WEEK 04, DAY 025; TODAY’S READING: EXODUS 10—13

OVERVIEW:

The last three of the 10 plagues, including the death of the firstborn; the passover and feast of unleavened bread instituted by God as a memorial feast.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

God’s desire in delivering Israel out of the bondage of Egypt was to totally separate them as a people unto Himself. He intended not only to bring them OUT of EGYPT, but to bring them IN to CANAAN! (Deuteronomy 6:23; Leviticus 25:38; Exodus 3:8) Canaan was the place of abundance; it was the place God had promised them; the place that signified victory over their enemies; the place where they could experience a brand new kind of existence because of the intimacy of their relationship with God. (Leviticus 25:38b)

As we have seen, though all of those things were gloriously true of God’s desire for Israel, God uses the historical account of their exodus to teach us about our own exodus. (1^st Corinthians 10:6, 11) God’s desire in delivering us out of our bondage to sin, self, and Satan was to, likewise, separate us as a people unto Himself. Now that God has delivered us out of the clutches of Satan, and the world’s system of evil, 2^nd Corinthians 6:14–18 lets us know that He wants us to make absolutely no compromises with the world and/or the devil. He wants to bring US into a brand new type of existence because of the intimacy of our relationship with Him. A relationship where we are experiencing the “abundant life” that Jesus talked about in John 10:10, and where we live in victory over our enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil!

With God’s intentions for Israel in mind, it’s interesting to note the four compromises Pharaoh (a picture of Satan) offered to Moses and the people of Israel (the individual believer in Christ) in the midst of the 10 plagues. Recognize that these are the same compromises Satan seeks to use to keep God’s purposes from being fulfilled in and through us!

In other words, go to church, get involved, serve, tithe, even witness, but just don’t separate yourself from the world. Allow the world to still be your “friend”. It does not bother Satan one bit for us to be double-minded, or to have a double allegiance; he welcomes it! God, however, despises it (James 1:8; 4:8) and demands complete separation from the world because friendship with the world is enmity with Him. (James 4:4; 2^nd Corinthians 6:14–18)

Satan says, “Sure, do the ‘God thing’, but you don’t have to be a fanatic about it! Give God a place in your heart, but don’t go overboard with it!”  God says, “If I am God, follow me alone! If anything else is god, then follow it! But don’t think that you can do both!” (1^st Kings 18:21) The fact is, we can’t be close to God and close to the world at the same time. Jesus said it is an impossibility! (Matthew 6:24) He also said it makes Him sick! (Revelation 3:5–16)

Satan will let men think they’re doing well spiritually, if in so doing, he can take captive the next generation. Men have been called, however, to bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4), and to lead their families to worship God and God alone. (1^st Timothy 3:4–5; Titus 1:6)

Satan wants us to think that our relationship with God and our relationship with our money and possessions are two different things. The simple biblical fact is, they are not! Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24), and “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21) If we have somehow convinced ourselves that we are walking in the perfect will of God for our life, but our treasure is in Egypt (the world) we have been duped!

In order to avoid the death of the firstborn, the people of Israel had to kill a spotless lamb and apply the blood to the doorposts of their house. When God saw the blood, He “passed over” that house and the judgment upon the firstborn was averted. Once again, God is painting an Old Testament picture to teach us the New Testament truth that we can only be delivered from the curse of death upon our first birth by applying the blood of the true, spotless “Passover Lamb”, the Lord Jesus Christ! (1^st Corinthians 5:7; 1^st Peter 1:18–19; John 3:3)

Note the progression concerning the lamb in Exodus 12:3–5. It is “A lamb”, then, “THE lamb”, then “YOUR lamb”. The practical implications to each individual are powerful: in order for your sin to be removed, you need “A lamb”! (Luke 2:11) But, not just any lamb will do! It must be “THE Lamb”! (John 4:42) But in order for your sin to actually be removed, “THE Lamb” must become “YOUR Lamb”! (John 20:28)    

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As the LIGHT TO HIS PEOPLE – Exodus 10:22–23 (John 8:12)

The sacrifice of an UNBLEMISHED LAMB with no BROKEN BONES – Exodus 12:5, 46 (1^st Peter 1:19; Psalm 34:20; John 19:36)

As the Passover Lamb – Exodus 12:3–5 (1^st Corinthians 5:7b; 1^st Peter 1:19; John 1:29)