STUDY THEME: ONE SOLITARY LIFE: THE LIFE OF JESUS.    10-22-00
"FREE AT LAST."  EXODUS 12:1-3, 11, 12-13,  13:1-2, 11-13, 14-16.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO EXODUS 12.
Our lesson today focuses our attention on God's deliverance of the Hebrew
people from Egyptian bondage. The lesson that we want to learn is that
God can set us free from the spiritual bondage of our sin through Jesus
Christ His Son and our Savior. Many professing Christians claim to be
saved from their sins but they have not been freed from the bondage of
their sin. But today's lesson will clearly teach that God intends us to
be freed from the bondage of sin as well as saved from the eternal
results of sin. God does not want His people to remain enslaved to their
sins. There is power in Jesus Christ and in the presence of the Holy
Spirit to give us victory over sins which so easily enslave us. It took
the tenth plague, the death of the first born in Egypt, to set the Hebrew
people free. It took the death of God's own Son to set us free from our
sins!

The suggested "Biblical Truth" is that God's people are to remember and
to tell others about God's power to free them from bondage. The suggested
"Life Impact" of the lesson is the help people live in freedom from the
bondage of sin and tell others about God's power to free them. 

TEACHER TO BE SURE TO HAVE READ ROMANS 6: 14-23.

Let's take time to review the terrible plagues that came upon the
Egyptians before Pharaoh consented to let them go free from the bondage
of slavery. When Moses and Aaron came before Pharaoh to demand the
freeing of the children of Israel, Moses was 80 years old and his brother
Aaron was 83 years old. 1/7 of the O.T. is devoted to the study of Moses.
There are references to Moses in nearly every book in the Bible. 

God had said to Moses in Exodus 7:1 "See I have made you a god to Pharaoh
and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet." In Vs. 9 God told Moses to
tell Aaron to cast his rod before Pharaoh and let it become a serpent.
When Aaron did this the Egyptian magicians threw down their rods and they
too became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. This did
get Pharaoh's attention but his heart was hardened. The 10 plagues
followed in Exodus 7 through 11. 
A helpful classification of these plagues might be: 
1. Loathsome: -- water into blood, frogs and lice.
2. Powerful: --stinging flies, cattle plague, and boils. 
3. Appalling: --hail, locusts, darkness
4. Overwhelming plague: --death of the firstborn man and beast.

The plague of lice on man and beast came without warning. Same with the
6th and 9th. The magicians could not but say, "This is the finger of
gods. 
The swarm of flies was the first plague not affecting the Israelites. It
was then that Pharaoh offered an unacceptable compromise for the
Israelites to go and worship their God. 
When the boils affected both man and beast the magicians could not stand
before Pharaoh because of the boils. This is the first time human health
was targeted.  
When the hail and fire came on all but Goshen Pharaoh consented for
Israelites to go but retracted his promise when the hail ceased.
The death of the firstborn, both man and beast, was the deciding factor.
At midnight the death angel came to every house in Egypt. Only those with
the blood on the doorposts were spared.  In the homes of the Hebrews the
Passover Feast was instituted. The order of this ongoing national holiday
was fully described. The firstborn was to be set aside for the Lord; both
man and beast. The blood on the doorposts and lintel would signal the
death angel to pass over that house, as the blood was the memorial of
redemption. 

The Egyptians gave the Israelites silver, gold, and clothing to hasten
their departure. It is written, "they plundered the Egyptians." The
clothes did not wear out during the 40 years of wandering. 

As they left Egypt there were about 600,000 men on foot, besides women
and children. It is estimated about 2 million souls left Egypt. After 430
years in Egypt they left Rameses to go some 32 miles to Succoth.

1. PLEASE READ EXODUS 12: 1-3, 11. 

Egypt's Pharaoh resisted letting the Israelites leave, partly because
they were cheap labor for his many building projects. Through Moses God
performed nine miracles or plagues to convince Pharaoh to let the
Israelites go. In part these miracles were designed to convince Pharaoh
that Moses God was the true God. The Egyptian magicians duplicated the
first two plagues, but in Ex. 8:19 they realized that God was in charge
of nature's forces. The Egyptians considered the natural forces God
controlled deities. Thus the plagues were a battle between God and the
Egyptian's so-called gods. 

In Ex. 11:1 God told Moses that one more plague was needed to convince
Pharaoh to release the Israelites. Pharaoh's hard heart kept him from
freeing them. A climatic plague would convince him. In many ancient
cultures, the firstborn child had special privileges and rights. The
death for the Egyptians' firstborn would show the Egyptians that the
Israelites' God was sovereign, not they're so-called gods.  

To prepare for the climatic plague, the Israelites were to request
valuable jewelry from their Egyptian neighbors. God then told Moses that
the firstborn in Egypt would die on a specific night, but He would
preserve the Israelites.

God then in Ex. 12:11 instructed Moses and Aaron concerning the Passover
celebration. The Israelites' liberation from Egypt would be so important
that from this point on they would count this month as their first month.
This month, during March-April in our calendar was called Abib,  meaning,
"newly ripened corn," by the Canaanites. In Neh. 2:1 it later was called
Nisan, a Babylonian term. 

The whole Israelite community was to celebrate the Passover. God had not
established the elaborate system of sacrifices and priesthood, so this
event would be a nationwide celebration. 

Each family would observe the event a home, not in a central sanctuary.
The Israelites would be dressed and ready to go when they ate the meal.
God knew that when the Egyptians' firstborn died Pharaoh and his people
would be eager for the Israelites to leave Egypt. The Israelites were to
be ready with loins girded, shoes on and staff in hand as they ate. 

The exodus from Egypt would be the key event in Hebrew history. After
centuries of captivity, the Israelites would be free. God had not
forgotten them, and He knew their pain. Their new beginning meant freedom
from physical bondage. Christ liberated us from spiritual bondage when we
received Him as our Savior. 

2. PLEASE READ EXODUS 12: 12-13. 

Pharaoh believed that he controlled the destiny of the Israelites. He was
wrong. The Lord not only controlled the Israelites' destiny; He also
controlled the Egyptians' destiny. The Lord would demonstrate His power
over all the gods of Egypt so the Egyptians could not deny it. 

The Lord warned Moses that Pharaoh would not release the Israelites in
spite of the plagues. The Lord also told Moses to deliver this message of
Ex. 4:22-23 "Let my son go, so he may worship me.' But you refused to let
him go; so I will kill your firstborn son." This statement anticipated
the last plague that broke Pharaoh's resolve to keep the Israelites
enslaved, and it repaid him for his treatment of the Israelites. Israel
was God's firstborn whom Pharaoh had destroyed. Now God would destroy the
firstborn of Pharaoh and of all Egypt. 

In Ex. 12:13 the Lord explained the connection between the lamb and the
plague: The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are and
when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will
touch you when I strike Egypt. The blood was to be placed on the
doorframes of Israelite homes so the Lord would not strike the firstborn
in that home. Homes without the blood on the doors would see their
firstborn die, both sons and animals. Blood speaks of life, not death,
for the "life of the creature is in the blood." The absence of blood
means death, for Heb. 9:22 says, "without the shedding of blood there is
no forgiveness of sins." Similarly, when the Lord sees the blood of Jesus
over the door of a person's heart, He does not respond with Judgment. 

The blood of the lamb is called a sign. Only those who believed the
Lord's warning would kill a lamb and spread its blood over the door.
Thus, the blood was a sign of faith in the Lord that He would do what He
promised.

In vs. 29-30 the Israelites followed God's instructions concerning the
Passover meal, and on the designated night God killed the Egyptians'
firstborn. Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and told them that the
Israelites were to leave Egypt immediately. After resisting God for so
long, Pharaoh was eager to get rid of the Israelites; Vs. 35-36 said God
caused the Egyptians to be "favorably disposed" toward the Israelites,
and they gave valuable Jewelry and clothing to the departing Israelites. 

The Israelites traveled to Succoth on their way to the Red Sea. They took
the unleavened dough with them and later in Vs. 39 made bread with it.
The Lord commanded Israel In Lev. 23: 5 to celebrate Passover every year
on the same day (the 14th of Abib); to commemorate Israel's deliverance
from the death of their first born and from Egyptian bondage. The feast
was more than a celebration of history. It looked forward to a greater
event-the death of Christ. Jesus was crucified at Passover and shed his
blood as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" 

Centuries after the exodus, Jesus met with His disciples in an upper room
to celebrate the Passover with them. While doing so He said In Luke
22:20,"This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for
you."  Every Jew knew what Passover commemorated-their deliverance from
the death of their firstborn and from Egyptian bondage. Jesus explained
that Passover pointed forward to something-His death and he new covenant
in His blood that God would establish with His people. 

This last Passover celebration became the first Lord's Supper. Like
Passover, the Lord's supper looks back to a redemptive event, the shed
blood of Jesus. Jesus' explanation probably was lost on he disciples at
the time, but Peter eventually understood what Jesus meant. In 1 Peter
1:18-19 he explained to his readers, "For you know that it was not with
perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed from the
empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the
precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." 

He breaks the power of cancelled sin. He sets the prisoner free.
His blood can make the foulest clean; His blood availed for me.

 In Ex. 12:26 in the future when they observed this event, then children
would ask, "What does this ceremony mean to you?" Then the parents could
teach their children the significance of the Passover and the Exodus.
 
PLEASE GO TO EXODUS 13.

3. PLEASE READ EXODUS 13:1-2, 11-13. 

Since God was sparing he first born of Israel, every firstborn male
whether human or animal belonged to god and was to be set aside in
special dedication to God. Moses reminded the people that after their
freedom from Egypt and after they entered the land of Canaan, they must
remember to dedicate all the first born males to God. First-born donkeys
were to be redeemed or bought back with a lamb but if that where not
done, then the donkey was to be killed. Every firstborn son was to be
"redeemed" or bought back also.

In Leviticus 12:6 "And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for
a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a
burnt offering. Vs. 8 adds "If she be not able to bring a lamb, then she
shall bring two turtle doves, or two young pigeons." In Luke 2:24 we find
Mary offering a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons as her
sacrifice for her purification, thus indicating her financial status.

In Ex. 13:14 when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the
Canaanites shows the positive side of being set free. The Lord not only
brought them out of Egyptian bondage but also later brought them into the
Promised Land. Deliverance from slavery means being freed from something
and also freedom for something. They were freed for a new relationship
with God, a new way of living, a new opportunity to help other helpless
people, and a new land of promise. Christians have been freed from
slavery to sin and death, but we have been freed for a new relationship
with God, a new way of living, and a new home in heaven.

This shows that freedom is not freedom from responsibility to live by
God's standards and to mnister minister in His name. Non-Christians often
think that the moral demands and the social obligations of Christians
mean a loss of freedom, but the opposite is true. Only as we are rightly
related with God, do His will, and serve others in His name are we truly
fulfilled and free to become the persons God created each of us to be. 

You would think that a prisoner set free would never return to his
prison. From time to time the Israelites told Moses that they wanted to
go back to Egypt. Some convicts have been in prison so long that they
miss the only life they know; therefore, they find some way to return to
prison. Some professing Christians return to their former slavery. All of
us struggle with temptations toward the lure of sin. Sometimes we
stumble, but we do not return to the kind of hopeless bondage that once
enslaved us. We need to remember the slavery from which we have been set
free and not return to it. 

IF TIME PERMITS, TEACHER READS ROMANS 6: 17-22. 

4. PLEASE READ EXODUS 13: 14-16.

"What does this mean?" was a question that a son might ask concerning the
dedication of the firstborn. Ex. 13:14 is parallel to 12:26,which related
to the Passover feast. Both were seen a future opportunities for teaching
their children about their deliverance from Egyptian slavery. This shows
the importance of religious training in the home and he opportunity to do
so when children ask questions. The highest calling of Christian parents
is to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

The answer to the son's question provides a powerful summary of the basic
confession of faith of the Israelites. By a mighty hand emphasizes that
the departure from Egypt was God's doing, not mans. It was a divine
deliverance, not a human escape. The Israelites were helpless slaves of
the most powerful nation on earth. Moses was a reluctant leader. Yet God
delivered them. Brought us out from Egypt was something God did.

Slavery was the condition from which the Lord delivered them. Theirs was
a political deliverance with spiritual overtones. On the basis of the
deliverance from slavery, the Lord offered in Ex. 19:1-6 to enter into
covenant with them. For the Israelites, Passover celebrated their day of
national independence and also their day of divine redemption. Page H.
Kelley wrote, "Passover was the ancient Hebrews Easter and the Fourth of
July all wrapped up into one." Their deliverance from slavery in Egypt
foreshadowed the deliverance from sin and death made possible through
Jesus Christ.

Our Lord Jesus taught in John 8:34 that sin produces slavery. So did the
apostle Paul in Romans 6:16. The N.T. uses many analogies to describe the
plight of people without God: condemned, lost, blind, dead, alienated,
enslaved. Comparable analogies describe what God in Christ does for those
who repent and believe. He pardons or justifies the condemned. He seeks
and finds the lost. He opens the eyes of the blind. He raises the dead to
new life. He reconciles the alienated. He liberates the enslaved.  

The words a token upon thine hand and frontlets between thine eyes are
similar to Deut. 6:8 and 11:18. Some Jews take these statements literally
and wear on their arms and on their heads small leather boxes containing
Scripture verses. More likely these words were to be taken figuratively.
In other words, frontlets between thine eyes indicates that what they
looked at, how they saw and interpreted their world, was to be through
this lens. 

What God had done for them and commanded them to do was to color their
whole worldview. A token upon thine hand indicates that what they reached
out to do was to be in conscious recollection of what God had done for
them and commanded them to do. That is, these truths were to become an
integral part of their lives. They were to be within, but they also were
to be expressed in outward godly living and faithful testimony. 

The N.T. words for redeem refers to liberation, but at a price-the blood
of Jesus Christ. Those who have been redeemed are given many
opportunities to testify of what the Lord has done for them. As the
Israelites had opportunities, so do we. "Let the redeemed of the Lord say
so." (Ps. 107:2) applies even more to us than to the Israelites, for we
have been redeemed from slavery to sin and death. And the testimony of
redemption is not just for children. It is for all the earth. 

CONCLUSIONS:
1. The Passover was a powerful and vivid reminder of God's deliverance of
His people from Egyptian bondage.
2. It was no accident that Jesus chose the Jewish Passover to institute
the Lord's supper.  
3. The Lord's supper should remind us of the high cost of God's
deliverance of us from the penalty and consequences of human sin.
4. The Bible says that whosoever sins is a slave to sin and you and I can
have freedom only by the power of the risen Christ. 
5. The Passover and the Lord's Supper are both vivid reminders that God
can and will and wants to give us deliverance and freedom today from our
besetting sins.
6. Every Christian today would do well to confess daily his or her
besetting sins and ask for God's freeing power over those sins. 
7. When we Christians find freedom from the slavery of our sins, we
should share with our non-Christian friends the hope we have in Christ so
that they might also come to know Him.
8. May God give us boldness to share our testimony with those who still
do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior.   

NEXT SUNDAY WE LOOK AT ONE OF THE LOVELIEST BOOKS IN THE BIBLE. RUTH WAS
A FOREIGNER WHO CAME INTO THE LINEAGE OF CHRIST THROUGH THE ACTIONS OF A
KINSMAN-REDEEMER. READ RUTH.    A. V. DAUGHERTY  10-22-00.
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