How Passover Speaks Today
In this morning’s sermon, I want to do something a little bit different. At various points in this sermon, I want to speak to the children and youth of this church. So if you’re a child age 4 to 18, I want you to listen especially well, because there will be a few times where I’m going to point some things out to you and maybe ask you a question, all so that at the end of the sermon I can leave you with something to think about. So you’re going to have to listen carefully this morning.
Today we come to the final plague, the final sign and wonder that God does in judgment upon Egypt. And you might wonder, “Why did the pastors choose to divide the sermons this way? We made Pastor Jonathan do nine plagues in one sermon, and then Pastor Joe gets to do one plague in one sermon. Wouldn’t it make more sense to divide them more evenly, half and half?”
The reason we divided it this way is because that’s the way that the book of Exodus wants us to think about these plagues. This final plague is set apart from the other nine and we need to focus on why it’s different. So first, let’s review some facts about the first nine plagues. We’ve talked before about the importance of literary structure. If you read through Exodus 7-10 carefully, you’ll notice that the nine plagues are actually structured in three cycles of three plagues. For plagues 1, 4, and 7, God tells Moses to “Rise up early in the morning and go to Pharaoh” and warn him. For plagues 2, 5, and 8, Yahweh tells Moses to go to Pharaoh and warn him. For plagues 3, 6, and 9, there is no warning; Yahweh simply tells Moses or Aaron to do something to bring about the plague (“Stretch out your staff,” “Throw soot in the air,” “Stretch out your hand.” So there’s a cycle to these plagues.
Go warn Pharaoh in the morning.
Go warn Pharaoh.
No warning; just judgment.
As Pastor Jonathan noted last week, there’s also a progression in these signs and judgment. These signs are a battle of the gods. On one side, you have Yahweh, and under him Moses, and under him Aaron. On the other side, you have the gods of Egypt, and under them Pharaoh, and under him the magicians. In the first cycle (Nile to blood, frogs, and gnats), it’s a conflict between Aaron and the magicians (the Egyptian sorcerers can mimic plague 1 and 2, but not 3). In the second cycle, it’s Moses and Aaron together vs. Pharaoh and the magicians (who are finally knocked out and can’t stand before Moses after the fifth plague, the boils). In the final cycle, Aaron fades to the background and it’s simply Moses vs. Pharaoh. So you can feel the escalation as we move through the plagues.
In addition, there’s a progression as the plagues start with the waters of the Nile, and then from the waters the plagues move to the ground (frogs are amphibious), and then plague 3 is gnats that come when Aaron strikes the dust of the ground. From the ground, we move to the air with swarms of flies and then to animal flesh (livestock die), and then human flesh (boils and sores on the skin). From flesh, we move to the sky, as thunder, hail, and fire fall on Egypt, and then as locusts swarm on the east wind. And then finally the plagues reach the heavens, as God turns off the lights in Egypt and plunges them into a darkness that you can feel. From the water to the ground, from the ground to the air, from the air to flesh, from flesh to the sky, from sky to the heavens—the plagues move and consume more and more of Egypt. This is a total judgment on Egypt, and as Pastor Jonathan said, this is not about persuasion; this is about revelation. This is Yahweh showing his mighty power over Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt.
Finally, as Pastor Jonathan noted, there’s a precision to the judgment. Multiple times—Plague 4 Flies (8:22-23), Plague 5 Livestock (9:4), Plague 7 Hail (9:26), and Plague 9 Darkness (10:23)—we’re told that God made a distinction between the land of Egypt and the land of Goshen where the Hebrews dwelt. No flies in Goshen; no dead livestock in Goshen; no hail in Goshen; no darkness in Goshen (and presumably no boils on the Hebrews, and no locusts devastating their crops). God makes a distinction between Israel and Egypt.
So remember those three points: 1) the plagues are escalating; 2) this is total judgment on Egypt (from the waters to the heavens), and 3) God makes a distinction between Israel and Egypt.
The Tenth Plague
Now as we turn to today’s passage, we’ll see that the final plague is the same and it’s different. And kids, I want you to pay attention and help me to find where it’s the same and where it’s different. Let’s walk through chapter 11-12 in four steps.
First, Yahweh tells Moses what he’s about to do.
So Moses said, "Thus says the LORD: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out." (Exodus 11:4-8)
Kids, are there things that are the same here or different? Same. God is making a distinction between Egypt and Israel. Egypt will cry when their firstborns die, but not even a dog will growl where the people of Israel are. And second, this is still a part of the total war, the total judgment. Pastor Jonathan will discuss this more next week, but the attack on the firstborn is an attack on Egypt’s future. The firstborn child represents the family and nation’s hopes for the future. He receives a double portion of the inheritance and he bears the family name into the future. To cut off the firstborn is to cut off the future.
So at this point, the final plague looks very similar to the other plagues. It’s one more step in the total war (God attacks Egypt’s future), and God makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.
Before moving to the second step, I wanted to highlight some of the structural pieces of the chapter. As you read through it, it seems as though various sections are out of place; God gives Passover instructions twice (12:21-28 and 12:43-50). Whenever I see that kind of duplication, I think structure, and sure enough, there seems to be a chiasm here.
A- Instructions for preparing for plague on firstborn (12:1–13)
Lamb sacrificed (so Yahweh will not slay firstborn Israelites as he will firstborn Egyptians)
B- Memorial of eating of unleavened bread (12:14–20)
C- Passover meal instructions (12:21–28)
Moses gives instructions to the people regarding the Passover meal (pesah)
Ends: “the Israelites did as Yahweh commanded Moses and Aaron; thus they did (kēn ʿaśû)”
D- CENTER: the exodus and tenth plague (12:29–42)
C- Additional Passover meal instructions (12:43–50)
Yahweh gives further instructions regarding the Passover meal (pesah)
Ends: “all the Israelites did as Yahweh commanded Moses and Aaron; thus they did (kēn ʿaśȗ)”
B- Memorial of eating of unleavened bread (13:3–10)
A- Instructions for memorial of redeeming of firstborn (13:11–16)*
Redemption of firstborn by lamb to commemorate slaying of firstborn Egyptians and sparing of firstborn Israelites[1]
Second, in chapter 12, Yahweh gives Moses and Aaron instructions about what the people are to do on the night when the Destroyer, the Angel of Death passes through Egypt. They are to take a spotless lamb and kill it in the evening. They are to take some of the blood and put it on the doorposts. Then they are to roast the lamb and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs and with their sandals on their feet. Anything left over is to be burned. Why?
"It is the LORD’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. 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." (Exoducs 12:11-13)
So the blood is a sign to separate the Hebrews from the Egyptians. Is this the same or different? This is different. When God made a distinction in the earlier plagues, he just did it. No flies or hail or darkness in Goshen. God’s people didn’t have to do anything. God just made a distinction. But here, they have to do something, or else God won’t make a distinction. This difference is important. The Angel of Death is coming for ALL of the firstborn in the land of Egypt. Egyptians, Hebrews, livestock, rich people, poor people. The Destroyer will strike any firstborn, unless you do something to protect yourself and your house. You have to put blood on your door in order to be safe from the Death Angel. This is different.
Third, because of this event, Yahweh establishes a feast in Israel for all generations (12:14). Is this the same or different? Different. God didn’t tell them to make a feast to remember the frogs or the boils. But for this last plague, God wants them to set apart a special time of year to do the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and then a special day to mark the Passover. Each year, God’s people are supposed to re-enact this special night. They’re supposed to pretend like they’re back in Egypt and the Angel of Death is coming. And they’re supposed to do things in order to remind them of that night.
They’re to eat unleavened bread for seven days. Leavened bread is good bread that has leaven to make it rise so it’s nice and fluffy. But they make unleavened bread to remind them that they did all of this in a hurry. They had to hurry to get ready for the Exodus.
They eat bitter herbs to remind them of the bitterness of their slavery in Egypt.
They put blood on the doorposts to remind them of the day the Death Angel came and passed over their houses because he saw the blood of the spotless lamb.
They must roast the lamb (not boil it), they must not break its bones, and they must burn the leftovers. This is to represent the total consecration of the people (keep the animal whole) and that this is like a whole burnt offering.
Later in chapter 12, God tells them that only those who are circumcised can join this meal. An outsider is not allowed to the meal. If an outsider wants to keep the Passover, he first has to take upon himself the sign of circumcision to show that he’s committed to Yahweh (just like Zipporah had to circumcise Gershom to show that Moses and his family were fully committed to Yahweh).
Finally, after God strikes the firstborn of Egypt, the Egyptians cry out in wailing and lamentation. Pharaoh calls Moses and Aaron in the middle of the night and sends them away immediately. The people of Israel threw their belongings over their shoulders, and left Egypt in haste. They hustled and journeyed from Egypt to Succoth as quickly as possible. Is this the same or different than the earlier plagues? This is different. Earlier, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened so he would not let the people go. Those plagues were about showing Pharaoh the power of God. But this plague is more than that; this plague is about compelling Pharaoh to obey Yahweh. So this is different.
And there are two other interesting things to note here. First, when they leave, they ask the Egyptians for gold, silver, and clothing, and God gives them favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and they give them their stuff, so that Israel plunders the Egyptians. And this is the fulfillment of an important thread in the book of Exodus. In 3:19-22, when Yahweh met Moses on the mountain, he promised that Israel would plunder the Egyptians in this way. In 11:2-3, Yahweh commands the people to ask for the gold and silver, and then in 12:33-36, Yahweh fulfills his promise through the people’s obedience to his command. And I flag this here, because I want you to ask yourself, “Why does God do this? Does he just want the people of Israel to have some nice jewelry and clothes? Or is there something more going on here?” Keep that question in mind and we’ll return to it later in the book of Exodus.
The second interesting thing about the people’s exodus from Egypt is found in Exodus 12:
"And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. 38 A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds." (Exodus 12:37-38)
It’s not just the Hebrews who leave Egypt. A mixed multitude (Egyptians and perhaps other ethnic groups living in Egypt) also join them. I’ll return to that in a moment.
To summarize what we’ve seen. First, Yahweh tells Moses what he’s about to do in sending the Destroyer to pass through Egypt and strike the firstborn. But, like with the other plagues, he will make a distinction between Israel and Egypt. That’s the same as earlier. But there are three differences between the final plague and the earlier plagues.
The people must do something in order to distinguish themselves from the Egyptians. Blood on the doorpost, or else the Angel of Death will bring God’s total judgment on your house too.
God establishes a feast, a memorial day for all time because of this act of judgment and the people’s response. Each year, the people will relive and re-enact this final plague when God passed through Egypt in judgment and passed over Israel in mercy.
Unlike the earlier plagues, this plague doesn’t just reveal Yahweh’s power; it compels Pharaoh and the Egyptians to obey. And so they send the people out in haste, with Egyptian gold in their pockets, and with a mixed multitude journeying with them.
How Passover Speaks to Us
We come now to how the Passover and exodus speaks to us today. I have three groups in mind—kids and youth, outsiders, Christians.
1) Kids and youth, God spared the people of Israel some of the earlier plagues just because. It was grace.
In his kindness, he spared them flies and boils and dead animals and hail and darkness, and they didn’t have to do anything. They just lived in the right place, in the land of Goshen, and were a part of the right family. But for the final plague, the people had to act. They had to do something. They had to fear the Lord and his judgment, to trust his promise, and obey his commands. And they did. They sought refuge in the blood of the spotless lamb.
Being raised in a Christian home is like living in the land of Goshen. It’s a blessing to you, just because. You didn’t do anything to get it. God simply put you in a Christian family with Christian parents. And because of that, he is sparing you certain types of hard things. He’s giving you loving parents who care about you, and who show you what God is like, and who teach you the gospel and bring you to church so that you can be sheltered by the people of God. It’s a good thing and a blessing to be born into a Christian home. It’s like living in the land of Goshen.
But being born in the right place or into a certain family isn’t enough to rescue you from the Destroyer, from the Angel of Death. When God’s ultimate judgment comes, you need more than the right family. You need more than to live in a certain place. You need to be protected by the blood of a spotless lamb. You need to fear the Lord and his judgment against sin and you need to have a living faith in Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And all of you can do this, beginning right now. You can fear God and trust him as the only one who can save you from his judgment. When God was going to send his total judgment on the world in the flood, by faith Noah obeyed God and sought refuge in the ark and he was saved from judgment. When God sent the Destroyer to strike the firstborn in Egypt, by faith Moses and the people obeyed God and put the blood on the doorpost and they were saved from judgment. And so for you, when God’s judgment some day comes on all human sin, the only thing that will matter is whether you’ve trusted in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sins. Jesus is like the ark. Jesus is like the blood on the doorpost. Trust in him and be saved.
2) To those who aren’t Christians, maybe you were born in Egypt, and life has been hard.
Maybe you feel as though God is out to get you. It may not be swarms of flies and frogs and hail, but you feel the affliction and hardship of life. You’ve lived in darkness that you can feel. Whether it’s sickness and pain, whether it’s abuse or trauma, whether it’s loss and suffering, whether it’s your own sin and the consequences of your choices, life has been hard. It’s like you’ve been living in Egypt when the plagues fell. And I just want to tell you this morning: you don’t have to stay in Egypt. You can come out. You don’t have to be from a certain family or born in a certain place. All you have to do is to fear the Lord, to turn away from your sin, and to seek refuge in the blood of Jesus. The church is a mixed multitude who have one fundamental thing in common—we’re clinging to Jesus together. So don’t harden your heart like Pharaoh. Be like the Egyptians who saw the works of God and believed.
3) To the church, the obvious connection for you is the one between the Passover and the Lord’s Table.
God sent judgment on Egypt, one that included a total war on all human sin, including that of his people. And if he just sent the Destroyer, everyone would have been lost. But he provided protection to those who would trust him. And so mercy mingled with his judgment. And then he established a meal to commemorate the event, both the judgment and the mercy. Through this meal, the people relived and re-enacted this fundamental event in their history. This feast forged a link between the past, the present, and the future. Listen to Exodus 12:42:
“It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations.” (Exodus 12:42)
Every time they kept Passover, they looked back to that night in remembrance, and they looked forward to God’s mercy in the future. Passover was a memorial for them, so that they didn’t forget, so that they could teach their children the works and ways of God. And it was a memorial for God, a petition from the people to the Lord, “Don’t forget us. Remember us. Remember your mercy and your covenant.” So too at this Table. Each week, we connect our present to the past and to the future. Like the Passover, this meal is for the people of God. It’s not for outsiders. If an outsider wants to join the covenant meal, he or she needs to put on the covenant sign. In Exodus, that was circumcision. Today, that’s faith and baptism. And so today, we look back to the mercy of God at the cross; we relive the Last Supper so that we don’t forget. And we ask God to remember his mercy, to remember the blood shed on our behalf, and to be with us day by day, and year by year until Jesus returns. As often as we eat the bread and drink the cup (the present), we proclaim the Lord’s death (the past) until he comes (future). And so come, and welcome to Jesus Christ.
[1] David A. Dorsey, The Literary Structure of the Old Testament: A Commentary on Genesis–Malachi (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004), 66.