LESSON 28

God killed the firstborn of the Egyptians, but He saved the firstborn of the Israelites.

 

1.   The Lord planned to send one last plague on the Egyptians.

Although the Lord had already sent nine terrible plagues on the rebellious Egyptians, the king of Egypt refused to obey the Lord and let the Israelites go free.

Do you think that God had to give up and let the Israelites remain in slavery? No! God knew all along that the king would be stubborn and refuse to release the Israelites. Even before He sent Moses back to Egypt, God had told him that this would happen.

God is never surprised by what people do. He always knows everything before it happens, and He always has His plan worked out so that He wins, no matter what people say or do.

The Lord knew that Pharaoh would release the Israelites after one final plague. The wicked king could not stop God from delivering the descendants of Abraham.

Read Exodus 11:1, 4-7.

The Lord had spoken to Moses. He had said, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you and your people go. When he does, he will drive you completely away.

耶和华对摩西说：“我再使一样的灾殃临到法老和埃及，然后他必容你们离开这地。他容你们去的时候，总要催逼你们都从这地出去。

⁴ Moses said, “The Lord says, ‘About midnight I will go through every part of Egypt. ⁵ Every oldest son in Egypt will die. The oldest son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, will die. The oldest son of the female slave, who works at her hand mill, will die. All of the male animals that were born first to their mothers among the cattle will also die. ⁶ There will be loud crying all over Egypt. It will be worse than it’s ever been before. And nothing like it will ever be heard again.

⁷ “‘But among the people of Israel not even one dog will bark at any man or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord treats Egypt differently from us.

^{4 摩西说：“耶和华这样说：‘约到半夜，我必出去巡行埃及遍地， 5 凡在埃及地，从坐宝座的法老直到磨子后的婢女所有的长子，以及一切头生的牲畜，都必死。6 埃及遍地必有大哀号，从前没有这样的，后来也必没有。 7 至于以色列中，无论是人是牲畜，连狗也不敢向他们摇舌，好叫你们知道耶和华是将埃及人和以色列人分别出来。’}

2.    God told Moses how the Israelites must prepare for the final plague.

We learned previously that the Israelites did not suffer from the nine plagues that God had sent upon the Egyptians. God had protected them because He loved them and because the Israelites were His special people, the descendants which God had promised to Abraham.

Although the Israelites had not suffered from the other plagues, they would have suffered through this last terrible judgment along with the Egyptians, unless God made the way for them to escape. Because of God’s mercy and grace, He told Moses what the Israelites must do in order to save their firstborn children from death.

•   They must choose a lamb without blemish.

Read Exodus 12:1-5.

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Egypt. ² He said, “From now on, this month will be your first month. Each of your years will begin with it.

³ “Speak to the whole community of Israel. Tell them that on the tenth day of this month each man must get a lamb from his flock. A lamb should be chosen for each family and home.

⁴ “Suppose there are not enough people in your family to eat a whole lamb. Then you must share some of it with your nearest neighbor. You must add up the total number of people there are. You must decide how much lamb is needed for each person.

⁵ “The animals you choose must be males that are a year old. They must not have any flaws. You may choose either sheep or goats.

耶和华在埃及地晓谕摩西、亚伦说： 2 “你们要以本月为正月，为一年之首。 3 你们吩咐以色列全会众说：本月初十日，各人要按着父家取羊羔，一家一只。4 若是一家的人太少，吃不了一只羊羔，本人就要和他隔壁的邻舍共取一只。你们预备羊羔，要按着人数和饭量计算。 5 要无残疾、一岁的公羊羔，你们或从绵羊里取，或从山羊里取，都可以。

Do you remember the ram that God provided to die instead of Isaac? The ram was caught by its horns in the bush so that it could not injure itself by struggling to get free. If it had been injured, it would not have been an acceptable offering to God. God would only accept a healthy, strong animal as a sacrifice.

Because God is perfect, He will only accept what is perfect. He would never accept an animal that was sick or hurt, so He told the Israelites that the head of each home was to choose a lamb without blemish.

•   They must kill the lamb and catch its blood in a basin.

Read Exodus 12:6.

⁶ Take care of them until the 14th day of the month. Then the whole community of Israel must kill them when the sun goes down.

^{6 要留到本月十四日，在黄昏的时候，以色列全会众把羊羔宰了。}

The lamb was to be kept until the fourteenth day of the month. They were to kill the lamb in the evening of that day.

•   The lamb had to die.

The lamb’s blood, on which its life depended, had to flow out. This was to remind the Israelites that the punishment for sin is death.

Before Adam and Eve sinned, there was no death in the world. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were immediately separated from God, and someday their bodies would also die. All of Adam and Eve’s descendants have been born sinners, separated from God. This is why all people die physically and why people who do not believe God will be separated from God forever in the place of eternal punishment. Because there is sin in the world, there is death.

When the Israelites killed the lambs, they were reminded that the punishment for sin is death. The lambs died instead of the firstborn of the Israelites, just as the ram died instead of Isaac. A perfect lamb had to die so that the Israelite’s firstborn would not die.

•   They must place the blood on the doorposts and above the doors of their homes.

Read Exodus 12:7.

⁷ Take some of the blood. Put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where you eat the lambs.

^{7 各家要取点血，涂在吃羊羔的房屋左右的门框上和门楣上。}

God told the Israelites that they were to put some of the blood on the sides and tops of the door frames on the outside of each of their houses. If their firstborn was to be saved from God’s judgment, they must apply the blood of the lamb as God commanded.

•   They must stay inside the house on which they had placed the blood.

Read Exodus 12:22-23.

²² Get a branch of a hyssop plant. Dip it into the blood in the bowl. Put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you can go out the door of your house until morning.

²³ “The Lord will go through the land to strike the Egyptians down. He’ll see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe. He will pass over that house. He won’t let the destroying angel enter your homes to kill you.

^{22 拿一把牛膝草，蘸盆里的血，打在门楣上和左右的门框上。你们谁也不可出自己的房门，直到早晨。 23 因为耶和华要巡行击杀埃及人，他看见血在门楣上和左右的门框上，就必越过那门，不容灭命的进你们的房屋，击杀你们。}

God told the Israelites that, when they killed the lamb, they were to catch the blood in a basin. Then they were to take a branch from a particular bush, dip it into the blood, and use it to apply the blood to their doorposts.

After they applied the blood to the doorposts, the Israelites were to stay inside their houses until the morning. It was just as if they were to hide behind the blood of the lamb which God said they must kill in order to save their firstborn.

•   They must not break any of the lamb’s bones.

Read Exodus 12:46.

⁴⁶ “It must be eaten inside a house. Do not take any of the meat outside. Do not break any of the bones.

^{46 应当在一个房子里吃，不可把一点肉从房子里带到外头去。羊羔的骨头一根也不可折断。}

They were not to break the bones of the animal when they killed it or ate it.

 

3.    God promised the Israelites that He would protect their firstborn if they believed and obeyed Him.

Read Exodus 12:12-14.

¹² “That same night I will pass through Egypt. I will strike down every oldest son. I will also kill all of the male animals that were born first to their mothers. And I will judge all of the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.

¹³ “The blood on your houses will be a sign for you. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. No deadly plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

¹⁴ “Always remember this day. For all time to come, you and your children after you must celebrate this day as a feast in honor of the Lord. It is a law that will last forever.

^{12 因为那夜我要巡行埃及地，把埃及地一切头生的，无论是人是牲畜，都击杀了，又要败坏埃及一切的神。我是耶和华。 13 这血要在你们所住的房屋上做记号，我一见这血，就越过你们去，我击杀埃及地头生的时候，灾殃必不临到你们身上灭你们。 14 你们要记念这日，守为耶和华的节，作为你们世世代代永远的定例。}

God promised the Israelites that, when He saw the blood on the doorposts of their houses, He would not allow the plague to enter and kill their firstborn.

•   The Israelites had to do everything exactly as the Lord had instructed Moses.

God has always required that people believe what He says and come to Him according to His way. We have already learned that God does not accept what people try to do to be acceptable to Him.

o  Do you remember that Adam and Eve made clothing for themselves after they had disobeyed God? Did God accept the clothing that they made? No, He refused to accept what they had made, and He killed animals and made clothing for them.

o  Do you remember the offering that Cain brought to God? Was that offering according to God’s instructions? No, it was not, so God refused Cain’s offering.

o  Do you remember the boat that Noah built? Who gave him the instructions about how to build that boat? God did! Noah had to follow God’s instructions exactly.

In the same way, the Israelites also had to do everything according to God's instructions.

•   God is still the same.

We cannot come to God according to our own ideas or the ideas of any other person. We can only come to God according to God’s way. If we don’t believe what God says and come the way He says, then He will never accept us.

•   What would have happened if the Israelites did not do what God said?

What do you think would have happened if an Israelite had said, “I don’t believe what God said, I’m not going to kill one of my good lambs. I have a sick one. I’ll kill that one instead”? Would God have accepted the blood of a sick lamb? No! God would only accept a lamb without blemish.

What do you think would have happened if an Israelite had said, “I don’t believe what God said. I do not want to kill this good lamb. I will just tie it up at the door. God will see the living lamb, and He will not kill my child by the plague”? Would God have accepted a lamb whose blood had not been shed? No! The lamb had to die, and the blood had to be shed so that the firstborn could live. The Israelites must not forget that the punishment for sin is death.

The Israelites had to follow God’s instructions exactly. If they did not, their firstborn would have been killed.

 

4.    The Israelites believed God and obeyed Him.

Do you think the Israelites would have said, “Oh, well, only our firstborn will die. We have other children. It doesn’t matter. We won’t bother to kill the lamb and put the blood on the doorposts”? No! The Israelites loved their children just as you love your children. And the only way their children could be saved was if the Israelites trusted God who had told them that, when He saw the blood on the doorposts of their houses, their firstborn children and the firstborn of their livestock would not die.

Do you think the Israelites trusted God? Yes! They did. They believed what God had told them, and they obeyed Him.

Read Exodus 12:28.

²⁸ They did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.

^{28 耶和华怎样吩咐摩西、亚伦，以色列人就怎样行。}

 

5.    All the Egyptians’ firstborn died.

Read Exodus 12:29-30.

29 At midnight the LORD struck down every oldest son in Egypt. He killed the oldest son of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne. He killed all of the oldest sons of prisoners, who were in prison. He also killed all of the male animals that were born first to their mothers among the livestock.

30 Pharaoh and all of his officials got up during the night. So did all of the Egyptians. There was loud crying in Egypt because someone had died in every home.

^{29 到了半夜，耶和华把埃及地所有的长子，就是从坐宝座的法老，直到被掳囚在监里之人的长子，以及一切头生的牲畜，尽都杀了。 30 法老和一切臣仆，并埃及众人，夜间都起来了。在埃及有大哀号，无一家不死一个人的。}

The Lord passed through Egypt just as He said He would. He always does what He says. He doesn’t merely threaten and then not carry out His threats. When God decides to punish sinners, there is no way to escape.

 

Every firstborn Egyptian child and the firstborn of all the Egyptians’ livestock died. But because the Israelites had put the blood on their houses in obedience to the Lord, not one of their firstborn children or livestock died.

God always does what He says. He said He would destroy the firstborn in the Egyptian homes, and He did. He said He would pass over every house where He saw the blood, and He did. The Lord can be trusted to do everything He says.

 

6.    Pharaoh told the Israelites to go.

Read Exodus 12:31-33.

31 During the night, Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. He said to them, “Get out of here! You and the Israelites, leave my people! Go. Worship the LORD, just as you have asked. 32 Go. Take your flocks and herds, just as you have said. And also give me your blessing.”

^{33 The Egyptians begged the people of Israel to hurry up and leave the country. “If you don’t,” they said, “we’ll all die!”}

^{31 夜间，法老召了摩西、亚伦来，说：“起来！连你们带以色列人从我民中出去，依你们所说的去侍奉耶和华吧！ 32 也依你们所说的，连羊群牛群带着走吧！并要为我祝福。” 33 埃及人催促百姓，打发他们快快出离那地，因为埃及人说：“我们都要死了。”}

Pharaoh told Moses that very night to take the Israelites out of Egypt. The Lord delivered His people just as He had promised He would.

Pharaoh had thought that he could fight against God and that he would not have to give in, but no one can fight against the Lord and win. God will send punishment on those who fight against Him, but He will give His mercy and peace to those who trust Him.

Read Exodus 12:51.

51 On that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt like an army on the march.

^{51 正当那日，耶和华将以色列人按着他们的军队，从埃及地领出来。}

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Questions

1.         Could Pharaoh stop God from delivering the Israelites?

2.         Can anyone fight against God and win?

3.         What was the last plague which God sent on the Egyptians?

4.         Who was the only One who could save the Israelites from suffering from this plague?

5.         Did God tell the Israelites what to do so their firstborn children would not die?

6.         What kind of a lamb were the Israelites to choose?

7.         The Israelites were to keep the lamb until the fourteenth day of the month. What were they to do with the lamb after this time?

8.         When they shed the blood of the lamb, what were the Israelites reminded of?

9.         Where did God tell the Israelites to place the blood from the lamb after they killed it?

10.       After they applied the blood to the doorposts, where did God tell the Israelites to stay?

11.       Were the Israelites allowed to break the bones of the lamb when they killed it or ate it?

12.       What did God promise the Israelites that He would do when He saw the blood on the doorposts of their houses?

13.       What  would  have  happened  if  the  Israelites  had  not  done  everything  exactly  as  God instructed Moses?

14.       Who is the only One who can tell us how we can come to God and be accepted by Him?

15.       What happened in the Egyptian homes on that night when God said that He would kill the firstborn of every family?

16.       What happened to the firstborn of the Israelites?

17.       Why didn’t the firstborn of the Israelites die?

18.       Does God always do what He says?

19.       What did Pharaoh tell Moses after the Egyptians’ firstborn children died?