THE LAST PLAGUE

 

God told Moses to go to the King of Egypt and give him this message, "Let my people go."  God wanted His people, the people of Israel, to be rescued from Egypt.  They had been held as slaves there for many years and had been treated very badly. 

 

Egypt's King had a hardened heart.  He was stubborn and refused to let the people of Israel go free.  God wanted the King and others in Egypt to know that He is the true and living God so He caused plagues, terrible disasters, to happen in Egypt.

 

Let's review the first nine terrible disasters that we learned about last week . . .

 

1) The plague of water turning to blood.

2) The plague of frogs.

3) The plague of lice.

4) The plague of flies.

5) The plague of the disease on cattle.

6) The plague of boils.

7) The plague of the hailstorm.

8) The plague of locusts.

9) The plague of darkness.

 

After each terrible disaster took place, Moses reminded the King of God's message, "Let my people go."  But the King's heart remained stubborn.  He still refused to submit to God and obey Him.  He refused to let the people of Israel go.

 

And so . . . Moses warned the King of the last terrible plague that God promised to send if the King didn't change his mind and let the people go.  Moses told the King that the last plague would be the worst plague of all.  The others had been very bad, but this last one would be even worse.  Moses gave this warning from God, "All the first born in the land of Egypt will die" (Exodus 11:5).  The first born son of the King would die.  The first born son of each Egyptian family would die.  The first born of the Egyptian's animals would die.  Moses also told the King, "There will be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt" (Exodus 11:6).  The people would be very, very sad when all these deaths took place.  This last plague would truly be the worst. 

 

The King had been warned.  What was the King going to do?  Would he finally obey God and let the people of Israel go free? 

 

The King did not submit to God.  He did not let the people of Israel go.  And so the last terrible plague came to Egypt. 

 

Just as God said would happen, that night throughout all of Egypt the first born sons died.  The first born son of the King died.  The first born son of each Egyptian family died.  The first born of all the Egyptian's animals died.  And the people cried all over Egypt. 

 

What about the people of Israel?  What happened to them?  Did their first born sons die too?

 

Before that terrible night, God told His people what to do so that their sons would be saved.  If the people followed His directions carefully, no one in their families would die. 

 

God told His people to take a lamb.  The lamb had to be a perfect lamb that had no spots on it or scars.  God told them to kill that perfect lamb that night and to spread it's blood on the two sides of their front door and above their front door.  God promised His people that if they obeyed Him and did what He said, their sons would be saved from death.  This was the Lord's "Passover."  The Lord would pass over their houses, see the blood of the lamb, and the sons would be saved.

 

That little lamb who died on that night was a picture of the Lamb of God who would come -- Jesus.  Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 1:29).  Like the lamb who gave it's blood so the sons could live, Jesus is the perfect Lamb who died so that we might live.  It is the blood of the Lord Jesus that pays for our sins.  The Bible says in Hebrews 9:22 that "without shedding (giving) of blood is no remission (forgiveness)."  We could never be forgiven for all the wrongs things we do if blood wasn't shed.  Jesus was willing to die and give His blood for us.  The Bible says in I John 1:7, "The blood of Jesus Christ God's Son cleans us from all sin." 

 

Jesus, the Lamb of God, died to give His blood, was buried, and came back to life so that every person -- men, women, boys, and girls -- can be saved from their sin and have eternal life.  All that we need to do is accept God's gift and ask Jesus to be our Savior.  Have you done that?  Have you asked Jesus to forgive your sin and be your Savior?  If not, why not do that today. 

 

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