The Exodus – Part 19
The Tenth Plague: Firstborn
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON TIMELINE
· The Book of Genesis
· The Book of Exodus
· Introduction
· Israelite’s Oppression
· The Birth of Moses
· Moses Flees to Midian
· Moses and the Burning Bush
· Signs for Moses
· Moses Returns to Egypt
· Moses Speaks to Pharaoh
· God Promises Deliverance
· God Speaks of the Israelites
· The First Miracle
§ The First Plague: Blood
§ The Second Plague: Frogs
§ The Third & Fourth Plague: Gnats & Flies
§ The Fifth & Sixth Plague: Livestock and Boils
§ The Seventh Plague: Hail
§ The Eighth Plague: Locusts
§ The Ninth Plague: Darkness
§ The Tenth Plague: First Born
INTRODUCTION
We took a break from our series last week for a special Father’s Day service, which also fit in to our plans on working with the Harbor Lights Pregnancy Center, and Stuart Carver’s visit and his Shepherds Response Workshop some of us attended.
The last thing we spoke about in this series was the Ninth Plague, which was darkness. The Tenth plague is the death of the firstborn, which could not be more fitting than to take place just after darkness engulfed all those who were not God’s people.
Over the years I have spoke about there being only two kinds of people in this world. Those who belong to the Lord, and those who do not. That’s it. Therefore, we are not to look down on those without the Lord but help them to be freed from the bondage of their sin with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because the only difference between someone who belongs to the Lord and someone who does not, is the Lord Himself.
God has set forth these things in the Exodus to be a tool for teaching and remembrance. Just as it is in Genesis, and the rest of the Old Testament, everything shows us the need for a savior, and that savior being Christ Jesus. God is about to tell this story once more through the Tenth Plague.
Today we look at the tenth plague, which is the plague of the firstborn.
SCRIPTURE READING
Exodus 11:1-10
“Now the Lord had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely. 2 Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.” 3 (The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.)
4 So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. 5 Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, 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, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. 7 But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. 8 All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.” Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.
9 The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” 10 Moses 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.
TODAY’S MESSAGE
I. GOD’S INSTRUCTION AND PROVISION
a. I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and in Egypt
i. This being the tenth plague
ii. One more, implying it is the last
iii. After the conviction of the first meeting with Moses, and the nine plagues which ended in complete darkness for those who were not God’s people, there was only one thing left to do, death of the firstborn to free the people from bondage of Egypt.
1. Allegorically speaking, this death of the firstborn is Jesus on the cross providing Salvation and freedom from the bondage of sin, releasing you from the plagues of this fallen world and darkness.
b. Tell the people to ask their neighbors for silver and gold
i. God commands His people to move, they will need provisions
ii. Why gold and silver?
1. It can be spent on items as you need them
a. No need to carry tons of food and water, clothes, tents, etc.
2. They are “on the run” not vacation
3. They need to travel light, and far
4. It is much easier to carry some silver and gold than everything you own
iii. This is also allegorically speaking to us as well!
1. When God moves you
2. Don’t worry about your needs, if He is moving you, He will provide for you
3. When the Lord brings you Salvation, do not bring the baggage from your enslaved past…leave it all behind
4. We will read in later verses, some did not leave it all behind, and it became a stumbling block to their relationship with God
c. The Lord made the Egyptians favorable towards the people
i. So, they would provide silver ad gold to His people
II. THE PLAGUE
a. Moses tells Pharaoh of the coming plague
i. Every firstborn son will die
1. From Pharaoh’s son on the throne to the slave’s son
ii. And all the firstborn cattle?
1. The Literal translation states, “and the firstborn of all beasts.”
2. Some translations assume cattle or ox because of Cherubs
a. They are the angels with 4 faces
i. Lion – Lion of Judah
ii. Ox – Beast of Burden
iii. Human – Christ as man
iv. Eagle – Symbolic of God
3. Cherubs and their four faces all represent the Son of God in His positions, dying as the firstborn of God the Father as a beast of burden (Ox or cattle) working the field.
4. Jesus came as a man, the Lion of Judah, part of the Trinity (Eagle) and became during His life on earth, a beast of burden, working and tilling the field for a great harvest! And that is how He died, working the fields for the harvest.
5. Therefore, the Lord reveals His plan in allegorical speech and foreshadowing action through the statement made in Exodus 11:5
b. You will know the Lord makes distinction between people
i. The Lord has worked through Exodus showing that there has always been, and always will be a distinction between those who belong to Him, and those who do not.
ii. Nothing makes that clearer than this plague
iii. Everyone who does not belong to the Lord will lose their firstborn son
iv. Not daughter, not second or third born, not all your children, but firstborn son…because this teaching is both allegorical and foreshadowing
c. Moses then left, hot with anger
i. Remember who Moses is
1. He was the adopted grandson of Pharaoh
2. He was a protector and provider by nature
3. He killed an overseer who was beating a Hebrew mercilessly
4. He then tried to intervene in an argument between two Hebrews
5. After escaping to Midian, he protected the women at the well
6. Later he married one of the women.
ii. Moses was a protector and provider at heart
iii. After rescuing the women at the well, HE watered THEIR animals
iv. Men don’t serve women in that culture, yet Moses protected them and provided.
v. The reason Moses left hot with anger, I believe, is because he was about to watch hundreds of thousands die.
III. PHARAOH WILL REFUSE TO LISTEN TO YOU
a. Which is WHY God chose this man to become Pharaoh to begin with
i. Scripture tells us God “raised him up for this very purpose”
ii. In other words, God chose someone who would never submit to the Lord and would set the stage for God to do His wonders and who the world there is no God greater.”
b. The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was by both Pharaoh and God
i. Pharaoh was judged by God at Moses first meeting with him. After “judgment” your fate is sealed. There is no changing it.
ii. But God allowed the consequence of that judgment to be held off until the Lord could show His power, might, wonders and salvation, not just to the Hebrews, but all future generations through the teachings and allegorical meaning of everything He did.
iii. Therefore, we see many scriptures where Pharaoh hardened his own heart, and when he didn’t, God hardened it for him, because he had already been judged and found guilty by God.
c. “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.”
i. Multiplied in Egypt is another way of saying, the things about to take place here will be remembered forever!
ii. And they have been!
CONCLUSION
Here we have witnessed once more God revealing the problem, sin, the solution, salvation by God sending a savior, and how God WILL distinguish between those who belong to Him and those who do not.
This allegorical teaching in Exodus teaches us about our relationship with God through Christ our Savior, as well as our mission in life, to share the Gospel of Salvation as Moses did, in hopes of freeing those entrapped in the bondage of sin.
NEXT WEEK
The Lord commands Moses and Aaron on the Passover Feast and Feast of Unleavened Bread, which are both allegorical teachings about Salvation and Christ.
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