The Exodus

Last week we noticed that, after the tenth plague - the death of the firstborn - in all Egypt there was not a house without one dead. It would be thought of as a national tragedy if just one community in our county would wake up tomorrow and have a death in every family; much more so, it would be a tragedy if every family in our county suffered such an event. But, on this morning of the Passover to Israel, every family in the nation of Egypt had suffered a death.

Let us see what Pharaoh did early that morning: "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 (Emphasis mine - HL).

For 430 years (Exodus 12:41), the children of Israel had been in Egypt. From the time that 70 souls went to Egypt, they had grown to a nation of 600,000 men, besides children, that left Egypt. On the night they left, the Israelites were spared from death of the firstborn by obedience to God's commands concerning the sprinkling of the blood on the doorposts and eating the Passover feast in the proper manner. Over 1500 years later, it was the Passover feast that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was observing with His disciples on the night of His betrayal by Judas Iscariot. Read Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-20.

The children of Israel have now left Egypt, being led by the Lord, by day in a pillar of a cloud and by night in a pillar of fire (Exodus 13:20-22). The Lord was not finished with Pharaoh yet, though. After being told the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh's heart and those of his servants were turned against the Israelites, and they asked, "Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go, from serving us? (Exodus 14:5). Pharaoh made ready his chariot, along with his army and their horses and chariots, and he overtook Israel camping by the Red Sea.

How did Israel react when they saw Pharaoh and his army coming? They were sore afraid: "And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness" (Emphasis mine - HL) (Exodus 14:11,12).

Moses knew that he was doing the will of the Lord. Yet, there were hundreds of thousands complaining to him about their situation. Let us notice what Moses says to the people: "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace" (Emphasis mine - HL) (Exodus 14:13,14).

May we not complain today about the Lord's commandments, but let us do them.