When God says, “Enough!”
Exodus 11:1-10
- We’re continuing our study through the book of Exodus.
- As we do this study, we’re asking the question, “What does this passage tell me about honoring God?”
- Last week, we looked at the ninth plague, the plague of darkness.
- We saw that darkness is overwhelming, it got Pharaoh’s attention, and it blinded Pharaoh’s mind.
- We compared this plague with the darkness of sin and saw that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Light of the World, and He has the power to deliver us from darkness, if we turn to Him.
- After He delivers us, we become part of His family, and then, as we live our lives on this earth, we shine His light for all the world to see.
- Today, we’re going to look at the final plague, the Death of the Firstborn, and I want us to see what it looks like when God says, “Enough!”
- When I was in the Army, one of the things we did at Basic training as part of our hand-to-hand combat training was to fight one another with these huge pugil sticks.
- We’d put on these helmets that looked like football helmets, and we’d wear our armor and then, we’d just go full force at one another, shoving and pounding our opponent with all our strength.
- The rest of the troops would form a circle around us and cheer us on as they watched us beat the living daylights out of one another.
- I think the Drill Sergeants enjoyed watching it!
- I remember fighting hard against my opponent, but the other guy was too strong for me, and no matter how hard I pushed and smashed him with the pugil stick, he still had the upper hand.
- Obviously, the Drill Sergeants didn’t have us fighting like that, just for the fun of it…
- There was a purpose to the training…
- We were learning how to fight fiercely and effectively so that when we deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, we’d be ready to fight up close and personal if the situation called for it.
- Anyways, it seemed like these matches would last forever, but at some point, the Drill Sergeant would shout, “Enough!” and end the match, declaring one of us the winner.
- Obviously, the Drill Sergeants knew that a person can only take so much of a beating before it’s too much for them, so they knew when to end the match.
- It’s like that with God, as well.
- When He sends judgment on a wicked person or nation, He knows when they’ve had enough, so He knows when to end the judgement.
- That’s what we find here with the final plague, the death of the firstborn.
- It’s the final plague because, compared with the other nine plagues, this one is the worst.
- Remember, God is full of mercy, and that’s evident as He gave the Egyptians 9 different chances to repent and let the Israelites go.
- They chose not to, so God said, “Enough”, and sent this final plague to end their stubbornness and rebellion.
- It’s important to note that I’m going to be skipping over the passage about Passover this week and will come back to it next week.
- The reason I’m doing that is because there are too many important details in that passage, that if I tried to combine it with the death of the firstborn, I wouldn’t be giving it enough attention.
- Instead of trying to rush through it, we’re going to take our time.
- I think it’s important as we look at the final plague, for us to focus on the ways God displays His mercy through this final plague, because a lot of people criticize God for doing this, and paint Him as a cruel, unloving, unjust God…
- But that couldn’t be further from the truth!
- I truly believe that even when God sends judgment on the wicked, that He’s doing so with mercy.
- As a matter of fact, in James 2:13, we’re told that mercy triumphs over judgment.
- So, let’s look this morning at three things that happen when God says “Enough.”
I.) He takes care of His people- Vs 1-3
- One of my favorite characters in the Bible is Joseph.
- His story is found in the book of Genesis.
- One of the interesting things that stands out to me is that it seemed like everywhere he went, Joseph found favor in the sight of those around him, even when he was a lowly slave.
- When his brothers first sell him into slavery, he is bought by Potiphar, who was captain of Pharaoh’s guard.
- Scripture tells us that he found favor in his sight, so he made him overseer of his house, meaning he oversaw everything, including finances.
- Then, Potiphar’s wife took notice of him and tried to seduce him to lay with her.
- Instead, Joseph fled, not wanting to sin against God or Potiphar.
- Since she didn’t get her way with him, she lied to her husband, accusing Joseph of rape, so Joseph was thrown into prison.
- Normally, prisoners, especially those accused of rape, are not treated kindly by those around them in jail.
- However, we’re told that God gave Joseph favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison, so he put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners.
- Later, after God provides the opportunity for Joseph to stand before Pharaoh, we’re told that God granted him favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so he became 2nd in command over all of Egypt!
- As you can see, God takes care of His people, and can even cause our enemies to look on us with favor.
- That’s what we find happening here in the first 3 verses of Exodus 11.
- God is making it clear to Moses that He is about to say, “Enough”, and is going to send this last plague on Egypt…
- However, instead of the people of Egypt rising up and attacking the Israelites in anger, trying to get revenge for all the plagues they’ve endured, God tells Moses that He will give His people favor in the sight of the Egyptians.
- Remember, the Egyptians viewed the Israelites as lowly slaves and treated them that way.
- So, it would be no small thing for the Egyptians to shift from that attitude to a more favorable attitude toward the Israelites.
- It shows you that God’s hand was at work, taking care of His people, and ensuring that they were not sent away from Egypt empty-handed.
- Think of all those years they spent in slavery, being taken advantage of, being whipped, being worked to death, and not receiving wages for all their hard work…
- God had not forgotten all those years of cruelty, so He ensured that they received more than enough riches to make up for it.
- And as we’ll see later, they used a good portion of these riches in the service of God as they built the Tabernacle and the things they needed for worshipping Him.
- Along with God granting the Israelites favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, He also ensured that the people of Egypt viewed Moses as a great man.
- That shows you that Moses was not the bad man here, and God was showing His mercy to the Egyptians through His servant, Moses.
- Think about it…
- Moses had warned the Egyptians about most of the plagues before God sent them, by announcing them in advance.
- On top of that, God used Moses as His spokesman…
- Remember, the Egyptians were very superstitious, so for them to view Moses as God’s spokesperson was to view him as a person with a position of power and honor.
- I’d even go so far as to say that they recognized he had more power and deserved more honor than Pharaoh, because Pharaoh couldn’t stop any of these plagues, but Moses, through the power of God, could stop them.
- Also, the Egyptians could see that God was with His people when He protected them from the plagues He was sending on Egypt.
- It happened several times so the Egyptians and the Israelites could see that God was taking care of them.
- God takes care of His people.
- The same thing can be said about Him today.
- He takes care of us and gives us favor, even in the eyes of our enemies.
- We’re told in Proverbs 16:7, “When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
- I hope you’ve been able to see that truth firsthand in your life.
- I’m reminded of when Sherri and I first got married.
- At the time, I became step-father to Alan, Alex, and Shaelyn, but I considered them more than step-children, I considered them mine.
- Sadly, their biological father had abandoned them, and wanted nothing to do with them…
- Then, after Sherri and I got married, all of a sudden, he started calling and wanting to talk to the kids and see them.
- He wasn’t consistent, and he didn’t make a huge effort to see them, but I remember every time I saw his number on the phone, my heart would sink.
- I didn’t consider him an enemy, but he was the closest thing to an enemy in my life at the time.
- I remember Sherri and I asking him if I could adopt them, and he said no, and he never would allow it.
- So, she and I committed the matter to prayer.
- After about a year, he called us and asked if I still wanted to adopt the kids.
- Of course, we said yes, so we excitedly began the process.
- One of the things I remember, though, is what he used to tell people about me…
- He used to say, “Bobby is a good man, and he’s the best thing that’s happened to my kids.”
- Think about how shocked I was to hear that!
- He and I weren’t friends, we weren’t family, and we weren’t close, yet God gave me favor in his eyes.
- Brothers and sisters, God takes care of His people.
- Before we move on to the next point, I want to give you another Biblical example of God giving favor to one of his followers in the eyes of his enemy.
- Daniel was taken captive by the Babylonian empire, and was supposed to eat the royal food.
- However, since he was Jewish, if he ate that food, he would have been breaking God’s dietary laws.
- So, he told the chief official of the King that he couldn’t eat the meat, and explained why.
- We’re told that God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief official, so he was allowed to eat a vegetarian diet instead.
- As you can see, time after time again, God shows us that He takes care of His people, even in the worst of situations.
II.) He warns His enemies- Vs 4-10
- During World War 2, American planes bombed Germany military targets over and over again.
- However, we warned the Germans with millions of leaflets printed in the German language, dropped from planes all over Germany so they’d know we weren’t playing games…
- If they didn’t surrender, they were going to face the consequences.
- Both America and the British Royal Air Force worked together on the raids, but the British only did their bomb raids at night, so the Americans were responsible for daytime bombing, which was more dangerous.
- Leaflet USG9 illustrates this day/night bombing campaign with B52 bombers on the cover, half of them flying in the daylight, and the other half flying at night.
- The text of the leaflet says, “Day and night with united aircraft.”
- The back of the leaflet says, “Adolf Hitler declared war on the United States on 11 December 1941. The American bombers give their answer. Attack! Bombing with the RAF all day and night, at the most valuable military targets in all of the Reich.”
- At the bottom of the leaflet, in small print, it says, “This leaflet was dropped by an American bomber.”
- Obviously, the purpose of these leaflets was not for the Americans and British to have the element of surprise…
- Rather, they were dropped in order to warn the Germans that they were in for a major beating if they didn’t surrender.
- It didn’t matter whether it was day or night, our bombers would be coming, and they would be bringing swift destruction with them.
- Really, it was an act of mercy, providing warning so that those who wanted to escape would have a chance to before the bombs fell.
- The practice of warning the enemy is not new…
- God has been warning His enemies ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God and brought sin into the world…
- Remember, just before Cain killed Abel, God warned Cain that sin is crouching at the door and its desire was to rule over him.
- Cain didn’t heed God’s warning, and he faced the consequences for the rest of his life as he became a wanderer, cursed by God.
- God warns His enemies because He is full of mercy.
- That’s what we find here in vs 4-10 as God clearly tells Pharaoh and his people, through Moses, exactly what is about to happen.
- With this warning, God gives specific details of what is going to happen.
- “I’ll go out in the midst of Egypt, all the firstborn in the land shall die, including the firstborn of royalty and the lowest servants. On top of that, the firstborn of all the animals will die as well.”
- So God told them exactly what He was going to do.
- Not only does He warn them, but He also gives them plenty of notice.
- God tells them it will happen at Midnight, but He doesn’t say which day.
- We can’t say for sure on which day it happened, but it probably was at least a few days because the Israelites needed time to prepare for the Passover meal.
- God gives the instructions in the next chapter, and that’s after this warning, so I think it’s safe to say there were at least a few days.
- Think about that…God in His mercy warned the Egyptians and He gave them a little extra time to repent before sending this plague.
- Not only that, but if we go back further, to Genesis 15, we see that God told Abram, “Your descendants will be afflicted for 400 years, but I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.”
- So, long before this day came, God said He would judge the nation that was going to enslave and oppress His people.
- It’s not like God just suddenly decided to kill Egypt’s firstborn children in an act of rage…
- No, this was not an unannounced judgment that just happened without warning…
- Over 400 years before, God sent a warning, and the Egyptians either didn’t believe it or chose to ignore it.
- So, when God sent this final plague, it was a fulfillment of what He already said He would do, and it was only after Pharaoh and the Egyptians had stubbornly resisted God…
- Basically, they were shaking their fists at God by failing to repent after nine plagues.
- What about today?
- Does God continue to warn His enemies?
- Yes, and He even tells us in Scripture that He is “…longsuffering to us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
- This is evident all throughout the Bible as God sent His servants throughout the world to point people to Him.
- For example, in the Old Testament, God sent the Prophet Jonah to Nineveh, a Gentile, non-Jewish city full of wicked men and women.
- Though Jonah didn’t want to go at first, and even attempted to run away, he eventually went to them reluctantly, thinking there was no hope for them.
- Yet in Jonah 3, we’re told that after Jonah declared, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown”, the Ninevites believed God.
- In response, they proclaimed a fast, put on sackcloth, urgently called on God, and gave up their evil ways and their violence.
- Because they listened to God’s warning and repented, God spared their city and they became His followers.
- In the New Testament, we see the same thing happen several times.
- One such occasion was when God sent the Apostle Paul to the city of Athens, a city that was full of idols.
- Scripture says the Apostle Paul was greatly distressed at seeing so many idols, because he understood that it was all man-made dead religion.
- So he stood before the philosophers and other leaders of the city, and preached Jesus to them, telling them all about how He died for the sins of the world, taking our penalty on Himself, but then on the 3rd day was resurrected, and through Him, there is hope and salvation to all who believe.
- Included in this message of hope, though, was a warning.
- Paul tells them, “God has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man Christ Jesus whom He has appointed. He’s given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead!”
- God was warning the Athenians, through the Apostle Paul, that they would stand before Him on Judgment Day, and if they rejected Him and His offer of salvation, they would face eternal punishment.
- God continues to warn the world and His enemies of the coming judgment if they choose not to believe in Him, rejecting Him and His offer of salvation, refusing to let Him be Lord of their lives.
- In John 12:48, Jesus says, “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.”
- He also says in John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
- He warns the world because, as we said earlier, He’s longsuffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
- Those of us who are followers of Christ are ambassadors for Him to a hurting world, and as ambassadors, it’s our responsibility to warn people of the consequences for living and dying without Christ.
- 2 Timothy 4:1-2 says, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”
- That’s not just for pastors, that’s for all believers…speak the Truth in season and out of season, always being ready to give an answer for the hope that is in you!
- In the book of Ezekiel, we see how important it is for us to take seriously this matter of warning the world what will happen if they don’t turn to Christ.
- “If God says to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your life.”
- Obviously, a person has until the day they die to heed God’s warning and turn to Him for salvation.
- For some, that’s longer than others, but the fact is that everyone is given a certain amount of days on this earth to turn to Jesus.
- However, when they take their last breath, it’s too late…
- On that day, God will say, “Enough!” and they will be held accountable for their rejection of Him.
- Brothers and sisters, take your role as a Christian seriously!
- Don’t be afraid to warn folks of the coming judgment.
- At this point in the sermon, before I close, I have a confession to make.
- I had planned to skip to chapter 12 vs 29 & 30 and as part of my last point, look at the death of the firstborn being carried out.
- However, I believe God wants me to wait, and include that in next week’s sermon about the Passover.
- I think He wants me to wait because at this point, it wasn’t too late for the people of Egypt.
- Pharaoh and his people had a choice to make, and God was giving them just a little more time….
- They could repent and let God’s people go, in which case, God would have spared their firstborn sons.
- Unfortunately, Pharaoh continues to be stubborn, and we can see that’s evident to Moses because after he delivers this warning, he storms out of Pharaoh’s palace in great anger.
- Think about how frustrating that would be…
- Nine plagues have come and gone, just as Moses told Pharaoh they would, because God said they would.
- The last plague is going to break the hearts of tens of thousands of Egyptians, as every home will be affected with the death of their firstborn son and animals…
- Yet Pharaoh still refuses to let the Israelites go.
- I think Moses anger was a righteous anger, because he knew that Pharaoh’s stubbornness was going to bring even more death and devastation to Egypt.
- But Moses couldn’t twist Pharaoh’s arm…Pharaoh hardened his own heart through his own stubbornness and pride.
- It’s the same for you and I as Christians…
- We can’t twist anyone’s arm and make them believe in Jesus and turn to Him.
- As much as we’d like to make that decision for others, we can’t…it’s up to them.
- However, we can warn them, and tell them of the hope found only in Jesus.
- It’s a good thing there’s hope in Jesus because every person born into this world is born with sin.
- Sin is a horrible thing that causes us to think bad thoughts, do bad things, say mean words…everything bad in our world is bad because of sin.
- We’re told in the Bible that God is holy and perfect and just, so He can’t let sin go unpunished, and the punishment for sin is death.
- We’re told that our sins have separated us from God, and sin has hidden God’s face from us…
- We can’t save ourselves, even if we do a whole lot of good works…we are still sinners.
- Yet God loved us so much that He was willing to come to earth as a human being, Jesus Christ, and live a perfect, sinless life.
- He’s the only One who has ever done that…it’s not possible for anyone else to live sinless, because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
- Since Jesus lived a perfect life, He was able to offer Himself as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.
- That’s why He died on the cross, to pay the penalty for all of our sin.
- It was a painful death, and He knew it would be, yet He still did it because of how much He loves the world.
- Thankfully, He didn’t stay dead…after 3 days, He rose from the dead, showing the world that He truly was God and His sacrifice was not in vain…
- He defeated death, He defeated sin, and now, whoever believes in Him will not perish through an eternity in hell but will have everlasting life with Him in Heaven.
- Think about what you’d do if you were driving along, and up ahead, you saw a huge Moose getting ready to cross the road.
- You make it past before he crosses, but as you move forward, you see a car coming the other direction.
- That car doesn’t know that there’s a moose up ahead.
- You can keep driving and hope that they see the moose themselves and avoid a collision…
- Or, you could do the right thing, and flash your headlights, turn your hazards on, beep your horn…whatever you can do to get the other driver’s attention, so they know to slow down.
- Obviously, once they see the moose, they’ll understand why you were trying to get their attention, and they’ll be grateful.
- You and I need to have the same attitude about those without Christ…
- Someone needs to warn them, someone needs to point them to Jesus.
- And none of us knows how long a person has on this earth…
- It might be too late tomorrow, so tell them today.
- If you’re here today, or watching on the tv, and you’re ready to follow God’s plan of salvation, place your faith in Jesus as your Savior today.
- Change your mind from embracing sin and rejecting God to rejecting sin and embracing God through Jesus Christ.
- Fully trust in the sacrifice of Jesus as the perfect and complete payment for your sins.
- If you do this, God’s Word promises that you will be saved, and you will spend eternity in heaven.
- There is no more important decision.
- Place your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior today!
