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Study No.26: Warning of the Last Plague : Exodus 11:1-10

A. Find Out:

  

1. What will be the effect of the last plague? v.1

2. When would it occur? v.4

3. How extensive would it be? v.5,6

4. What will happen to the Israelites? v.7

5. How will Egypt's leadership come to Moses? v.8a

6. How did Moses leave Pharaoh's court? v.8c

 

B. Think :

 

1. What does this plague say about accountability to God?

2. How would you describe the effect of this plague on Egypt, in your own

    words?

3. Why do you think Moses was angry when he left Pharaoh?

 

C. Comment :

 

      This is both a shocking and yet profoundly challenging passage. First the shock: this plague will hit EVERY single Egyptian family without exception. There will be a dead body in every Egyptian home that night. Second the challenge: the fact that God takes the oldest son of every Egyptian household, shows that He holds every household accountable for the sins of Egypt. Probably they all worshipped the various gods and every person contributed in some way to the state of the nation, and each is therefore accountable.

 

      Now let's consider it all in a wider context. Romans 3:10-18 declares about the human race that ALL sin, ALL deserve God's judgement. Every person in Egypt would die sometime, but what is shocking is that so many will die at one time. From our human, self-centred and often godless perspective we can be shocked at such "loss of life". Moses should be an example to follow for he left "hot with anger". Anger? Yes, anger that Pharaoh's crass stupidity should bring the nation to this. There was no need for this to happen, they just had to let Israel go. What was happening was because of Pharaoh's stubborn foolishness. It was his choice!

 

D. Application?

 

1. Angry against God or against man's sin?

2. God is ALWAYS just!

Study No.27 : Instructions for Passover  : Exodus 12:1-13

A. Find Out:    

        

1. What sort of lamb were they to take? v.3-5

2. What were they to do with some of the blood? v.7

3. With what effect? v.13

4. What were they to do with the rest of it? v.8-10

5. How were they to eat the lamb? v.11

6. What was the Lord going to do? v.12

 

B. Think :

 

1. What do you think was the point of eating that evening?

2. In EVERY home throughout the whole of Egypt there would be a dead

     body. What would it be?

3. Read John 1:29 What does that tell us about Jesus?

 

C. Comment :

 

      The Lord gives clear instructions for what is to become known as the Passover, the time when God "passed-over" Egypt and left dead bodies behind Him. In the Jewish homes the dead body was to be a lamb, a young lamb "without defect". Here is an amazing picture of the lamb that God was to provide as a sacrifice for eternity, His Son Jesus, who was also without defect (Hebrews 4:15). For the Israelites their salvation from the wrath of God would come, first because they were a chosen people (for us see Ephesians 1:4), and second because they responded in faith, believing what God had said through Moses and obeying Him (for us see Romans 3:22)

 

      The Lord's judgement against Egypt is significant (v.12), "on all the gods of Egypt". The Egyptians were worshippers of gods, the creation of human imagination and demon inspiration. They worshipped the sun, the air, the sky, the earth, the water. In the judgement God brought He upset each of these and brought distress through the very things they worshipped. Today, nature worship still has its origin in the same place, and God will judge it! The only object of worship must be the Creator, not the created.

 

D. Application?

1. Beware New Age worship of the earth.

2. God is distinct from His creation. Worship Him, not His creation!

Study No.28 : Feast of Rembrance : Exodus 12:14-20

A. Find Out:

          

1. What are they to do with this day? v.14

2. How long are they to celebrate it? v.15

3. What are they to eat in this time? v.15

4. How are they to begin and end it? v.16

5. Why are they to do this? v.17

6. What is to happen to anyone who eats yeast? v.19

  

B. Think :

 

1. Why do you think the Lord is establishing this feast?

2. Why do you think they were unable to use any yeast in their baking?

3. Look up 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 for OUR feast of remembrance.

 

C. Comment :

 

      Two particular things of note come out of this passage. First we observe the PURPOSE of this feast: it is to ensure the future generations remember this event, this day when the Lord delivered Israel out of Egypt. We are prone to forget, prone to take for granted, prone to make ordinary, such events, and we therefore need constant reminding. A feast that would last a whole week would certainly ensure no one forgot it.

      Second, we observe a key feature of this feast: it is eating bread without yeast in. This is mentioned several times in these seven verses, and twice we are told that anyone who does must be cut off from Israel. Some people speak of yeast being a picture of sin, but that isn't the main emphasis here. Yeast takes time to rise when it is used in baking and the emphasis is therefore, that what happened, happened at great speed. When God moves He often appears to wait a long time before he moves, but when He does move things seem to happen very quickly. For weeks and months this has been dragging on but now suddenly, in twenty four hours, they will be out, This can only be the Lord, so don't forget it!

 

D. Application?

 

1. Learn to be patient to await God's moving.

2. When God moves, make sure you are ready!

   

Study No.29 : Preparing for Passover : Exodus 12:21-30

A. Find Out:

           

1. Who did Moses pass the word onto first? v.21

2. How were they to paint their door posts? v.22

3. What did he command about leaving here? v.22

4. Who will God stop when He sees the blood? v.23

5. Who were they to tell in the future? v.26,27

6. How did the people respond to all this? v.27

B. Think :

1. When will God stop the angel of judgement?

2. What has to happen before He can see that?

3. What does this passage therefore teach about salvation?

C. Comment :

      What was to happen was so important that the Bible repeats the details that we have already noted, so let's observe the key details again so they may be firmly imprinted on our minds. First, a lamb had to die. Second, its blood was to be displayed at the entrances of their homes. Third, judgement was going to fall on the land and death would visit every home. Fourth, where the destroying angel saw that death had already come by a lamb dying, he would pass over the lives in that home. Fifth, where there was no lamb, judgement would fall.

      Thus we have perhaps the clearest picture in the Bible portraying what would happen when Jesus came. Jesus was God's lamb (John 1:29 / Revelation 5:6). All who would believe in his death for them would escape the judgement of God (Romans 3:24,25). This is the wonder of salvation, that God would provide His own lamb so that we might escape the coming judgement, be delivered out of the world of darkness ruled over by Satan, and delivered into the kingdom of the Son (Colossians 1:13,14). What an amazing picture this is shown here in Exodus, fore-shadowing that which God was planning to do centuries later.

 

D. Application?

 

1. Thank the Lord that is no doubt about the way of salvation.

2. Thank Him that we do not have to WORK our way into His acceptance,

     we simply have to BELIEVE it!

  

   

Study No.30 : We're Going!  :  Exodus 12:31-51

A. Find Out:

           

1. When did Pharaoh summon Israel? v.31

2. How did the Egyptians want them to leave? v.33

3. What food did they have to put up with? v.34,39

4. What did they take with them? v.35,36

5. About how many men left Egypt? v.37

6. How long had they lived in Egypt? v.40

 

B. Think :

1. What was the state of Israel when they left Egypt?

2. What was the state of Egypt having resisted the Lord's plan for His  

     people?

3. Read Genesis 15:13,14   How is this the fulfilment of prophecy?

C. Comment :

 

     At last it is all happening, it is real, we are actually leaving! What incredible joy there must have been among the Israelites as their long years of slavery were coming to an end at last. But it was all happening so fast they didn't have time to think about it. It's the middle of the night and then all Egypt is up and in distress!

     There is anguish in every home and it suddenly dawns on them that it's the presence of these Israelites that is the cause of the death of their loved ones, and they fear they will be next unless they can get them out of the country as quickly as possible. There is much haste and even bribery to get them to go. Israel are in a strong position and by the time they get moving they are encumbered by wealth, possessions and livestock. If it wasn't such a devastating scene across Egypt it would be laughable.

      So it was that what had become a small nation of people, quite probably in excess of a million and a half people, left the land of their slavery to return home. God has moved and now they are free! They are off to a home they have never seen but which God has chosen for them.

 

D. Application?

 

1. When God declares His purposes, they WILL be accomplished.

2. God IS sovereign.

RECAP No.5  "The End - Deliverance"  Exodus 11 & 12

SUMMARY

    

In these last 5 studies we have seen:

 

- the Lord warning of this last plague

- Pharaoh not responding to the warning & Moses' anger

- the Lord instructing the Israelites on what they should do to 

   avoid the coming judgement

- the Lord instructing how future generations are to be reminded

   by means of a week long feast

- the death of the first born of Egypt

- the exodus of Israel from Egypt

 

COMMENT :

 

      At last it happens. The final act starts with the warning of God which is STILL disregarded by Pharaoh. It seems almost inconceivable that this man can be so stupid as to persist in resisting the Lord, in the face of all that has gone on so far.

     The purposes of God roll on as unstoppable as a massive steamroller. The only thing that will stop the final judgement will be the repentance of this foolish king and this foolish nation, but that is not forthcoming. The judgement comes and Egypt can't get rid of Israel quick enough.

     If only they had done that at the beginning they would still have a flourishing land. Instead they are left with a devastated landscape and mourning in every home, all because they thought they were greater than the Lord God Almighty! Such is human stupidity.

 

LESSONS :

 

1. We should be angry with sin, not with God

2. We should worship nothing less that the One God

3. We need to learn to be patient to await the Lord's timing

4. We need to be always ready for when the Lord does move

5. Salvation comes through believing and then acting on that belief

6. God IS sovereign!

 

PRAY :

 

        Worship with awe the One Almighty All-powerful God who is the Lord.

SUMMARY OF PLAGUES

1. Blood   - given after warning

  - destroyed drinking water & fish

  - copied by magicians

2. Frogs   - given after warning

  - copied by magicians

  - Pharaoh relents initially

3. Gnats   - brought without warning

  - couldn't be copied

  - magicians acknowledge it is God

4. Flies   - given after warning

  - didn't affect Israel

  - Pharaoh invites sacrifice

5. Livestock   - given after warning

  - didn't affect Israel

  - destroyed all meat

6. Boils   - given without warning

  - magicians have to leave!

 

7. Hail   - given with clear strong warning

  - Moses performs this, not Aaron

  - some Egyptians respond

  - didn't affect Israel

  - destroyed crops and people

  - Pharaoh confesses he's sinned (1st)

8. Locusts   - given after warning

  - Moses performs again

  - cleared every living plant

  - Pharaoh offers to let men go

  - Pharaoh confesses he's sinned (2nd)

9. Darkness   - given without warning

 

  - didn't affect Israel

  - Pharaoh offers release except animals

  - Pharaoh banishes Moses from his presence

10. Firstborn   - given after VERY strong warning

  - clear instructions given to Israel

  - Egyptians so devastated they SEND Israel out of the land.

 

CONCLUSION

      By way of conclusions to these chapters in Exodus, we should note :

 

1. In respect of PHARAOH :

  - his foolishness in worshipping "gods"

  - his stubbornness & his refusal to truly repent

  - his trying to bargain with God

  - his breaking his word to Moses

  - his lack of care for his own people

  

      - as such he epitomises the foolishness of sinful man

 

2. In respect of MOSES :

  - his weakness and fears

  - his call and enabling by God

  - his persistent faith

  - his change to a man of authority

      - as such he epitomises the man of faith who overcomes the world and the enemy

 

3. In respect of GOD :

  - His grace in calling Moses

  - His patience in dealing with Moses' queries

  - His mercy in not destroying Pharaoh instantly

  - His grace in giving warning after warning

  - His awesome persistence

  - His clear purpose being worked out

 

      - we should also read Ezekiel 18:32 and 2 Peter 3:9 for this is God's heart behind all we have read

 

4. In respect of OURSELVES :

  Have we learnt about:

  - the need for persistent faith?

  - the holiness of God?

  - the foolishness of sin?

  - the grace and mercy of God?