The tenth and final plague took place at midnight, when all of Egypt was lying in deep sleep. It was there to startle the king and his people out of their slumber of sin.
At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon and all the firstborn of the livestock. (Exodus 12:29).
You may have heard politicians describe their rise as being “from the outhouse to the White House.” In this instance, the suffering reached everyone, from the lowest person in the dungeon all the way up to the highest, the Pharaoh himself.
Pharaoh finally reached the moment when he was willing to release the Hebrews.
Then he summoned Moses and Aaron in the night and said, “Rise up, go away from my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, serve the Lord, as you said.
Take your flocks and your herds, as you said, and be gone. And ask a blessing for me, too!” (Exodus 12:31-32).
I believe the major reason that God interacted with the Egyptians and Pharaoh as He did was primarily to demonstrate His presence, character, and nature. He highlighted His reality and the utter powerlessness of the idols they worshiped.
At this time, Pharaoh’s heart seems softened, and he appears to recognize God’s authority when he asks Moses to seek God’s blessing for him.
Bread of Affliction
The bread the Hebrews quickly carried with them when leaving Egypt is called the “bread of affliction” in Deuteronomy 16:3.
So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls wrapped up in their cloaks on their shoulders (Exodus 12:34).
Years later, in their annual festivals, this bread would be seen as the “bread of God’s blessing,” serving as a reminder for all ages of their freedom from slavery in Egypt.
When God met Moses at the burning bush, He told him that they would plunder the Egyptians.
I will bring this people into such favor with the Egyptians that, when you go, you will not go empty-handed;
Each woman shall ask her neighbor and any woman living in the neighbor’s house for jewelry of silver and of gold and clothing, and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters; so you shall plunder the Egyptians” (Exodus 3:21-22).
As the people left 400 years of slavery in Egypt, they experienced the fulfillment of God’s promise.
The Israelites had acted according to the word of Moses; they had asked the Egyptians for jewelry of silver and gold and for clothing,
And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And so they plundered the Egyptians (Exodus 12:35-36).
What took place is comparable to what we now call reparations.
While I cannot calculate the value of 400 years of slavery to the Hebrew people, their “plundering” of the Egyptians upon leaving allowed them to reap some of the benefits of the labor they had been forced to provide as slaves under Pharaoh.
Action in the Brickyard
I’ve previously mentioned a sermon by Walter Brueggemann titled “Action in the Brickyard.” In it, he discussed the oppression of the Hebrews and God’s deliverance.
One of his key points was God’s declaration to His people. It was as if God planted a sign, “Under New Management.”
As God moved the people from slavery in the brickyard under Pharaoh, He transitioned them to a new life. As His covenant people, they were “Under New Management,” God’s management.
When Jesus began His ministry in Galilee, He had a similar message. He proclaimed, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has arrived on earth; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15).
As citizens of God’s kingdom, we are under His management. We declare it to be so, when we pray:
May your kingdom come.
May your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 