The announcement of the death of the firstborn

Exodus 11:1-10; 4/5/2026; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang

Introduction

In the scene of Exodus, we see many dialogues between God and people.  The LORD God not only speaks with Moses, but also speaks to Pharaoh through Moses.  Because Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, Moses and Pharaoh said to each other, “We will not see each other again.”  With that, God set in motion the final act—the death of the firstborn.  Now, let’s look at the first point:

Preparation for departure

The ninth plague had already passed, and Egypt suffered tremendous loss.  Yet Pharaoh remained rebellious—he still refused, no matter what, to let God’s people leave Egypt.  So God instructed Moses: it was time to prepare for departure.  First, God would send one final plague.  The tenth plague would be the last one God brought upon Egypt.  The reason for it was clear—Pharaoh’s heart was still hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go.  So God announced what was about to happen.  God said, “I will bring one more plague upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. After that, he will let you go from this place. And when he does, he will drive you out completely.”  Once this plague comes, everything will change.  Pharaoh’s pride will be broken.  His hardened heart will no longer control him, and he will no longer be able to do whatever he pleases.  At that point, even if you didn’t want to leave Egypt, you wouldn’t have a choice—because Pharaoh himself would urge you, even force you, to go.

Next, to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.  Moses and the Israelites may have felt confused—what kind of plague was God about to send?  Not only would Pharaoh let them go, but he would actually drive them out.  Who could accomplish something so astonishing?  And not only that—Moses said that God instructed the people to “ask their neighbors for silver and gold.”  Of course, we now understand why:  it was for building the tabernacle in the wilderness—the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place, and all that it included.  But at the time, the Israelites might have wondered: Is God asking us to prepare for doing business after we leave?  Or maybe to have something on hand in case we run into danger along the way?  Whatever the case, they obeyed God’s command. They gathered a great amount of silver and gold, which would later be used for God’s purposes in the wilderness.

Finally, find favor in the eyes of the Egyptians.  This might be something people find hard to understand, right?  God declared that He would send a plague that would change Pharaoh’s decision and cause him to let the Israelites leave Egypt.  God had already instructed the people to ask the Egyptians for silver and gold—whatever the reason for that might be—but now He also said that the Israelites would “find favor in the eyes of the Egyptians.”  That sounds not only difficult, but almost unbelievable, doesn’t it?  But in fact, God was encouraging the Israelites to follow Moses’ example,  just as we are called to follow the Lord.  At that moment, “Moses was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.”  In other words, they were to have a good testimony before the Gentiles.  The Bible says, “Now Moses was very humble, more than all people on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3).  Now, let’s move on to the second point:

Announcement of the coming death

What exactly was this final plague?  The Israelites were confused, and Moses answered, “This is what the LORD says: About midnight I will go throughout Egypt.”  It was clear that something momentous was about to happen.  But what exactly would it be?  First, the firstborn of every household was to die.  Have you ever wondered why God would strike down Egypt’s firstborn?  Since the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt (2613–2494 BC),  Pharaohs were considered children of the sun god Ra.  After nine plagues, the gods of Egypt had already been shown powerless.  Now, the heir to the throne—the firstborn—was about to be struck down.  God’s purpose was clear: to overthrow the idols and false security of Egypt.  But His message went beyond Pharaoh.  God was asking the Egyptians:  What do you truly rely on?  Your firstborn by bloodline?  Or the spirits of false gods?  Could it be that you’ve been relying on the wrong things all along?  There is a path that seems right to humans, but it leads to death.

Second, an unprecedented wailing.  Since Jacob led the Israelites into Egypt, more than 400 years had passed.  During all those years, if there was any wailing in Egypt, it was the cries of God’s chosen people—the Israelites—suffering under oppression and forced labor. Their groaning reached God (Exodus 2:23).  Now, the ones crying out would be the Egyptians themselves.  How would you want others to treat you?  Shouldn’t we also treat others in the same way?  Of course, the theme of Exodus is God hearing the cries of His people—but now, it also becomes a symbol of hope.  God showed mercy to the Israelites who cried out, and He would also show mercy to the Egyptians who cried out to Him.  The condition, however, is faith—because without faith, one cannot please God.

Finally, only the chosen people were the exception.  Abraham was counted as righteous because of his faith.  From then on, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob became the shared faith of God’s chosen people.  Through Abraham, God brought a sense of belonging to His elect.  God used faith as the measure, setting apart His children as holy.  Moses said, “As for the Israelites, not even a dog will growl at them, whether man or beast, so that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites.”  The phrase “not even a dog will growl” is a common saying, meaning that when the Israelites were to leave Egypt, not even a dog would dare make a sound.  It wasn’t because of anything the Israelites had done—it was entirely by the grace of the Lord!  Now, let’s look at the third point:

Still hardened in heart

A hard heart is not a choice—it is human nature, the nature of rebellion.  In verses 4–8, what Moses says connects back to Exodus 10:29.  First, the reversal of the situation.  What do we mean by “situation”?  It’s the trend or direction in which events are moving—the shift in circumstances.  Up to this point, Moses had always been the one going to Pharaoh, pleading for the Israelites to leave Egypt.  But now Moses says, “All your officials will bow down to me, saying, ‘Please let you and your people go.’”  From now on, it will be Pharaoh and his officials who come to ask me—and they will bow down to do it.  It will be the Egyptians coming to beg us, the Israelites, to leave Egypt.  Moses is essentially saying that the course of events will far exceed Pharaoh’s imagination.  When the time comes, even Pharaoh, who holds all the power, will be the one pleading with Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt quickly.

Second, Moses’ righteous anger.  We know that Moses was an exceptionally humble man, slow to anger.  But now he faced someone completely untrustworthy—Pharaoh, who had broken his promises nine times and even threatened Moses.  Finally, God’s servant expressed righteous anger!  Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will see your face no more.”  In a way, this shows Pharaoh’s own folly.  When he provoked God’s servant to righteous anger, the path for communication with God was finally blocked.  Pharaoh thought Moses was easy to intimidate—he offended him, mocked him, even threatened him without consequence.  But now Moses’ anger had risen, and Pharaoh’s authority, weighed against Moses’ righteous indignation, began to vanish.  By the time the final act unfolded, Pharaoh no longer controlled what happened; it was beyond his power.

Finally, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.  This is a difficult question for many people—did God really force Pharaoh to harden his heart, compelling him again and again to oppose God?  Before the ten plagues, Moses had already warned that if Pharaoh refused to let the people go, there would be severe consequences.  And what did Pharaoh do?  The more Moses warned him, the more stubborn, rebellious, and even disrespectful he became—mocking God and humiliating His servant.  On the other hand, God continually gave Pharaoh opportunities to repent, because God does not take pleasure in the destruction of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11).  The key point is that God never forced Pharaoh to reject Him.  In the end, God simply allowed Pharaoh to continue in his pride and to taste the consequences of his own choices.

Conclusion

Praise the Lord!  God, through Moses, announced the tenth plague.  Moses said, “Every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die—from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the slave girl at the mill, and all the firstborn of the livestock.”  From the humblest servant at the mill to the most exalted son of Pharaoh,  including the firstborn animals—all would die.  God’s thunderous judgment would inevitably come!  To the enemies of Christ in the world, to tyrants and oppressors: how long will you go unchecked?  No one is forcing you to oppose God.  No one is compelling you to destroy churches, tear down crosses, or torture God’s children.  Even more striking—no one is putting pressure on you to willingly serve the antichrist’s regime, to make dumplings and offer flattery, all for the sake of securing a place on a church pulpit to deliver so-called sermons.  Alas! What a lamentable state!

 

Let us pray……

1 The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely.

2 Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.”

3 And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

4 So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt,

5 and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.

6 There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.

7 But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’

8 And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.

9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

10 Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.