The 10 Plagues - Part 3 (Exodus 11:1-12:29)

(This is supplement 6 to the #HeartChat Bible study taking place every Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, 6:30 Pacific USA. Pastor Mike is teaching his Escape from Egypt series on Twitter. Click here for class schedule and links to the notes. Click here to follow Pastor Mike on Twitter.)

INTRODUCTION

This teaching is based on a 9-part sermon series I preached in August 2004. The "Escape from Egypt" study is relevant to our day as God will be dealing with a new Pharoah (Antichrist) soon. (Revelation 13:1-18)

SUMMARY FROM WHENCE WE'VE COME

Over nine months God has demonstrated His power to Pharoah that he might repent by letting Israel go. Pharoah will not and so now he and Egypt are subject to the final blow.

PLAGUE #10: DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN

This (Exodus 12) is a most precious passage ranking up there with Isaiah 53, the suffering Servant, and the Gospel accounts of our Lord's passion. This is the height of the Scriptures as we look into God's heart and there we discover "the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world." (Revelation 13:8b; NIV)

LAST PLAGUE ANNOUNCEMENT

The last plague is announced in Exodus 11:1-10. But there's some confusion. Wycliffe offers this explanation: Exodus 11:4-8 is part of the conversation with Pharoah prior to Moses' departure in chapter 10. We find the conversation would have been placed there between Exodus 10:27 and Exodus 10:28. (That's what you call "reading between the lines.") It (the conversation) is included in Exodus 11 since its focus is the last plague itself? (I agree)

If there's something we don't understand in the Bible, it's not the Bible that's the issue. It's our understanding

The outline of Exodus 11:1-10 goes like this:

11:1-3. Instructions before the announcement.
11:3. In parentheses in the New Living Translation.
11:4-8. Last plague announcement.
11:9. God confirms Pharoah's response.
11:10. A capsilization of all that's taken place.

THE DISTINCTION OF GOD'S PEOPLE

A distinction is made between God's people and the Egyptians. (Exodus 11:7)

There is a difference (and there is to be a difference!) between the people of God and the people of the world. God makes the distinction and we are to continue in it. We aren't the same as we were before we received Christ. We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, we are God's. How do you see yourself? As a distinct people we are to live a distinct life.

People ought to be able to notice a difference about Christians. Still Christians stumble and fall into sin at times. The difference between believers and the world, however, is it's not their direction/bent as it is the world's. (Sinning isn't.) Believers are being made free from sin (sanctification process). Unbelievers are becoming more and more in bondage to it.

PASSOVER INSTRUCTIONS

This is Christ and the centrality of His work communicated here. (Exodus 12:1-14) It is Christ's sacrifice that breaks the back of the evil one.

And the Lord takes Israel to be His own here and distinguishes her from the nations. The Jews officially become the people of God at the last plague against Egypt.

A new calendar is established. (Exodus 12:1-2) God affords fresh beginnings. There's a fresh beginning when you come to Jesus! (2 Corinthians 5:17) The calendar begins anew! Also, there's a fresh beginning each time we stumble into sin. (1 John 1:9)

GLIMPSES OF CHRIST AND HIS WORK IN THE PASSOVER

There are 7 glimpses of Christ and His work in the Passover (Exodus 12:3-14):

1. A lamb unblemished/sinless. (Exodus 12:5)

"[K]nowing that you were not redeemed with persishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." (1 Peter 1:18-19)

2. Life scrutinized over time and proven without fault. (Exodus 12:3, 6)

Passover lamb scrutinized for four days prior to sacrifice. "'I find no fault (guilt; NAS) in Him,' Pilate declared." (John 18:38c)

3. Killed in a public execution. (Exodus 12:6)

4. Substitutionary sacrifice. (Exodus 12:6)

The lamb is both a sacrifice and a substitutionary sacrifice. It is given in place of another (the firstborn) who would have died if not for the substitution.

5. No bone broken prophecy. (Exodus 12:46c)

"[B]ut coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. For these things came to pass, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, 'Not a bone of Him shall be broken.'" (John 19:33. 36)

6. Blood saves from God's wrath. (Exodus 12:12-13)

Are you under the blood?

7. Belief in delivers from death. (Exodus 12:13; John 3:16)

FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD

We find the instructions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread in Exodus 12:15-20. It starts as the Passover Lamb is sacrificed. (Exodus 12:6, 18) It continues from the 15th to the 21st day. (The Passover lamb is chosen on the 10th, scrutinized for four days, then sacrificed on the 14th.)

"The unleavened cakes [are] symbolic of the new life as cleansed from the leaven of a sinful nature. For this reason the Israelites [are] to put away all the leaven of the Egyptian nature, the leaven of malice and wickedness [(1 Corinthians 5:8)], and by eating pure and holy bread and meeting for the worship of God to show that they [are] walking in newness of life." (Wycliffe 61)

EXECUTION OF THE PLAGUE

There is no safe place outside the covering of the blood. (Exodus 12:29)

Are you under the blood?

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. What is the difference between the people of God and the people of the world? (Exodus 11:7; 1 Peter 2:9-12)

2. Read Exodus 12:13-14 and v. 46. Do you see any glimpses of Christ and His work (His life, His crucifixion) in the Passover instructions? (Clue: I see 7 of them.)

3. What would you say to someone who thinks there is more than one way to God, that all religions are the same?

4. The executions of the tenth plague takes place in Exodus 12:29. In one single verse everything changes. Pharoah is broken and lets Israel go. With this in mind, think upon the following statement: There is no safe place outside of the covering of the blood.