Introduction: Have you heard Christians who say that they only study the New Testament? For those who think the New Testament stands on its own, our study this week demolishes that view. What we study this week is the historic and prophetic platform on which our salvation by grace alone rests. This week creates the practice that looks forward to Jesus’ crucifixion and the defeat of sin and Satan. Let’s turn our study to this amazing series of chapters in Exodus!

I. Thank You, Please Leave!

A. Read Exodus 11:1. What major breakthrough will come from this last plague? (Pharaoh will drive the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt. No longer is he reluctant to have them go.)

B. Read Exodus 11:2-3. Are these gifts voluntary? (The text says that they are. God gave the Hebrews “favor.”)

1. The text also says that Moses “was very great in the land of Egypt?”
   How do you think that could be true? Imagine someone claiming, “Whoever developed the COVID strain in the laboratory is very great in the eyes of the world.” (Like COVID, the Egyptians suffered from the plagues. But unlike COVID they saw that the plagues were intentional and promoted the release of the Hebrew slaves. The logical conclusion I reach is that the average Egyptian either sided with the Hebrews on the slavery question, or could not wait for them to leave. Whichever is true, these Egyptians agreed with Moses that the Hebrews should go and gave the Hebrews valuables to facilitate them leaving.)

C. Read Exodus 11:4-6. Who is going to die? (All firstborn in the land, even of cattle.)

1. Why must all firstborn die? It appears from our discussion of the gifts, that some of the Egyptians favored releasing the Hebrews. Clearly, they did not have a vote on the issue. (The battle between good and evil is not fair. There is collateral damage. This event forecast the death of Jesus, which was absolutely unfair.)
2. Is there a lesson for each of us who, like Pharaoh, resist the word of God? (The conflict between good and evil is not just personal, your decisions impact others for good or for evil. People can die because of your rebellion.)

II. The Lamb

A. Read Exodus 12:3-10. There is a lot of detail in these instructions, some of which might not have made sense to the listening Hebrews. Is there a lesson in this for us? (We should never second guess God. We know, with the benefit of hindsight, that the requirement that the lamb be perfect, be a male, and that the blood be smeared over the door makes perfect sense in light of this event pointing to Jesus.)

B. Read Exodus 12:11-13. How do you understand the statement “It is the Lord’s Passover?” (God will literally pass over all people to see if they have blood smeared on their door. This is not a relaxing meal. This is God’s judgment.)

1. Let’s revisit the fairness issue again. Verse 12 tells that “judgments” are being executed on, among others “all the gods of Egypt.” This judgment involves the death of all firstborn who do not have blood smeared on their door. Is it is fair to spare the Hebrew firstborn whose parents followed God’s instructions? What have these firstborn done to live while others die?

C. Let’s skip down and read Exodus 12:24-27. What is the lesson in the Passover rite for the children when they enter the land promised to them by God? (Whether you live or die depends on which God you follow, and to which God you give your allegiance.)

1. Is it fair to base the decision on life or death on whether you rely on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus?
2. When the “destroyer” (Exodus 12:23) spares the firstborn son of a household, does he evaluate whether that is a good boy or a bad boy?

III. The Leaven

A. We skipped over Exodus 12:15-20. This describes the future celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Read Exodus 12:17-19. What point is God making? Is this about diet and health? Why is what someone eats the basis for (verse 19) being “cut off from the congregation of Israel?”

B. Read Matthew 16:5-8. Is this discussion of leaven about diet and health? (It is only about diet for those “of little faith.”)

C. Read Matthew 16:11-12. What is Jesus really talking about when He refers to leaven? (The teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.)

1. How would you read Jesus’ discussion of leaven in Matthew 16 into the discussion of leaven in Exodus 12? (In Exodus 12 the sons were saved by grace alone. They followed God’s instructions and the firstborn son was saved regardless of the merits of his life. But in celebrating salvation by faith alone, God requires us to make sure our teaching is correct. Our influence must be positive.)
2. What would you say is the modern equivalent of Exodus 12:19, cutting off the person “from the congregation of Israel?” (We should toss out of our church (at least out of church leadership)those whose teachings do not align with the Bible. This does not say they are eternally lost. It simply says that they should not be allowed to create a bad influence in the house of God.)

IV. The Judgment

A. Read Exodus 12:29-30. Was Pharaoh warned of this? (Read Exodus 10:28-29. Pharaoh told Moses that he would kill him if Moses came again. Pharaoh is responsible for not being specifically warned. But read Exodus 4:21-23.
We see that at the very beginning of the dialog between Moses and Pharaoh God instructed Moses to warn of the death of the firstborn.)

B. Read Exodus 1:22. Is God just in His judgment? (He is doing to the Egyptians what they were doing to the Hebrews, but to a more limited extent. All the Hebrew boys were to be killed, not just the firstborn.)

C. Read Exodus 12:29 and Exodus 11:5. Do you think that the poor are more righteous than the rich? Are slaves and prisoners more favored by God? (The attitude on this seems to change with time. Sometimes the rich think they are more righteous than the poor and sometimes the poor think they are more righteous. What this shows is that the key to being saved is choosing the true God.)

1. Read Jeremiah 9:24. This tells us that God is just, loving, and righteous. But this does not mean that He favors people based on their relative privilege in life. Rather, God favors those who understand and know Him.

D. Read Exodus 12:31-32. Is Pharaoh driving the Hebrews out of his country? (Yes, this is exactly what God predicted in Exodus 11:1.)

1. Consider two things. Pharaoh warned Moses in Exodus 10:28 that if he saw him again he would kill him. We also know from Exodus 12:29 that Pharaoh’s firstborn son had been killed that night. If you were Moses, would you fear being summoned by Pharaoh?
2. Notice in Exodus 12:32 Pharaoh asks for a blessing from the great God of Heaven! What does this tell us about his attitude? (He fears God. Moses’ life is not in danger.)

E. Read Exodus 12:33. What is the concern of the average Egyptian? (If this continues they will all die.)

F. Read Exodus 12:37 and compare it with Exodus 1:5. The Hebrews numbered 70 when they entered Egypt and 600,000 men when they departed. With women and children one commentary estimates two million Hebrews left Egypt. Is this a blessing or a tragedy?

1. Read Genesis 37:23-28. There were a number of errors that led to this point. What does this tell us about the importance of obedience to God? (We never know how large an impact our decisions can have on the future. We learn in Exodus 12:40 that Israel lived in Egypt 430 years.)
2. If you know this story, tell me all of the points in time where a different decision would have avoided this slavery?
   1.  Amid all of these bad decisions, what do we know about God? (That He rescued His people.)

G. Friend, you may have made bad decisions that harmed you and others. But this story tells us that God can rescue us from unfortunate circumstances on earth. His ultimate rescue is sending Himself to save those who claim the protection of His blood. For them, Jesus gives us an eternal rescue. Will you claim the protection of His blood right now? Why wait?

V. Next week: Through the Red Sea.

Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

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