How does Exodus 11:5 connect to the Passover and Christ's sacrificial death? Setting the Scene Exodus 11 sits on the brink of Israel’s dramatic deliverance. Nine devastating plagues have struck Egypt, yet Pharaoh’s heart remains hard. God now announces the climactic tenth plague: “Every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the slave girl behind the hand mill, as well as the firstborn of all the livestock.” (Exodus 11:5) Exodus 11:5—The Impending Judgment • Universal reach: royalty to servant, human to animal—no household escapes. • Divine justice: a righteous response to Pharaoh’s oppression of God’s “firstborn” Israel (Exodus 4:22-23). • Piercing warning: only those under God’s provision will survive the coming night. From Judgment to Mercy: The Birth of Passover • Immediately after 11:5, God prescribes the Passover (Exodus 12:1-13). • Key elements: – An unblemished lamb slain at twilight (12:5-6) – Blood applied to doorposts and lintel (12:7) – God says, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (12:13). • Result: the firstborn within blood-covered homes live; judgment “passes over” them. Foreshadowing Christ’s Sacrifice The New Testament repeatedly ties Passover to Jesus’ death: • John 1:29—John calls Him “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” • 1 Corinthians 5:7—“Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.” • 1 Peter 1:18-19—redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.” Points of Connection • Firstborn theme – Egypt’s firstborn die; Israel’s firstborn live through substitution. – Jesus, “the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15), dies so believers—God’s newly adopted children (John 1:12)—may live. • Substitutionary blood – Lamb’s blood on wood (doorposts). – Christ’s blood on wood (the cross); Hebrews 9:22 underscores, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” • Deliverance and new beginning – Passover night launches Israel’s exodus and new calendar (Exodus 12:2). – Christ’s cross inaugurates the new covenant, freeing believers from slavery to sin (Romans 6:6-7). • Perfect, unblemished sacrifice – Passover lamb had to be flawless (Exodus 12:5). – Jesus lived sinlessly (Hebrews 4:15), fulfilling the type in absolute perfection. Why Exodus 11:5 Matters for Believers Today • It spotlights God’s holy wrath against sin—real, inescapable, and just. • It highlights God’s gracious provision of a substitute, pointing ahead to the ultimate Lamb. • It calls every heart to take refuge under Christ’s blood, just as Israel trusted the lamb’s blood that first Passover night. Trusting the literal truth of Scripture, Exodus 11:5 is not an isolated ancient threat; it is a signpost to the cross, where judgment and mercy meet, and where the Firstborn sheds His blood so that every believer may be eternally passed over and set free. |
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