New Testament Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23–34

“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.” (1 Corinthians 11:23–34, ESV)

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 12:1-28

“The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ‘This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.’ Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, ‘Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’’ And the people bowed their heads and worshiped. Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.” (Exodus 12:1–28, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

The text that is before us today consists of two parts. In verses 1 through 20 we find a record of the instructions that God gave to Moses and Aaron regarding Israel’s perpetual observance of the Passover memorial under the Mosaic Covenant. And although verses 21 through 28 are certainly related to this, they differ in that they are a record of the instructions that Moses gave to the elders of Israel regarding the observance of the first Passover with some mention made of its future observance. You can clearly see the division in the text by reading verse 1, “The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ‘This month shall be for you the beginning of months…”, etc., and comparing it to verse 21, “Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, ‘Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb…”, etc. From this it should be clear to us that Moses and Aaron were priests, and that Moses was also a prophet. That Moses and Aaron were priests is clear because God gave them instructions regarding the religious observance of the Passover under the Old Mosaic Covenant. They, and the priests that would descend from them, were to see to it that the worship of God was maintained. But it was Moses the prophet who then delivered the word of God to the people of God through their elders.  

By the way, did you notice that the Hebrew people are back on board in this passage? We haven’t heard anything about them since chapter 6. Pharaoh had responded to Moses’ original request for the release of the Hebrews by withholding the straw necessary for brick making and thus he greatly increased the already heavy burden of the Hebrews. This caused the Hebrews to turn away from Moses and Aaron. The foremen of the Hebrews spoke to them saying, “The LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us” (Exodus 5:21, ESV). And in 6:9 we read, “Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery” (Exodus 6:9, ESV). That was the last we heard about the spiritual condition of the Hebrews. They were broken, greatly discouraged, and unwilling to listen to Moses. But now they are back! I think it is safe to say that although they maintained a low profile to avoid even harsher treatment from Pharaoh while Moses and Arron did their thing, they were watching. They witnessed the judgments that God poured out on Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and the gods of Egypt, and they saw how the LORD made a distinction between them and the Egyptians. In other words, the LORD proved himself faithful through the outpouring of the first 9 plagues, and now we see that the Hebrews are back on board. In verse 21 Moses calls for the elders of Israel, and they come to listen. And after Moses gives his instructions we read of the reaction of the Hebrews in verses 27-28: “…the people bowed their heads and worshiped. Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did” (Exodus 12:27–28, ESV). This is quite the turnaround, isn’t it? Clearly, the Lord had proven himself faithful and trustworthy.   

I wonder if you can relate? Perhaps you have gone through a season of pronounced difficulty which left you feeling greatly discouraged and doubting. But God showed himself faithful in his judgments and in his grace, leading to your restoration. It seems to me that the Hebrews went through something like this as a people. They were so beaten down that they began to doubt Moses and the LORD in whose name he came. But now they are back. “The people bowed their heads and worshiped”, and they went and did as Moses commanded. 

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Three Observations

With all of that as an introduction, I have three general observations to make concerning the instructions that the LORD gave to Moses and Aaron, and through them to the Hebrew people, concerning the observance of the Passover.

First of all, it is very important for us to recognize that these Passover laws that were revealed to Israel in the days of Moses were positive laws.

Positive laws are laws that are added by the Lord, often in connection with the establishment of a covenant. Positive laws are not inherently moral. Before this time, no one was obliged to keep the Passover. In fact, no one would have thought to, for the Passover had not occurred. This obligation to keep the Passover was imposed upon Israel at the time of the Exodus, and not before. Natural laws are binding on everyone, everywhere, and always, for they are those moral laws which were written on Adam’s heart at creation. They do not change. Murder, for example, was sinful in the beginning, it is sinful to this present day, and will always be sinful. But positive laws are laws are morally neutral. And they are imposed by God, as I have said, often in connection with the making of a Covenant between God and man. Positive laws are often filled with symbolism.

Adam had the moral law written on his heart at the time of his creation, but the law concerning abstinence from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was added later. The law to abstain from that tree was a positive law added by God in connection with the Covenant of Works that God transacted with him. The forbidden tree was made by God to signify rebellion against God, whereas the tree of life was made to signify Adam’s perfect, exact, and perpetual obedience. Eating fruit from trees is not inherently sinful. But for Adam, it was a sin to eat of the forbidden tree after the Lord commanded him not to eat of it. The law concerning the forbidden tree was a positive law, for it was added to the moral law and imposed upon Adam. 

Abraham was also given a positive law, the law of circumcision. This law was added to signify the covenant that God had made with Abraham. By this sign, the Hebrew people were marked off from the other nations. Before this law of circumcision was added, it was not a sin for anyone to remain uncircumcised. After this law was added, it was a sin for a male descendant of Abraham to remain uncircumcised. And that remained true up until Christ came into the world through the Hebrew people to accomplish the work of redemption. Ever since then, circumcision is to be regarded as nothing, for circumcision, or uncircumcision is a morally neutral thing. It was only a moral issue for a particular time and for a particular people while they lived under a particular covenantal arrangement according to the command of God. 

Positive laws were also added by Christ upon the inauguration of the New Covenant. Those who have faith in Christ are to be baptized and they are to partake of the Lord’s Supper. Before Christ said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”, and before he said, “do this in remembrance of me”, in regards to the observance of the Lord’s Supper, God’s people were not obliged to keep these commands. But now that Christ has added these positive laws, those who have faith in Christ are bound to obey them, for they do signify our union with Christ under the New Covenant, and our separation from the world. This will be so until the Lord returns. In the new heavens and earth, we will not observe baptism and the Lord’s supper, for then the Covenant of Grace will be brought to a consummation. Those in Christ will pass from grace to glory.

And here I am saying that such was the case with the observance of the Passover. These Passover laws were positive laws added by God and imposed upon the people of Israel in the days of Moses. No one was obliged to keep the Passover before this time. Only the Hebrews were obliged to keep the Passover after this. And these Passover laws would remain binding upon them until their purpose was fulfilled. These Passover laws were for Israel under the Old Mosaic covenant; they passed away with the arrival of the Christ, the accomplishment of our redemption through his shed blood, and the inauguration of the New and better Covenant. Neither ethnic Jews nor ethnic Gentiles today are obliged to observe the Passover (religiously), for the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world has come. To observe the Old Covenant Passover today (as if it is a religious obligation) is to deny that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah.

If what I have just said regarding the Passover feast binding the Hebrews only, and only under the Old Mosaic covenant, is true, then what are we to make of verse 14 of our text, which says “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.”? And verse 17? “And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever.” And verse 24? “You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever.” (Exodus 12:24, ESV)

 If the Hebrew word translated as “forever” means, “from this day forward and for eternity”, then what I have just said regarding the Passover laws being no longer binding must be wrong. In fact, if this is so – if “forever” means, “from this day forward and for eternity” – then we must confess that the New Testament scriptures are wrong, for they do clearly teach that all of the feast days that were imposed upon Israel under the Old Mosaic Covenant have passed away. In fact, a word study on this Hebrew word translated as “forever” will show that it is used in relation to all kinds of Old Covenant ceremonial laws. To give just one example, Leviticus 23:21 speaks of the observance of the Day of Atonement, when it says, “You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations” (Leviticus 23:21, ESV). If “forever” means for all eternity, then we are still obliged to observe the Passover, the Day of Atonement, and many of the other ceremonial laws given to Israel in the days of Moses. But again, this contradicts the clear teaching of the New Testament which teaches that these ceremonial laws that were given to Israel under the Old Mosaic Covenant have passed away. Why have they passed? Because they have served their purpose and have been fulfilled by Christ. 

In fact, the Hebrew word does not necessarily mean “forever”, as in, “for all eternity”, but rather “forever”, as in, “for a very long time”, that is to say, “perpetually, for as long as this Covenantal arrangement lasts.” This positive law, along with the other positive laws given to Israel under the Old Mosaic Covenant, governed Israel’s worship for a time. They governed Israel’s worship under the Old Mosaic Covenant. They governed Israel’s worship until the Christ who was promised to them was born into this world to accomplish our eternal redemption. 

This is how all positive laws work, by the way. Because they are not inherently moral, and because they are filled with symbolism, and because they are given in connection with the making of covenants, they remain in place until their symbolic function is fulfilled, and the covenant to which they belong is either broken or fulfilled. Think of the trees in the garden. Adam was to eat of the one and abstain from the other, but those laws do not pertain to us, for Adam broke the Covenant of Works. Think of circumcision. Circumcision was an issue for all the male descendants of Abraham, but not for us. Why? Because the promises made to Abraham have all been fulfilled, the Old Covenant has passed away, and the New has come, having been inaugurated by Christ, Abraham’s true Son. And as I have said, we will not observe the Lord’s Supper in the new heavens and earth, for then we will not be under the Covenant of Grace, but will be translated to glory. There we will eat the marriage supper of the Lamb, of which the Lord’s Supper is but a type. The observance of the Lord’s Supper will thus pass away.

Brothers and sisters, all of this is very important to understand now, and here is why: In Exodus 12 we are beginning to consider that period of redemptive history where the LORD makes the Hebrew people into a nation, the nation of Israel. Think of it. Prior to this — prior to the Passover and the Exodus that follows — the Hebrews were set apart as a people. We may trace this back to Abraham (Genesis 12), and even to Noah’s son, Shem (Genesis 11). But now in Exodus, the Hebrew people begin to emerge as a nation as they are led out of Egypt to journey towards the promised land. And soon we will see that the LORD imposed a whole bunch of laws upon them to govern them as a nation. The moral law that was given to them on two tablets of stone was a summary of the one written on Adam’s heart at creation — it was not new. But in the days of Moses, the Lord added many civil laws (laws pertaining to government) and ceremonial laws (laws pertaining to the worship of God under the Old Mosaic Covenant). And I am saying that the laws regarding the keeping of the Passover are the first of these positive ceremonial laws. We must learn how to interpret these laws, brothers and sisters. They were positive laws — laws added by God to a particular people, for a particular time, under a particular covenant, and for a particular purpose, namely to preserve these people physically and spiritually, until the Christ who was promised to them was brought into the world to accomplish our redemption.  We will need to keep all of this in mind as we continue in our study of Exodus and, Lord willing, come to study Leviticus someday. These civil and ceremonial laws imposed upon Israel are all to be regarded in this way. We may learn a great deal from these positive laws. We may learn something about God’s moral law by considering the civil laws imposed upon Israel. and we may learn a great deal about Christ and the work that he came to accomplish by considering the ceremonial laws imposed upon Israel (for he was in these laws prefigured). But we are not bound to keep them today, for they were given to Israel for a particular time and purpose. 

My second observation is this: the Passover was instituted by God through Moses to serve as a memorial to the act of redemption accomplished by the LORD to deliver the Hebrews from Egyptian bondage. 

The Passover feast is called a memorial in verse 14, where the LORD speaks to Moses, saying, “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast” (Exodus 12:14, ESV). The Hebrew people, from this day forward, were to keep the Passover to remember what the LORD had done for them. 

Notice that the Passover was instituted before the historical event of which it was a memorial occurred. This should remind us of the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Our Lord, on the night that he was betrayed, the night before his crucifixion, said, this is my body which is broken for you, and this is my blood of the covenant which is shed for you, do this in remembrance of me.  So then, there was something prophetic about the words of Christ when he instituted the Supper. He predicted that his body would be broken and his bloodshed when he told his disciples to do this in remembrance of him. And the same is true of the institution of the Passover. The event of which the Passover was to serve as a perpetual memorial would happen in the future. 

But the main point is this — the Passover was to be observed as a memorial. The people of Israel were to look back and remember what the LORD had done for them to deliver them from Egyptian bondage. They were to remember the plagues, and in particular, they were to remember the 10th plague, the death of the firstborns of Egypt. And they were to remember how the LORD spared them through the blood of the lamb.   

Consider these three elements to the observance of the Passover.  

One, sacred time was set apart. The Passover itself was to be celebrated on the 14th day of the first month of the year (according to the Hebrew lunar calendar). That month — the month of Abib, which was later called Nisan — was to be regarded at the first month, and the Hebrews were to celebrate the Passover on the 14th day of that month. In fact, we do not only find instructions for the celebration of Passover in our text, but also instructions for the Feast of unleavened bread. This feast follows Passover. It was to be observed for seven days, the 14th day through the 21st. No leaven was to be found in the houses of the Hebrews, They were to eat only unleavened bread. 

Sacred time… God has always set aside sacred time for man to rest and to worship. Adam was to keep the weekly Sabbath. Work was to be done for 6 days and the seventh day was to be regarded as holy, a day for rest and for worship. That has never changed, brothers and sisters. The weekly Sabbath is command four of the ten commandments. Of course, the day of observance has changed now that the Christ has accomplished his work, has entered into his rest, and we find our rest in him by faith. The day has appropriately changed from the seventh to the first, but the weekly Sabbath remains. That is what Hebrews 4:9 explicitly says! The weekly Sabbath remains, and it will remain until the thing of which the weekly Sabbath is a sign arrives, namely, eternal rest in the new heavens and earth. But here I want you to see that in the days of Moses sacred days were added and imposed upon the Hebrews. These added days are what Paul refers to in Colossians 2:16, saying, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:16–17, ESV).

These holy days were important for Israel, for they gave Israel an opportunity to pause and to remember what the Lord had done for them to redeem them, how he had set them apart as his people, and how he had entrusted them with his precious and very great promises. Did Israel keep these holy days? In fact, the scriptures suggest that they were very unfaithful in this. Nevertheless, this was their purpose. 

Dear brothers and sisters, under the New Covenant these holy days that were given to Israel no longer apply to us. They have passed away,  for as Paul says, they were “a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:16–17, ESV). But the Lord has not left us without sacred time. A Sabbath rest remains for the people of God. The weekly Sabbath — the one day in seven Sabbath — which was first given, not to Israel in the days of Moses, but to Adam at the time of creation, remains. “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God…” (Hebrews 4:9, ESV). It is a day for resting. It is a day for worshipping. It is a day for remembering what the Lord has done for us. It is a day to be reminded that we belong to the Lord and that we are living, not for this world, but the world to come. 

Notice secondly that the Passover was a ceremonial meal. The Hebrews were to slaughter a lamb or goat without blemish. The blood was to be caught in a basin and some was to be spread upon the doorposts of the house. This application of the blood signified that all in the house believed in YHWH. When the tenth plague was poured out the LORD would pass over all of the homes with the blood applied to the doorpost. And when the Passover was celebrated in the years to come, the people were to reenact this so as to remember the mercy that the LORD had shown to them. And then the people were to roast the lamb quickly and simply over fire. They were to eat it all. If the lamb was too big for one household to consume, they were to join with others. The bread they ate was to be unleavened. They were to eat the meal fully clothed and with sandals on their feet as if ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Everything about the meal communicated preparedness and haste. This was not the kind of meal that families who were well established in their land and in their homes would eat. Rather, it was the kind of meal that those on the go would eat. And that of course is the point. The Hebrews were to prepare the meal in this way by faith, knowing that the Lord would deliver them at the break of dawn. And every Passover feast from that day forward was to be celebrated in the same way as a memorial to the great salvation the LORD worked for the Hebrews to deliver them from Egyptian bondage. 

Sacred meal… why a meal? Well, meals do signify communion. And these Hebrews were redeemed from Egypt to commune with their God and with one another. The theme runs throughout scripture, brothers and sisters. Abraham ate with the angel of the Lord, remember. The Passover was a meal. The people ate before God at Sinai. Many of the sacrifices offered at the tabernacle, and later the temple, were to be consumed by the priests and by the people. Do not forget the Lord’s Supper, brothers and sisters. And lastly, think of the marriage supper of the Lamb which we will enjoy in the New Heavens and earth. That will be the culmination of this biblical theme, won’t it. All of these sacred meals in Holy Scripture signify communion with God through Christ, the Lamb of God whose blood was shed for us.   

The third element of the Passover is teaching. The Hebrews were to observe the Passover, not in a ritualistic way, but mindfully, with faith in their hearts, and they were to teach the significance of the meal to their children. Verse 24: “You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses’”(Exodus 12:24–27, ESV).

Surely you can see that the Passover memorial and the Lord’s Supper share a lot in common. They are not the same thing, mind you. The Lord’s Supper, which you and I are bound to observe today, is its own thing. Like many others elements of New Covenant worship, the Lord’s Supper is much more simple than the Passover. There is a reason for that, by the way. Old Covenant worship was complex, in part, because Christ was portrayed ahead of time in all of the ceremonies and holy days. He was “sketched out” ahead of time so that the faithful might perceive him. But now that he has come — now that “we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, ESV), these complex “sketches” of Christ are no longer needed.  Remember, they were “a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:16–17, ESV). We have the substance now. And so a small portion of bread and a small sip of wine are sufficient to remind the people of God of the Christ who has come — his body was broken and his blood shed for the forgiveness of the sins of many. 

The Lord’s Supper is not the Passover. It is its own thing. But it is related. Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper as he celebrated the last Passover with his disciples. The Lord’s Supper is to be observed by the church when she assembles for worship on the Lord’s Day. So there we find the principle of Sacred Time. It is a sacred meal. Yes, it is a small meal — a symbolic meal — but it is a meal nonetheless, for her our communion with God and with one another through faith in Christ is signified. And it is a time for teaching. 

Have you noticed that we observe the Lord’s Supper after the ministry of the Word? Why do you think that is? Answer: Because it is the Word of God that gives the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper its meaning or significance. Without the Word of God, we would not know (or we soon forget) the significance of these elements. And have you noticed the position of the Table in relation to the pulpit? It is placed below the pulpit, signifying the submission of the sacrament to the Word of God. And it is positioned in the midst of the congregation, for here our communion with God and one another through Christ is symbolized. But the point is this: in order for us to approach the Lord’s Supper correctly, teaching from scripture is needed. Just as the Word of God informed the Hebrews that the Passover meal was to be a remembrance of the redemption that God accomplished for them, so too it is the Word of God which informs us that the bread and wine signify Christ crucified for sin, raised in victory, ascended in power, who will one day return to judge the wicked and to bring those washed in his blood safely into their eternal inheritance.    

The third point of the sermon today will be very brief, and it is this: The Passover was more than a memorial. It would also function as a test of faithfulness for Israel and as a picture of the greater act of deliverance that would be accomplished in the future by the Messiah. 

When I say that the Passover (and the Feast of Unleavened Bread which accompanied it) was more than a memorial I mean that it was not just a time for remembering the past, it was also an assessment on the present and a reminder of God’s promises for the future. 

Concerning the assessment on the present, verse 15 of our text says, “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel” (Exodus 12:15, ESV). In verse 19 we find the same. Israelites who refused to keep the feast were to be cut off from the people. I take this to mean that they were to be put out of the nations, and if the people would not do it, God would, for this would indicate that the individual was faithless. 

And concerning the reminder of God’s promises for the future that were embedded within the Passover, I have already said that Christ was prefigured in this feast. The New Testament makes this so very clear. Perhaps the clearest evidence for this is the one that has already been cited. Christ, on the night that he was betrayed, took bread. After he had given thanks he blessed it and broke it and said this is my body which is broken for you. The bread that he held in his hand was the unleavened bread of the Passover, and he said, this is my body. And the cup that he took after supper was one of the cups of the Passover meal. He said this is my blood of the covenant. Just think about that. Christ in that moment revealed what was signified in the Passover all along — the broken body of the Messiah and his shed blood. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:7, “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7, ESV).

The Passover festival was more than a memorial. It was more than a time for remembering the past. It did also test the faith of the Hebrews in the present — those who did not honor it were to be cut off. And it prefigured the Messiah too. It is anticipated the greater act of redemption that would be accomplished in the future by him. The blood of the lamb spread on the doorposts would shield the Hebrews from physical death. But the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, shields those to whom is applied by faith from the just wrath of God and his eternal punishment. More than this, it grants us life eternal in the new heavens and earth, which is our inheritance in Christ. 

As you can probably see, the Lord’s Supper is more than a memorial too. Those who are faithless are to be cut off. And in the bread and cup, we are reminded, not only of what Christ has done but of what he will do. For he said, “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29, ESV).

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Conclusion

So what shall I say by way of conclusion? 

One, I do want you to understand what happened historically. I want for you to know what God did for the Hebrews to free them from Egyptian bondage. He put the firstborns of Egypt to death, but he shielded his people who had applied the blood of a lamb to the doorposts of their home.

Two, I want you to understand the Passover feast, along with the Feast of Unleavened  Bread to know what it means to the Hebrews. It reminded them of the past, it tested them in the present, and it contained promises for the future. 

Three, I want you to see that we celebrate something far greater. When we come before the Lord’s Table Lord’s Day after Lord’s Day, we remember a work of redemption that was far greater than the one accomplished in the days of Moses. The deliverance was greater, and the reward was greater. The calling is greater too, brothers and sisters. I close with the words of Paul: “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:7–8, ESV). This he wrote to Christians. “The festival” that he refers to here is not the Passover, but the Lord’s Supper. And his exhortation to the church is that we celebrate the festival in “sincerity and truth”. May it be so. Lord help us. Let us pray. 

Sermon Text: Exodus 8:20-9:12

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.’’’ And the LORD did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies. Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.’ But Moses said, ‘It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us.’ So Pharaoh said, ‘I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.’ Then Moses said, ‘Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.’ So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD. And the LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, behold, the hand of the LORD will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.’’’ And the LORD set a time, saying, ‘Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.’ And the next day the LORD did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.’ So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.” (Exodus 8:20–9:12, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

So we have come now to the second of the three plague cycles. Remember that the story of the Ten plagues has a literary structure to it. The ten plagues are grouped into three groups of three, with the tenth and final plague being set off on its own and given special attention. The most obvious marker of this structure is the setting in which Moses introduces each plague. Plagues 1, 4, and 7 are introduced early in the morning and by the riverside. Plagues 2, 5, and 8 are introduced in Pharoah’s courtyard — “go in to Pharoah”, the Lord says at the introduction to these plagues. And plagues 3, 6, and 9 are introduced outdoors without confrontation with Pharaoh. 

Last Sunday we considered the first three plagues one at a time and I made five observations about each. This morning I will take a different approach. I wish to make five general observations about the entire second plague cycle (plagues 4, 5, and 6). We will consider, one, Moses’ firm stance; two, the intensification of the plagues; three, the distinction made between the Hebrews and the Egyptians; four, the shaming of the gods of Egypt; and five, the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. 

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Consider Moses’ Firm Stance

First, consider Moses’ firm stance.

In 8:20 we read, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me.’’’” 

This confrontation took place early in the morning and by the riverside. Perhaps it was the custom of Pharaoh to rise up early and to worship there? Whatever he was doing, Moses was to “present” himself to Pharaoh. The Hebrew word translated as “present” means to “stand”, to “confront”, or to “take one’s stand”. The meaning is that Moses was called by God to take a firm stance before Pharaoh, and this he did. He stood boldly before Pharaoh on the banks of the Nile and made the same demand, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me’” (Exodus 8:20, ESV). 

We have witnessed the development of a great leader in the Exodus story, haven’t we? Moses attempted to deliver the Hebrews 40 years before, but he did it in his own strength, and not by the word of the Lord. He was humbled for 40 years in the wilderness. And when the LORD did call him to deliver the Hebrews, he lacked faith and confidence. It’s as if he had swung from one extreme to the other. But here Moses seems to be in a groove. He is humble, calm, cool and collected, and yet he is firm. He courageously stood before Pharaoh. He consistently delivered the word of the Lord. And he calmly refused to compromise. 

Pharoah did attempt to get Moses to compromise. In 8:25 we read, “Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.’” Moses refused, saying, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us’” (Exodus 8:26–27, ESV).

Consider a couple of things about Moses’ resolve. 

One, it was all or nothing for Moses. God’s word demanded that Israel be freed from Egyptian bondage to worship and serve the LORD. But Pharaoh proposed that the people worship the LORD while remaining under his authority. I’m afraid that many attempt to follow after Christ in this half-hearted, compromised way. They wish to worship and serve the LORD, but they remain in bondage. They have a divided loyalty. They attempt to have one foot in the kingdom of Christ, and one in the kingdom of Satan.  But what does Christ say about that? “No one can serve two masters…” (Matthew 6:24). Moses would have none of it. This deliverance would have to involve both freedom from bondage, and freedom to worship and serve the Lord. It would involve a transfer from one kingdom to another — a clean break. And so it is for the Christian. We do not have two Master’s, but One. 

Two, I’m impressed by Moses’ tact. He does not scream and yell at Pharoah. He does not insult him. In fact, he answers Pharoah in a careful and tactful way. “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land”, Pharaoh says. And Moses replies in a way that is fitting when speaking to a dignitary.  “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians…” etc. “We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us’” (Exodus 8:26–27, ESV). You know, I think we have a lot to learn from Moses (and from Christ) concerning the way in which we are to stand firm within society and before governing authorities. To state the matter succinctly, a firm stance does not require disrespect. To hold the line one need not be harsh or nasty. Those without faith may feel the need to use such manipulative tactics. But those with deep faith will find a way to be firm and resolute and at the same time respectable in their conduct. Faith produces peace, brothers and sisters. And peace in the heart is what we need when standing firm for God and Christ in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. 

Moses had wavered in the faith previously, but here he seems to be very strong. It is clear that God was preparing him to lead Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, into the wilderness, and towards the land of promise. 

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Consider The Intensification Of The Plagues

So, we have considered Moses’ firm stance. Now let us consider the intensification of the plagues in this cycle. 

The first three plagues were truly miraculous. And the Egyptians were truly inconvenienced by them. They frantically dug new wells. Frogs inundated their land and their dwellings. Gnats (or mosquitoes) covered the land. In the second cycle, things progress from the realm of “nuisance” to the realm of personal affliction. 

First, flies covered the land of Egypt. This is similar to the plague of the gnats, but the description of the plague of flies makes it seem as if it were more extreme. Flies were everywhere. They were in the homes. They even covered the ground.

 For some time I have been saying that here in So California it is the flies that emerge in the summertime that bother me even more than the extreme heat. They are truly a nuisance. But I’m talking about finding a few here and there. Egypt was covered with flies. Most Egyptians would not have anything like screens on their windows, so the flies would have filled the houses too. They would have pestered the Egyptians even as they slept. It must have been tormenting. 

Next, the Egyptians livestock perished. This must have been utterly devastating economically speaking. 

In 9:6 the ESV says, “ All the livestock of the Egyptians died…” This has led students of the Bible to wonder if we have a contradiction in the text, for in the account of the seventh plague the Egyptians are warned to bring their livestock out of the field before the plague of hail descended upon them. Where did these livestock come from if they all had died in the fifth plague? The answer is that the Hebrew word translated as “all” by the ESV can also mean “all sorts of” or “all over the place”. So the context clarifies that not every animal belonging to the Egyptians died, but all kinds of animals in all places. How many? We do not know. But it was enough to notice.  As 9:3 says, it was “a very severe plague upon [the] livestock that [were] in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks.” 

In the next plague, the Egyptians were struck with boils on their skin. 

There is a theory out there that it was anthrax that produced these skin boils on the Egyptians. In fact, the theory traces this all the way back to the turning of the Nile to blood (or blood-red). This caused the fish to die. The anthrax multiplied in the rotting fish. The frogs were infected as they came ashore. When the frogs died, anthrax contaminated the soil where the flocks grazed, so the flocks perished. Anthrax spores would have then been spread by the flies, inhaled, or ingested by humans leading, not to death in most cases, but to festering sores on the skin. What should we think about this theory?

I’ll say what I said last week regarding the Nile turned to blood, or blood-red. While it would certainly be consistent with the other plagues involving frogs, gnats, flies, hail, etc, to think that the  Lord used natural things like algae to plague the Nile or bacteria to plague the Egyptians with sores, we must not reduce these plagues to mere natural phenomenon. Pharaoh and his magicians were convinced that these plagues were the finger of God because no natural explanation could be found for these events. If would one could be found, then surely Moses would have been quickly dismissed. But these plages struck and relented when Moses said they would. And they struck on such a grand scale and with such precision that all who observed knew for certain it is was the God of the Hebrews who sent them. Was it the bacteria anthrax that caused the boils? Maybe. But it is undeniable that God was working in a miraculous way. 

It is interesting that the magicians of Egypt are mentioned again in this passage. This will be the last time we will hear about them. Notice the progression with these magicians. First, they stood toe to toe with Moses to provide counterfeits to the sign of the staff turned to a snake, to the water turned blood-red, and to the appearance of frogs. In all of these episodes, Moses was shown to be superior. Next, they were unable to reproduce the plague of the gnats with their trickery. They had to admit to Pharaoh, “this is the finger of God”. But now they are struck personally. They were so afflicted with these boils on their skin that they “could not stand before Moses because of the boils”. Isn’t that awesome. Moses stood firm before Pharaoh, but the magicians “could not stand before Moses because of the boils”, and in this way, they were dismissed never to be heard of again in the story. This is what God does with counterfeits. They will succeed for a time and seem to be so powerful, but God will have the last word. He will expose them as frauds and put them to open shame. 

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Consider The Distinction That Is Made Between The Hebrews And The Egyptians

So, we have considered Moses’ firm stance and the intensification of the plagues. Now let us consider the distinction that God made between the Hebrews and the Egyptians. I consider this to be a central feature of this second plague cycle. God clearly distinguished between the Hebrews and Egyptians when pouring out these plagues. 

In the context of the fourth plague, the plague of flies, the LORD said, “But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth” (Exodus 8:22, ESV).

In the context of the fifth plague, the death of the livestock, Moses said, “But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die” (Exodus 9:4, ESV). And in the context of the sixth plague, it is said that “the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians”, with no mention being made of the Hebrews.

In a previous sermon, I emphasized that God knows who are his and he is able to keep them even as they dwell in a midst of a crooked and perverse generation and God pours out his judgments. Here we see evidence of that great truth again. God plagued the Egyptians with flies, the death of livestock, and skin boils, but the Hebrews were left untouched. This was to demonstrate that the God of the Hebrews is “LORD in the midst of the earth.” The same distinction will be made in the seventh plague regarding the hail.  

It is interesting that no such thing was said regarding the water turned to blood, the frogs, or gnats. And no such thing will be said regarding plagues 8 and 9 involving the locust and the darkness. I’m not sure how far we can push this idea, but in general, it seems evident to me that in some instances the people of God will be caught up in and affected by the judgments that God pours out upon a wicked nation. Doesn’t this just make sense? When a nation falls under God’s displeasure and is judged by the Lord in some way, the righteous may suffer some affliction along with that nation. At the same time, it is true that God is able to distinguish between those who are his and those who are not, and he is able to guard them and keep them. This he clearly did in plagues 4 through 7.

I also think there is something else going on in the statement found in 8:22, “But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth” (Exodus 8:22, ESV). Israel is here being “set apart” by God from the nations. This theme began with the call of Abram out of Ur of the Chaldeans.. He was set apart as holy and was to journey towards the promised land. And now that theme is emerging again. Israel is being set apart in Egypt, will be delivered, and will journey towards the promised land. This was their identity. They were chosen by God (in an earthly sense) and set apart by him as his special possession, for the LORD (YHWH) had entered into a covenant with them. ”But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell… that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.” It is the LORD who made a covenant with Israel and who keeps his covenant. In these plagues a clear distinction is made between the Egyptians and the Hebrews, for the LORD had set the Hebrews apart by covenant.

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Consider the Shaming Of The Gods Of Egypt

Fourthly, consider the shaming of the gods of Egypt. 

I’ve said before that the ten plagues are to be considered an assault against the so-called gods of Egypt.  In fact, that is what the Bible explicitly says. Speaking of the Egyptians, Numbers 33:4 says, “On their gods also the LORD executed judgments” (Numbers 33:4, ESV).

So how were the plagues of flies, the death of livestock, and skin boils judgments against the gods of Egypt? 

Concerning the flies, allow me to quote Philip Ryken from his commentary on Exodus.

Concerning the livestock, it only needs to be said that the Egyptians worshiped livestock, particularly bulls and cows. It is no wonder that Hebrews made an image of a golden calf when they slipped back into idolatry when Moses was on the mountain. 

Concerning the boils, listen again to Ryken: 

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The Exodus event was unique. We have to be careful, therefore, when drawing applications out of this story for our modern-day circumstances. But I think it is safe to view the Exodus as a kind of paradigm for the way that God judges sinful cultures and nations. He has a way of putting down the haughty within the world who would seek to have the glory that belongs to God alone as their own.  He has a way of putting down false god’s showing them to be false. 

In some ways, the culture of the Egyptians seems so very different from our own. They worshipped many gods. We would call them primitive and superstitious. We scoff at their views regarding medicine and healing. But really, are we all that different? This culture is filled with idolaters too. Americans worship many gods. Though they do not call them by the name “god” they place their hope in them, find their identity in them, and look to them for joy. I can’t help but think of the way that people talk about “science” nowadays. You would think it was a deity the way that the world speaks about it science today. And I can help but think about the way in which medical doctors are venerated within our society. Scientists and medical doctors — these must not be questioned. I assume the same was true for the Egyptian deities associated with health and healing and the magicians of Egypt. But what did the LORD do to those who were exalted above their proper domain? He put them to open shame. I wonder if the LORD is not doing something similar presently. The world is filled with fear. The fear is largely fabricated, in my opinion. But that is another story. And what is the world looking to for salvation? So-called “science”; medical professionals. They will not deliver, brothers and sisters. In fact, I suspect they will put to open shame. 

There is only one God, brothers and sisters. There is only one who is worthy of our trust and devotion. He is the LORD.  

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Consider The Hardening Of Pharaoh’s Heart

Fifthly, and lastly, let us consider the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. 

Notice that Pharoah is wavering. He is negotiating with Moses and he is requesting that Moses intercede for him. He’s cracking under the pressure, in other words, for he knows this is the work of the LORD. But his heart is stubborn, hard, and prideful. 

At the end of each plague, mention is made of the hardness of Pharoah’s heart. “ But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.” “But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.” And finally, “But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.” So we have three different perspectives on this issue in these three plagues. Pharaoh hardened his own heart, his heart was heartened, and the LORD hardened his heart. Remember that God told Moses that he would harden Pharoah’s heart back in 4:21. Now we see it happening. And in 9:16 we will read the word of the LORD to Pharaoh: “But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:16, ESV). This is such an important theme in Exodus, I would be remiss if I did not make mention of it. Clearly, God wants his people to understand that the king’s heart is in his hand. He is the Sovereign One, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. 

Sermon Text: Exodus 7:14-8:19

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. And you shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.’ But so far, you have not obeyed. Thus says the LORD, ‘By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.’’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’’ Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile. Seven full days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.’’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’’ So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Plead with the LORD to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Moses said to Pharaoh, ‘Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.’ And he said, ‘Tomorrow.’ Moses said, ‘Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.’ So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the LORD about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. And the LORD did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’’ And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God.’ But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.” (Exodus 7:14–8:19, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

We have come now to the story of the ten plagues. If we take “plague” to mean “disease”, then “plague” is not the best word to describe the judgments that God poured out on the Egyptians, for only two of the ten involved diseases. But if we understand “plague” to mean “a blow or a wound”, or “a thing that causes trouble or irritation”, then the term is fitting, for God did strike the Egyptians with these ten judgments which brought progressively increasing stuffing upon them. 

The Bible does not refer to these judgments as “plagues” but as “signs and wonders”, and that is how we are to view them. In these judgments, God was demonstrating to the Egyptians, to the Hebrews — indeed to the whole world — that he was God Most High, the LORD who had entered into covenant with Israel, the all mighty, Sovereign, self-existent and unchanging one. These wonders were “signs”.

I suppose that a sermon could be devoted to each sign. But I’ve decided to take three at a time and then to give special attention to the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn of Egypt. This approach actually corresponds to the literary structure of the narrative. Scholars have noted that the first nine plagues are presented in three cycles of three. The first plague involves an outdoor confrontation with Pharaoh in the morning. The second plague involves an indoor confrontation with Pharaoh, that is to say, Moses speaks to Pharaoh in his court. And the third plague is initiated by Moses as he performs some symbolic action outdoors with limited confrontation with Pharaoh. The same pattern is found in the account of plagues 4, 5, 6 and 7, 8, 9 (see Douglas Stuart Commentary, 189). So these plagues are presented in three groups of three, with a special emphasis given to the tenth. With each of these cycles, there is intensification. One should probably think of the way the book of Revelation is structured with its repeating cycles and progressive intensification and see that we have something similar here. 

The important thing to remember is that these plagues, or better yet, “signs and wonders”, were all directed at the gods of Egypt. The Egyptians worshiped many gods. And these false gods of Egypt were all connected with either the Nile River, the land, the sky, or with Pharaoh himself. It is not necessary to be an expert in the religion of the Egyptians to appreciate what is going on in this story. The LORD is here clearly demonstrating that the earth and everything in it is his. He is the one true God. He is the Creator of heaven and earth. He alone is divine. God is, and everything else that is must be regarded as a creature. The Nile, the land of Egypt, and Pharaoh himself exist only because the self-existent, eternal, and unchanging one, determined to bring them into existence. The LORD is God. He is the Creator of all things seen and unseen. And he is the Sustainer too. He is the Sovereign One who rules over all that he has made. More than this, he entered into a covenant with Israel. He promised to redeem them, to make them into a great nation, and to bring a Savior into the world and for the world through them. These ten signs and wonders are a demonstration of all that. They demonstrate God’s supremacy over all created things. And they also demonstrate that Israel was the apple of God’s eye by way of covenant.  

Let us not lose sight of this big picture perspective as we consider the individual “signs and wonders” that God worked in Egypt through his servants, Moses and Aaron. We will consider the first three plagues today. I have five brief observations to make concerning each one before turning to reflections and suggested application.

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The First Sign: Water Turned To Blood

Concerning the water turned to blood, notice these five things:

One, notice how the story begins, with a reference to the previous sign and to Pharoah’s hardness of heart. I think it is right that we consider the previous sign — the staff turned to a snake — as an introductory sign, and not as one of the plagues, for it was performed before Pharaoh and his officials, but Egypt was not stuck as with the other plagues. In other words, that introductory sign was a warning to Pharoah. He saw it, and he hardened his and would not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had said. Remember that this theme of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart so that he might display his power through him runs throughout this narrative. 

Two, notice the demand. This demand will also be repeated throughout this narrative. Verse 15: “Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. And you shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.’ But so far, you have not obeyed.” (Exodus 7:15–16, ESV) This demand is not new. It will be repeated throughout this narrative.  And I’ll continue to draw your attention to it because it is so significant. The Hebrews were redeemed by God so that they might serve him. To serve God is to worship him. To serve God is to obey him. To serve God is to have him as Lord and King. And we also have been redeemed to worship, brothers and sisters. We have been delivered from the domain of darkness so that we might serve the LORD. This is the flip side of the coin of salvation. We have been delivered from something… and we have been delivered to something. We have been rescued from one kingdom and transferred into another. To say it differently, we have not been redeemed to live independent and autonomous lives for our own glory and pleasure, but to serve a new Master. This is good news because our previous master was harsh and oppressive. His kingdom was a kingdom of darkness, death, and despair. But our new Master, Christ the Lord, is merciful and kind. His kingdom is one of light and life. It is one of glory and hope. In him, we find true life and true satisfaction. Do you remember what Paul said concerning the way in which salvation is received? “[I]f you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9, ESV). So, salvation — that is, salvation from sin and its consequences —  is received by faith. To be saved one must trust in Jesus the Messiah and the work that he has accomplished for us. And to come to him one must regard him as Lord. Again, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9, ESV). You know, there is a teaching out there — I’m not sure how prominent it is these days — that it is possible to have Jesus as Savior but not as Lord. I think that is an appalling distortion of the gospel. To be redeemed by God is not to go from having a master to no master. No, it is to be freed from the dominion of Satan to have a new King, namely God in Christ. This demand delivered by Moses to Pharaoh reminds us of these truths. For Old Covenant Israel, it was physical and earthly. For us, it is spiritual and heavenly, but no less true. As we consider this demand delivered by Moses to Pharaoh, we must regard it as very bold. It sets God and Pharaoh toe to toe, if you will. Its as if God said to Pharaoh, you regard yourself as the master of these Hebrews, but they are mine. Indeed, all are mine. Even you. And even this land and nation. But these are mind in a special way, for I have set them apart and entered into covenant with them. These people are the apple of my eye. Through them, I will redeem a people for myself for all eternity from every tongue, tribe and nation. They are mine. Let them go so that they might serve me instead of you. 

Three, notice the reason given for the coming plague. It is found in verse 17 where we read, “Thus says the LORD, ‘By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood” (Exodus 7:17, ESV). Here is the purpose for all the plagues. By them the Egyptian — and yes, even the Hebrews and all who would hear of these signs and wonders — would know that the God of the Hebrews is the LORD. So we are not left to wonder why the LORD did all of this. Why did he harden Pharaoh’s heart? Why did he inflict the Egyptians? Why were these plagues poured out in this way? Why ten of them? Why the drawn-out process? Why the drama? God explicitly revealed the reason: “By this you shall know that I am the LORD…” These plagues were a demonstration that God is LORD, and that Pharoah, the Nile, the land of Egypt, and its many so-called gods, were not. 

Four, notice the sign itself, the Nile would be turned to blood. As the story continues we learn that when Aaron touched the water with his staff at the command of God, and the command of Moses, all of the surface water in the land of Egypt turned to blood — the Nile, other rivers, canals, ponds, and even the water stored in wooden and stone vessels — all of it turned to blood. The effect was so widespread that the people of Egypt had to dig new wells to find drinking water for themselves. 

 Please allow me to briefly address two questions related to this first sign.

One, did the surface water in Egypt turn from the substance of water to the substance of blood, or did the water turn red in color due to some natural phenomenon known to the Egyptians such as an algae bloom or runoff typically associated with the rainy season? 

You should know that there is a view out there that regards all of these plagues as natural phenomenon. I think there is some merit to this view provided that we do not go too far with it so as to deny the hand of God in the matter. Yes, the LORD used common things to judge the Egyptians. He used frogs, biting insects, flies, pestilence among the livestock, pestilence among the people, hail, locust, darkness, and death, to pour out his wrath upon the Egyptians and to demonstrate his Sovereign power over them and all created things. These were naturally occurring and common things that God used, but he used them in an uncommon way. For example, the Egyptians knew what it was like to be irritated by frogs and by gnats, but in these plagues, the invasion of the common frog and common gnat was such that even the sorcerers of Egypt would come to admit, this is the finger of God. All of these events were too severe and too timely to dismiss them as mere natural occurrences. No, the God of Israel was behind it. And his use of natural things — water, frogs, gnats and the rest — is itself meaningful. In brief, God judged the Egyptians by turning their beloved water, land, and sky (and all of the so-called gods associated with these realms) against them. 

So back to the question about the water… was it turned from water to blood, or from the typical color of the water to the color blood-red? Either view is acceptable, in my opinion (the Hebrew word can mean either). But we must not make the mistake of trying to reduce these plagues down to mere natural phenomena. These were signs and wonders, brothers and sisters! That is clear! In fact, recognizing that God may have used something natural and common (like an algae bloom) to turn the surface water of Egypt blood-red would be perfectly consistent with the way that God worked in the rest of the plagues. He used gnats, for example — common gnats — to torment the Egyptians. The unique thing about the gnats is that there were lots and lots of them, and they came and went at the command of God. The same may be true of the red-water.

Two, how were the sorcerers of Egypt able to replicate this sign before Pharaoh? Well, in the same way, they replicated the sign of the staff turned to a snake — through trickery. And this also supports the idea that water was not turned to blood, but blood-red. It’s not difficult to imagine how the sorcerers could find a way to replicate this sign in miniature before Pharaoh. One thing to notice, though, is that the sorcerers of Egypt were unable to undo the sign that Moses and Aaron had worked. They were not able to bring relief to their people, therefore. 

The fifth and last thing that I wish to draw your attention to regarding this first plague is the result. Verse 22: “But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said” (Exodus 7:22, ESV). Yes, it is true that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. This we know. But is also true that Pharaoh chose to disbelieve. And considered from that vantage point, we may make some observations regarding Pharaoh’s disbelief. Clearly, he was looking for any reason to dismiss the sign. All of the surface water in Egypt was turned blood-red and undrinkable. But when his magicians replicated the sign by their arts, that was enough for Pharaoh to dismiss the obvious miracle worked by God through Moses and Aaron.  This is what men with hard and sinful hearts do. They will look for any reason to persist in their disbelief and they will take the opportunity. And so it is when it comes to the belief in the existence of God. Everything in the created world screams out concerning our Maker, but fallen men and women will always find some way to suppress this truth. And so it is regarding Christ our Redeemer to this present day. When men and women are presented with the truth regarding his life, death, and resurrection, those with hard and unrepentant hearts will surely find a way — some way — to dismiss the truth.   

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The Second Sign: Frogs

Some of the observations that I have made concerning the first plague apply to the others, and because of this, the five observations that I have concerning the second and third plagues will be briefer.  

One, consider again the introductory remarks: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs.’” (Exodus 8:1–2, ESV)

Notice that this confrontation with Pharaoh took place inside his courts as opposed to out in the open. “Go in to Pharaoh”, the Lord said. This is the setting of the confrontation of plagues 2, 5, and 8, the middle plagues in each of the three plague cycles. 

The demand is the same: “‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. “

The threat is that the land and the homes of the Egyptians would be inundated with frogs. “I will plague all your country with frogs”, the LORD says. “Plague” here means “strike”. “I will [strike] all your country with frogs.”

Two, notice that plagues one and two were irritations to the Egyptians. They did not take away life nor do damage to health. The Egyptians were able to dig wells for water, and when the frogs invaded the land they were an annoyance, but nothing more. The severity of the plagues will progressively intensify.  

Three, notice that with the plague of the frogs Pharaoh did begin to acknowledge that it was the LORD’s doing. He asked Moses to plead with the LORD to remove them. And Moses did also permit Pharaoh to pick the time. Certainly, this was to help prove that it was the LORD’s doing, and not some coincidence or trickery.

Four, the purpose is stated again. Verse 10: “so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God” (Exodus 8:10, ESV). God is utterly unique. He is the one and only. There is none like him. 

Five, notice the result. When relief came, “he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said” (Exodus 8:15, ESV).

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The Third Sign: Gnats

Now for five very brief observations regarding the third plague.

One, this plague is initiated outdoors and with no confrontation with Pharaoh. This is the case with plagues 3, 6, and 9, the third plagues in each plague cycle. 

Two, Aaron was instructed to strike the dust of the earth to initiate the plague of the gnats. So now the Nile has been struck, and so to the earth. And when the earth is struck the sky will be filled with insects. Water, earth, and sky.  

Three, gnats are to be understood as biting insects, perhaps mosquitoes. 

Four, the magicians were unable to duplicate this sign as they did with the staff to snake, the water turned blood-red, and the frogs. It’s not difficult to imagine why. They were able to reproduce the other signs on a small scale through their trickery, but they couldn’t quite figure out how to train swarms of mosquitoes.  

Five, this forced the magicians to confess what Pharaoh had probably long suspected. “Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God.’ But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said” (Exodus 8:19, ESV).

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Reflections

One, we should be careful to acknowledge the uniqueness of this event when seeming to apply the ten plagues to our circumstances. 

Two, we find in the ten plagues an example of how God judges nations today when they go astray by failing to uphold justice, and by enacting laws that are contrary to God’s moral law as revealed in nature and in scripture. He will strike at their “gods”.

Three, it is interesting to consider all of this through the eyes of the Hebrews, though they are not mentioned in the account of the first three plagues. I wonder what they were thinking? They were eventually willing to follow Moses out of Egypt, so I think it is safe to assume that they themselves were progressively convinced of the power of God by these signs and wonders. And this should remind us that God does not only reveal himself in grace, but also in his powerful and righteous judgments.