The Ten Plagues (7): Exodus 11-12

It was the middle of the night. Everything was quiet. The people of Egypt were all sleeping. No one moved; no one talked. Everything was quiet...calm...and asleep.

Suddenly there was a scream, a sharp, loud scream! Soon there was another one. Then another. And then there were lights on in all the houses. Everyone was crying and crying.

What was happening? Why was everyone crying?

God had now sent the last punishment, the last plague, upon King Pharaoh. God had warned and warned the king. He had sent light plagues and hurtful plagues. But the king would not change his mind. He still would not let the people of Israel leave the country to go and worship their God.

So now a very terrible thing had happened! God had not made the people sick, or sent flies or frogs. God had not killed their animals, but instead — He had killed their CHILDREN. He had taken the one thing they loved the most!

That was why everyone was suddenly crying. Maybe a mother had gotten up during the night to check on her children. And there lay her oldest child, DEAD!

How awful that must have been! The same thing had happened in every family. The very oldest child was dead. The king’s oldest child was dead, the servant’s oldest child was dead, and even the animals’ oldest was killed!

The people cried bitterly, but it was too late. The king had not listened to Moses, so he and his people had been punished.

But what about the people of Israel? Were their oldest children killed?

No, they weren’t — IF the fathers had done something. IF they had done what God had told them to do.

First God had told the people to pack up and get ready to leave the country. They were to borrow lots of jewelry and other things from their neighbors, the Egyptians, and even the people of Egypt were happy to give this to them. But I’m sure they didn’t know why the Israelites wanted them. And then God told the people to do something special.

Each family was to take a lamb. Not just any lamb, but a male lamb of one year old. It was not to be crippled, blind, or hurt in any way. No, it had to be perfect. This lamb was a sign of the Lord Jesus, who was perfect in every way.

That last night the lamb had to be... killed. The lamb had to be roasted and eaten, but something special was to be done with the blood. The people of Israel were to take the blood and spread it upon the two sideposts and above the doors of their houses. When the angel of death passed by that night, he would not kill the oldest child when he saw the blood at their doors.

Do you know why the Lord had the people do this? God had a reason for doing such a different thing. This blood pointed to the blood of the Lord Jesus. One day He too would die so that His people could be saved from death. Just as the lamb had to die, so the Lord Jesus had to die to protect His people. We too are safe if washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus.

The people of Egypt were now very much afraid of the people of Israel after their oldest children were killed! “Go!” they shouted. Please get out of our country!”

King Pharaoh was also glad to have the people leave, just as God said he would be. “Go,” he said, “take your animals and children and everything you have! Just leave us before do anything else to us! Just get away from us! And please bless me.”

I’m sure the children of Israel were happy to go! God told them to borrow more jewels of the Egyptians, and the Egyptians were happy to give them anything, just to get them out of the country. And then the children of Israel left! How happy they were to go! They would never have to work for that cruel king again!

The people didn’t know it, but it would take many, many years before they would come into their own country. But that was because they wouldn’t listen to God. The children of Israel would grumble and complain and sin until God would also have to punish them at times. We will read more about that later.

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