Daily Bread for Jan 21. Ex 10-12

Today's readings are Ex 10- 12.

More plagues in Ex 10! Now Pharaoh is losing the support of his people. His servants openly question him, an act that could have been deadly before the onset of the plagues. It doesn't help that the Egyptians see that the Jews are unaffected and seem to be protected by God. The Egyptians may not be believers, but they indeed are witnesses to God's power.

We are reminded, once again, that God is doing all of this to reveal Himself and His power (Ex 10:2). We read “…that you may know that I am the Lord.” Some variation of this phrase occurs throughout this arc in the narrative. It’s there to show is that the goal is the self-revelation of God, not the removal of His people from Egypt. Their deliverance is an incredible blessing, but it is the by-product of God's plan to put His power and glory on display for all the world to see.

The ninth plague is darkness, an incredible, inky darkness never experienced before (Ex 10:21-38). The darkness is significant to the Egyptians. One of their most powerful deities is Ra, the sun god, who seems powerless against the God of Moses.

In Ex 11, Moses prophesies the final plague. It will be devastating. The firstborn of every house will be taken. This is just as God told Moses in Ex 4:22-23. The plagues have become increasingly worse. Egypt is decimated. Pharaoh remains stubborn. Although Moses warned him about each plague well before they occurred, Pharaoh continues to ignore the threats of yet another disaster. He is similar to many who have all the evidence of God’s presence and power before them, yet they stubbornly refuse to accept the truth.

Ex 12 is momentous. The Passover is marked by symbolism whose meaning will not be made clear to the Jews for nearly two thousand years. They are to sacrifice a lamb. The sacrifice shows that the shedding of blood will be a component of their deliverance. Someone must die. The lamb’s blood will be the mark of protection for God’s people. Those that are under the blood will be spared.

The meal prepared from the sacrificed lamb is to be eaten in haste and preparedness. God’s people are to be vigilant and waiting for His deliverance. There is to be no leaven, either in the meal or the house. Leaven will only slow the process down. It is to be eliminated entirely from their lives for them to participate in the Passover. No foreigner or individual outside the household can eat the Passover meal. It is exclusively for the people God designates.

There is more symbolism in eating the lamb and painting its blood on their doorways. In eating it, they become one with the lamb, its flesh is inside them. In spreading the blood on their doorways, they are covered by the blood. The sacrifice of the lamb covers them thoroughly, inside and out. It preserves them.

The angel of death takes the firstborn of all the Egyptians, leaving the firstborn of God's children, preserving the bloodlines, providing assurance that God’s promise will be fulfilled and guaranteeing God’s protection.

God’s remarkable outpouring of wrath upon those who oppose Him or His people is a fulfillment of His promise to Moses. Pharaoh finally releases God's people.

These events are so significant, God orders His people to restart their calendars. They are a nation redeemed, reborn and starting anew, freed by the grace of God, being led to their new home by God's chosen leader. Their new lives begin the day God redeems them.

After 430 years in captivity, over two million people walk out of Egypt, carrying the riches of Egypt with them and even some of the Egyptians. It will be interesting to see how that material wealth plays out in the wilderness.

There is an echo of the gospel in the 430 years. This would not be apparent to the Jews about to leave Egypt. But they labored under the Egyptians without a prophetic word or godly leader for 430 years. Then, God sent Moses to lead them to freedom.

At the end of the Old Testament period, God will go silent for 400 years. He will not be inactive, but there will be no prophetic word or godly leader in Israel for 400 years. Then, John the Baptist will arrive, proclaiming the Messiah. Jesus will walk among His people for 30 years. Then, 430 years after God frees them from the Babylonians, Jesus will give up his life on the cross, the ultimate sacrifice that frees God’s people forevermore.