Daily Scripture Reading Exodus 11:1 - 12:11
One of the problems we have in modern Christianity is many people outside the church look at the church and can’t see any difference between the church and the world. The values, priorities, attitudes, and behaviors of many Christians and/or so-called Christians is indistinguishable from the anti-God culture in which we live. This is the exact opposite of the reputation we should have. The Bible commands us to be unstained by the world and to not conform to the world. When non-Christians interact with Christians, they should know that we are different than non-Christians.
Yahweh has always demanded that His followers be different. When Yahweh established Israel in The Promised Land, they were to differentiate themselves from the Canaanites. The 11th chapter of Exodus is one of many chapters that contain elements that were intended to make Israel unique.
The 7th through 10th chapters of Exodus record the first nine plagues that Yahweh brought upon Egypt. Despite massive death and destruction that was inflicted on Pharaoh’s land, Pharaoh refused to submit to Yahweh.
Ex. 11:1 ¶ Then Yahweh said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely.
Look at the words “drive you out”. Yahweh said Pharaoh would not merely allow Israel to leave, he would force Israel to leave.
Ex. 11:2 Speak now in the hearing of the people so that each man may ask from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold.”
Yahweh commanded Israel to ask the Egyptians for silver and gold. Yahweh had first mentioned this to Moses when Moses was at the burning bush (see Exodus 3:22). The objective was to have possession of Egyptian wealth so that when the Israelites were expelled from Egypt, they would be able to plunder the Egyptians.
Ex. 11:3 (And Yahweh gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses himself was very great in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.)
Note the word “favor”. Yahweh caused the Egyptians to say yes to the requests from the Israelites.
Look at the word “great”. Pharaoh did not like Moses, but most of the rest of the Egyptians had a high opinion of Moses.
Ex. 11:4 ¶ So Moses said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt,
Ex. 11:5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the servant-girl who is behind the millstones; and all the firstborn of the cattle.
Ex. 11:6 Moreover, there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again.
Ex. 11:7 But for any of the sons of Israel a dog will not even bark, whether against man or beast, that you may know how Yahweh makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’
Notice the word “distinction”. One of the ways Yahweh proved these events were divine intervention and not random acts of nature was the fact that the death and destruction only affected Egyptians. The plagues did not affect the Israelites.
Ex. 11:8 Then all these your servants will come down to me and bow themselves before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.
The last sentence of verse 8 tells us Moses went out from Pharaoh in hot anger, which tells us the quotation recorded in verses 4-8 was spoken to Pharaoh.
Ex. 11:9 ¶ Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My miraculous wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
Multiple verses in chapters 7-11 tell us Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart. The purpose of the hardening was to multiply Yahweh’s miracles so that Yahweh could prove His supremacy beyond any shadow of a doubt.
Ex. 11:10 Now Moses and Aaron did all these miraculous wonders before Pharaoh; yet Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart with strength, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.
Ex. 12:1 ¶ Now Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
Ex. 12:2 “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.
Take note of the phrase “first month of the year”. We often think of the Mosaic Law as being religious rules. That is true to an extent, the Mosaic Law contains many religious requirements. However, that is an incomplete way of looking at the Law because the Mosaic Law also gave the Israelites a culture. Establishing the first month of the year was the first step of giving the Israelites a distinct culture.
The reason Yahweh gave Israel a culture was because they were supposed to be different than the surrounding nations. Having a unique culture helps create differentiation.
Ex. 12:3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household.
The words “tenth of the month” tell us the Israelites were supposed to select a lamb on the tenth day.
There were two things happening simultaneously. First, Yahweh was giving instructions on what the Israelites needed to do to prepare for the next plague, which would be the final plague leading to freedom for the Israelites. Second, Yahweh was giving instructions on how the Israelites were to celebrate this event in the future. This was also a step in giving the Israelites their own culture.
Ex. 12:4 Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to apportion the lamb.
Ex. 12:5 Your lamb shall be a male, without blemish, a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
Ex. 12:6 And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight.
The word fourteenth tells us the Israelites were to slaughter the lamb four days after selecting it. This tells us multiple days passed between Moses telling Pharaoh about the last plague and the last plague actually taking place.
Ex. 12:7 Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
Ex. 12:8 And they shall eat the flesh that night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
Ex. 12:9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails.
Ex. 12:10 And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire.
Ex. 12:11 Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Passover of Yahweh.
Yahweh was very specific about how to prepare the meal as well as what to be wearing. The point was they were to be ready to leave Egypt.
As Yahweh freed Israel from slavery in Egypt, He also gave them their own culture, starting with instructions on when their calendar year was supposed to start. The long term goal was that Israel would be different than all other nations and cultures.
Today, Christians should be different than the culture in which we live. Unfortunately, just as the Old Testament is a long history of Israel’s failure to be different, so too church history is a long history of Christians failing to be different than the world.
What are some commands and practices given to the church in the New Testament which serve to make us distinct from non-Christians?
In what ways are Christians successfully following those practices?
What are some ways the modern church is failing to be different?
What is a step you need to take to differentiate yourself from the secular society in which you live?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”