Download L isten Attentively to the Lesson

Life Lesson 12: Faith in God
March 20, 2011
Red Line Verse(s): “And when I see the blood, I will pass over you.”
Exodus 12:13b NASB
Red Line Statement: God brought plagues upon the enemies of His people in order to show
His power and set them free, and those who were covered by the blood of a lamb were
spared the plague of death.
Red Line Connection: Just as the blood of the lamb was the symbol of faith for the Hebrew
people, those who are covered today by the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, are
spared from death.
Background Passage(s): Exodus 5-11
Focal Passage(s): Exodus 12:1-14, 29-31
L
isten Attentively to the Lesson
1. Tell the story of Exodus 12:1-14, 29-31 in your own words.
Context: Upon receiving the call of God to go to Egypt, Moses left Midian and met his brother
Aaron in the wilderness (4:27). Aaron was God’s chosen vessel to serve as the mouthpiece
for Moses (4:14-16). The two brothers first met with the elders of the children of Israel in
Egypt, to proclaim God’s plan for deliverance. Moses performed the signs that God had
instructed him to do, and the people believed. Their response? They bowed low and
worshiped (4:31).
When God called Moses to lead His people out of Egyptian bondage, He told Moses that
Pharaoh would not relent, and He would strike Egypt with great wonders before Pharaoh
would finally let the children of Israel leave (Ex. 3:19-20). Pharaoh was indeed hard-hearted;
his response to Moses was, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I
do not know the LORD, and besides, I will not let Israel go” (5:2). Pharaoh increased the
burden of the children of Israel, requiring them not only to make their daily quota of bricks,
but to do so with the additional step of first gathering the straw for the bricks. This
unreasonable demand was not easily met, resulting in more trouble for God’s people. The
people’s faith waivered (5:6-21).
What happened next was a long, devastating series of plagues from God and foolish
unrepentance by Pharaoh. Nine plagues ensued: water to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, death of
livestock, boils, a catastrophic hail storm, locusts, and darkness. Pharaoh schemed and tried
to make compromises. Sometimes Pharaoh asked for relief, but at no time did Pharaoh
repent in truth before God (7:14-10:28). A tenth and final plague was coming, and Pharaoh
would know that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).
2. Ask the LifeGroup members to reconstruct the story of Exodus 12:1-14, 29-31 together,
including as many details as they can remember.
3. Read the passage aloud together from Scripture, confirming the facts of the story. Amend any
details suggested by LifeGroup members that did not accurately represent the Scripture.
I
nvestigate the Facts of the Lesson
Use these questions to guide LifeGroup members to investigate the facts of this passage.
1. What type of lamb was to be used for the Passover, and how was it to be prepared (vv.5-10)?
A young male goat or sheep, less than a year old, without blemish, was to be selected on
the tenth day (v.3) and killed at twilight on the fourteenth day. The lamb was to be eaten
that night, roasted with fire with its head and legs and entrails, not boiled, not eaten raw,
eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and anything remaining burned by morning.
2. How were the people physically to prepare themselves to eat the meal, and in what manner
was the meal to be eaten (v.11)?
The meal was to be eaten in haste, and the people dressed for travel. Though Pharaoh had
not yet given word for the people to depart Egypt, God wanted the children of Israel to
prepare as though they fully believed that their departure was imminent. The preparation
was a show of faith and expectation. Even the bread was to be unleavened—no time to wait
on bread to rise (v.39), and the lamb fully consumed—no time to handle leftovers.
3. What was the significance of the blood (v.7, 13)?
The blood was to be spread on the doorposts and mantel of the door where each family ate
their Passover meal. God promised that He would “pass over” the houses where the sign of
the blood was present.
4. The Hebrews were settled in the part of Egypt called Goshen (Gen. 47:6, 11). Compare the
sights and sounds of Goshen at twilight on the evening of the Passover to the sights and sounds
throughout Egypt just after midnight (vv.29-30).
Goshen would have been abuzz with people making preparations for travel, and twilight
would have brought the sights, smells, and sounds of scores of lambs being slaughtered
throughout the land. The Hebrews were carefully following God’s instructions with godly
fear and expectation. When the Egyptians realized their firstborn had died throughout the
land, imagine the bitter cries of sorrow and utter defeat that would have risen up from the
people. The plagues had left their land and livelihood in total ruination, and now every
family had been touched by death.
F
ind the purpose of the lesson
Use these questions to guide LifeGroup members to discover God’s purpose for the passage.
1. How does the first Passover point to salvation through Jesus Christ?
The life of Jesus as the ultimate Passover Lamb is the key to understanding how this
passage connects to the Thin Red Line. Possible answers:
The lamb was to be without blemish (v.5); Jesus was the sinless Son of God (1 Pet. 2:22).
The lamb’s blood was God’s required sign for the Hebrews to escape death (v.13); the
blood of Jesus is God’s requirement for mankind to be saved from death (1 Pet. 1:18-19).
It wasn’t enough that the lamb’s blood was shed—the Hebrews had to participate in
applying the blood (v.7); it isn’t enough that a person knows that Jesus died on the cross—
he must place his faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9-10).
Jesus was crucified at Passover time (John 18:28, 39; 19:14).
God established the Passover celebration as a time for the Hebrews to remember God’s
deliverance (12:14); Jesus established the Lord’s Supper for His followers to remember
His sacrifice on the cross (Matt. 26:26-28).
2. Read Exodus 4:22-23, then Galatians 6:7. How was Pharaoh reaping what he had sown? What
does this final plague tell us about God’s protective nature of His people?
Pharaoh was cruel to the children of Israel, whom God had called His “firstborn”, and now
the firstborn of Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and even their livestock were now dead. God is a
mighty protector of His people, and He will not allow His children to suffer forever.
3. Hebrews 10:31 teaches, It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Pharaoh had hardened his heart, and he wouldn’t yield to God’s authority. During the first nine
plagues, Pharaoh was only “sorry” enough to ask God for mercy, then hardened his heart again
as soon as God brought relief. Pharaoh tried to make compromises, offering to let the Hebrews
go to make sacrifices in the wilderness, but only under his stated conditions. What does this
story teach mankind about hardheartedness, empty remorse, and compromises with God?
Discuss the part of God’s nature that brings swift justice and holy wrath. Just as Pharaoh
should have yielded to God swiftly after realizing God’s authority from earlier plagues,
many people are wasting the many opportunities God is giving them to acknowledge His
authority and repent. Encourage your LifeGroup to walk carefully with the Lord and learn
from Pharaoh’s foolish choices.
E
xperience the Truth of the Lesson
Use these questions to guide LifeGroup members to allow God’s transformational truths to
reshape their hearts and minds.
1. If you are a Christian, God is going to “pass over” you on the day of judgment, and you will
be spared eternal death (hell), just as the Hebrews were spared the plague of death on that
first Passover night. Did the Hebrews deserve to be spared? Do you deserve to be spared?
The Hebrews were experiencing grace—unmerited favor—that God gave them because of
His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They hadn’t earned this blessing. We also
will be “passed over” because of God’s gift of grace, completely undeserved (Rom. 6:23).
2. How will this fresh look at God’s gift of grace make a difference in your life this week?
Encourage each person to share how this fresh look at grace will affect his or her
relationship with God and/or someone he or she will interact with this week.
3. Passover was to be eaten with bitter herbs, prompting remembrance of the hardships of
bondage. Why? Do you remember the bitterness of spiritual bondage, before Christ?
God wanted them to remember so they wouldn’t turn back. Christians also benefit from
remembering the hardships of being lost, strengthening their resolve to walk with Christ.
4. The Passover was designed by God to be a memorial for future generations. Read Genesis
12:25-27. How has God rescued you? Have you shared this testimony with others? Parents, have
you share your testimony with your children?
Allow sufficient time for people to testify of what God has done in their lives. Challenge
parents to share their testimonies with their children and grandchildren this week.
Remind LifeGroup members to continue to read through these passages
throughout the week, seeking to thoroughly understand God’s message through His
Word, and memorizing the Thin Red Line Verse and Statement.
This week’s devotionals will be based on:
Monday: John 1:29
Wednesday: 1 Peter 1:18-19
Friday: 1 Corinthians 5:7-8
Truth Points
Blemish (v.5)—any condition in the animal that rendered it unworthy to be chosen for
sacrifice. God named specific blemishes in Leviticus 22:17, 25, including an animal blind,
crippled, maimed, broken, scabbed, or having a skin condition.
Lintel (v.7)—the crossbeam over a doorway
Unleavened bread (v.8)—bread baked without the fermentation substance leaven
Gods of Egypt (v.12)—God not only was executing judgment upon Pharaoh, but He was also
judging Egypt’s gods with each plague. The Egyptians had a complex system of polytheism,
the worship of many gods, including the god/goddess of the Nile, gods identified with
livestock and other animals, a fertility goddess with the head of a frog, and sun gods.
When I survey the wondrous cross,
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
- Isaac Watts