An Exposition of Exodus 11–12
Introduction
Some time ago an evangelist, as he was traveling along, was singing to himself one of our grand old Gospel hymns, “I’ve Been Redeemed.” A fellow passenger, hearing him, joined in the song. After singing, the evangelist put the question to the stranger, “Have you been redeemed?” “Yes, praise the Lord,” was the answer. “May I ask when this took place?” “Nearly two thousand years ago.” The astonished evangelist echoed in surprise, “two thousand years ago?” “Yes sir,” said the fellow passenger, “but I’m sorry to say it’s not much more than a year that I have known it.”
Do you know today that you have been redeemed? Are you sure of it? If you do not understand what I mean, I want to make this clear. If you cannot say with understanding and conviction “I have been redeemed,” then you need to pay attention to the Scripture before us.
The classic illustration of redemption is found in the Book of Exodus. As a matter of fact, redemption is the theme of this book. In Exodus 6:6, God promises, “I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.” This He proceeds to do in Chapters 7–12. Here is a dramatic picture of our redemption.
Man’s Need For Redemption is Illustrated in Chapters 2-11
They Were under the Bondage of Pharaoh (Exodus 2-10)
This had been true since the invasion of the Hyksos. For some 283 years the children of Israel had been viciously oppressed. First, there was slavery. Then, there was the death of their infant sons. More recently, Pharaoh had delivered a cruel blow refusing to provide the materials needed for their work. They were slaves in need of deliverance.
What an illustration of our need for redemption! The Scriptures explain the experience of every man when they teach that we too are in bondage, needing redemption.
Mankind Universally Is in Bondage to Sin
But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed (Rom. 6:17).We Are in Bondage to Satan — the Evil One
We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19).All Are in Bondage to the Cruel Tyrant Death
He Himself likewise also partook of the same [i.e. flesh and blood], that through death He … might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives (Heb. 2:14–15).Look carefully at oppressed Israel in their slavery. See here a picture of yourself and your need of redemption. Yet, there is more. They needed more than a deliverance from bondage.
They Were under the Sentence of Death (Chapter 11)
This becomes apparent in the announcement of the last plague as recorded in Chapter 11. First the announcement is made to Moses (11:1–3):One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely (11:1).
The Plague
What is the exact nature of this plague? The announcement is relayed to Pharaoh in Exodus 11:4–10.
Thus says the Lord, “About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, and all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the first-born of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the first-born of the cattle as well. Moreover, there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again. But against any of the sons of Israel a dog shall not even bark, whether against man or beast, that you may understand how the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel (11:4–7).At midnight Yahweh Himself would pass through the land of Egypt and His judgment would bring about the death of all firstborn in the land — animals as well as humans (v. 5).
No secondary causes would be used. God would strike the blow Himself. It would be at midnight, some midnight — any midnight. The night is unknown. The announcement must have left Pharaoh and his people in fearful suspense. The effects of the plague were predicted. (1) A great cry of mourning and sorrow would break out across the land as had never been heard before. (2) Resistance to Israel’s departure would disappear. (3) Pharaoh’s servants would submit to Moses and bow before him. What a future lay before Pharaoh and his people!
The Moral Question
A moral question is often raised by the death of the first born. It’s a question concerning the nature and character of God. Does God really go about slaying children? Why does He threaten to slay the firstborn of all Egypt when they have no control over Pharaoh’s decision not to allow the Israelites to leave?
John J. Davis writes:
In the light of the Old Testament doctrine of God’s holiness and His view of sin, it is not inappropriate that He should judge the sinner by whatever means He deems necessary for that moment. This may involve the violent destruction of cities such as Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18–19) or the annihilation of the inhabitants of a wicked city by invading armies (Josh. 6). The best interpretation of this whole event, therefore, is that this represents a supernatural judgment from God rather than an epidemic (which would hardly have been limited to the firstborn). Morally, God is fully vindicated in any act by virtue of His very nature. As a God of love and mercy, He will permit the sinner to live even though that sinner may resist a life-long revelation of truth. On the other hand, as a God of holiness He has the inalienable right to punish sin and the sinner at any point in his life. Theologically speaking, anything God does is right on the a priori grounds that He is God. [2]Gleason Archer, a renowned Old Testament scholar, helpfully observes:
There is no way for nations to be dealt with other than on a collective basis. The fortunes of the citizens of any country are bound up with the government that guides their national policy, whether that government be a democracy, party dictatorship or monarchy. A wise and successful government passes on its benefit to all of its citizenry, as when its armed forces defeat an invading host on the battlefield.
A foolish or wicked government, like that of King Ahaz in the days of Isaiah the prophet, brings disaster and distress upon all its subjects regardless of personal merit. So it was with Egypt in Moses’ day. The consequences of the decisions made by Pharaoh and his court were binding upon all of the people. Throughout history, ever since governments were first organized on the tribal level, it has been so.…
Conceivably a coup d’état might have toppled Pharaoh from his throne in time to avert this approaching catastrophe, but his subjects were content to let him make the fateful decision as their lawful ruler. A loss of life in the family of the king alone — or even in the households of his aristocracy — would scarcely have sufficed to compel Egypt to grant a release of the entire Israelite nation and all its cattle. Nothing short of an all-inclusive calamity visited upon the entire people would serve to bring about the deliverance of God’s people from the bondage they had suffered in Egypt.3Hence, a sentence of death hung over Egypt — yet not over them alone. Although a distinction was made between Goshen and Egypt in several of the preceding plagues, no such distinction was to be made in this last one. Israel too, was under the sentence of death.
Man’s Need for Redemption.
We too are under the sentence of God. We stand:
- Guilty before God (Rom. 3:20)
- Under the condemnation of God (John 3:18)
- Facing eternal death and judgment (Rom. 6:23)
Take a careful look at Israel and Egypt. Not only were they under the bondage of Pharaoh, but they were also under the sentence of death. As such, they illustrate our need for redemption from a three-fold slavery and divine condemnation. But how? How can such a deliverance be accomplished?
God’s Provision for Redemption is Illustrated in 12:1-28
It is revealed in the announcement which is made to Moses (12:1–14) and relayed to the elders (12:21–28).
The Provision of a Lamb (12:1-14).
And what is the provision? The means by which God will provide redemption for His people is a lamb.
The Selection of the Lamb (12:3-5)
On the tenth day of the month each family was to select a one-year-old unblemished animal from among the sheep or goats.
On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household (12:3).The Examination of the Lamb (12:6)
For four days the animal is confined for careful examination. Is it really without blemish?
Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month (12:5–6a).The Slaying of the Lamb (12:6-7)
On the fourteenth day at twilight the animal is to be slain. The blood is to be caught in a basin and by means of hyssop applied to the two doorposts and the lintel of each house.
Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it (12:6b–7).The Eating of the Lamb (12:8-14)
And they shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.… Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste — it is the Lord’s Passover (12:8, 11).On that same night they are to roast the animal and eat or burn it up in its entirety. They are to eat it with unleavened bread. They are to be dressed and ready to move out of the land of Egypt. What an air of anticipation and expectation!
This is called “Yahweh’s Passover” (12:11). The explanation of the name is given to Moses when the Lord says:
For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments — I am the Lord. And the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt (12:12–13).“I will pass over you,” not “by you,” but “over you.” The picture is that of a hen hovering over her chickens to protect them from a threatening enemy.
When He sees the blood, He will pass over that house, so protecting it that the last plague will not touch it. This is Yahweh’s Passover!
This feast is to be a permanent ordinance for the children of Israel.
Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance (12:14).Subsequent generations are to repeat the performance, annually eating the roast lamb, perpetually observing the Passover feast. It is to be a memorial; a reminder of the great day of their redemption.
The Instructions to the Elders (12:21-28)
When Moses so instructs the elders of Israel concerning the perpetual observance of the ordinance, he indicates the educational purpose.
And it will come about when your children will say to you, “What does this rite mean to you?” that you shall say, “It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.” And the people bowed low and worshipped (12:26–27).It is incumbent upon parents that their children know the meaning of it. You see, it would be important not only to observe the ordinance but to do it with understanding.
So significant was this first Passover event that the very calendar of Israel was affected. This seventh month on their civil calendar was to become the first month (v. 2). From this time onward, two calendar reckonings are employed by the Israelites — one for sacred purposes and one for civil purposes.
God’s Provision for Man’s Redemption
The Lamb of God
Here is God’s provision for Israel’s redemption. But it is more than that. It is a great illustration of God’s provision for our redemption! Fifteen hundred years later John the Baptist identified the antitype when, pointing to Jesus Christ, he cried, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” (Jn. 1:36). Later the apostle Paul writes: “For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7). Peter adds conclusive confirmation when he writes: “Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable 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).
The Lamb Selected
The means by which God has provided redemption for men and women in bondage and under the sentence of death is a Lamb, His Lamb, The Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. The “selection,” so to speak, was made by the Baptist when John pointed Him out as the Lamb of God and baptized Him in Jordan. This isolated Him from the people. It identified Him as God’s Lamb. He was a marked Man.
The Lamb Examined
For almost four years He fell under the most careful scrutiny. His words and deeds were examined at every turn and what was the conclusion? Pilate said, “I find no fault in this man” (Luke 23:4). The centurion said, “Certainly this was a righteous man!” (Luke 23:47). Judas himself said, “I have betrayed the innocent blood” (Mt. 27:4). Peter, who knew Him well, said He “committed no sin” (1 Pet. 2:22). Surely He was without blemish, the spotless Lamb of God!
The Lamb Slain
And He died. It was a violent death. This is implied in the shedding of blood. A lamb may die a natural death or a violent death. As the blood of the Passover lamb was shed, as it died a violent death, so the Lamb of God shed His blood. He died a violent death! They crucified Him!
It was a substitutionary death. As the Passover lamb died for the firstborn in Israel, protecting him from death, so the Lamb of God died as a substitute for sinners providing redemption, deliverance from the divine sentence of death upon them. He bore our guilt. God judged Him for our sin. He paid our debt to a God whose righteousness has been offended by our sin. This is God’s provision for man’s redemption.
The Memorial Feast
As a permanent memorial of that provision we too have a feast, an ordinance. What the Passover feast was to redeemed Israel, the Lord’s Supper is to the redeemed church of Jesus Christ. It is a memorial of the great provision God has made for our redemption. It is a permanent ordinance. It is interesting to trace Israel’s subsequent response to their command. Scripture records just seven times when the Feast was kept (Ex. 12; Num. 9; Joshua 5; 2 Chron. 30:25; Ezra 6; Luke 22:15). How unfaithful they were to the Word of God. How it grieved their God. Their unresponsiveness was but an indication of their spiritual temperature. They grew cold at heart. Often it was only the heavy hand of God upon them that brought them to obey. How instructive to those of us who have heard Him say, “This do in remembrance of me!” May God grant us a more consistent and loving response to this, His last dying request. It commemorates the work of Redemption. According to L. S. Chafer: “Redemption is an act of God by which He Himself pays as a ransom the price of human sin which the outraged holiness and government of God requires.”4
Although the provision for redemption has been made for many, few have appropriated it. Are you redeemed? Have you appropriated the provision? Should you ask “How?” the answer is illustrated in the closing scene of our story.
Faith’s Appropriation is Illustrated in 12:29-36
The Death of the Firstborn Egyptians
In the appointed midnight the Lord fulfilled that which He had promised; namely, a judgment upon all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. There was no respect of social or civil status in this plague. The firstborn of Pharaoh was slain as well as the firstborn of the man who was in prison. Significant is the fact that it mentions the death of the firstborn of cattle (v. 29). This, of course, takes on special significance in the light of the Egyptian view of Apis and Hathor. The death of Pharaoh’s son was not a silent, painless one. It was one which brought about the awakening of Pharaoh and his servants, for the land of Egypt was characterized by wailing and tears throughout the remaining hours of the night. While Pharaoh may have found escape from the previous plagues, or perhaps provided satisfactory rationalizations of them, this one he could not escape. Its effects and implications were perfectly clear. That son whom he had cherished, the one born of the gods, now lay in his bed white, lifeless, and limp. The heart of Pharaoh and the will of Pharaoh had been broken. His spirit now changed from that of arrogance and resistance to grave concern, so much so that he called for Moses and Aaron in the night (v. 31). Without dialogue and long discussion, he simply stated that the children of Israel should leave. No qualifications, no concessions were part of his response; in fact, the departure was to take place on Moses’ terms (v. 32). His concern for his own welfare is expressed in the last phrase of verse 32, “Bless me also,” a most amazing request in the light of Pharaoh’s assumed divinity. That God whose existence and power he had questioned in earlier times (5:2) he now asks to bless him. [5]
The Salvation of the Israelites
The Lamb Slain, the Blood Applied
How different is the scene in Goshen. There was no great cry, no tears, no death of the firstborn. And why not? They had taken God at His word. Late that afternoon one can imagine every Hebrew father taking his firstborn out to the pen. As he took the lamb he explained to his son the sentence of death that was upon his head. As the knife was taken and the animal slain, the father told his son the lamb was dying in his stead. The blood was taken and splashed on the doorposts and lintel. Inside the house they waited for the midnight hour to strike. It came. It went. And the firstborn was still alive. God had passed over them. They had been delivered from the sentence of death! And why? Acting with implicit faith in God, they had slain the lamb and applied the blood.
Salvation through Faith in God’s Lamb, Jesus Christ
What an illustration of faith’s appropriation for redemption! Our Lamb has been slain in our stead. All that remains is for faith to appropriate that death and claim it was for me. The blood must be applied. The sinner under the sentence of death must come by faith to the place of saying, “It was for me. I am trusting in His death on behalf of me for my deliverance.” It is the blood of Jesus Christ His Son that cleanses from all sin (1 John 1:7).
If the homes of Americans were all represented in Goshen or Egypt that night, it would have been a strange sight to walk down a street. Before one house, there is a lonely basket of fruit. They are like the person today offering to God the fruit of their labors, the product of their hands, the works of their life. But it is in vain, “When I see the blood I will pass over you.”
Next door there stands a lamb on the front porch tied to the doorknob. It is beautifully washed and neatly sheared. This is like the people today who believe in Jesus as a wonderful person and a great teacher. Their hope for salvation rests in His sinless life, His teaching and His example for mankind. But it is in vain. “When I see the blood I will pass over you.”
Across the street there is a sight that is stranger-looking still. Before the door there is a basin. It is filled with blood. Here is a family that has taken God seriously. The Lamb has been slain — but the blood was not applied. How representative of literally thousands of us today. We believe in the death of Christ. Of course, it is history! He died. More than that, He died for sinful men. Yet His blood has never been applied. His death has never been appropriated by faith. They are not trusting simply in the merits of His death for forgiveness and salvation.
Conclusion
A prominent soap manufacturer and an earnest Christian were one day walking along a busy city street. The Christian was explaining the Gospel message, telling his friend of the work of Christ on behalf of sinful men. The business executive objected. “If what you say is true,” he asked, “why is there such sinfulness and wickedness in the world?” The Christian was hard put for an adequate explanation. Then he spotted a young lad seated on the curb. His face and hands were dirty, his clothes were filthy. The Christian asked “I thought you manufactured soap.” “I do,” said the man. “If that is so, why is this boy so dirty?” “Why,” said the businessman, “it must be applied!” “That’s it,” said his friend. “That’s true of the work of Christ. It must be applied!”
May God enable you to apply the blood, to appropriate His work, to trust Him in a personal way as the One who has died for you!
Notes
- Emmaus alumnus Bill McRae, well-known Bible expositor, author, and educator, presently serves as Chancellor of Ontario Bible College and Seminary. This is the sixth in a series of expositions on the book of Exodus.
- John J. Davis, Moses and the Gods of Egypt, 2d ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1986), 143.
- Gleason L. Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982), 113–114.
- Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, 8 vols., (Dallas: Dallas Seminary Press, 1948), 3:88.
- Davis, Moses and the Gods of Egypt, 152–153.
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