Exodus 10:21-12:28

Exodus 10:21-12:28

The close of Exodus 10 introduces the ninth plague, the plague of darkness. For three days and three nights, Egypt was in utter darkness, and no one could see anyone or where they were going. This was to get the Egyptians attention yet again. Now remember that at this point it appeared as if Pharaoh’s servants recognized God’s power, but Pharaoh was still hardened against the ways of God. He made yet another plea to Moses, promising to let them leave. But this time he put restrictions on that promise. He wanted the Israelites to leave behind all of their livestock. Moses told him that that would be impossible, for they needed the animals in order to sacrifice to the Lord. So Pharaoh broke his promise yet again, and the Israelites were not allowed to leave. Furthermore, Pharaoh told Moses that if he ever saw Moses again, he would kill him.

After nine harsh plagues, the Israelites were still trapped in the land of Egypt, unable to leave. God had promised Jacob and Joseph that their descendants would one day return to the Promised Land. The Israelites knew that God had made this promise, but they had not seen it come to fruition. They had now seen God pour out nine plagues on Egypt in an attempt to help them. They recognized God’s power, as did many of the Egyptians and Pharaoh’s servants, yet they still found themselves trapped. They had to wonder what else it would take, how much longer God would wait, if God would even help them. We are so prone to be impatient with God, thinking that when He makes a promise it should happen immediately. But God does not always work that way. He goes by His time, and not ours. But as for the Israelites, he had given them Moses as a leader, a man that they had all come to respect and depend on. They looked to him for guidance, knowing that God was using him.

So God spoke through Moses, telling Him that the tenth and final plague was about to strike. When it did, there would be no more waiting. Pharaoh would finally break down and let them leave Egypt. He wanted Moses to get the people ready, so that when the time came, they would be ready to leave. Again, they depended on Moses and looked to him for guidance, so Moses told them what God was about to do. This tenth and final plague would kill the firstborn throughout all of Egypt, man and animal. But God promised to once again protect His people, making yet another distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites.

Exodus 12 goes right along with this plague, for this plague would later become known as the one that rescued the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians. God wanted to make sure that future generations would remember what He had done for the Israelites, so He gave them clear instructions on how to celebrate this event, an event that would become known as the Passover. The instructions He gave them that night were to sacrifice their best lamb and put the lamb’s blood on their door as a sign that they were His. Then, the angel of death would pass over their house and not touch their family. As a way to show their continued dependence on God, they would do this each year. What is interesting is that God was giving them instructions for their future and for their children before He had done anything. He was promising the Israelites that they were about to be rescued. But He wanted them to understand the significance of this event before it ever happened. He wanted them to know that He knew what He was doing and that He was in control. So He gave them clear instructions on how to remember this day once they had escaped Egypt.

Again, we tend to fault the Israelites for their lack of faith in God later on in the story. After their rescue, which will come in the next chapter, they fall away from God’s commands. They forget what He did for them and lose their faith in Him. But we do the very thing when we turn to other people or objects for comfort or guidance. When we neglect to pray to God, try to discern His will, or look to Him for guidance, we do the very things the Israelites did. God may not have rescued us out of physical bondage as He had done for the Israelites, but if we are Christians, He has rescued us from the danger of sin. For that reason alone, we must praise Him, give Him all the glory, and continue to remember how He has helped us. How can we not praise God for all that He has done? I pray that I will never forget who God is or what He has done for me.

Matt