THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST: GENESIS AND EXODUS (20)

TENTH PLAGUE, PASSOVER, and EXODUS

Key Passage: Exodus 12:1-8, 37-51

CHAPTER 11		CHAPTER 12
Tenth Plague Announced	Passover Observed	Firstborn Destroyed	Exodus Begun
Packing	Up	Moving	Out

OVERVIEW In the end, it’s no contest. Death touches every Egyptian family as the final plague brings destruction to every firstborn child and beast. But the Israelite homes escape death because their households are protected by the blood of a sacrificial animal slain as a substitute for the firstborn Pharaoh, the stubborn monarch, finally commands the Hebrews to leave, and the long-awaited Exodus begins. Passover thereafter becomes an annual memorial of the salvation of God’s people from their Egyptian homes of bondage.

If everyone turned gossip into prayer, there would be no more reason for gossip.

OUR DAILY WALK “One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4).

If someone were to write an article titled "What to Do Between God’s Miracles," it might consist of a single word: Remember. The mighty supernatural acts of God on behalf of His people have been relatively few and far between. One of God’s purposes for such spectacular demonstrations has been to reveal His power quietly at work behind the scenes.

Because miracles like the 10 plagues occurred infrequently, God’s people were instructed to recall the past as a basis for faith in the present. And as an aid to feeble memories, God instituted memorials – such as the Passover – to be observed on a regular basis by His people throughout the generations.

What was a good idea then is a good idea now. Are there objects in your home that can remind you of God’s faithfulness in the past – a picture on the wall’ a cancelled check; a scrapbook? Are there certain dates you could designate "Memorial Anniversaries" to recall special provisions of God? Select your own memorial today and plan now to recall a mighty act of God in your life. Like Passover, make it a yearly habit to recall God’s goodness.

INSIGHT Israel’s Severance Pay for Forced Labor

In their eagerness to remove the Israelites (and the plagues) from their land, the Egyptians turned over vast quantities of gold, jewelry, and clothing-fair payment for 400 years of slave labor.