Exodus 11:1

Before God sent the tenth and last plague upon Egypt, God revealed to Moses what would happen. The Bible says in Exodus 11:1, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.” Of course, God knows how to make things happen. God accomplished what He wanted to accomplish with the first nine plagues. He glorified His name. He manifested His power. He revealed His love and faithfulness to His people. He revealed to the Egyptians that their false gods were false gods and that their false teachers were false teachers. The Lord had one more purpose to be accomplished: the Lord caused Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. After the tenth plague, not only will Pharaoh let the Israelites go, but he will “thrust” them out altogether. The tenth plague combined with the other nine will be so odious and so hurtful to the land of Egypt, that Pharaoh finally realizes that Egypt will be better off when the Israelites are no longer in Egypt. That is a lesson that every person needs to remember. We are always much better off when we go God’s way instead of our own way. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

It was not only Pharaoh who wanted the children of Israel to leave Egypt: all of the people of Egypt wanted them to go. All of the people of Egypt not only were willing to let the people go, but they wanted to reward the Israelites. We do not know exactly why they gave them their silver and gold. Perhaps they feared the children of Israel, or perhaps they thought they would receive some favor in return because obviously the children of Israel had such great power from God. It says in Exodus 11:2-3, “Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold. And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.” One of the results of the nine plagues was the fact that Moses’ reputation became highly elevated in Egypt. It says in Exodus 11:3, “Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.” Evidently there was only one person who did not respect Moses and that was Pharaoh himself. Pharaoh was probably jealous and saw Moses as a competitor. As we saw in a previous verse, Pharaoh now wants to kill Moses. But God will turn the tables on that also. Pharaoh will drown in the Red Sea.

The Bible says in Exodus 11:4-10 “And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger. And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.” Up to this point there had been nine plagues in Egypt, but no one had died. The nine plagues caused much sorrow and discomfort and loss of crops and cattle, but no people had lost their lives. In the nine plagues God showed His authority over nature: the plants and the animals. In the tenth plague death will come to people. God will show His authority over life and death. God gives life, and He also takes life. It says in Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” It is very important for people to wake up to the fact that they are going to die some day and stand before God to be judged. People tend to live life as if this life is all there is. Many spiritual awakenings start when people realize their own mortality.

Notice that Moses said to Pharaoh in Exodus 11:6, “And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.” Death brings sorrow. One of the greatest sorrows of life is to lose a loved-one unexpectedly through sickness or accident or violence. For death to come to one member of every family in Egypt would be a time of mourning and suffering that is perhaps impossible to understand. That is what was required to get Pharaoh to at least initially agree to let the people of Israel go with no conditions. Of course, we will see that later Pharaoh changes his mind and decides to lead his army against the Israelites. But instead of bringing the end to the Israelites, it will bring an end to Pharaoh and to his army. God will decide what happens, and God will show His power to deliver the Israelites just as He promised.

This time when Moses left Pharaoh, Moses left in anger. It says about Moses in Exodus 11:8, “And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.” In this situation Moses’ anger was probably a reflection of God’s anger against Pharaoh. God gives opportunities to repent, sometimes many opportunities, but they are not infinite. For those who do not repent, there will be a time of reckoning and of judgment. The Bible says in Proverbs 1:24-33, “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.”

We are told of the provision that God made so the children of Israel would be saved from the tenth plague: the plague of death. The Bible says in Exodus 12:1-7, “And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.” Why were the Israelites saved from the plague? Was it because of how good they were? No, not at all. They were saved because of the blood. They were saved because an innocent lamb was killed, and the blood of the lamb was taken and put on the door posts and the upper door post. When it came time for judgment, God saw the blood of the innocent lamb and passed over them and did not judge them.

The spiritual truths about salvation that we see in the book of Exodus are the same as today.

1. Everyone has sinned.

2. No one can be saved by their own good works.

3. Jesus is the Lamb of God who shed His blood for the sins of the world.

4. Everyone who believes in Jesus and trusts in Jesus has the saving value of the blood of Christ applied to them.

Let’s look at some Bible verses in the New Testament concerning these four important spiritual truths.

1. Romans 3:10, “There is none righteous, no not one.” Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

2. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Titus 3:5, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

3. John 1:29, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Acts 8:32, “The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth.”

4. Romans 3:25, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.” Romans 5:9, “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” First Corinthians 10:16, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?” Ephesians 1:7, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Ephesians 2:13, “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” Hebrews 9:12, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Hebrews 9:19-22, “For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” Hebrews 10:19, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.” First Peter 1:18-19, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” First John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Revelation 1:5, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.” Revelation 7:14, “And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Revelation 19:13, “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.”

It is no wonder that God required the blood of an innocent lamb in order to save the Israelites. God required the blood of the innocent Christ to provide salvation for you and me. The song writer of an old hymn had it right:

“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! Precious is the flow that makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

Have your sins been washed away by the blood of Jesus? If not, today you can turn to Christ, repent of your sins, and experience the power of the blood through faith in Jesus Christ.

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