The Death of The First Born
May 16, 2019
Commentary
In this chapter we find the announcement of the tenth and final plague of the first born dying (v. 1). Moses probably had no definite idea of how many plagues there would be. God’s patience had run out and His final judgment, death to the first born, was His final plague. For years, the Jews had slaved for the Egyptians without pay; so now God permits them to ask for the jewels, silver and Gold of the Egyptians (vv. 2-3). This was to help pay for their long years of slavery. God gave them favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and they gave them what they wished.
Like plagues three, six and nine this 10th one came without warning to Pharaoh and with no opportunity to repent. In every family the firstborn son would die in the middle of the night, from the poorest servant to the royal household, even the firstborn male cattle (vv. 4-6). The firstborn of the Israelites would have died, except they were protected by the blood of the lamb (vv. 7-8). What the Lord said came true as they saw Moses and Aaron work miracles but the Lord still made the King stubbornly refuse to let the Israelites go (vv. 9-10).
Today all people are “first-born” who have not been “twice-born.” Romans 3:23 says that “All have sinned” and Romans 6:23 says “The wages of sin is death.” Then Hebrews 9:22 says that “without the shedding of blood is no remission” for our sins.
Application
God doesn’t look down today to see if I have put blood on the doors of my house but He does look down to see if I have believed in the shed blood of His Son for my sins. That is why it is important that I have put my trust in Him?
Exodus 11:1– 10 (NET)
1 The Lord said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will release you from this place. When he releases you, he will drive you out completely from this place. 2 Instruct the people that each man and each woman is to request from his or her neighbor items of silver and gold.”
3 (Now the Lord granted the people favor with the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh’s servants and by the Egyptian people.)
4 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt, 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. 6 There will be a great cry throughout the whole land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. 7 But against any of the Israelites not even a dog will bark against either people or animals, so that you may know that the Lord distinguishes between Egypt and Israel.’ 8 All these your servants will come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” Then Moses went out from Pharaoh in great anger.
9 The Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
10 So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not release the Israelites from his land.
Illustration: A New Testament Scholar Relates The Story of Death
In one of his books, A.M. Hunter, the New Testament scholar, relates the story of a dying man who asked his Christian doctor to tell him something about the place to which he was going. As the doctor fumbled for a reply, he heard a scratching at the door, and he had his answer. “Do you hear that?” he asked his patient. “It’s my dog. I left him downstairs, but he has grown impatient, and has come up and hears my voice. He has no notion what is inside this door, but he knows that I am here. Isn’t it the same with you? You don’t know what lies beyond the Door, but you know that your Master is there.” (Christian Theology in Plain Language, p. 208).