Key Verses: Exodus 11:1, 11:5, 11:7
The LORD announces to Moses that one final plague remains, after which Pharaoh will not merely let Israel go but drive them out completely. Moses instructs the people to ask their Egyptian neighbors for silver and gold jewelry, and the LORD gives Israel favor in the sight of the Egyptians; Moses himself is now held in great esteem throughout the land. Moses then delivers the dreadful word to Pharaoh: at midnight the LORD will go throughout Egypt, and every firstborn will die, from Pharaoh’s own heir seated on his throne to the firstborn of the slave girl behind the mill, and even the firstborn of the livestock. A great cry will rise throughout Egypt, unlike any before or after. Yet against all the people of Israel not even a dog shall growl, so that Pharaoh may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. Moses, hot with anger, leaves Pharaoh’s presence, for Pharaoh’s heart is hardened and he will not listen.
This chapter reveals God as the sovereign Judge who distinguishes between those who are His and those who are not. The judgment falls precisely and universally, exposing the emptiness of Egypt’s gods and of Pharaoh’s claim to be divine; the death of the firstborn strikes at the heart of the nation’s future and pride. The “distinction” the LORD makes prefigures the great separation of the final judgment, when the Lord will divide the sheep from the goats. That God’s people are spared not by their own merit but by His electing grace anticipates the gospel truth that we too await deliverance from wrath, secured for us in Christ. The plundering of Egypt also fulfills God’s ancient promise to Abraham that his descendants would come out with great possessions, showing that the LORD keeps every word He speaks.
Key Terms & Words:
- בְּכוֹר (bekhor) - Exodus 11:5 - “Firstborn”; the firstborn represents strength and future, and its judgment points to the priceless firstborn Son who would be given for us
- פָלָה (palah) - Exodus 11:7 - “To make a distinction/set apart”; God’s sovereign separation of His people from the world
Cross-References:
- Genesis 15:14 - God’s promise that Israel would leave Egypt with great possessions
- Exodus 4:22-23 - Israel as God’s firstborn son, and the warning of judgment on Egypt’s firstborn
- Hebrews 11:28 - By faith Moses kept the Passover so the Destroyer would not touch Israel’s firstborn
- Colossians 1:15 - Christ the firstborn over all creation, given in our place
Discussion Questions:
- Why does God target the firstborn specifically, and what does this reveal about the seriousness of Pharaoh’s rebellion?
- How does God’s “distinction” between Israel and Egypt encourage you about His care for His people today?
- How does the sparing of Israel’s firstborn point forward to the salvation we have in Christ?