Introduction: The tenth plague is the climax of the plagues. The people must properly prepare themselves beforehand for its coming because lives are at stake. Either life or death awaits the firstborn, thus placing families on highest alert. Each family will answer a crucial question: Will we trust the Lord and His provision for life, or will we ignore it? The only path to life is marked by accepting the blood of the innocent lamb. At this time, the celebration of the Passover is inaugurated, so that, together, whole families may experience God’s deliverance.
Teachers, do not forget to explain to your class members the main point of the lesson: Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb (John 1:29, 1 Cor. 5:7). Only in Him do we have true life and life eternal. This life was secured on the cross (John 11:25; John 12:32; Rom. 5:6–8; 1 Cor. 1:18, 23, 24). The celebration of the Passover led Jesus to establish for His followers a new ceremony. At the Last Supper, Jesus ate with His disciples the lamb, which pointed to Him. In so doing, Christ redirected His followers’ focus to a new celebration that would repeatedly remind them of the most important event in earth’s history and the history of the entire universe: His ultimate sacrifice on the cross on our behalf. We celebrate this communion during the Lord’s Supper when we remember His life and death for us (Matt. 26:26–29, 1 Cor. 11:23–26). This Passover redesign from the sacrificial lamb to the living Lamb, Jesus Christ, is an unfathomable lesson to be keenly remembered during Communion, as well as in one’s daily personal acceptance of Christ’s substitutionary death for humanity (2 Cor. 5:15, 21).
Part II: Commentary
Part II: Commentary
Historical Background
Historical Background
Thutmose III (1504–1450 b.c.) appointed his son Amenhotep II (1453–1425 b.c.), who was not his oldest son, to be co-regent with him, but only for a short period of time. Amenhotep II was probably not present in Egypt during the ten plagues, as he was engaged in a military campaign. After his return, he would receive the devastating news that his father had died in the Red Sea while pursuing the Israelites (Exod. 14:28, Exod. 15:4, Ps. 136:15) and that his brother, the firstborn of Pharaoh, had died in the tenth plague (Exod. 12:29). God’s executive judgment struck, as predicted, in a three-pronged attack on the firstborn Egyptian males, their animals, and their gods (Exod. 12:12). Pharaoh was clearly warned, but he defied both the divine admonishment and Moses’ repeated pleas to submit to God’s request so that this calamity might be averted. Pharaoh stubbornly refused to obey God, and his recalcitrance led to further unprecedented devastation for the Egyptians. Every family was affected. The influence of this tragedy was immediate, and the Egyptians begged the Israelites to leave Egypt.
The Passover Lamb
The Passover Lamb
Many do not understand the true meaning and purpose of sacrifices and the motives behind them. There is a vast difference between pagan sacrifices, offered in temples or houses to different gods in the form of idols, and the genuine sacrifice offered to the living God. God regulates these offerings and gives precise instructions on why and how they should be offered to Him, along with what should be offered and who should officiate over the sacrifices.
Behind all unbiblical sacrifices lies the understanding that they are food for the gods, who depended on them for sustenance. In contrast, the living God provides food to everyone (Ps. 104:14–27); so, He does not need sacrifices to feed and sustain Him. In short, sacrifices are not food for the God of heaven.
But the principal difference between pagan sacrifices and biblical sacrifices goes much deeper. The pagan’s underlying motive is that he sees his sacrificial gifts as a powerful means to influence the gods, pacify their anger, and appease them so that he might receive their favor. Pagan worshipers needed to bring offerings to the gods in order to appease them, to obtain their blessing, and to calm them in order to prevent the gods from harming them. Pagan worshipers needed to give their gods the best so that they might receive, in return, divine protection, prosperity, fertility, security, and favor.
In contrast, sacrifices, according to the Bible, are God’s means and provision for us to approach Him. God condescends to us and provides reconciliation and salvation. When believers sacrifice, they are not manipulating God. They give in view of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus to whom all sacrifices point. Thus, they accept Christ as their Savior who alone can forgive their sins, save them, and bless them.
At the time of the Exodus, the blood on the doorposts was a sign (Exod. 12:13) that the particular household acknowledged the Lord and wanted to live according to His teachings. This sign of the blood brought the judgment of salvation to the family. God proclaimed: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt” (Exod. 12:13, NIV). This judgment was not one of condemnation or destruction but a positive judgment of redemption that was experienced by believers. In the English language, there is a pun in the word “Passover,” which is a composite of two words: “pass” and “over,” thus “Passover.” The biblical translation plays with this pun and underlines the fact that the Lord’s judgment of destruction will “pass over” those believers who obeyed God by placing a blood sign on their doorposts.
The believing families celebrated the Passover as the judgment of salvation. All this blood has a deeper meaning. The bloody sacrifice was pointing to the real Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, who would sacrifice Himself for humanity once for all. Thus, those who accept Him as their personal Savior receive the promise that they will live for eternity with Him (John 3:16, 1 John 5:11–13).
God can accept a sacrifice given only from a contrite, humble, and thankful heart. The gratitude for what God has done (not for what I have achieved or performed) must be the key motif that springs out of a heart that praises God for the gift of salvation. The prophet Isaiah stresses that we should encourage one another because God’s judgment on behalf of His people is not condemnatory but redemptive. Our loving, gracious, and caring Lord teaches believers how to understand His judgment: “Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you’ ” (Isa. 35:4, NIV).
Teaching Our Children God’s Way
Teaching Our Children God’s Way
God gives precise instruction to His people on how to teach the next generation about Him and His mighty acts. He tells them to celebrate the Passover each year in a very personal way. What happened to their forefathers must be recounted as their own Exodus experience, as if they were the slaves who were redeemed by the Lord and escaped from Egypt. Parents need to teach their children, and the next generation needs to teach their children, perpetually. They need to live it, not only in words but in actions. The experience must always be fresh; the history must be actualized as if it happened right now. The historical event must become existential and personal. In this way, history will be relived, memory recharged, and what happened will not be forgotten. Moses said: “ ‘When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, “What does this ceremony mean to you?” then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians” ’ ” (Exod. 12:25–27, NIV). In order to remember, the Israelites were instructed to celebrate the Passover ritual every year.
This model is the standard by which we are to teach our children and grandchildren today. This pattern is given to us to imitate. Asaph encourages: “I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments” (Ps. 78:2–7). David states what we should do in these words: “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts” (Ps. 145:4). The story of redemption and deliverance needs to be relevantly repeated and learned by each new generation. It takes only one generation to neglect this task for their children and families to lose the knowledge of God. Then the understanding of His teachings will dramatically diminish, and the pursuit of a godly life will be in jeopardy.
Part III: Life Application
Part III: Life Application
The stubbornness of Pharaoh, together with the recalcitrance of many Egyptians, teaches us that even great miracles and wonders do not have the power to make people believe and change their lives. Jesus Himself said: “ ‘ “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead” ’ ” (Luke 16:31, ESV). What was, and is now, in your life journey that led you to follow God wholeheartedly? How can we help others not to depend on miracles but to take God’s Word seriously?
Because God loves us, He instructs us about the devastating consequences of disobedience if we tenaciously stay in sin. Persistence in wrong is deadly; for this reason, God graciously calls us to repent and accept His provision for salvation. How can we be sure that we are surrendered completely to Jesus and are saved? How can we take seriously God’s loving warnings not to follow a path that leads to destruction? The traps of distractions are vast. How does one avoid them?
Moses, in his sermon to the Israelites, emphasizes that we need to teach and educate our children and grandchildren all the time about God’s love, kindness, and truth: “ ‘You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise’ ” (Deut. 6:7, ESV). How can we teach our children in an attractive and meaningful way, without being annoying or forceful, so that our families may be full of the knowledge of God?
Adjust My Preferences
Welcome! Please set your reading preferences below.
You can access this panel later by clicking the
preference icon
in the top right of the page.
Part I: Overview
Key Text: Exodus 12:26, 27
Study Focus: Exod. 11:1–12:30
Introduction: The tenth plague is the climax of the plagues. The people must properly prepare themselves beforehand for its coming because lives are at stake. Either life or death awaits the firstborn, thus placing families on highest alert. Each family will answer a crucial question: Will we trust the Lord and His provision for life, or will we ignore it? The only path to life is marked by accepting the blood of the innocent lamb. At this time, the celebration of the Passover is inaugurated, so that, together, whole families may experience God’s deliverance.
Teachers, do not forget to explain to your class members the main point of the lesson: Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb (John 1:29, 1 Cor. 5:7). Only in Him do we have true life and life eternal. This life was secured on the cross (John 11:25; John 12:32; Rom. 5:6–8; 1 Cor. 1:18, 23, 24). The celebration of the Passover led Jesus to establish for His followers a new ceremony. At the Last Supper, Jesus ate with His disciples the lamb, which pointed to Him. In so doing, Christ redirected His followers’ focus to a new celebration that would repeatedly remind them of the most important event in earth’s history and the history of the entire universe: His ultimate sacrifice on the cross on our behalf. We celebrate this communion during the Lord’s Supper when we remember His life and death for us (Matt. 26:26–29, 1 Cor. 11:23–26). This Passover redesign from the sacrificial lamb to the living Lamb, Jesus Christ, is an unfathomable lesson to be keenly remembered during Communion, as well as in one’s daily personal acceptance of Christ’s substitutionary death for humanity (2 Cor. 5:15, 21).
Part II: Commentary
Part II: Commentary
Historical Background
Historical Background
Thutmose III (1504–1450 b.c.) appointed his son Amenhotep II (1453–1425 b.c.), who was not his oldest son, to be co-regent with him, but only for a short period of time. Amenhotep II was probably not present in Egypt during the ten plagues, as he was engaged in a military campaign. After his return, he would receive the devastating news that his father had died in the Red Sea while pursuing the Israelites (Exod. 14:28, Exod. 15:4, Ps. 136:15) and that his brother, the firstborn of Pharaoh, had died in the tenth plague (Exod. 12:29). God’s executive judgment struck, as predicted, in a three-pronged attack on the firstborn Egyptian males, their animals, and their gods (Exod. 12:12). Pharaoh was clearly warned, but he defied both the divine admonishment and Moses’ repeated pleas to submit to God’s request so that this calamity might be averted. Pharaoh stubbornly refused to obey God, and his recalcitrance led to further unprecedented devastation for the Egyptians. Every family was affected. The influence of this tragedy was immediate, and the Egyptians begged the Israelites to leave Egypt.
The Passover Lamb
The Passover Lamb
Many do not understand the true meaning and purpose of sacrifices and the motives behind them. There is a vast difference between pagan sacrifices, offered in temples or houses to different gods in the form of idols, and the genuine sacrifice offered to the living God. God regulates these offerings and gives precise instructions on why and how they should be offered to Him, along with what should be offered and who should officiate over the sacrifices.
Behind all unbiblical sacrifices lies the understanding that they are food for the gods, who depended on them for sustenance. In contrast, the living God provides food to everyone (Ps. 104:14–27); so, He does not need sacrifices to feed and sustain Him. In short, sacrifices are not food for the God of heaven.
But the principal difference between pagan sacrifices and biblical sacrifices goes much deeper. The pagan’s underlying motive is that he sees his sacrificial gifts as a powerful means to influence the gods, pacify their anger, and appease them so that he might receive their favor. Pagan worshipers needed to bring offerings to the gods in order to appease them, to obtain their blessing, and to calm them in order to prevent the gods from harming them. Pagan worshipers needed to give their gods the best so that they might receive, in return, divine protection, prosperity, fertility, security, and favor.
In contrast, sacrifices, according to the Bible, are God’s means and provision for us to approach Him. God condescends to us and provides reconciliation and salvation. When believers sacrifice, they are not manipulating God. They give in view of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus to whom all sacrifices point. Thus, they accept Christ as their Savior who alone can forgive their sins, save them, and bless them.
At the time of the Exodus, the blood on the doorposts was a sign (Exod. 12:13) that the particular household acknowledged the Lord and wanted to live according to His teachings. This sign of the blood brought the judgment of salvation to the family. God proclaimed: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt” (Exod. 12:13, NIV). This judgment was not one of condemnation or destruction but a positive judgment of redemption that was experienced by believers. In the English language, there is a pun in the word “Passover,” which is a composite of two words: “pass” and “over,” thus “Passover.” The biblical translation plays with this pun and underlines the fact that the Lord’s judgment of destruction will “pass over” those believers who obeyed God by placing a blood sign on their doorposts.
The believing families celebrated the Passover as the judgment of salvation. All this blood has a deeper meaning. The bloody sacrifice was pointing to the real Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, who would sacrifice Himself for humanity once for all. Thus, those who accept Him as their personal Savior receive the promise that they will live for eternity with Him (John 3:16, 1 John 5:11–13).
God can accept a sacrifice given only from a contrite, humble, and thankful heart. The gratitude for what God has done (not for what I have achieved or performed) must be the key motif that springs out of a heart that praises God for the gift of salvation. The prophet Isaiah stresses that we should encourage one another because God’s judgment on behalf of His people is not condemnatory but redemptive. Our loving, gracious, and caring Lord teaches believers how to understand His judgment: “Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you’ ” (Isa. 35:4, NIV).
Teaching Our Children God’s Way
Teaching Our Children God’s Way
God gives precise instruction to His people on how to teach the next generation about Him and His mighty acts. He tells them to celebrate the Passover each year in a very personal way. What happened to their forefathers must be recounted as their own Exodus experience, as if they were the slaves who were redeemed by the Lord and escaped from Egypt. Parents need to teach their children, and the next generation needs to teach their children, perpetually. They need to live it, not only in words but in actions. The experience must always be fresh; the history must be actualized as if it happened right now. The historical event must become existential and personal. In this way, history will be relived, memory recharged, and what happened will not be forgotten. Moses said: “ ‘When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, “What does this ceremony mean to you?” then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians” ’ ” (Exod. 12:25–27, NIV). In order to remember, the Israelites were instructed to celebrate the Passover ritual every year.
This model is the standard by which we are to teach our children and grandchildren today. This pattern is given to us to imitate. Asaph encourages: “I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments” (Ps. 78:2–7). David states what we should do in these words: “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts” (Ps. 145:4). The story of redemption and deliverance needs to be relevantly repeated and learned by each new generation. It takes only one generation to neglect this task for their children and families to lose the knowledge of God. Then the understanding of His teachings will dramatically diminish, and the pursuit of a godly life will be in jeopardy.
Part III: Life Application
Part III: Life Application
The stubbornness of Pharaoh, together with the recalcitrance of many Egyptians, teaches us that even great miracles and wonders do not have the power to make people believe and change their lives. Jesus Himself said: “ ‘ “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead” ’ ” (Luke 16:31, ESV). What was, and is now, in your life journey that led you to follow God wholeheartedly? How can we help others not to depend on miracles but to take God’s Word seriously?
Because God loves us, He instructs us about the devastating consequences of disobedience if we tenaciously stay in sin. Persistence in wrong is deadly; for this reason, God graciously calls us to repent and accept His provision for salvation. How can we be sure that we are surrendered completely to Jesus and are saved? How can we take seriously God’s loving warnings not to follow a path that leads to destruction? The traps of distractions are vast. How does one avoid them?
Moses, in his sermon to the Israelites, emphasizes that we need to teach and educate our children and grandchildren all the time about God’s love, kindness, and truth: “ ‘You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise’ ” (Deut. 6:7, ESV). How can we teach our children in an attractive and meaningful way, without being annoying or forceful, so that our families may be full of the knowledge of God?