Quick recap of the last three weeks:
1. Saved to be called - birth of Moses and his early upbringing
2. Called to speak - God's call for him to go to back to Egypt so that the Children of Israel
an be released.
3. Speaking to Confront - Confronting Pharaoh and the powers behind the throne that
were holding the Children of Israel in slavery with all the suffering and cruelty it
brought.
Today:
Confronting for Victory -
Exodus 11:4-8;
Exodus 12:1-13 & 29-32
Introduction
I am leaving it to you to read the account of the plagues in full. Last week we left as the Nile
was turned to blood, we noted that the court magicians backed off at the 4th plague, that of
gnats and today we pick up at the last plague as the Lord hits hard and secures the release
of his chosen people and prepares to put them on the path to the land of promise.
We can also note now that from the 5th plague he only allows the Egyptians to be affected
and not the area where the Israelites lived.
This again shows more of the sovereignty of
God.
Egypt is being hit hard and paying a high price for the evil inflicted on the Israelites in their
enforced slavery the stubborn and hard heart of the king who just keeps changing his mind
and won't see the power of the Lord.
Let's remember the Children of Israel are God's chosen
people who are a people with a promise. They are also a nation formed through promise to
Abram.
They are also going to be called to be faithful to the promise and to sole allegiance the Lord.
Failure will then put them in trouble and more!
Perhaps Pharaoh symbolises many people through the ages right down until today whose
minds are against seeing the hand of God and not least in and through the full ministry of
Jesus. Much is said to try and destroy and rubbish the message. Christians are persecuted
harshly in many parts of the world and more subtly in others. This has gone on for centuries.
People still fail to see that the power of God, working through the gospel, moves on and
cannot be overthrown or stopped.
Don't lose heart when people accuse you, put down your Christian beliefs or belittle the
message of the cross. It is to be expected.
Exodus 11:4-8 - The Lord announces the final plague
[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.
Consider, before we see more:
God judges sin and evil, and he rights wrongs - this is tough but how tough given what his
chosen ones were going through?
Think the cross - we shall look at it soon
Exodus 12:1-13 & 29-32 - Preparation for the Children of Israel to leave
including the Passover lamb, it's bloody and the terrible 10th plague on Egypt
[12:1] The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, [2] “This month is to be for you the first
month, the first month of your year. [3] Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth
day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. [4] If
any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest
neighbour, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine
the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. [5] The animals
you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep
or the goats. [6] Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the
members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. [7] Then they are to
take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses
where they eat the lambs. [8] That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the
fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. [9] Do not eat the meat raw or
boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. [10] Do not
leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. [11] This is how you
are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff
in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover.
[12] “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both
people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. [13]
The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I
will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
[29] At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of
Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon,
and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. [30] Pharaoh and all his officials and all the
Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a
house without someone dead.
[31] During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people,
you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. [32] Take your flocks
and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”
Observe:
We are now at the critical moment of God's rescue plan that he announced he would
accomplish when he spoke to Moses at the burning bush
Ex 3:7-8. Salvation is about to be
delivered.
It is accompanied by a solemn, and carefully planned, celebratory meal which involved a
lamb to be eaten along with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast - a hasty meal.
It is
known as The Passover and the Children of Israel are told to celebrate it annually to remind
them of the mighty way in which they were brought out of Egypt at the hand of the Lord -
those details are later in this chapter.
A serious injunction - the blood of the lambs, v7, is to be 'put on the sides and tops of the
doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs'.
Why? Look at v 13, The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and
when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I
strike Egypt
Why is the Lord striking Egypt?
The verse before, I will bring judgment on all the gods of
Egypt. I am the LORD.
The clear teaching of scripture is that there is but one true and living God - the Lord and all
other so-called god's are nothing. As such they are powerless and unable to do anything -
the Lord is showing what he can do, and, he hasn't finished yet!
A matter of note too about the use of the blood - they are told / invited to do it, not made
to. Not to do this would have had serious consequences in that they would suffer the same
fate as the rest of Egypt!
See also in the record of this terrible plague, vv 29-30, there is no gloating only a straight
record of the horror of what happened!
Finally, on this hear again the words of Pharaoh to Moses and Aaron having summoned
their presence, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you
have requested. [32] Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless
me.”
And yes, the people up and off they go. There is a victory over the gods of Egypt and after
this they are able to set off on the road to freedom - but Pharaoh isn't done yet but that's
next week.
I now hasten to remind us that Salvation, victory and the way to freedom comes at a high
price and so we pass to our next, but not final, reading.
Mark 15:15 & 33-39 - the agony of the cross
[15] Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged,
and handed him over to be crucified.
[33] At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. [34] And at
three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which
means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
[35] When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he's calling Elijah.”
[36] Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus
to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.
[37] With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
[38] The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. [39] And when the
centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was
the Son of God!”
The Price of Salvation, Victory and Freedom
Very few details of the Passion of Jesus are given, they weren't needed, and again what we
read includes extreme and cruel treatment.
Flogging - this was the scourge and multi tailed whip with bone and metal on the flails. It
could kill! Jesus was also mocked and spat upon as we see in other parts of the account.
Crucifixion - one of the cruellest forms of execution. Anyone in the ancient Roman world
would know what it was like because it was a common and public event aimed at creating
fear.
Jesus went through that out of God's love to rescue us from sin and death and it is
guaranteed but, as the Israelites had to put the blood on their doorposts - they had to
respond or suffer the same consequences as the Egyptians, each of us, and others who want
the benefits of the cross, have to respond as it is not automatic.
The benefits are being part of the Kingdom of God. His kingdom is breaking in, and, as part
of it, we live under the sovereignty of God being surrounded by His saving love and being his
servants to foster the growth and presence of that self-same kingdom.
We are also headed
for the promised land - more next week.
I hope we understand that Jesus is not just the Good Shepherd but also the lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world because that was laid on him and we hear that in his
cry of dereliction - v 34, where he was totally abandoned by God.
It is a quote from the
opening of Psalm 22 and when you read, or reread it, it is amazing.
Isaiah 53 is also worth reading again, written centuries before Jesus, and I am limiting myself
to sharing 2 verses- vv 4-5
[4] Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
[5] But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
And because I mentioned lamb of God, I realised I ought to include v 7 as well:
[7] He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
So I want us to pause and reflect on our, yours and mine, encounter with Jesus at the cross.
I want us to reflect on our response to it and so our personal commitment to the Lord Jesus
- the personal relationship we have with him.
Of course, the Passover was a shared meal because God's people belong together and in
Christ, we are his body which is a corporate entity, so, we now look at the narrative of
Luke 22:14-20 - the events of the night before the cross as Jesus celebrated
the Passover with the 12
[14]
When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. [15] And he said to
them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. [16] For I tell you,
I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
[17] After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. [18]
For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God
comes.”
[19] And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my
body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
[20] In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new
covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
All Change, All New
Remember, when Jesus has told his disciples he was to suffer, die and rise again, they really
struggled. It didn't fit in with what they expected.
In what Jesus says here, well, they must have been even more bewildered and as far as I can
see this is the only place where Jesus spells out in some detail the significance of his
suffering and the cross, which we have just looked at.
There is something briefer in Mark
10:45
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many.”
But that's about it and here the significance of what he says is that the cross, next day, is the
new and definitive rescue leading to salvation, victory and freedom. The start to the new
exodus, the start to the road to the promised land, that is, the new heaven and earth which
is the restoration after the fall, Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve said 'no' to God's only
command and rejected him. Jesus is the second Adam who says 'yes' to God in the garden of
Gethsemane just before he was betrayed and 'handed over' to the arresting party and so
accepted the way to salvation, victory, freedom and life etc.
When we share bread and wine, we participate in all of this . . . .
And more! It is the meal
where we recall, with deep thanksgiving, our salvation and recreation in the here and now
which is finalised completely when Jesus returns.
Again, a brief quiet to reflect as we come to share bread and wine in our Agape.
