take the advice of Jeremiah that he gave during the destruction which occurred all around him –

“It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:26

The world is falling apart around us and we need to hope and wait quietly and among our true family until we have been brought out from this place of trouble.

The sweet smell of hyssop fills the air
A bright crimson stain of blood surrounds the Door
Testimony that a Lamb has died there
From His undefiled body the blood did pour

Innocent and pure! Why did the Lamb have to die?
Wasn’t there any other way for us to be free?
O God, my heart out to you does cry
How could the precious Lamb have died for one such as me?

Where can such love be found? How can it be true?
Did the Creator really send His own Son to Calvary
To bring back to Himself people such as me and you
Where can such love be found? Tell me, how can it be?

II. For You and Your Sons Forever (verses 23-25)

²³For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians;

Based on the coming words of this verse, scholars will say that the Lord doesn’t actively destroy the firstborn of the Egyptians, but this portion of the verse is clear. Moses says that Yehovah, the Lord, will pass through to strike them.

Thus, there is no reason to think that He merely passed through to strike and then gave the job of striking to another to actually accomplish. Rather, the Lord struck the Egyptians, He struck Israel when they were in disobedience, and He will strike the nations when He returns at the second coming.

^{23 (con’t)}and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door

It is the blood and only the blood which can protect those in the house. The Lord would pass over any door with the blood. If a family of Israel didn’t believe it was necessary, they too would suffer in the plague. Nothing but the blood can save. It is an eternal truth concerning Christ which is pictured in this ancient event.

Without receiving Christ through belief in His work, there can be no redemption; only the fear of death and condemnation.

^{23 (con’t)}and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.

The words “the destroyer” are ha’mashkhit. The word shakhat means “destroy.” The definite article ha in front of it is what brings it to life, ha’mashkhit – “the Destroyer.” Scholars attempt to find every possible way of disassociating “the Destroyer” from the Lord. But there is no reason for this. As the Pulpit Commentary notes and as I have already said –

“…it is to be noted that elsewhere Jehovah himself is everywhere spoken of as the sole agent.” (Pulpit)

This is correct and evidence for it is found in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 15:26, it says, “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.” However, there is a definite article in front of “death” there as well. It says, “The death.” Paul is personifying death, showing that it is a result of an action.

This then takes us all the way to the end of the Bible where in Revelation 20 it says –

“The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. ¹⁴Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” Revelation 20:13, 14

There, in both instances, death is again personified, just as it is here in Exodus. The destroyer is death, the result of the Lord’s judgment. It is not an entity itself, but the result of a work-accomplished.

Not intending to change the word of God, but so you can understand the intent, we could paraphrase it by saying, “The Lord will pass over the door and not let the Death which is in the land of Egypt come into your houses to strike you.”

²⁴And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever.

The ordinance here is not speaking of the sprinkling of the blood. That was never repeated again. Rather, it is speaking of the precept of the blood of the sacrifice and the observance of the Passover as a commemoration of redemption.

As curious as it may seem, Moses has been speaking in the plural form all along, but he suddenly changes to the singular form in the middle of this verse. “You (plural) are to do this and you (plural) are to do that.” However, it now says, “You (plural) shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you (singular) and your (singular) sons forever.

The only commentator who even mentioned this said, “Perhaps, we are to understand that Moses insisted on the perpetuity of the ordinance to each of the elders severally.” (Pulpit) But that doesn’t make any sense because he is talking to all of them.

Instead, it is a picture of individual salvation. What is being said is, “You (people) shall observe this thing as an “ordinance-to-you” (a ‘personal-ordinance’) and your (every individual) sons… In the Hebrew, there is a dash, known as a maqqeph, between the words “as an ordinance” and “for you.”

24a maqqeph

This dash unites the two words so that they become one in intent. Every person individually must participate within the group. In other words, it is a personal ordinance within the collective; each person is obligated to observe the feast. It is a picture of our salvation. In the church we have to personally receive Christ.

There are no tag-along Christians united through the family, but not through Christ. Even the Old Testament gives us hints as to how God operates towards His people. It is by grace and through faith that we are saved, in all dispensations.

²⁵It will come to pass when you come to the land which the Lord will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service.

The Passover was to become a perpetual memorial, every year at its time. After they entered Canaan, which was promised to them through their fathers, they were to continuously and faithfully observe the rite. Assuming control of the land didn’t end the need for the Passover, instead it necessitated it.

The Lord was to be proven faithful in the grant of land and therefore the people were to be faithful in the keeping of the ordinance. Should they go into exile from the land, they would still be obliged to perform the Passover because even in exile, they were promised to again receive the land.

Therefore, the annual rite was never to be neglected, but it was to be a reminder and a tutorial for the next generation concerning the work of the Lord on their behalf. The rite of the Passover is the longest continually observed such rite in the world today. It has carried Israel as a people for 3500 years.

And yet, it is an observance which they missed the significance of when it was fulfilled in Christ. As Matthew Henry says –

“The keeping of this solemnity every year was, 1. To look backward, that they might remember what great things God had done for them and their fathers. Old mercies, to ourselves, or to our fathers, must not be forgotten, that God may be praised, and our faith in him encouraged. 2. It was designed to look forward, as an earnest of the great sacrifice of the Lamb of God in the fulness of time. Christ our passover was sacrificed for us; his death was our life.” Matthew Henry

For every Jew who comes to know the Lord, the observance takes on a new and wonderful dimension to them. And for every son of Christ in the church, we look to the cross and observe it as our true Passover. Redemption has come, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

When I see the blood, I will pass over you
When proof that the Lamb died is properly applied
Then My promise which is faithful and true
Will be kept, and in you I will be glorified

My child, redeemed of the Lord
You have faithfully adhered to My word

And so the consequences of sin are gone at long last
The time when death had its hold has now passed

You have moved from death unto new life
From the bars of iron and the chains of brass I have set you free
Between us is ended all enmity and strife
Through My Son, the Lamb, you are reconciled to Me

III. Recounting the Deeds of the Lord (verses 26-28)

²⁶And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’

The rituals of the Passover were both explicit and unusual. Every sense would be affected by its observance. The smell of the lamb, the taste of the bitter herbs, the sight of the set table, the sound of the cracking matsah bread, and the physical sensations associated with conducting the rite – into the night – would all be impressed upon every mind who participated.

Eventually, the children would get old enough to want to know why they were observing the rite – “Papa, what does it all mean?” It was the intent of the Lord that it would be held infrequently enough to not get caught up in the ordinary and yet frequently enough to allow Israel to be eager in anticipation of its return.

The memories of the previous year would be just fresh enough for the children to say, “We have done this some time before and now we’re doing it again.” It is comparable to our own observances throughout the year. We learn to eagerly anticipate them because they are not too frequent to get tired of, but not too distant that there is no hope of the day finally arriving.

And when the days arrive, we have stories to explain their origin and why we observe them. If we talk about them in secular holidays, such as the 4th of July, how much more should we talk about them on the more important, Christ-centered ones.

And with each observance, the details shouldn’t be overlooked. If they are, then the true nature of the observance gets replaced with unhealthy traditions. Christmas has lost much of its meaning because we have failed to pay heed to what it originally meant.

To the Jews, the Passover never took on its proper significance because it became to them an observance of how the Lord loved them instead of how they should have loved the Lord. Only in the cross of Christ can the Passover take on its fullest meaning. Matthew Poole warns us about losing our religious heritage by not being wise in our spiritual observances –

“God expects this even from the Jewish children, and much more from Christian men, that they should inquire and understand what is said or done in the public worship or service of God, and therefore not to rest in dumb signs, whereof they neither inquire nor know the meaning, or in the service of God in a language which they understand not.” Matthew Poole

In the years leading up to the reformation, rites were conducted in Latin and dumb signs had replaced directed love and devotion. The reformation brought the church back to Christ, but once again He is being lost to so many. He has become an idol of prosperity, licentiousness, and social reform to many instead of being our holy sacrifice and our means of purification from sin and impurity.

²⁷that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord,

zebakh pesakh hu l’Yehovah – “Sacrifice Passover, it to Yehovah.” This is an emphatic statement and it is the most formal and precise description of it which has been given. But the question is, “What does “it” describe?” Is it speaking of the whole ritual or the animal of the ritual?

The answer must be the animal. The term “sacrifice” is what draws out the meaning. There are formalities associated with any sacrifice, but it is the sacrifice which defines the formalities, not the other way around.

The Passover sacrifice had its formalities; the sin-offering had its own as well. Each sacrifice was meant for a certain purpose and the formalities were given in conjunction with the sacrifice. A life will be taken as a substitute. When the proof of the death of the animal is presented, there will be a result which follows…

^{27 (con’t)}who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’”

Every detail of the Passover rite has pictured the greater work of Christ. Not a detail has been given which fails to show forth what He did. Israel was to slaughter an animal and eat it after putting its blood on the doorposts and lintel. We have been instructed by the Lord to “…take and eat, this is My body” once we have applied the blood of the cross to our own lives.

Israel was passed over in mercy; Egypt was struck with a mortal blow. We are passed over in mercy; the world who rejects Christ will perish. The Passover animal stopped being sacrificed when the temple was destroyed. For 2000 years, the Jews have observed the Passover without it.

However, the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper has been faithfully observed by true believers in a continuous manner for those same years. There have been no gaps in the true praises of God among His people. But they have come from different lips and different hearts during the wanderings of the Jews.

The final, ultimate Passover Lamb died so that we could continue to sing His praises for all eternity. Soon, our time here will be finished and Israel will come to know what they had missed. Salvation is of the Lord and the Lord is Jesus.

^{27 (con’t)}So the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

“The people” here at first seems to imply the elders who came before Moses. These people surely went back through and told the masses and the worshipping must have flourished in Goshen like flowers in the springtime. This is the first time that this sentiment has been seen since all the way back in Exodus 4:31 –

“Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. ³⁰And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. ³¹So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.” Exodus 4:29-31

There was a time when they believed the word of the Lord and the message from Moses, but they fell away because of their hard bondage. Now, with the very hour of the deliverance at hand, they once again bow their heads and worship.

This act, among other things, surely signifies their agreement to the annual ordinance, thankfulness for their coming freedom, gratitude for the surety that they were God’s people and that He had been faithful to His promises to them, and joy at the anticipation of all that the exodus implied. Are these also traits that each one of us stores in our own hearts as we come to the Lord’s Table?

These things were fulfilled in an earthly sense for Israel and they are fulfilled in a greater, spiritual sense for us. Their redemption was for relief from pains of the body. Ours is for relief of the pains of the spirit.

Their redemption came about by a meal involving an earthly animal; ours comes in partaking in the body and blood of the heavenly Lord. Their redemption allowed them to go from bondage in Egypt to freedom in Canaan. Ours has brought us out from the bondage of sin and death and it guarantees eternal freedom in heaven.

In all ways, the Passover of Christ is superior to the Passover of Moses, a Passover which only looked forward to that of Christ. Therefore, let us be loyal to the One who directs us through His word, filled with thanks for the freedom we possess, grateful for the bond which exists between our Creator and us, and filled with joy at the anticipation of our heavenly calling and assured eternal walk in His presence.

*²⁸Then the children of Israel went away and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

The disbelief which permeated the people after their initial meeting with Moses has been replaced with absolute certainty in Him after seeing the nine great plagues which had by this time fallen on Egypt. The stubborn defiance by the officers of the Hebrews toward Moses is now replaced with gratitude and certainty.

The people who complained about their hardships are now reveling in the prospect of freedom. This is the Passover! This is the time of God’s favor! Today is the day of salvation! The bondage has come to an end! This is the message that the Hebrews had received, and they were ready to follow up on that message with action.

They would slaughter the Passover, apply the blood, and await their release. And here we are today, finding out that the Passover of Israel is only a picture of a greater Passover for each of us. The Lamb that was slain is Jesus. The blood that was applied evidenced His death. And the judgment which rightly should have fallen on us was taken out on Him.

Only Jesus can take us out of spiritual Egypt and restore us to the presence of God. This is the message of the Bible and this is the word which has gone forth. If you have never received this gift of God’s love and grace, be sure to do so today. Now is the time of God’s favor! Today is the day of salvation! Let me tell you what you need to know in order to be saved from the wrath to come…

Closing Verse: “By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.” Hebrews 11:28

This closing verse is from Hebrews 11, the great hall of fame of faith found in the Bible. God acknowledged Moses’ faith because of the sprinkling of the blood. And He will do so in your life as well if you will but receive His Gift. Do it today! Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Next Week: Exodus 12:29-36 (The Plague on the Firstborn) (35th Exodus Sermon)

What Do You Mean by this Service?

Then Moses called for all the elders
Of Israel and said to them
“Pick out and take lambs for yourselves
According to your families, and kill the Passover lamb

And you shall take a bunch of hyssop
The blood that is in the basin, you shall dip it in
And strike the lintel and the two doorposts
With the blood that is in the basin

And none of you shall out of the door go
Of his house until morning as I have instructed so

For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians
And when the blood there He sees
On the lintel and on the two doorposts
The blood which His holy wrath does appease

The Lord will pass over the door as He said He would do
And not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you

And you shall observe this thing, forgetting never
As an ordinance for you and your sons forever

It will come to pass when you come to the land
Which the Lord will give you
Just as He promised, please understand
That you shall keep this service, just as He has instructed to do

And it shall be, when your children say to you
“What do you mean by this service, tell me this?
That you shall say, “It is the Passover
To the Lord it is a sacrifice we are never to miss

He passed over the houses of the children of Israel
In Egypt when He struck the Egyptians, leaving many dead
And delivered our households as we today continue to tell
So the people worshipped as each bowed his head

Then the children of Israel did so after they went away
Just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron
So they did on that day

The story of the Passover is a truth found in God’s word
But it only is a picture for us to see so much more
It was meant to look forward to Jesus our great Lord
When His sacrifice once again opened heaven’s door

Israel was brought out of bondage in Egypt the land
But we too have been brought out from sin’s strong hold
By the work of Jesus, a deed mighty and grand
It is a story which will forevermore be told

How can we but praise You, our majestic King!
How can we but share the wondrous gospel story!
Forevermore the redeemed of the Lord will sing
Of our sweet Savior, clothed in light and splendid glory

Yes, we praise You now, O God, and even for all eternity
Our hearts long to see You Lord, in all of Your majesty

Hallelujah and Amen…

Exodus 12:12-20 (Saved Unto Holiness)

Charlie Garrett Exodus, Exodus Sermons (written), Old Testament, Sermons, Torah, Torah (written) Sunday, July 5th, 2015Friday, May 31st, 2019 0 Comment

Exodus 12:12-20
Saved Unto Holiness

One final plague is coming upon Egypt before the Israelites will be released from their bondage. However, this plague will be unlike anything which has occurred before, both in type and magnitude. It will strike at the heart of every family in Egypt.

The Lord will pass through the land and selectively kill all of the firstborn males, of Pharaoh himself, all the way down to the female servant who is behind the handmill. He will also kill the firstborn of every animal. However, there is a notable difference in this plague in another way as well.

In the previous plagues a distinction was made, either implicitly or explicitly, between the Egyptians and Israel. They didn’t need to do anything to be exempt. They simply were. But in the case of this plague, they need to do something; they need to provide a sign or they too will be struck by the plague.

Why was this necessary? The Lord had already showed from the previous plagues that He could tell the difference between the people. And more, the people already had a sign – they had circumcision. Why wasn’t this sign acceptable instead of the killing of an animal and spreading its blood on the doorway of their houses?

The answer is that circumcision of the flesh only brought them into covenant relationship with the people of Israel as a collective whole. It is what designated them as a people group. However, it was not a sign of faith from the individual. Rather it was a mark placed upon them before they knew to do right or wrong.

Throughout all of the dispensations in the Bible, the means of salvation remains the same; it is by grace through faith. A person could have simply refused to follow the instructions of the Passover and they too would have suffered the punishment of losing their firstborn.

Paul shows in Romans that being circumcised doesn’t save anyone. There needs to be a conversion of the heart or the circumcision of the flesh means nothing. Without faith in God’s provision, every external sign and deed in the world won’t get a person one step closer to being saved.

And yet there is more. Being redeemed implies a cost. The concept of redemption indicates a purchase is made to buy something back. In essence, there is a clearing of a debt. The blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintel showed that a price had been paid. A substitute had died in place of those inside the house.

Today we will see what comes after being saved. There is a responsibility that goes along with it. If it isn’t acted on, then there are consequences for that failure to act. These stories, and the minute details they contain, show pictures of greater things to come in Christ.

Are you saved? Have you called out to Christ and accepted His death as your price of redemption? If so, then you are now called to a new life and a new direction in that life…

Text Verse: Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ¹⁴as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; ¹⁵but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16

Following immediately after the Passover comes another feast, the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Unlike the other feasts, the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were given to Israel prior to their deliverance. What they picture in Christ Jesus was also given prior to the introduction of the New Covenant.

Jesus instituted the New Covenant in His blood, becoming our Passover Lamb. He also imputed His righteousness to us; His sinless perfection, typified by the unleavened bread. Both of these were alluded to prior to His death. As we are granted His sinlessness in a positional way, isn’t it right that we act in the manner which we have been called to in an actual way?

Hopefully, we will learn this lesson from the introduction of the Feast of Unleavened Bread in today’s passage. This and so many other wonderful pictures of Christ are there, waiting for us to search them out from His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. The Blood shall be a Sign (verses 12 & 13)

¹²‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night,

The Lord now promises that He will take the necessary action of this final plague in order to redeem Israel. Their long time of hard service and heavy bondage is finally coming to an end and in anticipation of that great moment, more instructions and details are now provided.

The words “I will pass” are not given as a connection to the name “Passover.” They are a completely different word, v’abarti, which simply means “to go through.” There is a difference being made here between Egypt and Israel. “Passing through” is meant in judgment; “Passing over” is meant in mercy.

Further, it is the Lord who personally promises to perform this. It is not a designated representative, such as a powerful angel, but rather it is the Lord who will act. The Bible notes elsewhere that salvation is of the Lord, but judgment is as well. Both of these actions at the Exodus prefigure the work of Jesus in the future.

^{12 (con’t)}and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast;

Some years ago Simcha Jacobovici, the Naked Archaeologist, did a special on the plagues of Egypt. During his less than scholarly work, he found natural reasons for all of the plagues, diminishing them to the point that God was left out of the picture completely. He gave reasons for each plague and pulled a few slight of hand maneuvers in the process, but the most egregious error he made was concerning the plague on the firstborn.

He claimed that the firstborn of Egypt lay on a cot that was lower than all the others as a sign of dignity. Because of this, natural gasses crept in and killed all of the firstborn of Egypt because they alone slept on that honorable bed.

First, there is no such proof of any such sleeping arrangements, and secondly this verse says that the firstborn of both man and beast were affected. Unless the Egyptians made little firstborn pig, monkey, donkey, cow, and goat beds that were lower than the rest, we can be assured that the Naked Archaeologist is as full of hot air as his crummy theories.

There is no possible natural explanation for what occurred on that terrible night of the first Passover. Having cleared that up, in Exodus 4, this promise was first revealed to the ears of Moses –

“”‘Then you shall say to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn. ²³So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.'”” Exodus 4:22, 23

Now the time for those words to be fulfilled has come. But to make the plague all the more remarkable, it will include not only the firstborn of the people, but of all of the animals as well. The fifth plague was somewhat of a precursor to this coming plague. In Chapter 9, a distinction was made between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt –

“And the Lord will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.” Exodus 9:4

Pharaoh failed to heed that remarkable occurrence and pressed on in his stubborn attitude. Now, the final plague will be refined to such a precise extent that it will make the plague upon the livestock seem almost insignificant in comparison.

^{12 (con’t)}and against all the gods of Egypt

Although most of us have read Exodus, including these few words here, we probably haven’t lost any sleep over them. But scholars vary in their opinion of what they mean, even to amazing degrees. The word “gods” can also mean “princes” and so some say that this means that they will equally suffer in the plague, but that is obvious on the surface. Every household with the blood is exempted, every other will suffer.

It could also mean that the term “gods” is explained by the firstborn of the people and the beasts. In other words, the firstborn of Pharaoh was considered the royal heir to the throne and thus he was a deity. And all of the beasts that were worshipped would have their firstborn killed as well. Thus the judgment is against “all the gods of Egypt” in this sense.

One person changes the spelling of “gods” to “habitations” – “against all your habitations” – by reversing one letter in the Hebrew. Instead of elohe, he changes it to ahley. But that kind of fiddling with the Bible is tenuous at best. Another possibility is that as the Lord went through Egypt, he destroyed their idols.

This view actually has precedent elsewhere in the Bible. In 1 Samuel 5, we read this account about Dagon, the god of Ashdod –

“Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. ²When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. ³And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again. ⁴And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it. ⁵Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.” 1 Samuel 5:1-5

That is similar to the Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, where the ark was stored in a wooden box with a Nazi symbol on it. The symbol was burned right off the box, just as Dagon was knocked off his perch. At least two other times, speaking of Egypt of the future, the Lord is said to literally destroy their idols –

“Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud,
And will come into Egypt;
The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence,
And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.” Isaiah 19:1

“He shall also break the sacred pillars of Beth Shemesh that are in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians he shall burn with fire.” Jeremiah 43:14

But all of these options fall short of being correct. What this probably means above all else is what one would assume when reading it without inserting any presuppositions. In Chapter 11, Moses told Pharaoh exactly what was coming by speaking these words to him –

“Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; ⁵and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. ⁶Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again.'” Exodus 11:4-6

Knowing this in advance and then seeing the onset of the plague, Pharaoh and all of Egypt would petition their false gods. But none would be able to save the firstborn. Thus, it would be a complete judgment on each and every god of Egypt in one fell swoop.

They were entreated for mercy, but no mercy would come because they had no ears to hear and no power to stave off the plague. Because of this, the gods of Egypt are therefore judged as false gods. This then would be the same type of judgment as when the Lord accepted Elijah’s offering on Mount Carmel.

The god of the worshippers of Baal was judged to be a false god before the Lord, exactly as the people acknowledged after seeing the Lord’s fire come down from heaven.

^{12 (con’t)}I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.

e’eseh shephatim ani Yehovah – “I Yehovah will execute judgment.” It is emphatic that Yehovah would personally attend to the judgment upon Egypt. He alone would work salvation and He alone would work destruction. To Him alone belongs the power and the glory, and to Him alone belongs the fear of His enemies.

¹³Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are.

What has to be understood is that Israel was not guilt-free. They had worshipped the idols of Egypt and they had not been faithful to their God. But the Lord had called Abraham and made His promises to him. His plan of redemption for mankind was to come through this group of people, guilty as they may be.

But the guilt implied that judgment was necessary. And so in order to atone for their sins, an innocent lamb was sacrificed. It is the blood which atones for sin and which expiates the guilt for the sins of the people. Those who had applied the blood would be exempt from judgment.

If this isn’t a clear enough picture of the work of the Lord Jesus and the mercy of God, then you might go back to the beginning and recheck your faith! Every detail of this account shows us pictures of what Christ, the Lamb of God, has done for us. Israel is being used as a microcosm of the greater salvation of all people.

We all stand guilty before God. And yet, by applying faith in the shed blood of Christ to our lives, we are granted mercy and saved from the wrath to come. The doorposts for Israel; Calvary’s cross for the world – the blood is the sign for the people of God.

The sign is for us, not for God. He has provided the sign for our assurance of His following through with what the sign represents. Israel will be passed over; the church will be raptured up. And both will be saved from the time of wrath which those around them would have to face.

^{13 (con’t)}And when I see the blood, I will pass over you;

u’phasakhti alekem – the words are emphatic. “I will pass over you.” Here, the spoken word is the guarantee. The Lord spoke a promise to Abraham and Abraham believed. In that act of faith, the Lord counted it to him for righteousness. By faith, Israel was to keep the Passover and the sprinkling of blood. This is what Moses, who represented Israel, was noted for in Hebrews 11 –

“By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.” Hebrews 11:28

Likewise, God has given us His word and our belief in what that words says is what counts us as righteous. The blood is the sign of that guarantee. The blood of the lamb in Egypt was the sign to the people. Our reception of the blood of Christ on Calvary’s cross is our sign. When the Lord sees the blood, the Lord will pass over.

God will not destroy those who are saved by the blood. It is a picture of our own redemption, certainly a pre-tribulation rapture for the church, and a complete protection for the sealed 144,000 of Israel during the tribulation.

^{13 (con’t)}and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

The word for plague here is negeph. It is the first time it is used in Scripture and it means a mortal blow. The sense of the passage is that when the conditions laid down by the Lord were met, the privilege which he had extended to the people would be granted. If they failed to meet them, it would not be.

Even among Israel, there was always a choice of obeying or disobeying. One way or another, Egypt would be struck, but Israel had been granted mercy. And so it is true with the world. Judgment will fall on all people, but for those who receive the word and accept the sign, mercy will come.

In judgment I will pass through the land
I will destroy those who remain at war with Me
In My anger, I will strike with My mighty hand
A crushing blow for all the world to see

But there is also mercy for those who pay heed
I will not strike those who have faith in My word
When I see the blood, then it is agreed
That I will extend mercy, even I the Lord

Their judgment came in a Substitute
An innocent Lamb for them has died
My righteousness to them I will impute
For to their hearts, the Lamb’s blood they have applied

II. An Everlasting Ordinance (verses 14-16)

¹⁴‘So this day shall be to you a memorial;

In these words comes the first use of the word zikkaron, or “memorial,” in the Bible. The Feast which is now going to be explained was to be a constant reminder to the people of the redemption of Israel and all that it entailed. In order for it to be so, the Lord gives His instructions concerning the celebration…

^{14 (con’t)}and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations.

Besides the Passover, this is the first mandated “feast” or khag in the Bible. Previously, Moses demanded of Pharaoh that the Israelites be allowed to go into the wilderness to observe a feast to the Lord, but that hasn’t occurred yet and it was not a mandated feast at that time. Rather it was a request. This, however, is.

From this time on, it was to become an annual reminder of the work of the Lord on their behalf and their responsibilities to Him. All generations of Israelites after this were to observe the feast so that they would never forget His acts on their behalf.

^{14 (con’t)}You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.

The term “everlasting ordinance” is khuqat olam t’khaggu. In essence it is a feast which is to be observed for ever. This everlasting ordinance is not necessarily speaking of the Passover, but of the Feast of Unleavened Bread or matsot. The Passover is what makes the Feast of Unleavened Bread possible.

The Passover is one of the annual feasts of the Lord, and eventually the two became united in terminology, but the Feast of Unleavened bread is a separate and distinct celebration with its own picture and fulfillment in Christ and in His church.

¹⁵Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses.

The Passover is on the 14th of the month. This feast is held from the 15th to the 21st day of the month. A seven-day week is believed to have been unknown to Egypt at this time, but it was not unknown completely in the world.

Abraham’s family observed a seven-day week as was seen in the marriage of Jacob to Leah. Jacob was asked to fulfill his marriage week with her before marrying Rachel. Despite this, there isn’t any record of Israel observing a seven-day week until this point.

From here on out, it would be the standard observance of the people. Whatever day of the week the 15th fell on, they were required to remove all leaven from their houses and keep it out for a full week. During this time, they were to eat unleavened bread.

The reason for this was that it pictured the complete removal of the yeast of Egypt from their bread. In the Bible, bread is the fundamental means of sustaining the body – even a symbol of life itself. If one didn’t remove the yeast of Egypt, it showed that they longed after that which Egypt provided.

In essence, they had failed to separate themselves from the life they were called to leave. The removal of Egyptian yeast thus symbolized their new life, being purified from their old means of sustaining life.

In general yeast can be considered in two ways. First it causes fermentation, and thus corruption. But it also causes the bread to rise, thus picturing pride, which itself is a form of corruption. The remembrance of the feast is given for the reason of severing themselves from the wicked practices of Egypt.

However, the picture is given for us to see Jesus and His perfection as well as our obligation to act in a pure and undefiled manner. This is explicitly stated by Paul in 1 Corinthians 5. The Corinthians were having issues with immorality in the church and Paul wrote to them words of correction. In them he identifies both the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread –

“Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? ⁷Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. ⁸Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Corinthians 5:6-8

First he noted that Christ is our Passover. After this, he notes that we are to “keep the feast.” It is not the Passover, but the Feast of Unleavened Bread of which he speaks. The leaven of malice and wickedness are to be removed so that we are unleavened, picturing sincerity and truth.

We have been called out of “spiritual Egypt,” meaning the fallen world. If we don’t remove the yeast of Egypt, meaning the old immoral ways of the world, it shows that we still long after that which the world provides rather than what Christ has offered. As always, every word we are seeing in the Old Testament is pointing to a much larger picture of redemptive history.

^{15 (con’t)}For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.

The penalty for eating bread with yeast was for that person to be cut off from Israel. This seems like a harsh penalty, especially when it is a mere observance of something that happened only once in their history. However, it is a picture of a greater truth which is again explained by Paul in 1 Corinthians 5.

What is it that we are to do with those who transgress the commands of the Bible in the church age? The answer is found in what Paul recommends for a man who was living a sexually immoral lifestyle in Corinth –

“…deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” 1 Corinthians 5:5

Like the Israelites of old, we are to expel the man living in malice or wickedness. And Paul gives the exact reason why we are to treat a fellow Christian in this manner in Galatians Chapter 5 –

“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Galatians 5:9

If yeast were allowed in the house of Israel, it would be used, as yeast is used, for leavening the bread. Thus all of the bread would be leavened. If sin is allowed into a church it is bound to infect the entire congregation. It is a lesson our modern church has forgotten. And how quickly we have degraded into the vilest of conduct in many once-faithful denominations!

¹⁶On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you.

A holy convocation, or miqra qodesh, is called for both the 15th of the month and the 21st of the month. It was to be a gathering of the people for sacrifice, prayer, and fellowship. It may also have included instruction as well. Later, the convocations were called by the blowing of silver trumpets which were directed by the Lord to be made for this purpose.

^{16 (con’t)}No manner of work shall be done on them;

This is explain in more detail in Leviticus 23:7, 8 –

“On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it. ⁸But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.” Leviticus 23:7, 8

Customary work means employment or other regular work. This then is not a Sabbath observance which forbid work of any kind, including the cooking of meals. This is seen as we continue…

^{16 (con’t)}but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you.

Food could be prepared on this particular day of convocation and thus it is not a Sabbath. This is important to know and remember concerning the timeline of Jesus’ cross. The gospels are very clear that the day following Christ’s crucifixion was a Sabbath, not a convocation. In Luke 23, this is what is recorded –

“Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. ⁵⁴That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.
⁵⁵And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. ⁵⁶Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.” Luke 23:53-56

Therefore, understanding the terminology here and that of the gospels, we can know, along with other assurances, that Christ’s cross occurred on a Friday, not a Wednesday or a Thursday.

As a memorial and as an everlasting ordinance
You shall leave behind the life you once held dear
To you there is now to be a new allegiance
And in your life shall a new lifestyle appear

For those who are unwilling to comply with My word
You shall hand them over to Satan as is their choice
This is for their good, so that on the Day of the Lord
Their spirit will be saved according to My voice

I have spoken that all who come to Me will be saved
But the congregation needs to be kept pure and holy
And so for those who have willingly misbehaved
They must in this life suffer their own indignity

III. Let us keep the Feast (verses 17-20)

¹⁷So 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.

To us, the words translated “this same day” would be an unusual expression. They are b’etsem ha’yom – in bone (of) the day. The meaning is “that of the same substance.” It goes all the way back to Genesis 2 where Adam said –

“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.” Genesis 2:23

Adam was declaring the woman to be of the same substance as he. Thus, to say the “bone of the day” is to mean, the day of the same substance as the original. Each year on the same day, the 15th of the first month, the Feast is to be commemorated. It is an interesting idiom that didn’t make it into the English language as so many others did.

It is on this same day that the Lord says that He will have brought out Israel’s army. It is the third time the word tsaba, or armies, is applied to the people of Israel. The Lord is their Commander and they are His hosts. When they leave, it will not be as a ragtag bunch of people, but as an army bearing dignity and order.

^{17 (con’t)}Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.

Again, they are reminded that this day is to be observed. The repetition has purpose. It is to show that they are to pay special heed to this instruction and never fail to follow through with it. The exodus itself began on this day, the 15th of the month.

This corresponds to our new life in Christ coming after the judgment on our sin and our deliverance from it. In essence, there is our day of adoption which is followed immediately by our journey in being the Lord’s adopted. We will never be un-adopted and so we are to conduct ourselves as if this were truly the case.

¹⁸In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.

In the Hebrew the word “month” is missing at the beginning of the verse, but it is not an unusual form of ellipses. When something is otherwise understood, it is often dropped. Because the word is used two more times in the verse, it is to be understood that it is the first month.

This is a general repeat of verse 15 and it is a reminder that if a person were to eat bread with yeast in it during this period, it would in essence be a denial of the new life in which they were called to live. The generations afterward were to follow suit as a reminder of this same calling.

The entire seven-day period was made holy through the special observances of the first and the seventh days of the feast. These miqra qodeshim, or holy convocations, sanctified the entire period. They therefore stand in place of all seven days. This observance then is realized in our life in Christ.

The eating of the unleavened bread pictures our pursuit of Christ in this new life. His words in John 6:27 point to this –

“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” John 6:27

The giving up of regular work is then picturing our having attained true rest in Him. This is seen in Hebrews 4:3, where it says that we who have believed in Christ enter into His rest. A few verses later, the author of Hebrews explains it further –

“For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” Hebrews 4:10

In Christ, our labors are finished, symbolized by the convocations at the beginning and end of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Again, these two days stand in place of the entire feast period.

¹⁹For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land.

Again, this verse appears to be a mere repetition of what has already been said, but it isn’t. An addition is made which is that there is no distinction between a native born or a stranger in the congregation. The native of the land in Hebrew is ezrakh ha’aretz or literally, “a tree in its native soil.” The stranger is the word ger; a foreigner or an alien.

The distinction between the two is important. The native is speaking of a literal descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The land was promised to them and thus they are considered of the native soil. The stranger is anyone who has joined themselves to Israel and accepted their customs and practices.

This has enormous ramifications both at the exodus, where an immense multitude of foreigners joined Israel and became a part of the collective whole, as well as numerous incidents of foreigners coming into Israel throughout the pages of the Bible. It also includes those non-Israelites who have joined Israel today.

They are all collectively under the same umbrella. And the same is true with those who will live in the land after the tribulation period. Here is what Ezekiel says about them –

“It shall be that you will divide it by lot as an inheritance for yourselves, and for the strangers who dwell among you and who bear children among you. They shall be to you as native-born among the children of Israel; they shall have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. ²³And it shall be that in whatever tribe the stranger dwells, there you shall give him his inheritance,” says the Lord God.” Ezekiel 47:22, 23

Those who are joined to Israel are to bear the same responsibilities, and they are to share in the same opportunities. This hasn’t changed even in modern times with Israel and it is the exact same expectation of those in the church. All are considered on an equal basis in Christ. Paul explains this in Ephesians 2 –

“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— ¹²that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:11-13

This is why he uses the imagery of the olive tree in Romans 11. There is the native tree and there is the wild olive. The same conditions are levied upon both and the same honors are granted to both.

*²⁰You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”

These words extend the meaning of what was said about the bread. Not only are they to eat unleavened bread, but they are to eat nothing with leaven in it. No food of any kind was to have any form of yeast in it. Further this prohibition is to go to any dwelling where they reside.

This includes their time in the wilderness, in Canaan, and even during their exiles. They were required to observe this at the same time each year wherever they lived. Having said that, because this feast is fulfilled in Christ, it is also set aside in Christ, as are all of the feasts of the Lord.

He has accomplished everything which was pictured by the Old Testament system, and every law required by that system. In Him alone is found the perfection of God’s standard. Now, instead of observing these feasts, we trust in their fulfillment in Christ. Paul explains this several times and in several ways in the New Testament. But he is exceptionally clear about this in Colossians –

“So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, ¹⁷which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” Colossians 2:16, 17

Israel’s laws concerning the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread symbolize their deliverance from Egypt and consecration based on their redemption. Those shadows are now fulfilled in Christ. And so let us keep the feast in Him, not with externals, but with the internal changes which He desires from His people.

We’ve come to the end of today’s verses, but not the end of the story. Much wonder lies ahead and all of it pictures a greater story, that of Jesus. It is through Him that true deliverance from this corrupt world comes about. And it is through Him that heaven’s doors are once again opened for the people of the world. If you have never received Jesus as Lord and Savior, please give me just another moment to explain how you can today…

Closing Verse: “…if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²²that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:21-24

Next Week: Exodus 12:21-28 (What do You Mean by this Service?) (34th Exodus Sermon)

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night
And will strike in the land of Egypt all the firstborn
Both man and beast will face this plight
And against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment as I have sworn

I am the Lord
This is my spoken word

Now the blood shall be for you a sign
On the houses where you stay
And when I see the blood, by my design
I will pass over you and not come by your way

And the plague shall not be on you to destroy you
When I strike the land of Egypt as I am set to do

So this day shall be to you a memorial
And you shall keep it as a feast
To the Lord throughout your generations
You shall keep it from the greatest to the least

You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance
Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread
On the first day you shall remove leaven
From your houses, just as I have said

For whoever eats leavened bread
From the first day until the seventh day
That person shall be cut off from Israel
Thus I have commanded you in this way

On the first day there shall be a holy convocation
And on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you too
No manner of work shall be done on them
But that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you

So you shall observe the Feast
Of Unleavened Bread as I instructed you
For on this same day I will have brought your armies
Out of the land of Egypt as promised to you

Therefore you shall observe this day in your governance
Throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance

In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month
At evening, you shall eat unleavened bread
Until the twenty-first day of the month at evening
Remember to do as I have said

For seven days no leaven shall be found in the houses of your nation
Since whoever eats what is leavened
That same person shall be cut off from Israel’s congregation

Whether he is a stranger or a native of the land
This is what to you I now command

You shall eat nothing leavened, but instead
In all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread

These are the instructions as given by the Lord
For Israel’s feast as He commanded them to do
And so by His spoken word
They were so charged with His words to carry through

But this feast is only a picture, a mere shadow
Of the greater work of the Lord Jesus
In what He has done, we have come to know
The fullness of what God has done for us

And so let us keep the feast in sincerity
Let us devote our lives to holy living in His sight
We as the Lord’s redeemed have been called to purity
And to conduct ourselves in a manner just and right

And so let it be according to His word
That we live this way for all of our days
Pursuing Christ and Christ alone – our precious Lord
And giving to God, through Him, all of our praise

Hallelujah and Amen…

Exodus 12:1-11 (It is the Lord’s Passover)

Charlie Garrett Exodus, Exodus Sermons (written), Old Testament, Sermons, Torah, Torah (written) Sunday, June 28th, 2015Wednesday, December 27th, 2017 0 Comment

Exodus 12:1-11
It is the Lord’s Passover

Due to the length of this sermon, my opening comments will be short. In just 11 verses, we will see a few points which will form patterns which fill both the pages of the Bible and concepts of redemptive history which first picture, and then are repeated in the work of the Lord Jesus.

Everything fits as it should because it comes from the mind and the wisdom of God. And all of it points to Jesus because it is all about Jesus. This is our Lord; this is our Savior; this is Jesus – the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Text Verse: “And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” Revelation 5:6

What glory is to be found in His superior word! And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. The Beginning of Your Months (verses 1 & 2)

¹Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron

The beginning of Chapter 12 highlights, once again, that what occurs or is mandated is at the direction of Yehovah. In the past, it has been the call of Moses and Aaron, the announcement of the Lord’s intentions for Israel to the people of Israel, the confrontation with Pharaoh, the giving of the signs and wonders, and so on.

Now actual legal matters which are a part of the law itself are to be given. This constant use of the words, “Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron” are given to show us that divine authority rests behind both the redemptive process of Israel as well as all of their laws and practices.

This includes the entire spectrum of the body which regulated Israel’s affairs – religious, ecclesiastical, and political. Everything which is to govern their society was of divine, not human origin. Further, there is a certain dignity which is given to this particular instruction for the Passover.

Though it is a part of the law recorded at Sinai, its practice actually precedes the other laws which will be given. Thus the Passover is a sign of their redemption. In other words, it precedes the event itself. Further, the naming of Moses and Aaron here shows that these two alone are the recipients of the law.

A special distinction is bestowed upon them as the prophets who will transmit the law. After them, all other prophets who follow will merely work within the confines of that law. And so, in anticipation of the coming Passover, these words were spoken.

Much of this chapter may have actually occurred prior to the ending of the plagues recorded previously, but in order to show the logical progression of the plagues, these words follow after the final meeting with Pharaoh. Therefore, it may be rightly translated, “Now the Lord had spoken to Moses and Aaron.”

If so, then when the law was given to Moses at Sinai, the Lord carefully selected all of the details of history, from Genesis 1:1, right through the Exodus account, and put them in the order which follows logically for us to understand the events as they occurred, but in separate sections to avoid them overlapping.

This was seen, for example, in the recorded life of Isaac. His death is recorded in Genesis 35, and yet some events which occur during his life come in later chapters. The same is probably true here. The instructions for the Passover here in chapter 12 may actually predate the events of the ninth plague, that of darkness.

^1 (con’t)in the land of Egypt, saying,

Later in the law, there will be additional instructions or repeats of these instructions concerning the Passover for the people of Israel. The words, “in the land of Egypt” are stated here to show that a separate instruction on the Passover was given prior to the actual giving of the rest of the law, but that this is included in the law.

Thus it is one harmonious whole even if it was received at a different place and time. We think of the Law being received at Mount Sinai as the one and only giving of the law, but in all, there will be three unique places where the law is derived from. First this portion is in Egypt.

The next will be at Mount Sinai when the people are brought there after the exodus. And the third will be there again using the name Mount Horeb. This will occur after the time of the wilderness wanderings. There the final reception will occur which encompasses the entire book of Deuteronomy.

We can’t say that it is merely a repetition of the same law because there are noted differences and additions. As one of many examples, we can look at the fourth of the Ten Commandments. When it was received after the Exodus, the reason for it reads –

“For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:11

However, when it was repeated after the wilderness wanderings, the reason given is different. There it says –

“And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” Deuteronomy 5:15

In the first announcement of the fourth commandment, the reason given is based on creation – “…in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them.” In the second announcement, the reason given is based on redemption – “…the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by and outstretched arm.”

This is a pattern which will continue all the way through Scripture and even to the book of Revelation. Further, the words “in the land of Egypt” show the Lord’s dominion even in the midst of the enemies of Israel. In the past, He had established them as a people and then He continued to tend to them in Egypt.

The pattern follows later in history also. Israel was called out of the midst of their enemies, having been tended to during their Babylonian exile. The church was later established in the midst of their hostile Jewish enemies. Later the true church was called out of the false church during the reformation.

And in a marked incident of immense magnitude which has happened in recent years, Israel has once again been called out of exile from among their many enemies and back to her homeland. As the church age is ending, Israel is being prepared for her long anticipated meeting with the Lord. He has carefully tended to them in the midst of their enemies.

Finally, these words show us the anticipatory nature of such occurrences. The giving of the Passover in Egypt anticipates the assurance of redemption from Egypt. The giving of the Lord’s Supper before His death anticipated our redemption. And the repeated taking of the Lord’s Supper as a memorial anticipates the realization of our redemption. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11 –

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:26

A lot can be discerned from the few words of this first important verse of Exodus 12. One of the things we saw in them is perfectly realized in the next verse, that of creation preceding redemption…

²“This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.

Until this time, the Bible has been dated based on the creation model and calendar. The story of Noah, for example, gives specific dates, but they are based on the creation calendar which began in the month of Tishri. Now a new calendar, a redemption calendar, has been instituted by the Lord for His people.

As I said, this pattern of redemption following creation continues throughout the Bible. In the book of Revelation, there are twenty four elders before the throne of the Creator, acknowledging Him as such and falling down before Him with the words –

“You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.” Revelation 4:11

However, in the next chapter, it notes that that there is a Lamb at the throne whom they fall down before, acknowledging Him for His acts of redemption with the words –

“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
¹⁰And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9, 10

Like the calendars of the Bible, like the reason for the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments, and like the reason for praising God in Revelation, the pattern follows from creation to redemption. And so, in anticipation of the redemption of Israel, Moses is told that this will be the first month for these redeemed of the Lord.

In Exodus 13:4, the name of the month will be given, Aviv. Later in the books of Nehemiah and Esther, the same month is called by its Babylonian name, Nisan. However, it remains the same month regardless of which name is used. The name Aviv means “greenness” or “fresh” and it indicates fresh young ears of barley grain which come forth at this time of year.

In the Bible, this will continue to be the first month of the religious calendar. Tishri will be the first month of the civil calendar.

Understanding when one calendar or the other is used eliminates any supposed contradictions in the dating of the Kings of Israel. What seems like almost horrendous error between the books of Kings and Chronicles is actually perfectly given dates using these two different calendars.

As an interesting pattern, the first sacred month is the seventh month of the civil calendar and the first civil month is the seventh month of the sacred calendar. Understanding this will reveal marvelous patterns concerning the work of Christ which are hidden in plain sight. The story of Noah is a hidden story of the death and resurrection of Christ. By understanding which calendar is used, one will be able to pull out immense riches from this sacred word.

As an interesting note, the Hebrew calendar is unique and follows neither the Egyptian, nor the Babylonian calendars. It is given by God for the people of God in order to reveal the work of Christ in history. During the church age, this calendar has not been used by us because we have been called out of the Gentile world.

However, as we approach the end of the church age, these patterns and seasons are once again coming into focus and greater use. God is preparing the world for the end times and then the return of His Son to rule for a thousand years.

Creation must precede redemption
Just as Genesis precedes Exodus
From the plagues of Egypt, Israel received exemption
By a working of the Lord so glorious

And one more plague will come upon the land
In it Egypt will find itself in a terrible jam
But once again, God will be seen as more than grand
Through the Passover, and the slaying of the lamb

In this plague Israel will finally find its release
From Egypt’s bondage and servitude
The long years of toil will finally cease
And out from Egypt will march the Hebrew multitude

II. A Lamb Without Blemish (verses 3-6)

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

What is obvious here is that these instructions were given prior to the tenth of the month. For the Lord to say for this to be done after speaking to the congregation implies that it was spoken at a time in advance of the tenth.

In this verse is the first use of the word edah or “congregation” in the Bible, thus it is the first time Israel is considered as such. The word comes from another word yaad which means “to appoint” or “to meet.” They are now a congregation of people involved in a united act according to the commandment of God.

And this commandment is to do a certain thing at a specified time. On the tenth day of the first month, they are told to take a lamb according to the house of the father. This means appropriate to the size of the house. The word “lamb” here is seh and it simply means one of the flock, either a goat or a lamb.

It could also mean any age and of either sex. Later, more specific instructions will be given concerning the animal though. What is also implied is that the people had the ability to either own or afford such a lamb. There seems to have been no one who was extremely impoverished among the people. This tenth day of the first month is the same day which the Israelites crossed the Jordan forty years later. That is recorded in Joshua 4:19 –

“Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.”

⁴And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb.

This verse is obvious on the surface. If one lamb is too large for a family, then they could unite with another family to have the right sized meal for the number of people involved. Later rabbinic traditions placed the size of the family at no less than 10 people. It is also noted that no more than 20 was considered appropriate.

⁵Your lamb shall be without blemish,

Everything about the Passover anticipates Christ Jesus. The lamb will be a Passover sacrifice which will, because of its nourishment, carry the people through the exodus of their redemption from Egypt. Jesus is called the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in John 1:29.

His life, because of its nourishment, carries the believer through the exodus of our redemption from the world of sin and death, which Egypt pictures. Paul, in the New Testament, explicitly calls Jesus the Passover offering in 1 Corinthians 5:7 –

“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.”

That this lamb was to be without blemish is seen realized in Christ’s perfect life. In Luke 23, after his interrogation concerning the Lord, Pilate declared Jesus without fault –

“So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, ‘I find no fault in this Man.'” Luke 23:4

In Hebrews 7:26, we read this about Jesus –

“For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners…” Hebrews 7:26

And Peter, writing to the Jews of the dispersion, refers directly to the Passover for his description of Jesus –

“…knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Peter 1:18, 19

No defect was to be seen in these Passover lambs because they were to picture to the world the perfect, undefiled, and spotless Lamb of God whom they picture.

^5 (con’t)a male of the first year.

This requirement is given to the Hebrews as a note concerning the lamb standing in place of the firstborn. The firstborn was to be redeemed through the death of the lamb. Thus is it an act of substitution. However, this restriction also looks ahead to Christ.

In the first year, the animal is considered more perfect in terms of innocence and yet it is in the midst of life. Later in Exodus, it will prescribe that such offerings come after the eighth day of their life. This is the same day that a baby is circumcised.

Therefore it pictures the innocent Christ in the midst of life. Not a baby in Bethlehem, and not an old man in Nazareth, but a male in Jerusalem in the midst of His life and yet endowed with innocence, waiting to be made an Offering of redemption.

He was born without original sin, lived without any sort of committed transgression, and was humble, pure, undefiled, and harmless. He is the epitome of what we would think of in such an innocent animal.

^5 (con’t)You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

Both animals are used in sacrifices in the Bible for various reasons. This exception here for either a sheep or a goat was probably given to allow the poorer people to buy a less valuable goat than a sheep. The smell of the goat offering is not as sweet as a lamb. Therefore, the goat is used to picture a sin offering. That would picture Christ who, as Paul in 2 Corinthians 5, says –

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

The Lamb, having the finer smell, would picture Christ as Paul’s words of Ephesians 5 state –

“And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Ephesians 5:2

The lamb was generally considered the more likely choice at the Passover and among the people, but either animal ultimately pictures Christ’s work. Thus the Lord allowed either for the feast.

⁶Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month.

This then is a period of five days. If one selects an animal on the 10th day and sacrifices it in the evening of the fourteenth day, it is a total of five days. The animal was to be kept during this period and until the time of the Passover. The reason for this is not that the family could observe it for defects as is often claimed.

Rather, it was selected because it had no defects. Animals with defects were noted and disregarded at the selection of the animal. The reason for this advanced time was to ensure that everyone had an animal ready for the Passover.

This is especially true considering that these instructions probably came before the plague of darkness which lasted three full days. Therefore the selection five days earlier was necessary. In picture, this five-day period is speaking of the time-frame from the evening of Palm Sunday until the evening of the Passover, which the four gospels record as being five full days. In Mark 11:11 it says –

“And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.” Mark 11:11

If one counts five evenings from Sunday evening, they will come to Friday evening. Sunday evening to Monday evening is one. Monday to Tuesday is two. Tuesday to Wednesday is three. Wednesday to Thursday is four. And Thursday to Friday is five.

And if anyone is interested in a detailed breakdown of the four gospels showing exactly this, all they need to do is go to the written update of this sermon at the Superior Word website and I will include it at the very end of the sermon.

The key to understanding the timeline for Christ’s day of crucifixion is the term “Preparation Day” which is included in all four gospels. If one follows the timeline and notes that term, they can see the perfection of the timeline given here in Exodus, realized in the harmoniously recorded gospels.

In the greater picture of Jesus’ ministry, this early selection – the purpose of it – rather than being a time of inspecting for defect was, as Matthew Henry states –

“…denoting the marking out of the Lord Jesus to be a Saviour, both in the purpose and in the promise.” Matthew Henry

Adam Clarke importantly notes that four things which marked this first Passover which were not required again –

The eating of the lamb in their houses dispersed through Goshen.
The taking the lamb on the tenth day.
The striking of its blood on the door posts and lintels of their houses. And,
Their eating it in haste.

Succeeding generations did not have these requirements levied upon them. Thus, the original Passover alone serves as the necessary picture of the greater work of Christ.

^6 (con’t)Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it

This is one of the main parts of the Passover that is unlike other sacrifices that are mentioned later for Israel. The congregation itself sacrificed the animal rather than it being done by the priests. This actually looks forward to the words of John in Revelation 1 –

“To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, ⁶and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5, 6

This act in Exodus recognized the priestly status of the people as a nation, just as we have been given priestly status in Christ.

^6 (con’t)at twilight.

The Hebrew here is ben ha’arbayim – “between the evenings.” It seems like a perplexing phrase, but one has to consider biblical time. According to the Bible, a day is divided into “evening” and “morning.” Thus there are actually two evenings to be reckoned. The first began after twelve and went through until sunset.

The second evening began at sunset and continued till night, meaning the whole time of twilight. This would therefore be between twelve o’clock and the termination of twilight. Between the evenings then is a phrase which allows the three o’clock sacrifices at the temple to be considered as the evening sacrifice even though to us it would be considered an afternoon sacrifice.

This is the same time-frame that Christ died on the cross, which is recorded in the gospels as three o’clock in the afternoon.

A Lamb, spotless, and pure – without any defect
Will be sacrificed in my place
And looking at that Lamb, I can certainly detect
The greatest love and grace… this I see looking upon His face

Oh! That I could refrain and not see Him die
Oh! If there could be any other way
How could this Lamb go through with it for one such as I?
Oh God! This perfect Lamb alone my sin-debt can pay

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Behold the sinless One, there on Calvary’s tree
He has prevailed and the path to heaven has been unfurled
The Lamb of God who died for sinners like you and me

III. It is the Lord’s Passover (verses 7-11)

⁷And 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.

After the animal was slaughtered, its blood would be drained into a bowl and from there it would be taken to the doorway. Verse 22 will show us that it was to be applied using a bunch of hyssop. The hyssop was to be dipped into it and then it was to be struck to the doorposts and lintels.

The word for doorposts here is mezuzot, the plural of mezuzah. The lintel is a word found only here in the exodus account – mashqoph. It comes from another word, shaqaph, which means “to look down” and so it was probably a latticed window above the doorway. The base of the window would be the door’s lintel. The word shaqaph is used in Psalm 85 when speaking of the Lord –

Mercy and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed.
¹¹Truth shall spring out of the earth,
And righteousness shall look down from heaven. Psalm 85:10, 11

I don’t want to stretch the meaning of mashqoph too much, but I can’ help but see in this word, which is only used three times in the Bible and all are in this chapter pertaining to the Passover, that it appears to be a picture of Christ on the cross, looking down from the eyes which bled in agony the night before at Gethsemane. In fact, it perfectly pictures it because the sprinkling of the blood is again a picture of the Lord. Matthew Henry explains it quite well –

“The blood of the lamb must be sprinkled, denoting the applying of the merits of Christ’s death to our souls; we must receive the atonement … Faith is the bunch of hyssop, by which we apply the promises, and the benefits of the blood of Christ laid up in them, to ourselves. It was to be sprinkled on the door-posts, denoting the open profession we are to make of faith in Christ. It was not to be sprinkled upon the threshold; which cautions us to take heed of trampling under foot the blood of the covenant. It is precious blood, and must be precious to us. The blood, thus sprinkled, was a means of preserving the Israelites from the destroying angel, who had nothing to do where the blood was. The blood of Christ is the believer’s protection from the wrath of God, the curse of the law, and the damnation of hell.” Henry

As he noted the threshold was not marked with blood. It is an explicit lesson explained in Hebrews 10 –

“Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews 10:29

It would have been a profane act to strike the threshold with blood because it is a profane thing to trample the blood of the covenant underfoot. The picture is clear.

⁸Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire,

The Hebrews were given specific guidelines to roast the lamb. The reason for this is that it is the quickest way of cooking the meat. Further roasting would allow the entire animal to be cooked without dividing it. It is a sign and a memorial to us concerning the painful sufferings of Christ.

Christ died for us, assuming all of the divine wrath that we deserve upon Himself. This is pictured in the fire of the sacrifice. There is a picture of purification and sanctity being tied to the fire. But there is one more picture which may be drawn from the roasting process.

Justin Martyr says that the process was accomplished by using two wooden spits at right angles and thus it would extend the sacrifice on a cross. If so and not just a fabled legend, there could be no better picture of the sufferings of the Lord.

Next it notes that this was to be done, as it says, “that night.” This would have been on the night of the 15th, the night of the full moon. It is not by accident that the night the Hebrews left Egypt, they would have the full moon to assist them on their journey.

Everything was perfectly planned for this special moment in time. As a side note, by understanding that Jesus died that same afternoon 1500 years later, we can know with 100% certainty that it was not an eclipse which darkened the skies that day.

As the moon is full at night, it is on the opposite side of the earth from the sun. When the sun was out, the moon was hidden. In other words, it is impossible to have an eclipse of the sun during a full moon. So if you see one of the countless videos claiming that this is what occurred and proving it by star charts, you can save your money and not buy it.

Again, it was not by accident that the moon was full at that time. It thus was a sign to the people that it was not a natural occurrence which darkened the skies that day, but rather a supernatural one which reflected the state of the heavens at the death of the Lord.

^8 (con’t)with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

The unleavened bread is later noted as being used because of the swiftness of the exodus out of Egypt. This is certain, but it only supposes that the bread was not to be made until the time of the meal. They had at least five days notice as to what was coming and so the Lord had another reason in mind for this as well.

The unleavened bread or matzah is a picture again of the Lord. Leaven in the Bible pictures sin. It causes bread to be puffed up, such as man is when filled with pride. And leaven is a species of corruption because it is produced by fermentation. In Luke 12, Jesus warned the disciples by saying –

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” Luke 12:1

Later in 1 Corinthians 5, Paul explicitly ties leaven to sin and how we should avoid it –

The bitter herbs are certainly a lesson to the Israelites and to us. To Israel, they pictured the bitter bondage that they were about to leave. For us, it is a similar picture. We are to remember the bitterness of our own Egypt, the life of sin that we had once been a part of.

It was a land of torture, bondage, and living under the wicked ruler of this world. The bitter herbs are a memorial of Christ’s work to lead us out of that sorry place and to the wonders of eternal life with Him.

⁹Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails.

These first instructions are given to complement and repeat that the animal was not to be eaten either raw or boiled. It was only to be roasted as a whole animal. And the entire thing, including its head, legs, and entrails were to be cooked.

Later commentators say that the entrails were removed, washed, and returned, but that is only a commentary. What we have is exactly what was expected. This again is a picture of Christ. His whole human nature is infused both in a spiritual sense and an effectual sense into His church.

This is symbolized in the Lord’s Supper which He instituted prior to His death. The eating of the entire animal is intended to instill in us the truth that we are expected to have all of Christ, or none of Him.

¹⁰You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.

There are probably at least two reasons for this particular verse being included. The first is to ensure that nobody would take along any bone or other part of the animal as a talisman or memorial which could later be turned into a talisman. If you don’t think this is likely, just do a search through Catholic websites concerning body parts of people which are used for just that.

They have heaps and heaps of them. This Passover was to be participated in and then memorialized in later remembrance feasts, but it was not to be turned into a good luck charm that could be carried throughout one’s life.

The second reason is similar to the first. It was to ensure that there would be no putrefaction of anything left behind or any possible use of it by those who came behind the Israelites for profane purposes. In type and picture, we are to carry with us the sacrifice of Christ, not in idols, but in our hearts and in who we are.

We are to honor and revere the God who gave us this great Lamb and who has redeemed us through His death. Concerning the entire Passover meal, Matthew Henry again gives wonderful words of how they picture Christ and our relationship to Him –

“The solemn eating of the lamb was typical of our gospel duty to Christ. The paschal lamb was not to be looked upon only, but to be fed upon. So we must by faith make Christ our own; and we must receive spiritual strength and nourishment from him, as from our food …. It was all to be eaten; those who by faith feed upon Christ, must feed upon a whole Christ; they must take Christ and his yoke, Christ and his cross, as well as Christ and his crown. It was to be eaten at once, not put by till morning. To-day Christ is offered, and is to be accepted while it is called to-day, before we sleep the sleep of death. It was to be eaten with bitter herbs, in remembrance of the bitterness of their bondage in Egypt; we must feed upon Christ with sorrow and brokenness of heart, in remembrance of sin. Christ will be sweet to us, if sin be bitter.”

¹¹And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste.

The words here are given, in advance, for the people of Israel to know that their time of bondage was coming to a close and to be quickly ready to depart from it and into a new part of redemptive history. “A belt on your waist” isn’t the greatest translation and it doesn’t give the sense of what is going on.

Rather it should say “with your loins girded.” The dress of the people was loose. When they wanted to travel, and especially to go in a hurry, they would tighten up the loose clothing so that it wouldn’t cause them to trip or get caught up on anything. An example of this is found in 1 Kings –

“Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.” 1 Kings 18:46

In the New Testament, Peter gives us a spiritual application of this for the believer in Christ –

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ¹⁴as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; ¹⁵but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.'” 1 Peter 1:13-16

Having sandals on their feet was completely out of the regular custom. In Middle Eastern homes, sandals or shoes have always been taken off indoors. This would be a sign to them that at anytime they were literally within an instant of being told they were to leave.

The staff in the hand admonition is similar to the shoes. When the people went out, they would grab their staff for the walk. It was used for defense against whatever came along as well as a help over the difficult terrains they would encounter. It’s no different today. But when one comes home, the staff is set aside.

The Lord was telling them that they would need their staffs and they would be needed that night. If they didn’t have them as they ate, they may have left them behind in the rush that would ensue. Therefore, they were told to be ready at any and every moment.

Thus, they were to eat the meal in haste and in a state of preparedness for a hasty departure. Everything about the words indicates urgency. Probably the best analogy for us concerning this admonition for them to eat in haste and be ready in haste is that all we have is right now for Christ.

We have no assurance of tomorrow and therefore we need to always use today to the fullest. When people need to hear the gospel, we need to be prepared to give it. And when the Lord blows the trumpet to call us home, we need to be prepared for our departure. We in Christ have been redeemed, but only so far as we belong to Him.

Someday that will be realized in the twinkling of any eye. That is what we need to always be ready for – both towards others and as individuals awaiting our exodus from this fallen world.

*^11 (fin)It is the Lord’s Passover.

Pesach hu l’Yehovah – The words are emphatic. It is not just a common meal, nor is it any ordinary sacrifice. As the Pulpit Commentary says –

“The lamb is Jehovah’s. It is his pass-sign – the mark of his protection, the precious means of your preservation from death. As such view it; and though ye eat it in haste, eat it with reverence.”

The meal then is being used as a metonymy for the entire observance. Everything about what is to occur is tied up in the sacrifice of the lamb. It is a perfect reflection of the work of the Lord. All to do with redemptive history is tied up in His cross.

This is also the first time the term Pesach or “Passover” is used in the Bible. The meaning of the word is debated, but it appears to have two concepts tied into one. The first is that the Lord will pass by rapidly, and the second is that He will spare those who have trusted Him; those who have applied the blood.

And this is exactly what we can expect of Christ on behalf of His church. A time is coming upon the world when great plagues will cut through the masses of humanity. There will be woe and terror everywhere; most will not survive. But before that time comes, the Lord promises an exodus for His people. They will be spared from what lies ahead.

The only way to be a part of the wondrous moment, which will be but a blink in time and then it will be over, is to have the blood of the Lamb applied to your own life. With that seal of surety, you can be exempted from the destruction and taken directly to God’s Promised Land. Let me tell you how you can receive this grace…

Closing Verse: For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” Titus 2:11-14

Next Week: Exodus 12:12-20 (Saved Unto Holiness) (33rd Exodus Sermon)

It is the Lord’s Passover

Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron
In the land of Egypt, concerning what to do
Saying, “This month shall be your beginning of months
It shall be the first month of the year to you

Speak to all the congregation of Israel
Saying: ‘On the tenth of this month (it will be no bother)
Every man shall take for himself a lamb
According to the house of his father

A lamb for a household
So they shall do as I have told

And if the household is too small for the lamb
Let him and his neighbor next to his house take it
According to the number of the persons
According to each man’s need your count for the lamb you shall make it

Your lamb shall be without blemish
A male of the first year
You may take it from the sheep or from the goats
And further directions from Me you will hear

Now you shall keep it until
The same month on the fourteenth day
Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel
Shall kill it at twilight; towards the end of the day

And they shall take some of the blood
On the two doorposts it they shall put
And on the lintel of the houses where they eat it
But not on the threshold where is placed the foot

Then they shall eat the flesh on that night
Roasted in fire, with unleavened bread
And with bitter herbs they shall eat it
They shall do all of this as I have said

Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water
But roasted in fire as you have heard
Its head with its legs and its entrails
Do this according to My word

You shall let none of it remain until morning does return
And what remains of it until morning it you shall with fire burn

And thus you shall eat it:
With on your waist a belt
Your sandals on your feet
And your staff in your hand, so that it can be felt

So you shall eat it in haste
It is the Lord’s Passover
With which My people have been graced

Lord, thank You for the Lamb of God
The Lord Jesus who takes away our sin
We can have confidence now as we trod
That for us the victory He did win

Help us never to forget the great deeds you have wrought
Help us to fix our eyes always on the Lord Jesus
Who by His precious blood we were bought
He who has done such marvelous things for us!

Praise You O heavenly Father, yes we praise You
And Hallelujah to the Lamb who is ever faithful and true

Hallelujah and Amen…

——————————————————-

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey on Sunday, 6 April 0032. This is based on dating from the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 and the exemplary work of Sir Robert Anderson.

However, people will still try to find a reason why the crucifixion wasn’t on Friday, 11 April 0032. There are a couple reasons why this is disputed, each which certainly results from misunderstanding of biblical terminology. The first is a fear that what’s stated in Matthew 12:40 would mean an error in what Jesus said. The second results from a perceived conflict between the gospel accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke and that of John.

In the first disputed reason, Jesus is quoted by Matthew as saying, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40

The resurrection certainly occurred on a Sunday and only the most extreme cases dispute this – and they do it without justification. Some folks fear that because He rose on a Sunday and it was “3 days and 3 nights” that Jesus was in the tomb then it was either Wednesday or Thursday that He must have gone to the cross. It’s important to note that this verse is from Matthew and is directed to the Jewish people – Jesus as King. Hebrew idioms would have been understood and not needed any clarification or verbal amending. To the audience Matthew was writing to any part of a day is considered to be inclusive of the whole day. It’s no different than terminology we use today. If I arrive in Florida on a plane at 11:30pm on 11 April, during a later conversation I would still say I was in Florida on that day. The biblical pattern of “evening and morning” being a day goes back to the first chapter of the Bible and includes an entire day – regardless of what part of a day one is referring to.

The same verse, as recorded in Luke says, “As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.” Luke 11:29, 20 In this instance, Luke was not writing to only Jewish people, but predominately to non-Jewish people – Jesus as the Son of Man. Therefore, the terminology is amended to avoid confusion. This occurs many times in the gospels and therefore the addressees (or the background of the writers themselves) need to be identified to understand proper terminology.

The second issue to be resolved is that some scholars claim that John “appears” to place the crucifixion on a different date than the other writers. Because of this, an attempt to insert some second type of Passover meal is made. This supposedly helps the Bible out of an apparent problem. However, no such meal is identified in the Bible – at any time. Nor is it necessary to make something erroneous like this up. The Bible identifies the timing of the entire Passion Week, dispelling the problem. The terminology for “Preparation Day” used in all four gospel accounts absolutely clears this up and will be noted below.

Here’s what you need to know:

Paul plainly states that the Feast of Firstfruits is a picture of the resurrection:

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:20

The feast of Firstfruits was a Sunday according to Leviticus 23:15 – “From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks.” Note: the Sabbath is a Saturday. We don’t need to go any further there to know this is correct and that Christ rose on a Sunday.

Here is the math from the gospel accounts. It’s all there in black and white and very easy to look up –

**“Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.” John 12:1 This would have been a Sabbath day (Saturday.)

**“The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.” John 12:12 This would have been 5 days before the Passover, meaning Sunday (Palm Sunday) as the Passover would have started Thursday night at sundown and run until Friday night at sundown (remember biblical days start at sundown).

The account couldn’t be clearer that the next day after the Passover was a Sabbath. This is indicated several times. Some people have attempted to use the terminology in John (it was a “high day” or a “special Sabbath”) to indicate that it could have been a day other than a Saturday. Special Sabbaths are specified in Leviticus and don’t necessarily fall on Saturdays. However, the term “Sabbath” as used in the other gospel accounts is indicating a Saturday. There is no indication, anywhere, that there were two Sabbaths in a row on this particular week. In fact, such an analysis does an injustice to the reading of the text. Therefore, the special Sabbath occurred on a regular Sabbath day (Saturday).

From this we can give the entire week’s schedule (refer to the cited verses in your own Bible to familiarize yourself with what’s being said) –

Sabbath 6 before // John 12:1 – …six days before the Passover. Bethany/Lazarus.
Sunday 5 before // John 12:12 & Mark 11:10 – The next day… Palm Sunday/Riding the donkey.
Monday 4 before // Mark 11:12 Now on the next day… Jesus cursed the fig tree.
Tuesday 3 before // Mark 11:20 Now in the morning… The withered fig is identified.
Wednesday 2 before // The gospels are silent on what occurred on this day.
Thursday 1 before – Passover starts at Sundown //Mark 14:1 After two days it was the Passover… (this is the first timing mentioned since Mark 11:20 which was Tuesday).

Note: Pay special attention to the fact that in the following accounts Mark is using Jewish time (sunset to sunset and John is using Roman time) –

Mark 14:12 – “Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread when they killed the Passover Lamb.”

John 13:1 – “Now before the Feast of the Passover….” Meal, Washing of Feet, Gethsemane.

***Christ crucified this same 24 hour period, but it was obviously after the final night at Gethsemane and then the illegal trial. Mark is speaking of this event from sundown, John is speaking of it on Roman time (this is obvious because they use different terminology for the same meal where Judas left to betray the Lord… can’t miss this point and get it right.)

6 days before – Saturday
5 days before – Sunday
4 days before – Monday
3 days before – Tuesday
2 days before – Wednesday
1 day before – Thursday
The Day – Friday

The problem with people believing that John was speaking of a different day (as mentioned above) is that they miss the fact that the terminology for the day is different based on the author. To clear up any misunderstanding between the synoptic gospels and the Gospel of John, one needs only to compare the uses for the term “Preparation Day.” Once one does this, there are no discrepancies in the accounts –

Matthew 27:62 – “The next day, the one after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.” This was the day after the crucifixion. Matthew says it is the day “after Preparation Day.”

Mark 15:42 – “It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached…” This is the day of the crucifixion. Mark says “It was Preparation Day.”

Luke 23:5 – “It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.” This is the day of the crucifixion. Luke says “It was Preparation Day.”

John 19:14 – “Now it was Preparation Day of the Passover.” This is the day of the crucifixion. John says “It was Preparation Day.”

Based on the biblical evidence, there is

No discrepancy between any of the accounts.
Jesus was crucified on a Friday.
Jesus rose on a Sunday.

As a final note, the Bible says 13 times that He was raised “on” the third day. This is mentioned by Jesus himself as well as the apostles. Therefore, it must have been Friday that Christ was crucified.

——————————————————————–

Please don’t believe (as some have claimed) that Christ rode the donkey into Jerusalem on a Saturday instead of a Sunday. This would have been the Sabbath. If He did, He would have violated the law –

“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.” Deuteronomy 5:12-14

There is no need to make the assertion it was a Saturday unless you simply wanted to finagle the dating. There is also no biblical provision for an exemption to the commandment prohibiting working a donkey. As stated above, the work of Sir Robert Anderson in the 1800s clearly demonstrates that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on 6 April 0032. This can be validated in other ways and is the correct year and month for the Lord’s crucifixion.

The biblical evidence is quite clear and without ambiguity or total uncertainty…Jesus Christ was crucified as the Passover Lamb on Friday, 11 April 0032 and was resurrected to eternal life on Sunday 13 April 0032.

He now offers eternal life to all who call on Him by faith. Have you accepted His offer of peace?

Exodus 11:1-10 (Announcing the Final Plague)

Charlie Garrett Exodus, Exodus Sermons (written), Old Testament, Sermons, Torah, Torah (written) Sunday, June 21st, 2015Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015 0 Comment

Exodus 11:1-10
Announcing the Final Plague

On August 2nd, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait with about 100,000 troops. On August 8th, they announced the annexation of Kuwait. Three months later, on November 29, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 678 setting a deadline for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait before January 15, 1991, or face military action.

Talks began in Geneva between U.S. Secretary of State James Baker and Iraq Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, but by 9 January of 1991, they ended with no progress. On 12 January, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution authorizing the use of military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.

By this time, and with this final action, there was only an “when” not an “if” as to whether there would be a war or not. Some things are simply going to happen and there is nothing that will stop them. Time marches on, heads are often self-willed and obstinate, and hearts get harder, not softer, when faced with confrontation.

Some scholars have claimed that if Pharaoh had simply agreed to let Israel go after having this final plague was announced, the Lord would have relented and not brought the plague on Egypt. But this is not correct. The structure of chapter 11 takes care to understand the timeline of events that occur.

The words of Moses which announce this plague are actually a continuous thought from the meeting started in Chapter 10. Pharaoh hardened his heart, refused to let Israel go, and ordered Moses’ dismissal. Moses agreed, but after that, during the same meeting, the last plague is announced.

There is no option as to whether Pharaoh can relent or not. Instead, there is only the absolute assurance that the plague will come and that it will be the Lord who executes the action. There is a point where bargaining is ended and only inevitable punishment will result.

Saddam Hussein found this out. He lost his sons, he lost his army, he lost his nation, and he lost his life, all because of a stubborn, hard heart. The same was true with Pharaoh. History is replete with losers like this.

Text Verse: “Therefore you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Drink, be drunk, and vomit! Fall and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.”’ ²⁸And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “You shall certainly drink!””’ Jeremiah 25:27, 28

Judgment came upon the nations which surrounded Israel because of their treatment of Israel and because of their obstinate hearts before the Lord. Sin heaps up in a land until there is simply no more remedy and the only alternative left is judgment.

The world is increasingly obstinate and hard-hearted against the Lord once again. The glories of the church age are quickly fading and this time of grace is coming to an end. Anyone who thinks that God will somehow work differently now than He has in the past is deluded.

We are given these stories to hopefully learn from. Unfortunately, you can’t learn from what remains unopened and untaught. Most of the world is at this very point with the treasure of God’s superior word. But it is still available to instruct us if we will but look into its hidden riches. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. One More Plague (verses 1-3)

Now the Lord had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt.

At the end of the previous chapter, these were the final words we looked at –

But coming up in verse 8 of this chapter we will read –

“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.”

From this it is evident that verses 1-3 are parenthetical, having been spoken before the meeting with Pharaoh, which is still ongoing. Due to deficiency in tenses in the Hebrew language, the context drives the translation. In the case of many translations, like the KJV, they incorrectly state here “And the Lord said…” rather than “Now the Lord had said…”

Thus, such translations make it appear that there is a contradiction because it said they would never meet again, but then they do meet once again. Rather, this is one continuous meeting, but a parenthetical thought is now being introduced.

At some point in the past, the Lord had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt.” This has been the reason for Moses’ boldness of speech before Pharaoh. He has the sure word of the Lord that what is coming will be final. Thus his words have been direct and filled with boldness.

The word for “plague” here has not been used before. It is nega which comes from naga, meaning “to touch.” This plague is personal and will personally touch those affected. The other plagues affected the people, but the personal nature of this one is highlighted by the use of this word.

It is the same word used in Isaiah 53:8 when speaking of Christ. He, the Son of God, would become our Passover Lamb –

“He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.” Isaiah 53:8

Already, in the first words of this chapter, we are seeing a picture forming of the work of Christ. Remembering that Pharaoh pictures the ruler of this world and Egypt pictures the fallen world, we are being shown what the Lord would do for us in these types and pictures from 1500 years before His arrival.

^{1 (con’t)}After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely.

The Hebrew here for “drive you out completely” is kalah garesh y’garesh etkhem mizzeh – “completely driving out he shall surely drive out you from here.” The word “completely” then is speaking of all of the people and everything they own.

As Canon Cook notes, “the meaning is – when at last he lets you depart, with children, flocks, herds, and all your possessions, he will compel you to depart in haste.” There will be complete release, just as has been demanded. But more so, it will be not just with Pharaoh’s approval, but as if he absolutely insists that they go.

²Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”

All the way back at the beginning of this journey when Moses stood before the burning bush, the Lord told him this in Exodus 3 –

“And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. ²²But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.” Exodus 3:21-22

As you can see, at that time the Lord only mentioned the women asking for these items. Now that mandate is extended to men as well as women. All are to ask for such articles. The word for “articles” can mean a whole host of things from weapons to utensils and from cups to plates.

As before, articles of silver and gold are specifically requested, not to enrich the Israelites, but for what the Israelites will do with them in the wilderness. They are being prepared for an organized mode of worship which will continue on until the coming of Christ.

These articles will be used in the construction of the tabernacle and all of the utensils and furniture within that tabernacle. And every part of what they construct will picture Him… every detail of it. God is plundering the Egyptians in order to form worship for His people. This then is ultimately a picture of Christ.

In Christ, God took from humanity in order to build His greater and eternal Temple. He did it in that Christ came from the stream of humanity to be the point of worship and meeting with God. As the tabernacle of the Old Testament, so Christ in the New!

As I noted during the Exodus 3 sermon, the KJV uses the term “borrow” rather than “ask for” these items both there and again here. It is quite possibly the worst possible translation of a word in the history of the world, as most scholars agree.

To borrow implies to return and it is perfectly understood from the situation that returning was not a consideration. The plundering of the Egyptians has brought a lot of criticism on the Bible over the years. People have used terms like “fraud,” “theft,” “deception,” and the like to describe what occurred here.

But what can one expect when a word and a context which surely means “to ask” is mistranslated as “borrow?” These men and women are instructed to ask of their neighbors for the articles they would need and to which they actually had a 215-year right.

³(The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people.

Exactly as was said in Exodus 3, it is noted here. The Lord had said he would make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people and now it is a completed truth here. And these words also show us that the word “borrow” is wholly incorrect.

If the intent was “borrow,” there would have been no need for the Lord to have given the Hebrews favor in their sight. People will lend to others even if they don’t really like them as long as they know the thing will be returned. Instead, the words are given to show that the Egyptians were favorably disposed to giving them these things.

And finally, the picture of Christ, which these words reflect, would make no sense with the word “borrow.” Christ wasn’t borrowed from humanity. He came through it and He belongs to it for all eternity as the incarnate word of God.

^3 (con’t) and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.)

These words are a result of the events of the nine previous plagues. When Moses first came, it was with Aaron as his spokesman and with a slowness of tongue which he felt would be a hindrance, not a help. But during the plagues, he amazed and baffled the magicians of Pharaoh.

Then he showed favor to the servants of Pharaoh and the people by announcing the plague of hail in advance and giving them warning to bring their animals in, lest they die. By the time of the plague of locusts, the people were nearly begging Pharaoh to act and release the men for the worship of Yehovah.

Throughout all of the plagues, Moses had shown himself the representative of the God who was greater than their greatest gods. Being the representative of the Lord, he then was greater than the representative of their gods, Pharaoh. This is all implied in these words now.

Just one more plague lies ahead
It will be a final blow, one beyond compare
With it every firstborn son of Egypt will soon be dead
There will be great sorrow; mournful cries will arise from there

When it comes, Pharaoh in haste will drive you out
But before you go, be sure to ask for articles of silver and gold
And as you finally start off, give a resounding shout
For the marvelous deeds you have seen unfold

You will leave this land for another place
One which I have set aside especially for you
There in that land I will bestow upon you My grace
For you My people these things I will do

II. There Will be Loud Wailing (verses 4-7)

⁴So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says:

With the parenthetical thought of verses 1-3 now stated, the words of Moses to Pharaoh in their meeting which started in the previous chapter now resume.

^4 (con’t) ‘About midnight

ka’khatsoth ha’laylah – meaning “about the middle of the night,” the final terrible plague will come upon the land. The time of the plague is announced and it is given in order to have the strongest effect possible upon the hearer. Midnight is when men are tired or even asleep, but the coming of this plague would be something which would deprive them of it.

Further, though the time of day is given, the exact day is not. Would it be tonight? Would it be next week? The suspense of not knowing is intended to wear out the mind of the obstinate man who had challenged the Lord.

From the entire passage of this plague, even we can’t be certain whether it was on this same night, and whether the planning for the Passover came before this meeting, or whether the first 28 verses of chapter 12 happened after the meeting with Pharaoh.

What is most likely is that this plague will come upon Egypt on the very same night after this meeting. But for sure, all we know is that the plague is pronounced and it will be at midnight.

^4 (con’t) I will go throughout Egypt.

The “I” in this verse is emphatic. The Lord has spoken and the Lord will perform. The terminology is similar to what Isaiah writes about concerning a future plague which is coming upon the earth –

“Come, my people, enter your chambers,
And shut your doors behind you;
Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment,
Until the indignation is past.
²¹For behold, the Lord comes out of His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
The earth will also disclose her blood,
And will no more cover her slain.” Isaiah 26:20, 21

When judgment is due, the Lord will come out of His place in order to execute that judgment. Pharaoh is warned; we are warned.

⁵Every firstborn son in Egypt will die,

The term “firstborn” is applied to males. The firstborn is considered the strength of the man and the continuation of his name. Thus we saw this in the blessing of Jacob upon his sons in Genesis 49 –

“Reuben, you are my firstborn,
My might and the beginning of my strength,
The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.” Genesis 49:3

^{5 (con’t)}from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne,

Pharaoh is the highest official in the land. This is only the second time that the “throne” has been mentioned in the Bible. It properly means “seat of honor.” The first time it was seen was in Genesis 41 when referring to the throne of Pharaoh in relation to Joseph. Now it is referring to the throne of Pharaoh in relation to his son.

This son bore the Egyptian title erpa suten sa, meaning “hereditary crown prince.” Unless he died before his father, or unless he was removed from this royal position, he would be the one to assume the position and title of Pharaoh after his father.

Thus, this is a direct challenge to the supposed deity of the Pharaonic dynasty. Along with him, several other gods of Egypt are hereby challenged – Min, the god of reproduction; Heqet, the goddess who attended women at childbirth; and Isis, the goddess who protected children.

Each of these, including Pharaoh himself, will be shown as false gods, completely under the power and control of Yehovah, the God of the Hebrews, the God of Israel, and the One true God.

^{5 (con’t)}to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill,

In contrast to the firstborn son of Pharaoh, the firstborn son of the female slave would be considered the lowest level in the entire societal scale of Egypt. And in contrast to his throne, is the hand- mill of this maid. While he sat in the place of honor she would squat at the millstones pulverizing the grain.

The term here for her labors is akhar ha’rekhayim – It properly means “behind the millstones.” This will take consideration to understand. There are two millstones, thus the plural word is used. One was on the ground and didn’t move. The other was on top of it and would have a hole in the middle and a handle on it as well.

In Matthew 24:41, Jesus explains that two women would sometimes work together on such millstones. One woman would hold grain and drop it into the hole. The other would grab the handle and pulverize the grain by spinning the millstone. She is the one “behind the millstone.” The harder work would be done by the lower slave. Like a world champion limbo star, this is as low as one can go.

Thus, this verse is an all-inclusive statement. Both Pharaoh in his seat of comfort to this lowest of the lowly slaves, and all in between – together they would be equally affected by what was coming. All will be afflicted by the torment of the horrifying plague. But despite what is coming, there is a note of grace.

In Exodus 1:22, Pharaoh had demanded that all of the males of the Hebrews be cast into the river. Here in response to that edict, which was all but forgotten by them, the Lord sets out to destroy only the firstborn. The words of Habakkuk can be retroactively applied to this account – “In wrath remember mercy.” (3:2)

Despite this touch of grace, every family is included and no family is exempted. Heartache, sorrow, and death will touch all alike. But there is yet more…

^{5 (con’t)}and all the firstborn of the cattle as well.

The word is behemah and it means properly “beasts,” not just cattle. It would include any household pets, from the revered cat, to the friendly dog, and to the exotic monkey. Whatever animals were kept in home, barn, or temple, they would all be affected by this plague.

Thus, it is a complete attack on both domestic and religious life. The beloved pets and their sacred animals would all be shown to be under the authority of the Lord. No god represented by any animal would be able to stop the onslaught which has been ordained by Him and its effects will never be forgotten…

⁶There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again.

The word here for “wailing” is tseaqah. It means an outcry as if in anguish. Thus “a loud wailing” is a good choice of words. Even today, women in the Middle East continue with the loud wails for which they are especially known. Unlike the west where we often withhold emotional outbursts, there it is common and it is extremely loud.

But unlike a funeral for one person mourned by an isolated group of people, this outcry would be from all people throughout all of the land. Imagine the sound of millions of shrill wailing cries permeating the darkened skies of Egypt. Surely nothing had ever occurred like it before and never since has such a sound been heard.

⁷But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’

This is often thought of as a proverbial expression meaning that there will be only quietness and peace in Israel which is contrasted to the wailing of Egypt. A similar form of expression is found in Joshua 10:21. After a great battle where Israel’s enemies were defeated, we read this –

“And all the people returned to the camp, to Joshua at Makkedah, in peace.
No one moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.” Joshua 10:21

But there is more to this than a sense of peace and quiet. There is also another noted judgment upon Egypt’s gods. The god Anpu, later known as Anubis, is the dog-headed god associated with mummification and also the after-life.

The implication then is that while the dogs were wailing along with the humans, which they are often known to do, no such wailing was to be found among the Israelites. The god Anubis was ineffective in keeping the Egyptians from needed mummification and Yehovah was fully capable of protecting each and every life associated with Israel. And there is a reason for this distinction to have been made…

^7 (con’t)Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.

Israel is to be redeemed from the plague, Egypt will suffer through it. The death of the firstborn is all that will withhold the entire wrath of God in Egypt. Otherwise, they would be utterly consumed. However, in Israel, a substitute will be accepted. A lamb will take the place of the people.

When the plague comes, in that day, the Lord promises to “make a distinction” in the land. The term in Hebrew is yaphleh. It is the third of seven uses of the word palah in the Bible. It means to “set apart,” but the word also means “wonderfully” or “wondrously.”

And surely this is fitting for what will occur in this plague. There is a distinction and it is found between the redeemed of the Lord and those who refuse to yield themselves to Him. The Lord will work wondrously.

⁸All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me

There is more in the Hebrew here than we get in the English. There is a strong play on words which we miss. The words “will come” is the Hebrew v’yaredu, literally “and will descend.” It is an idiom which indicates going from a nobler place to one of less grandeur.

And yet, when they get there, they will come “bowing down before me.” In other words, these officials would come to acknowledge the true royalty of the land. Though Moses isn’t in a palace, they will descend to his place in order to exalt him. It is a fitting parallel to what is said about Christ in Isaiah 52 –

“Kings shall shut their mouths at Him;
For what had not been told them they shall see,
And what they had not heard they shall consider.” Isaiah 52:15

^8 (con’t)and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’

Again, there is a Hebrew idiom not seen in the translation. The words say “the people who are at your feet.” It is an expression which means those who are willing to obey and follow a leader. Where his feet step, they were willing to follow in kind. They will finally acknowledge him as the leader of his people.

Moses is the human redeemer of Israel. Thus he pictures Christ who is the leader of Israel and those who willingly follow Him. Two comparable passages of note are found in the New Testament which are directed to the Jewish believers –

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:” 1 Peter 2:21

These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.” Revelation 14:4

^8 (con’t)After that I will leave.”

Moses adds in these words to let Pharaoh know that only after the authorities of Egypt come and bow before him will he leave. Thus it is a hard jab directly at the person and position of Pharaoh.

^8 (con’t)Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.

In an extremely unusual burst of emotion, Moses finally turns and leaves once and forever from the face of Pharaoh. The words for “hot with anger” are ba’khori af – “in heat of anger.” But, af literally means “nostril.” And so we get the mental picture of his nostrils flaring and his face turning red in rage. Ellicott nicely describes the reason for his emotions –

“For once his acquired ‘meekness’ failed, and the hot natural temper of his youth blazed up. His life had been threatened—he had been ignominiously dismissed—he had been deprived of his right of audience for the future … Under such circumstances, he ‘did well to be angry.'” Ellicott

For those I have redeemed, there will be peace
I will make a separation between them and the world
Between us there will be harmony, all strife will cease
This for My people as their redemption is unfurled

My people will be safe while the land around them dies
To them there will be calm in the midst of woe
Everywhere there will be mournful wailing and cries
Except among My redeemed will it be so

And all of this is a part of an even greater plan
Their joys only picture countless souls in the future’s world
From every nation on earth there I will redeem man
Yes, they shall be My people, as the plan of redemption is unfurled

III. The Foolishness of the Hardened Heart (verses 9 & 10)

⁹The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.”

This verse in Hebrew actually begins with the word “and.” It is used in order of thought, not specifically in time. And so, unlike some translations, the next words are correct. It should say, “The Lord had said…” rather than, “The Lord said.”

This is calling to mind the words which have been spoken several times and in several ways since his encounter with the Lord at the burning bush. It is a final recalling of the events which have led to the place where we now stand, just prior to the actual events of the Passover.

Further, the words “Pharaoh will refuse to listen…” are correct. It’s obvious from the entire account of the nine preceding plagues that Pharaoh has willingly and stubbornly refused to listen to the Lord. Yes, the Lord worked on Pharaoh in such a manner that the outcome was assured, but it was only because of the obdurate nature of the man.

When someone taunts or prods another, the outcome will be based on the nature of the one taunted or prodded. Pharaoh was wired as one who would only increase his stubbornness in the face of the Lord’s calculated prodding, but it is still he who is to blame for the outcome.

And once again in this verse, the reason for these things coming out this way is given – “so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” Had one or two plagues been enough to secure the release of Israel, the memory of what happened would have been quickly buried in the sands of passing time.

But as it came about, even many hundreds of years after the exodus, the surrounding nations still remembered what occurred and trembled at the name of the Lord. Despite the additional time of suffering in Egypt before their departure, Israel received other benefits from the time of these plagues as well.

1) They could personally see the events unfold before their eyes, thus recognizing the greatness of the Lord and His superiority over all other gods. 2) They were given confidence in Moses as their leader, a confidence that was challenged, but never overthrown by the majority. Instead a sound system of human government lay under the theocratic rule of the Lord. 3) It gave them time to prepare for their inevitable departure, rather than being hastily removed from their longtime dwelling in a haphazard manner. 4) They were free from any type of attack by the Egyptians for well over three hundred years. Thus their southern flank remained secure and they could use that safety to establish themselves in their new homeland, not worrying about attack from that direction. And finally, 5) They were also able to plunder the Egyptians on their way out. Had they not remained during the full time of the plagues, this would not have occurred.

For these and certainly other reasons, the additional stay in Egypt by Israel was an acceptable cost to pay. The Lord wisely determined all things for their ultimate benefit.

*¹⁰Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.

Again, this verse begins with the word “and” in the Hebrew. It shows with certainty that the previous verse is to be rendered in the past, not the future tense. After the next plague, Pharaoh will in fact not just let them go, but he will drive them out.

Reading and thinking these things through shows us why it is so detrimental to an understanding of the Bible to be captivated by a single, fallible translation.

God’s word is not in error, but man’s translation of it often is. Those who teach that one translation and no other should be used only set themselves up for faulty theology and a single-mindedness which is harmful, rather than helpful.

This is the last time that the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is noted prior to the exodus. The next time the hardening of his heart is mentioned is after they leave Egypt, but before they come to the shores of the Red Sea. The Lord is not through with Pharaoh yet, but He is done with him for the time being.

And so, the wonders which have been conducted are mentioned and the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart to this point is cumulatively chalked up to the work of the Lord. He has worked out His plan exactly as He said it would happen in advance of it happening.

Therefore, the credit for the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is given to the Lord even though it was Pharaoh who actively hardened it each time he was faced with a decision to comply or refuse. The past nine plagues, and the wording associated with them, are a classic study in the nature of man and how he responds to external stimuli.

Unfortunately for Pharaoh and Egypt, they have been used as examples for us at their own loss. From this account, which really happened in history, we can learn how to act as humans and how to respond to the Lord as He unfolds life’s lessons before us. Saddam Hussein never bothered with the Bible and he repeated the same type of mistake as Pharaoh.

Someday, the antichrist will follow along this same sad path. And unfortunately, others are lost in their destructive wake. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis perished because of Saddam; billions of humans will perish because of the antichrist.

In Isaiah 13, the Lord says he will make man rarer than fine gold. This is really coming upon the world, but it can be avoided. God has offered us terms of peace which circumvent the leaders of this world. It is found by calling on Christ. By doing so, we are transferred to His leadership.

Just as he led Israel out of Egypt and through the Red Sea, he can and will do the same for those who call on Him. If you want a part of that heavenly visitation, let me tell you what you need to know…

Closing Verse: “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by.” Psalm 57:1

Next Week: Exodus 12:1-11 (It is the Lord’s Passover) (32nd Exodus Sermon)

The Plague on the Firstborn

Now the Lord had said to Moses
“I will bring one more plague on Egypt and on Pharaoh
After that, he will let you go from here
And when he does, he will drive you out completely as you go

Tell the people that men and women alike
Are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold
The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed
Toward the people, just as the Lord had told

And Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt the land
By Pharaoh’s officials and by the people, he was considered grand

So Moses said, “This is what says the Lord:
‘About midnight throughout Egypt I will go
Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, according to my word
And then that I am the Lord, Egypt will surely know

From the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne
To the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill
All the firstborn will die as I have shown
And all the firstborn of the cattle as well

There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt
Worse than there has ever been or ever again will be
But among the Israelites not a dog will bark
At any person or animal, with your own eyes this you will see

Then you will know that the Lord as to you I tell
Makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel

All these officials of yours will come to me, it is true
Bowing down before me and saying
“Go, you and all the people who follow you!
After that I will leave, and for this you will be praying

Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh
Out of his presence he did go

The Lord had said to Moses
“Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you
So that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt
His heart will be hardened through and through

Moses and Aaron performed as the Bible does impart
All these wonders before Pharaoh
But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart
And he would not let out of his country the Israelites go

From this, important lessons we should learn
An entire nation was judged because of one hardened heart
For truth and justice should our souls yearn
And the Lord’s great name to others we should impart

Someday what happened to Egypt will happen again
But this time it will come upon the entire world
Great tribulation and plague will come upon all men
As God’s righteous judgments are unfurled

And so now is the time to call out for redemption
To receive Jesus and be saved from this great tragedy
Through His shed blood we will receive exemption
At the rapture He will come, our saving remedy

The time may not be far off now
The world is quickly falling apart as wickedness does increase
So let us get the word out to everyone somehow
Before God’s mercy upon the world does cease

We thank You Lord that there is saving grace
We thank You Lord for the Gift of Jesus
Someday soon we will see You face to face
Such wondrous things You have done for us!

Praises to You our great and awesome God
Thank You for those heavenly streets we will someday trod!

Hallelujah and Amen…