When the Judge Comes - Exodus 12:21-42

Cody Hale

The Big Story • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

Exodus 12:21–42

Passover

Plagues in Egypt

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Notes

Transcript

Introduction

It’s always struck me how the best day of one person’s life is happening on the worst day of someone else’s. While some are waiting in line for Space Mountain at Disney world others are waiting on the surgeon to tell them that dad was lost during the operation. Some are in their car on the way to the hospital to meet their new daughter while others are following behind a hearse with a child-sized casket. For one bride, it’s her wedding day and for another it’s the day she learns of the affair. These are the groans of this world that has been subjected to futility since Adam rejected God’s design.

And, they set the stage for what we should expect from the Great Judgement. In Matthew 25, Jesus says that upon his return the nations will be gathered before him, and from the nations, He will divide those who are sheep from those who are goats, those who are his children from those who are his enemies. For those who are found to be his true children, it will be the greatest moment of their existence. It will be a joyful doorway into an existence of perpetual rest and celebration. There will be shouting and cheering and singing and laughing. But, for those who are found to be goats, for those are found to be living unready for the return of our Savior, it will be their very worst day. It will be a doorway of equal consequence and equal perpetuity, but it will be as bad as the other is good. And, there will be wailing and screeching and anguish. And, it’s like the scene that we find unfolding more than 3000 years ago in Exodus 12.

God’s Word

Read Exodus 12:21-42

When the Judge Comes (Headline):

At the moment of every judgement, there are some that find the judgement wonderful and others that find it terrible. That’s certainly the case when it comes to final plague of Egypt. For Israel, it was wonderful, something they would memorialize and celebrate forever. For Egypt, it was terrible, a day in which the sorrow and grief would never be matched. But, what’s interesting is that there’s a real sense in which both Israel and Egypt stand accused of the very same atrocity, an atrocity of which both of them are guilty. Yet, when the judge comes, Israel has its best day and Egypt has its worst. So, that’s what I want to look at this morning as we look at the Big Story. What makes the difference between the redeemed and the condemned when the Judge comes (headline):

The “redeemed” will be found “ready”.

v. 28 “Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.” First, look at Israel, and in Israel, we see that when the judge comes, the “redeemed” will be found “ready”. God gives Moses and Israel very specific instructions as to how they are to prepare for the final plague. God is going to pass over every house in all of Egypt because of Pharaoh’s wickedness, and every firstborn child, whether they are rich or poor, ruler or slave, human or livestock, will die. It’s a tremendous and terrifying judgement, but God offers mercy in the midst of judgement. If you actually believe that God’s way is your only hope to be saved from the judgement, then you will sacrifice the animal and not break a bone and paint the door posts of your house with blood. So, there’s a question that’s facing Israel here. It’s the same question that was facing Noah would commanded him to build the ark months before it ever looked like rain. It’s the same question that’s facing us when God has commanded us to live ready for the return of Jesus when we’ve become so numb to the whole conversation. How will they live in light of what God has said? Will they continue on with business as usual trying to make their lives on earth as comfortable and enjoyable as they can be, or will they obey the words of God and ready themselves for when the Judge comes? Do they believe what God has said or not? That’s the question. And, their answer (and our answer) will be apparent by how they (we) respond to the instructions that God has given.

A Drink or Meal of Faith

You see, this is how Jesus can say in Matthew 25 that those who will be separated as the sheep of the Kingdom are those who are found loving the hungry and the thirsty and the sick and the imprisoned without in the slightest meaning that you are saved by your works and good deeds. Salvation comes by faith in God to provide a way. That’s how you’re saved from the plague of the firstborn and that’s how you’re saved from the plague of mankind — death. Faith in God’s way “activates” obedience to God’s word. So, you’re saved by grace (God’s provision of a way) through faith (you’re belief that God’s way and God’s way alone saves), and that faith is then proven, showing you actually believe what you say you believe, by your obedience to God’s word.

Not Someday, Today

v. 11 “In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover.” And, I use the word ready because this isn’t a future, hopefully, maybe-someday-I’ll-around-to-it type of obedience. This isn’t a “When I graduate” or “When I get married” or “when I’m financially established” type of obedience. This is a radically urgent, right now obedience. That’s why I say that the redeemed will be found ‘ready’. Readiness requires vigilance, doesn’t it? It is to have a type of faith that makes indifference and laziness impossible. Look at verse 11. They’re supposed to sacrifice a lamb, and they’re to consume the whole lamb within each household. But, they’re supposed to eat it in a particular way: with their belt fastened, their shoes on, their staff in their hands. This is like the Hebrew Sonic. They’re to be ready to run, ready to go, at a moment’s notice. If you believe that God is holy and that God has spoken and that you’ll be held accountable for your response, if you really believe that, you don’t just get around to obedience. You are vigilant; you are ready; you are urgent in your obedience. That’s why Jesus says, “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” Delaying obedience “proves” that God isn’t your top “priority”. It’s proof that there’s something or someone you enjoy more and want more and trust more. It’s proof that you don’t actually believe that God is holy and that God has spoken. That’s why obedience after high school or college or marriage or retirement just won’t do. Planning obedience for ‘one day’ assumes disobedience today. Do you not believe that you should be ready for when the Judge comes? Do you not believe him?

Judgement Already Fallen

v. 23 “For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.” No, the redeemed will be found ready. That is, they’ll be found beneath the blood. God’s instruction called for Israel to take hyssop, which was like a natural sponge, and soak with the blood of the sacrificed lamb to paint the doorposts of the house. And, wherever God saw the blood, the firstborn would be spared. The point of the blood on the door frame was not so that God could see; it was so that Israel could see. They were accused and guilty of the very same atrocity that Egypt was accused and guilty of — forsaking God to live their own way. Blood was required for their sin, too. But, if they would trust God’s way and obey God’s word, it wouldn’t be at the cost of their blood. It would be the blood of another. That’s why they would be called the redeemed. Their ransom would be paid by God to God in the form of the blood of his own Firstborn Son, demonstrated by the blood of a lamb. The redeemed are ready because God “makes” them ready. “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Cor 5:7) God has painted the doors of our house with the blood of Jesus’ cross, and it’s declaring the very same thing today that it was declaring in Egypt so long ago: The judgement of God has already fallen in my case. But, it didn’t fall upon me; it fell upon the Lamb. The judgement has already passed for us. That’s the freedom we live in y’all. Our “judgement” has fallen upon the “Passover” Lamb. So, we’ve been made ready. We’re just waiting to sing our song: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.”

The “hardened” will be left “wailing”.

v. 30b “And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead.” But, there’s another side to this story. For the redeemed, it is the moment they have been waiting on, but, for everyone else, it’s the moment they assumed would never come. And, that’s why verses 29-30 exist. They exist because Pharaoh’s heart was so hardened that He assumed the Judge would never come. So, when the Judge comes, the “hardened” will be left “wailing.” It’s really a remarkable picture. Pharaoh had seen the exact same signs that Israel had seen, meaning he had the exact same reasons to repent and believe. But, he refused to see. God had given Moses a very specific message for Pharaoh in chapter four. Israel was his firstborn son. They were his family, his people, his possession. If Pharaoh refused to let them go, then God would bring justice by taking from Pharaoh his firstborn son as Pharaoh sought to take his. So, what we’re reading here is not the irrational response of a god whose flown off the handle. This is justice being served, God upholding his word.

Pharaoh’s Assumption, Postmodernity’s Assumption

But, Pharaoh’s assumption was that God’s word would fail, that he was the ruler of himself and his household. Pharaoh’s assumption is the very same assumption of our culture. Do you know who is evangelizing our children? It’s not the Mormons or the Muslims. It’s the ‘nones’. The percentage of our population that labels themselves as religious ‘nones’ has almost doubled over the last twenty years so that now it’s 25 percent of our population. And, their assumption is Pharaoh’s assumption. Despite what they see, despite what God has said, despite the eternity written on their hearts, despite Jesus raising from the dead, they have refused to see, refused to listen, assuming that the Judge will never come, assuming God’s word will fail.

Riots in the Streets

So, you can imagine the anguish of Pharaoh as he’s awakened in the middle of the night to realize that his demi-god, child successor, his very on oldest son, had died despite his warning. In fact, every house across Egypt had someone die as a result of the judgement. The Destroyer, the Judge had went from house-to-house searching out those who had faith to obey to paint the blood and those who refused to believe, refused to obey. And, in our days of riots and uncontrolled pandemonium, you can imagine the scene as mother after mother discovered the death of their children. Like the scream of agony of a man set on fire, all of Egypt wailed together.

When Judgement Comes

Judgement comes when we have a “high view” of ourselves and a “low view” of sin. It’s for one, the other, or both reasons that we harden our hearts to God. We either believe that we know better, or we believe that our sin isn’t that bad. But, as Pharaoh held his dead son in his arms, his was not confused on either account. I’ve thought a lot about what it would mean that Gracie Kate, my firstborn, would die because I refused to believe, refused to take God seriously. This boy was not the one who had hardened his heart to God; yet, he would die because his father had not believed. How many of our children will inherit death because of our hardened hearts? How many times have they heard us justify our sins or live as though we aren’t accountable to God only to grow up and do the same?

A Personal Judgement

Judgement is “personally” given. It’s remarkable how personal this judgement was painted by God. Unlike the other plagues, He doesn’t send hail or frogs or locusts; He goes himself house-by-house searching those who are covered by the blood, by his provision and those who refused to believe. Jesus says that like a thief in the night, He will come to judge the world. The nations will be gathered before him, and He will judge them personally as sheep or goats, his children or his enemies. And, on that night, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, just as Pharaoh asks Moses for a blessing, but for those who weren’t ready, for those whose hearts were hardened, it will be a night of wailing.

The “fulfillment” will be forever “celebrated.”

v. 38 “A mixed multitude also went up with them” But, it wasn’t just a night of wailing; it was, at the very same time, a night of singing. On the other side of the hospital a baby was born, a nation began, a promise was kept. God had promised that they would be delivered from Egypt, and they were leaving wealthy with the plunder of the Egyptians. God had promised that they would become a nation, more numerous than the stars. They were leaving with over a million people, now as an independent nation. And, God had promised them that they would be a nation that He would use to bless all nations. So, notice verse 38 for something you may have never noticed before. “A mixed multitude also went up with them.” God didn’t condemn every Egyptian, you see. Through Israel, He saved a remnant, even from his most sworn enemy. And now, they were blessed by the fulfillment of his promise to his people. They shared the redemption song.

You see, when the Judge comes, the “fulfillment” will be forever “celebrated.” This became the Passover in which they would reenact their salvation and liberation. But, it represented something bigger. This wasn’t just a past liberation and exodus, but it was also the promise of a future one. The Passover would give way to the Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s supper will, one day, give way to the Wedding Supper. When the Judge comes, his fulfillment will commence the feast, the celebration that never ends.

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