The Tenth Plague Announced

Well, if you have your bibles, please open them to Exodus chapter eleven. Exodus chapter eleven, it's a very short chapter, both in terms of the number of verses, but also in terms of the content. This is a chapter that really introduces the final plague, and this introduction is important as we think about this final plague. There is a sense in which this is not just the last plague, but it is the plague. This is the plague to end all plagues. We've left, for example, our pattern of plagues. Previously, if you'll remember, we had a pattern three sets of three plagues each and in each set of three, they were distinguished by the fact that Moses approached Pharaoh first in the morning near the river, secondly in his official capacity, and then thirdly there was a plague that went unannounced. This happened in each of the previous three cycles of plagues. Those three cycles of plagues are over, and now we are at this ultimate plague, which stands alone. It stands alone in terms of not being a part of the cycle, it stands alone in terms of its severity, and it stands alone in terms of its outcome. In all of these ways, this is a singular event. It is unlike anything that we've seen before. However, it also brings to a head the question that we have to wrestle with as we go through the plagues in general, the issue of sovereignty, judgment, and morality, and that balance between sovereignty, judgment and morality. When you come to this last plague, the moral question is highlighted because ultimately, this last plague is about the death of children, the first born in each household, and when we think about God bringing the judgment that results in the death of the first born, it is inevitable that we question the morality of such an action. But there's also this sense, and we brought this up before that you know. In Romans chapter nine, Paul deals with this issue from a theological perspective. Paul deals with the question of whether or not it is right, whether or not it is just for God to judge men, if God is sovereign, whether or not it is just and right for God to judge men. This is a question that is dealt with. This is a question it's dealt with in chapter nine theologically. But the illustration of that is God's dealing with Moses, and the ultimate expression and illustration of God dealing with Moses is this last plague, So that question of sovereignty, judgment, and morality really is concentrated here in this last plague. If God is sovereign, is it right for him to judge? That's the question with which Paul wrestles. If God is sovereign, is it right for him the judge? And the answer is absolutely, it's right for him the judge. And usually we feel as though we need to protect God. As someone has said, we feel the need to serve as God pr firm, and we don't like the idea that God is sovereign and yet he still holds man accountable. So what we will do is we will either relax on the sovereignty or relax on the judgment. In relaxing on the sovereignty, we say, well, no, no, no, God holds man accountable. But it's because God is really not sovereign. He's sitting back and he's watching and he's not in control. And we feel like in doing that we've helped God. Or we will sort of come down on the judgment that God is sovereign and this is not really judgment. These are just things that God allows to happen. You've heard that one enough, haven't we. There's a difference between the things that God does and the things that God allows, as though somehow that alleviates God's responsibility and sovereignty over whatever it is that happens, because whatever it is that God is allowing, he's allowing it because He has decreed it. And if he has decreed it, then he's sovereign over it. Well, when you uphold both sovereignty and judgment, you inevitably come to the question of morality. And so we'll deal with all three of those as we look more closely and carefully at Exodus chapter eleven. Sovereignty, judgment, and morality. Let's read this brief chapter, shall we. Exodus chapter eleven. The Lord said to Moses, yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor for silver and gold jewelry. And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people. So Moses said, Thus says the Lord, about midnight, I will go out in the midst of Egypt, and every first born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, even to the first born of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the first born of the cattle. There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, get out you and all the people who follow you. And after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. Then the Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. And then there's this sort of parenthetical statement that wraps up really all of the plagues Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land. Again, a very succinct chapter here, in the midst of Exodus, in terms of its brevity and verses, and in its brevity of content. And yet here we get a glimpse of something that we have to understand in order to understand the tenth plague. And by the way, in order to understand the tenth you have to understand the tenth plague in order to understand the passover. And you have to understand the passover in order to understand the Lord's Supper. So our goal here is to understand the Lord's Supper. Our goal here is to understand what it means when we gather before the bread and the wine, when we gather and and and commemorate the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to understand what that means. But you can't understand that unless and until you understand the passover. And you can't understand the passover unless and until you understand the tenth plague. And so we begin now and embark on a journey over the next couple of months to understand the Lord's Supper, to understand who Christ is, what he has done, and how we interact with that in the Lord's Supper. And it begins here with understanding the plague of plagues. First, we understand here the sovereignty of God. Look at the language that is used, and you will see the sovereignty of God. Notice in that first paragraph, yet one more plague I will bring upon Pharaoh. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he I will drive you away completely. This language is certain. This language is sure, and it's a language that says that it's this plague that will end it all. But notice also the nature of this plague and God's vindication. He vindicates his sovereignty first by vindicating himself as the triune God. His sovereignty is unparalleled. There is none like him. Listen to this from the IVP bibical background commentary. In Egypt, Pharaoh was also considered a deity. We know this already right, and this last plague is directed at him, and the ninth plague his father, the son God, was defeated, and now his son, presumably the heir to the throne will be slaughtered. This is a blow to Pharaoh's person, his kingship, and his divinity, and it is also the vindication of the Triune God as father, son, and Holy Spirit. The son God is supposedly the father of Pharaoh, who is a god, and the son of Pharaoh is supposedly the heir to the divine and so God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the ninth and tenth Plague vindicates himself as the triune God and as the one and only God. His sovereignty is unparalleled. He is not one God among many gods. He is not just the most powerful God. He is the only God, and there is no other folks. Ironically, this is one of the major objections to Christianity. People will say things like, well, you know, if you read the ancient myths in the ancient Near East, there are a lot of things that sound similar to what you find in the Bible, to which I respond, a man, Hallelujah, Praise the Lord. There are things that you find in the ancient Near East and in the ancient Greco Roman world that sound very similar to the truths of Scripture. Why because God created us in his image, and because this actually happened, Amen, And because Satan is a deceiver and he disguises himself as an angel of light. Folks, if you want to be a deceiver, how do you deceive? Do you deceive by saying something completely off the wall that has no connection with the reality, or do you slightly tweak something that is real and something that is true. You know that the answer is the latter and not the former. If God is God, and if this is true, then we ought to see elements of it all over the world. We ought to see elements of it in every culture, and we do. And what God is doing here is vindicating himself. He says. You think you understand how the world works. You think you understand Deity, but you do not. The Sun God is not the Sun God. The Son was created by me. I can blot it out when I feel like it. You are not the son of the Sun God. You're my son. I created you, and I do with you what I please. And your son is not Deity in waiting, and I do with him as I please. And you may not present yourself as the true triune God, even though that is not the understanding that the Egyptians had. God's sovereignty is unparalleled. His language means this sovereignty is proven. Calvin writes, however obstinate Pharaoh might be, the hour has now come in which he must succumb to God. Dont you love that phrase? However obstinity he was, and he's been obstinate. As I've said, we read through this, and every time you read through this, when you're reading through it carefully, something else happens and you go, Okay, Now certain Noe hardens his heart again, and we know it's coming. And yet still it doesn't make sense. However, now he is going to do precisely what God says he's going to do. Why because God is sovereign. Also the favor that God gives Moses and the Israelites, this is that sort of intersection between sovereignty and providence. The Lord did give the people favor, as the text says, and the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt. And that interesting. He was very great in the land of Egypt. He used to be great because he was part of the royal family. But now he's great as he stands in opposition to the royal family. Why because God has demonstrated and manifested his power through Moses. This plague is also the plague that was promised from the beginning. So this is reiterated sovereignty in chapter four, verses twenty two and twenty three. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord Israel is my firstborn son. And I say to you, let my son go, that he may serve me. If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son. That's chapter four. That's chapter four. What does this mean? This is very important from a theological perspective. This means that the other plagues were never meant to win the day. Let me say that again. This means that the other plagues were never meant to win the day, those other nine plagues. God did not send those nine plagues saying okay, let's see if this works. Okay, that didn't work. Let's see if this works. Okay, that didn't work. Let's see if this works. That was not the purpose of those nine plagues. God has not failed. This is the plague of plagues. This is the plague that was promised. The other plagues were for the most part, for Israel's benefit. And for the benefit of the watching world. These plagues were not designed to convince Pharaoh. This last plague could have been the only plague if all God wanted to do was get his people out. In fact, he didn't need a single plague. If all he wanted to do was get his people out, all he had to do was open the gates. So these plagues served another purpose. It's very important that we understand this in light of the sovereignty of God. The sovereign God does not operate like this in the lives of men. But don't we say this to people something bad or happen in somebody's life, and then something else bad and it happened in somebody's life, and then what do we say if they're not a Christian? Well, you know, God's trying to get your attention, really, because that's not what he has to do, Amen, somebody. God doesn't have to do that to get anyone's attention. God is God, he is the sovereign Lord of the universe. He spoke the world into existence with a word. He doesn't need to send things into your life to get you ready for salvation. This is not the way God operates, and this is not how he's operating in Pharaoh's life. God is bringing these things to Pharaoh so that he can vindicate himself as God and so that he can prepare Egypt to be his people. Notice also that this is the ultimate proof of God's sovereignty because it actually turns Pharaoh against his own hard heart. This is not what Pharaoh wants. Again, I've said it before, and I'll say it again because it bears repeating. They are those individuals who don't like the idea of the sovereignty of God, and they'll use some form of the phrase. You know, God as a gentleman, and he would never force himself upon anyone. Liar, liar, pants on fire. If God didn't force himself on you, you wouldn't be saved. Let me say that again, if God didn't force himself on you, you wouldn't be saved. In fact, to say that God wouldn't force himself on anyone is actually to argue that man has within himself the ability to be saved apart from God, and that somehow God is merely waiting and hoping that man will exercise that thing within. Listen, we are fallen, we are dead, and our prespasses and sins, not asleep, not almost dead. We are dead and unless God forces himself on us, there is no salvation. Is why we all pray like Calvinists when we're praying for our lost friends and family members. God open their eyes, God soften their hearts. God awaken them, God awake. When we pray for lost people, we always pray like Calvinists. Nobody prays for a lost person like an Armenian. How could you and why would you if that's the way you believe. Because if you don't believe that God is sovereign in the salvation of sinners, you don't need to be praying to God. You need to be praying to the person. Praying to God assumes that God can do something about it. God absolutely forces himself on Pharaoh. Listen again to Calvin. But God not only declares that the heart of Pharaoh should be changed so that he would not hinder the people's departure, but that he would be himself anxious for that which he had so pertinaciously. I love that word pertinaciously. You have no idea what that means. Okay, it's okay. Use your context clues which he had so pertinaciously refused. For this is the meaning of the words. He will not only send you away, but altogether thrust you out. Pharaoh doesn't want them to leave. Nine plagues have come and he has refused. His heart is hardened. This is absolutely against his will, and God's going to force him to act against his will. How do you do that? How do you do that? Everyone acts in accordance with what they believe to be their own best interest. God forces Pharaoh to recognize finally, that letting these people go is actually the thing in his own best interest, even though it is not the thing that he wants, and every fiber of his being is against it. And so we see the sovereignty of God. And there is no doubt that God is sovereign in all of this. This is not actually a contest between God and Pharaoh. It has been decided. And this last plague, this plague of plagues, is where God shows his hand. He says, I'm going to send this last plague, and he uses language that says this is going to be it. He will let you go, send everybody to go and collect things, because you're leaving after this one. But notice that he doesn't say Pharaoh's going to be changed. Pharaoh's not going to be changed. That's what's going to drive him and his chariots to the Red Sea. He's not going to be changed, but he is going to do what God has designed and desires for him to do. And yet God is not going to change who he is as a sinful human being. He's going to use this for his glory. This is how the providence of God works out his sovereignty. Pharaoh is sinful, and he's going to act in accordance with his sin. God is not going to hypnotize Pharaoh. But God, in his sovereignty, will get Pharaoh to act even in opposition to the desires of his own heart. And he's going to do it because he's God. Well, not only do we see this picture of sovereignty, but also we see the certainty of judgment. When you look at the next part of the passage, we see some of the same language. Verse four, so Moses said, thus says the Lord, about midnight, I will go out into the midst of Egypt. Every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the first born of the cattle. There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a dis between Egypt and Israel. And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, get out, you are, all the people you and all the people who follow you. And after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh and hot Anger, I will go. The sons shall die. There shall be a great cry, no dog shall growl against us. Your servants shall come down, and I will go out. The judgment of God is certain, it's fixed, it's coming, and nothing's going to stop it. This is true in Egypt, and this is true today. The judgment of God is certain, it is fixed, it is going to happen, and nothing is going to stop it. We see here that Moses is no longer making requests. Do you notice the tone and tenor this time it's not Let the people of Israel go, so that they may serve the Lord or else dot dot dot. Notice also that there is no tomorrow morning at this time. He says, at midnight it's going to happen. The judgment of Egypt has finally come. But in this picture of the judgment of Egypt, we see something else, the death of God's firstborn son and the sovereign deliverer. Folks, of the life of God's firstborn son, Israel required the death of Pharaoh's firstborn son. The life of God's firstborn sons, the elect required the death of God's firstborn son, Jesus. The salvation of God's elect is as certain as the death of the firstborn of Egypt. And know that this is a connection that cannot be lost. This idea of Israel as God's firstborn son, and the prophecy out of Egypt I have called my son. This is a doubly fulfilled prophecy in that Egypt, God's firstborn Israel, God's firstborn son, is called out of the land of Egypt. But also Jesus, as a child, goes to Egypt to escape Herod. Who is Herod Well, Herod is this king and this ruler who wants to kill the sons of the Israelites. And then Jesus has to come back out of Egypt so that it could be fulfilled again. And in its truest sense, out of Egypt I have called my son Jesus is true Israel. He is God's only begotten son, more significantly than being a firstborn son. But he is also God's firstborn son. Why because through this firstborn son is given rise to all the sons of God who will ever be bought by his blood. So that John can say to all those who believe in him, even those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. But this question of sovereignty and the question of judgment does raise the question of morality. Was this right for God to do? And this question of morality is seen not only in the death of the first born in Egypt, but there are also those who question the morality of God's only begotten son as a means of propitiation. One scholar has referred to the doctrine of substitutionary atonement as cosmic child abuse. But is this moral? Is it okay? First three questions that we have to ask one, is God wrong in killing innocent children. Two is God wrong for punishing the Egyptians who did not know him? And three is God wrong for punishing the people for the deeds of the king. Why don't I ask these three questions because I talk to people about the Bible all the time, talk to people about the Gospel all the time. And if you talk to people about the Gospel long enough, this will come up or something like it. The idea of God bringing judgment upon people, the idea of God bringing his wrath upon people, and the idea of innocence being killed when God brings his wrath. This question always comes up, and we need to be able to answer this question. First, is God killing innocent children wrong? Several things that I'll say in answering this question. First, Pharaoh chose this? Pharaoh chose this? How did Pharaoh choose this? Go back to chapter one, beginning at verse fifteen. Then the King of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Poah. When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him. But if it is a daughter, she shall live. This is an instance where the punishment fits the crime. Pharaoh committed a crime, an egregious crime, and the murder of the sons of Israel. And though these midwives did not comply, know that there were sons of Israel who were killed at the order of Pharaoh. That's the first thing to keep in mind. Secondly, the sins of parents always affect their children. Amen, the sins of parents always affect their children. Thirdly, no one is innocent. No one is innocent. We are all born in sin because of our federal head Atom, and every one of us is a sinner from our first breath, even before we're conceived in sin. For this is a microcosm of the fall and the fall that leads to death for all of Adam's children, not just his firstborn. Listen to this in Romans five twelve. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sin, and so death as a whole, the death of every human being is ultimately a byproduct of Adam's sin being judged by Almighty God. So this is not new five. Please don't miss this. Anyone who acted in faith could have avoided this plague. Anyone who acted in faith could have avoided this plague. Anyone whose firstborn child died in Egypt on this night did so because they did not avail themselves of the good news that was available in the camp of the Israelites, because the answer was there in the blood of the Lamb. Six. There's something worse than death, ay man, there's something worse than death. Here's the seventh thing. We don't ask this question under normal circumstances, which proves that we understand it. We just don't like it. For example, Egypt is the most powerful nation on earth. Their children benefit from that. But we don't say is it right for the Egyptian children to be children who live in the most powerful nation on earth? Any more than we say is it right for American children to be born in the most powerful nation on earth? Although there are some people today who believe that we're wrong and it's our fault that we're born in the most powerful nation on earth. Israel is about to be freed, and their children will benefit. We don't say is it right for the children that no longer be slaves just because their parents get free. We don't ask that question. These benefits are viewed as normal and natural and acceptable because we understand the connection between parents and their children, except when judgment comes. So now God is not wrong. He's not morally wrong. First of all, because he's God and nothing he does is morally wrong. He's not morally wrong. Second, because there is no one innocent, he's not morally wrong. Third, because the punishment fits the crime that brings us to the second question. Is God wrong for punishing the Egyptians who did not know him? Bring up any moral issue of the day and today, people will usually respond with something like this, why are you surprised that non Christians are acting like non Christians? I'm not surprised that people do. It doesn't matter how heinous the thing is. You bring up something that's absolutely horrible, and some Christian out there somewhere is going to say, well, I mean, after all, they're not Christians. What do we expect? Is it wrong to expect people who don't know God to act morally? And therefore, is it wrong for God to judge people who have not volunteered themselves to be under the obligation of His moral law? Isn't that? The question? Is God wrong for coming and judging people who never said, Hey, man, I'm going to obey your law. God's moral law does not require man's agreement. God's moral law does not require man's agreement. You are under responsible for and accountable to God's moral law, whether you know it or not, whether you like it or not, and whether you agree to it or not. There is no opt out clause. And just like if you get caught speeding, ignorance of the law is no excuse. Amen. Every human being is obligated. God's moral law also existed before being codified in the Decalogue. Folks, we haven't gotten to the Tink commandments yet, and murder is already wrong. Adultery is already wrong, Stealing is already wrong, Idolatry is already wrong. Every one of the Tink commandments is already wrong before we get to chapter twenty of Exodus. Every one of them, and men know that they're wrong before we get the chapter twenty of Exodus. Why. Because it's transcendent. It's transcendent, it's always been true, and men have always been accountable before it. It's written on our hearts. That's why every culture, no matter how far removed, they are from the Bible has some form of the Ten Commandments codified in their law. It's written on the heart of every man. All people in all nations are subject to God's moral law. All people in all nations are subject to God's moral law and will be judged by it. Psalm nine to nineteen. Arise O, Lord, let not man prevail. Let the nations be judged before you, be judged based on what be judged based on God's moral law Psalm sixty seven to four. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity, and guide the nations upon the earth. Psalm eighty two eight. Arise O, God, judge the earth, for you shall inherit all the nations, all the nations. Psalm ninety sixty ten. Say among the nations the Lord reigns. Yes, the world is established. It shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity, all of the peoples. All of the peoples. Every human being is accountable and responsible as it relates to God's moral law, and every human being will one day stand before God and be judged for his violations of God's moral law. Even you and The only difference is that you are found in Christ, who kept the law perfectly on your behalf, and therefore was able to impute his righteousness to you and take your sinfulness upon himself, so that in his active obedience you are made righteous, and in his passive obedience your sin is taken away. And it is only because of that, because you are found in Christ, his only begotten son, that you will stand before God as just. But you better believe that it is because Christ kept the whole law, he thereby makes you righteous. What about the last question? Is God wrong to punish people for the deeds of their king in a way we've already answered that this is federal headshift. We're punished for the deed of our federal head Adam, and we are found righteous because of the deeds of our federal head Jesus. So be really careful how you answer this question, because if your answer is no, it's wrong. Every individual should stand on their own, then you get to go to hell. Because the only way anyone avoids hell is through this doctrine of federal headship. We're under the federal headship of Christ. Our king died on our behalf. Our king kept the whole law on our behalf, and we are counted righteous because of what our king did. Amen, Hallelujah, Praise the Lord. So we've already answered that question from a theoretical perspective and a theological perspective, But from a practical perspective, is this right? First, leaders are representatives of their people, not just as one nation before another nation, but as a nation before God. The leaders of a nation represent that nation. Secondly, God always punishes nations for the sins of their leaders. This is something to keep in mind, by the way, as we go to the polls on Tuesday. Amen, somebody God judges nations for the actions of their leaders. Thirdly, people must choose between the wrath of their leaders and the wrath of God. People must choose between the wrath of their leaders and the wrath of their God. What do I mean by that? Here's what I mean by that. When there is unrighteousness in a nation, people always have a choice. We are not forced to follow unrighteousness, and we have an example of this in Acts chapter four, do we not, Where Peter and John are brought in before the Sanhedrin. The leaders of their civil society and the leaders of their civil society telling them to stop preaching in the name of Jesus. What is their response whether it is right to obey you rather than God. You be the judge, But we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. And in the next chapter they gladly accept the punishment that is coming for their disobedience to their unrighteous leaders. Nations are held accountable before God, heads of household are held accountable before God. Leaders and churches held accountable before God, and almost always the consequences that they suffer are suffered by them and those whom they lead. And this final plague is no different. Pharaoh is responsible and accountable before God. He's a mass murderer who's guilty of genocide. The punishment that is about to come fits the crime. The people who are following him have every opportunity to not follow him when the gates open. There are Egyptians who go out with Israel Amen. There are Egyptians whose houses will have blood on the door. There are Egyptians who's firstborn will be saved. God is absolutely just. But here's the other thing. Before we ask the question, is it just for God to do this to men? Know that God did this to himself, that he crushed and killed his only begotten son, so that those who were found in him might go free. This is the Gospel. So as we see here this picture of the doorpost and the lintel, and so on and so forth, and the death angel coming, and as we think about the horrors of that night, think about this. These are horrors with which God is acquainted personally and intimately through the death of his only begotten son on the cross, the only innocent one ever to die. And he died on behalf of sinners who are not innocent in the least. So as we think about sovereignty, judgment, and morality, we have to think about it through the lens of the gospel. We have to think about the sovereign God who poured out his judgment on his son so that he might be both just and the justifier of the one who places faith in Jesus, so that you can have sovereignty, justice, and morality all wrapped up in one. Is God justified in doing what he did to Egypt. Absolutely absolutely, And we're justified because he did the same thing to Jesus. If you are here today and you're trusting in anything other than this, let me just say to you that there are only two options. Option number one, you stand on your own under the federal headship of Adam and await the judgment that is to come. Option number two, you turn from your sin. You turn to Christ, place your faith in him as your federal head, and through his active and passive obedience, have your sin imputed to him and his righteousness imputed to you, so that through his death you find life. This is the message of Exodus eleven. This is the message of the entire Bible. This is the good news that was worth getting up for this morning. F