Month: October 2022

Exodus 12:42; 13:10 It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations….Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.

The people of God are told to observe this night of Passover every year in faith and thanks to the Lord for bringing them out from Egypt (the world). This special night is instituted to be observed by believers in every generation since that first night. This is the response of the observant Jews ever since.

On one fateful Passover celebration the Lamb of God (Jesus Christ, God’s Son, our Savior) celebrated the Last Feast with His disciples and was crucified as the Lamb who was sacrificed to redeem all people from Sin. The Passover and Exodus deliverance of Israel turned into the Christ Event, which saved all people from Sin, Death and the Devil.

Since that fateful Good Friday the faithful Jesus people, the people of God, the New Israel, the Church, has responding to their Salvation, which belongs to God, with an observance of that night. Christians celebrate yearly the pass over of judgment upon their sin during Holy Week and Easter, the Highest Feast of the year. Christians also observe weekly the Lord’s Supper in God’s Service to us every Sunday. Finally devout Christians remember their Baptism in daily repentance and renewed faith every morning in a daily quiet time with God in the Bible and prayer.

In this way the faithful believer responds to the grace of God by observing that night for the refreshing of faith in the forgiveness of sins, the gift of eternal life, and the great Salvation of God.

Exodus 12:35, 50 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment….Thus did all the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

The Lord was working a mighty act of redemption, deliverance, and salvation. That this was God their Lord was obvious for all to see. Even the Egyptians saw the Hand of God, and fearfully allowed Israel to plunder them. Israel responded with faith and thanks, but even more, with obedience to the word of God given through His prophets, Moses and Aaron. They did as God commanded.

The motivation to obey comes after faith is worked in the heart, and the power to do comes from seeing what God has done. The Gospel is the power. Good works follow faith and cannot come before faith or be done without it. And the same principle works in our lives: after we hear and believe the gospel, and because of Jesus, and when we look to the cross and the empty tomb and see the Love of God, we obey and do the Word. Ephesians 2:10: ”We are created in Christ Jesus for good works.” We do according to the word.

The mighty work of God in Christ is so powerful that even the unbelieving world surrenders its money and goods to the Church. By the way, this plundered gold and silver wound up in the service of the Tabernacle of the Lord; or, it wound up in the Golden Calf. This shows how the money we earn in the world can end up in the service of the Lord God or be wasted on worldly gods. Stewards respond with faithful service and giving.

Exodus 12:31-32 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.

The judgments of God on the Pharaoh (a god), on Egypt (the world), and on its gods (the spiritual enemies) grew harsher through the Ten Plagues, until finally, the most severe judgment of all convinced Pharaoh to do as God said. And he let the people go. It took a while, but the Lord in the end got the response He was seeking. Pharaoh gave up and relented: He surrendered to the one true God. Whether he repented or not is doubtful, for he was coerced against his will to obey and do. He did not ask for forgiveness, but he did ask for blessing.

The saying goes: ”A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” But the Lord accomplished His will: He redeemed and delivered His people. The Law of God did its work, but it did not bring the stiff-necked heart to the Gospel. He still did not believe God; we know, for he changed his mind again and chased after Israel, until his army was destroyed in the Red Sea.

The hard, stubborn, proud, rebellious heart of Pharaoh reveals the heart of all us sinners. It takes an awful lot to convince a sinner’s heart. It took the innocent suffering and death of the Son of God. The Truth is that all creatures, visible and invisible, will submit to Jesus Christ as Lord. ”At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord [Philippians 2:10-11].” Even the demons believe, and tremble. Everything will one day submit to Jesus, either willingly now by the power of the Gospel, or unwillingly later by the hammer of the Law.

Hint: it would be a good idea to repent and believe today.

Exodus 12:27-28 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. And the children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

The Lord God was going to work a great miracle of Deliverance that night: Judgment on Egypt and their gods, Salvation for Israel by their God. The Destroyer would come through the land and kill the firstborn of every household and of the cattle. But Israel was commanded to sacrifice a lamb and sprinkle the doorposts of the house and celebrate a Feast. The Destroyer would pass over that house and not kill.

The people responded in faith, and did as commanded. They bowed the head and worshipped. They bowed the head in humble reverence to the Lord and trusting surrender to His glory and power, and to His word. They worshipped the only true God with praise and thanks for His goodness and mercy, grace and salvation. They hadn’t seen the passing over yet, but they obeyed in faith.

The whole sacrifice, ritual, and meal was a believing response to God’s promise of Deliverance. And the people obeyed and did because they believed God. We respond the same way every Sunday when we hear the Gospel, praise and worship, and celebrate the Holy Meal. Then because we remember what God did to save us and trusting what He will do, we are made glad to obey and do His commands. And life is good!

Exodus 12:24, 25 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.

After giving the instructions for the Passover, the children of Israel responded by observing the ordinance that night. And the children of God were to observe the ordinance for generations forever. And especially when they come into the land they would keep the service. Celebrating the Passover Feast annually was God’s ordained way of remembering what the Lord did in judgment and salvation; judgment for their spiritual enemies, salvation for His believing people.

The OT Passover Event pointed to and flowed into the NT Christ Event. Jesus is our Passover Lamb. The Lamb of God gave His life as a judgment on Sin, Death and Satan; and His death is salvation for the people, just as the Plagues were a judgment on the false gods of this world and the Red Sea Crossing was Deliverance for people. The correlation of the two Exodus Events is abundantly clear.

NT believers respond to this great salvation by observing the ordinance and keeping the service. Once a year we respond with the celebration of Good Friday and Easter. Once a week we respond by celebrating the Lord’s Supper in the Divine Service. Once a day we respond by remembering our Baptism in repentance and faith. We really do need to be reminded of God’s great salvation through the Gospel as often as possible because our sinful nature just keeps on being selfish.

Observing, keeping, thanking, worshipping, hearing, and believing is the healthy response. How often? Yearly, weekly, daily. When? When we come into the kingdom (land). How long? Forever.

Exodus 9:27 And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

God’s word of Law and work of judgment had done its proper work upon the Pharaoh. The Plague of Hail brought him to confess he is a sinner and the Lord is righteous. In this he was right and spoke the truth. This was God’s intention, and what he should have done, in the first place. Judgment is rendered for the purpose of Salvation. Witness the judgment of the Cross.

However, this foxhole repentance was insincere and short-lived. Moses went and caused the hail to stop, but he said,”Ye will not yet fear the Lord.” Sure enough, the hail ceased and Pharaoh sinned again and hardened his heart. When things are bad we repent and turn to the Lord; when things are good we harden the heart. This is the repeating cycle of the people in the book of Judges; and the cycle of our own lives as well. For this reason, we need to be in constant and instant touch with God. Once a week is not really enough. We need daily repentance.

Repentance and confession is shallow when we are in trouble. We just want to get out of the immediate problem, and then, like Pharaoh, we revert to character. Genuine repentance is a work of God, the Spirit, through the Word. A penitent heart is a gift of God. Ask Him for it.

Pharaoh did not respond by seeking the Lord, just seeking temporary relief. He admitted sin to get out of trouble, not to establish or restore a relationship with the living God. How do we respond to the plagues of life?

Exodus 9:20, 21 He that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: and he that regarded not the word of the Lord left his servants and his cattle in the field.

Moses, as Announcer of God’s Word, warned Pharaoh and his people that the Plague of Hail is coming. It would be a hail and fire like never before, and it would destroy everything left out in the field. Some of the people of Egypt feared the word of the Lord (believed God) and took their people and animals in to safety. Others regarded not the word of the Lord (disbelieved God) and left their property exposed to the destructive judgment of God. Some were saved, and others were destroyed, depending on their response to the Word of God: believing or ignoring God.

This pause in the story pattern of the Ten Plagues reveals the spiritual division of all earth’s people. ”Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned [Mark 16:16].” Viewed from God’s perspective, there are only two kinds of people in the world. Faith or unbelief is the determining factor. Response to the Word is a life or death matter. I cannot by myself believe, but the Spirit calls me by the Gospel and grants repentance and faith. Hallelujah! I am saved!

Exodus 7:4, 13, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 12, 34, 35; 10:20, 27; 11:10; 14:8 But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you…And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not…And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken…He hardened his heart, and hearkened not…And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not…And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also…And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened…And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not…He sinned yet more, and hardened his heart…And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened…But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart…But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart…And the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

Hardening one’s heart against God, His Word, and His spokesman is a desperately dangerous and eternally damning thing to do. The Pharaoh learned this the hard way. The Lord was patient and long-suffering, and He gave him plenty of chances to soften his heart enough to receive God’s Word. But he did not. Hardening is common to all sinners (everyone). Everyone’s heart is hard, until it is softened by the Love of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We don’t know how many times an unbeliever can harden his heart until God finally gives them up, but one should not press his luck. All are born with a hard heart, but Jeremiah prophesies that the Day will come when the Lord will replace the stony heart with a heart of flesh, which means soft and receptive, an ”honest and good heart” like plowed soil.

There is a Pharaoh in all of us, as all sinners have a stony heart. The hammer of the Law can break the stone, and the powerful, sweet Gospel can penetrate and indwell the heart. But the longer and more often one ignores and resists the Word the harder it becomes. But also, the longer and the more often one listens to God the softer he becomes.

The consequences of hardening are not good. Ask Pharaoh. This makes us think twice about missing church and neglecting the Word.

Exodus 7:6, 20 And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them, so did they…And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded.

Good things happen (or bad things, if you are The Enemy) to those who respond to the Lord’s commands in faithful obedience. Moses and Aaron responded to the Lord’s command by doing it. First, they were told to perform the sign of turning the rod into a serpent. And it happened. Then, they were told to strike the waters of the Nile to turn all the waters into blood. And it happened. This was the first of ten plagues that came upon Egypt when Moses did as God commanded.

Good things happen: the end result of Moses’ obedience is the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. However, bad things happen to the enemies of God and His people, the false gods and demons.

Moses is a type of Christ in that He faithfully did what the Father commanded, being ”obedient unto death.” Jesus, with passive obedience lived a holy, righteous, innocent, sinless life, so that He could die for our sins, not His own. Jesus, with active obedience, was faithful unto death, willing to obey God’s will and die for our forgiveness and salvation.

Good things will happen to us, too, when we obey the Commandments of God. As Jesus says, ”Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it.” We can’t keep it, but Jesus did it for us. Then the Spirit creates faith in the Gospel, which is the power of God to obey and consequentially receive His blessing. For example, life is blessed when we obey the Adultery Commandment. Parents, children and families are blessed with happy, stable and productive lives when this command is kept. That redeemed life can be multiplied at least ten times. Obedience brings redemption! Faith is obedience.

Exodus 7:4 But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

As the Exodus story unfolds we see the response of Pharaoh to the true God: he does not hearken, meaning he does not listen to, obey, or believe the Lord. He resists and rejects in pride, unbelief, and rebellion. After each of the first seven plagues, the account says, ”And Pharaoh hardened his heart.” After the 8th and 9th plagues and threat of the 10th it says, ”God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.”

Sinners can harden their hearts only so many times, and then the Lord seals them in their stubborn hardness and unbelieving rebellion. Romans 1:24, 26: ”God gave them up.” The Lord is long-suffering and patient with us, but hardening over a long period eventually brings a fall.

God’s Judgment through the Ten Plagues was upon the gods of Egypt and finally upon the Pharaoh, symbolic of the god of this world. God saves and delivers us through the judgment of Sin, Death and the Devil at the cross. And just as God’s judgment on Egypt (the world) and its gods (the devil) brought about salvation and deliverance for Israel, so also does the Cross Judgment bring salvation to us.

One of the many lessons of the Exodus Event for us to learn is to hearken to God’s Word of Law and Gospel. A Pharaoh resides in all of us sinners. Repent and believe the gospel! Hear ye Him!