Exodus 11

Exodus 11:1-20

Moses takes his final leave of Pharaoh. 1. God gives him instructions what to do, ver. 1, 2, 3. 2. The last message concerning the death of the first-born, ver. 4—8. 3. A repetition of the predation of Pharaoh’s lurdering his heart, ver. 9, and the event answering it, ver. 10.

1. AND the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether. 2. Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold. 3. And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the

light of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.

They who despised Moses at first, begin to fear and honour him at last. God gives him his last directions. Israel had served for no wages long enough; God will now repay them in the jewels of Egypt. Some way or other, they who suffer for him shall obtain their reward. God hath a short work to do; one stroke more, and then they shall be as earnest to thrash them out, as before to build them prisoners. Note, There is one judgment yet to come after this life against sinners, which shall humble them, if nothing else doth.

4. And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, * About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt. 5. And * all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh, that fitters upon his throne, even unto the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of health. 6. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. 7. But against any of the children of Israel * shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beall: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. 8. And * all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee; and after that I will go out: and he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger. 9. And * the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. 10. And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD * hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

Your lamb shall be ‘without blemish, a male & of the first year; ye shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats. 6. And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 7. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side-pofts, and on the upper door-polt of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 8. And they shall eat the flesh in that night; roft with fire, and ‘unleavened bread, and with bitter berks they shall eat it. 9. Eat out of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roft with fire: his head with his legs, and with the purrenance thereof. 10. And ‘ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning, ye shall burn with fire. 11. And thus shall ye eat it; and your lions girded, your flocs on your feet, and your staff in your hand: and ye shall eat it in halle: ‘it is the LORD’s pafover. 12. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will fume all the firth-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beaf: and ‘against all the goods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 13. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to defray you, when I fume the land of Egypt. 14. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and you shall keep it a feaft to the LORD throughout your generations: you shall keep it a feaft by an ordinance for ever. 15. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread, even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread, from the first day until the seventh day, ’that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16. And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you: no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. 17. And ye shall observe the feaft of unleavened bread; for in this self-same day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. 18. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. 19. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger or born in the land. 20. Ye shall eat nothing leavened: in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

The deliverance of Israel advances. Orders are issued out about their departure, and the preparations for it. As they now are to begin new lives, they are to count from this day the new year. Now, That is emphatically one birth-day, and the beginning of years, when we begin to escape from sin, and live to God.

1. The pafover is infatuated, with particular directions for profets and future ufe, v. 3—4. and the days of unleavened bread are to follow, in memory of this great event, their escape from the house of their profets. We must begin with God, whatever haste of business is upon our hands.

2. God’s visitation upon Egypt and her idols, v. 12. All the vain confidence of sinners must perish with them.

3. The respect their ordinances have to us in gospel times. (1.) Christ is our pafover; a lamb without blemish, appointed and set apart by God to be slain; enduring the fiercest fire of divine wrath, and sacrificed for all his spiritual Israel. (2.) His blood must be slain; he sprinkled on our conferences. Wherever it is found, there is no condemnation; and we must never be ashamed to profess our open dependence upon him. (3.) The Lamb of God is to be fed upon, as our spiritual strength and nourishment. As the time is there, we must make halle to draw near to him. The bitter berks of repentance should attend the feaft, and give a greater result to the food; and we those who remember how near their departure is, we should be ready, not only to leave our like behind, but also before in the doft, whenever he calls us away on his blinded feet. (4.) Then we shall keep the feaft with holy joy, as pardoned sinners; with fervent affliction, so those who are going to possess the same land; with fluently and truth, remonating the leaven of malice and wickedness; and thus persevering, till we come to sit down in the true Canaan, the kingdom of eternal glory.

4. ¶ Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb, according to your families, and kill the pafover. 22. ¶ On the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land of the land

Exodus 11:4-10

The blow was long suspended, Exod. iv. 23. Now it descends. God tries lesser chastisements first, to bring men to repentance; but when they are found incorrigible, then vengeance overtakes them to the uttermost.

1. The judgment is denounced; the time fixed, at dead of night; the extent of it, from the prince to the slave: Israel alone is exempted. In their dwellings there shall be life and joy, whilst death and mourning shall fill the houses of the Egyptians. Note, Death, as the wages of sin, can never hurt those who are passed from death unto life.

2. It is foretold how supplant the proud persecutors would grow, v. 8, and hereupon Moses with indignation leaves the devoted palace. Note, (1.) The hardness of sinners hearts is a bitter grief to the ministers of Christ. (2.) When sin is the object of our indignation, we may be angry, and sin not.

3. The determined hardness of Pharaoh’s heart, as foretold, continues. Note, We are not to wonder at the general rejection of God’s truth; it was foretold long ago.

Exodus 11:21-28

Moses enjoin, and Israel humbly obeys: The lamb is killed, the lintels sprinkled with blood. No man must go out, lest he die. Now, The soul that trusts on any other hope than the blood of sprinkling, perishes with the Egyptians. Their children too hereafter must be taught the meaning of the ordinance, v. 26. When children ask, (and it is pleasing indeed to see them inquisitive in matters relating to God) we should take delight to speak to them about the dear Lamb which was slain, and his distinguishing love to his people.

29. ¶ And ‘it came to pass, that at midnight ’the LORD smoke all the firth-born in the land of Egypt, from the firth-born of Pharaoh, that sat on his throne, unto the firth-born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firth-born of cattle. 30. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. 31. ¶ And ‘he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among all my people, ‘both you and the children of Israel: and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said. 32. ‘Also take your flock; and your herds as ye have said, and be gone: and bless me also. 33. And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might tend them out of the land in haste: for they said, We be all dead men. 34. And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. 35. And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses: and they borrowed of the Egyptians: ‘jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment. 36. And ’the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required: and ’they spoiled the Egyptians.

Exodus 11:29-36

Observe,

1. Heavy the dreadful stroke descends. At midnight the destroyer comes: one awful groan awakens every family, and one united dolorous cry echoes through the land. What guilty sinner need not tremble at the thought of such a dread surprise? He that closes his eyes each night in unreported sin upon his bed, is in danger of lifting them up before morning in the torments of hell.

2. Pharaoh hastens to thrall them out. Death is at his door; he trembles for himself; at midnight they must be gone; he cannot rest till they are departed; and now he seeks their blessing whom late with imprecation he had driven from his presence on pain of death. Now, The day is coming when men will value their prayers, whom once they reviled. His people are in the same mind. The death which had begun, strikes them with a panic, lest it should be universal. Now, Nothing shocks a sinner to wrath, as near wears of death; but whether they see it or not, every impatient sinner is certainly a dead man.

3. To get rid of their company, the Egyptians are glad to part with their gold and their jewels. When life is at stake, our goods appear inquisitive things. Israel thies as servants, receive their wages, and as conquerors, divide the spoil. It was

4. was an high act of justice from God, and they had his special order for their proceedings.

5. ¶ And the children of Israel journeyed from Ramsees to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, besides children. 38. And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, now very much cattle. 39. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough, which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened: because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual. 40. ¶ Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. 41. And it came to pass, at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the self-fame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. 42. It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD, for bringing them out of the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel, in their generation.

6. 37—42. 1. Moses embraces the favourable moment. The people march immediately, an immense body, six hundred thousand men, and twice or thrice as many women and children, beside a mixed multitude, that from fear, curiosity, or conviction of the truth, went up with them. Nate, In the church there is a mix’d multitude of profetors, but many Egyptians among them. Their cattle too are no longer with-held, and their dough, for want of time, is taken with them unleavened. Learn, (1.) The servants of God must not be curious in eating. (2.) If on our first awakening from sin we find some difficulties, we must not be discouraged, times will shortly mend.

7. The memorable night. Just 430 years from the date of the promise to Abraham. Though mercy is delayed, it is sure. The Egyptians remembered this night to their forrow, the Israelites to their unpeakable joy in their future generations. If temporal deliverances are so worthy a memorial, how should we be affected with that eternal redemption which Jesus hath obtained for his people, from a formula more intolerable than Egyptian, into a country infinitely superior to Canaan?

8. ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the pafover: there shall no stranger eat thereof. 44. But every man’s servant that is brought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. 45. A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof. 46. In one house shall it be eaten, thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house: neither shall ye break a bone thereof. 47. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48. And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the pafover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near, and keep it: and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. 49. One law shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. 50. Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. 51. And it came to pass the self-fame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, by their armies.

9. 43—51. The pafover being enjoined to all succeeding generations, some particulars are added. It must be kept universally, none are to be admitted uncircumcised, but the circumcised bondman has the fame right as the free: it must be eaten in the families apart, and none be left till the morrow. Nate, (1.) He renounces his right to the covenant of grace, who wilfully neglects the seals of it in the sacrament. (2.) If a man be not circumcised in heart, partaking of bread and wine will be no paschal supper to him. (3.) The gospel destroys all distinctions of hand and free: whosoever will, let him come freely. The law itself was here a shadow of gospel liberty.