Exodus 12:14  says, And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.  God told Moses that the people of Israel were to keep this feast as a memorial forever.  We today really don't celebrate the Passover as they did, though we do usually make note of it, but we celebrate the Lord's Supper, when the power of death passed over us by the blood of Christ.  Verse fifteen states, Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.  The people were of Israel were to eat unleavened bread for a week and if they didn't, they were not to considered a part of the nation of Israel.  Today, there is no ritual that keeps us from being a part of God's kingdom, but there is a relationship that does.  We must accept Christ as our Savior and Lord in order to be a part of God's kingdom.  Verse sixteen adds, And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.  The first and last day of the feast were to be set aside for the worship of God, with only that work that was necessary being done.  Verse seventeen continues, And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.  This was to be done on the day that God brought them out of the land of Egypt.  Our day of deliverance is the day that we accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord, and we should thank Him every day.  Verse eighteen says, In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.  Then verse eighteen adds, Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.  This was a repeat of the instructions given earlier, with the dates added and the fact that it would apply to strangers as well.  Verse twenty concludes, Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.  This was to be an important event since God emphasized it so much.  The observance of the Lord's Supper is not emphasized as much, nor is there a time given when we are to observe it, but we are told that as often as we do, that we are to be sincere in our observance of it.  Verse twenty-one says, Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.  Moses called the elders and told them to kill a lamb according to their families and make ready for the Passover.  Verse twenty-two adds, And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. They were to put the blood of the lamb on their doors, and to stay in their houses.  We are saved by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, and should always remain under His blood.  Verse twenty-three continues, For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.  The blood was to be a sign that the people were to be spared, just as the blood of Christ is today.  The  people had a choice of whether to obey or not, just as people do today about believing in Christ.  Verse twenty-four proclaims, And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.  Moses told the people of Israel that this was to be celebrated forever, just as salvation through Christ should be celebrated forever.  Verse twenty-five adds, And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.  This observance was to go on in the land that God was going to give them.  Verse twenty-six adds, And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?  Moses told them that their children would ask them why they did this.  Verse twenty-seven continues, That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.  The people of Israel were to teach their children the meaning of the Passover, just as we must teach our children, the next generation, about the gospel of Christ.  Verse twenty-eight declares, And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.  The people did as Mises and Aaron instructed them to do.  For the gospel to have effect for someone today, that person must come to Christ as the gospel says. God did not force the people of Israel to put th blood over their doors, and He doesn't force people today to accept the gift of salvation.

Exodus 12:1 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,  Then verse two adds, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.  God told Moses and Aaron that the month that they left Egypt would be the beginning of a new year for the Israelites.  When we accept Christ as our Savior an Lord, it is a new start in life for us.  We may not literally start a new calendar, but we do have a new division in time, that being the time when we were doomed without hope and then when we claim everlasting life with Christ.  Verse three states, Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:  God begin to give Moses instructions for all the Israelites about what they were to do and how they were later to commemorate the day of deliverance.  Though we may not do anything special to commemorate the day we accept Christ, we should never forget it.  We do not celebrate it collectively because it is different for each individual.  Verse four adds, And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.  God told Moses that some households might be to small to sacrifice a lamb, but they were not exempt for the commemoration, but were to combine with another household for it.  We are never to small in our faith to celebrate our salvation, but fortunately we do not have to combine with others to do so, though it never hurts to do this  Verse five continues, Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:  The sacrifice was to be the best that the household had.  Once we come to God by faith in Christ, then we should sacrifice, or give, to Him the best of everything we have.  I believe that more accurately, we should give God everything we have, since it all belongs to Him anyway.  Verse six adds, And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.  They were to keep the lambs separated for four days, the assemble together for the sacrifice.  Verse seven goes on, And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.  They were to put the blood on the door post of the houses where they were to eat.  As followers of Christ, we are always living under the sacrifice of His shed blood.  Verse eight adds, And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.  They were to eat the meat with unleavened bread and bitter herbs that night.  This was to be a reminder of their deliverance from Egypt, just as the Lord's Supper is a reminder of our deliverance by Christ today.  Verse nine continues, Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.  They were to roast and eat all of the lamb.  Verse ten states, And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.  Nothing was to remain of the lamb until morning, but if it did, then it was to be burned.  Verse eleven continues, And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’s passover.  God told Moses to tell them to eat it ready to travel, because it was God's Passover, and in this first Passover observance, they were to leave Egypt.  When we celebrate the Lord's Supper, we should likewise be ready to go out into the world and witness to the lost people about what Christ has done for us.  Verse twelve continues, For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.  God said that He was going to pass through that night and execute His judgment on the Egyptians.  There is coming a day of judgment of everyone, and those who are not covered by the blood of Christ will suffer everlasting punishment.  Verse twelve concludes, And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.  The blood of the lamb on the doorpost then was to be a sign for God to Passover the house.  God did not just exempt all the Israelites, but required them to obey His instructions for deliverance.  God does not just save everyone today, but requires us to accept His gift of salvation through Christ.  Though salvation is a free gift from God, each individual must accept it in order to be cleansed by the blood of Christ.

Exodus 11:1 says, And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.  God tells Moses that He will bring one more plague on Egypt, after which Pharaoh would not only let the Israelites go, but he would thrust them out.  God's plans will never be defeated forever.  Verse two states, Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.  God had Moses to instruct the Israelites to all borrow as much as they could from their Egyptian neighbors.  God will always provide a way to meet our needs and often will bless us with even more.  Verse three declares, And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.  God made Moses favorable in the sight of the Egyptians.  After all the plagues Moses had been used by God to tell about and participate in causing, this had to be God's work.  We should never underestimate the power of God.  Verse four states, And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD,  About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:  God began to reveal His plan to Moses. Verse six adds, And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.  God said that all the first born of the Egyptians would die, from the first born of the Pharaoh to the first born of the lowest servant, as well as the first born of all their cattle.  We might think this harsh or maybe even unjust, but all the Egyptians had opposed letting the Israelites go, and not just Pharaoh.  We may not always understand the way that God works, but we can be certain that He will always be fair in His judgment.  Verse six adds, And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.  It is hard to imagine the way that the people of Egypt were going to feel.  The first born would not have been just babies, but people of all ages, and those left would know this.  Verse seven continues, But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.  God once again said He would make a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites, who would not be harmed, so that the world would know that He was God.  Though we may not see as much of a physical distinction in the amount of suffering today, God gives those who follow Him by faith in Christ a distinction from the rest of the world.  In order for someone to claim that distinction, he or she must first know that God is indeed the only God.  Verse eight concludes, And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.  After Moses delivered God's message, he went out from Pharaoh.  Once we have delivered God's message of salvation today, we can only go and leave it up to the person whether he or she will accept the message.  Verse nine declares, And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.  God told Moses that Pharaoh was not gong to listen so that God's wonders might be done in the land of Egypt.  I don't believe that God caused Pharaoh to not listen just so God could show off His power.  God shows us His wonders today, not with displays of power, but by faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, which is available to all who will believe.  Verse ten states, And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.  Just like Moses and Aaron, all we can do is present God's message to the world, and it is then up to them whether they accept it or harden their heart against God's word.

Exodus 10:21 says, And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.  God told Moses to stretch out his hand toward heaven, and that there would be a darkness that could be felt.  The Creator of light was going to remove the light for a time.  God really didn't need Moses in order to accomplish this, but He chose to work through Moses, and God doesn't really need us today to accomplish His will but He choses to work through us.  Verse twenty-two states, And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:  Once more Moses did what God told him to do, and God delivered on His promise.  It was dark for three days, just as there was a spiritual darkness for three days when Jesus was in the tomb.  Verse twenty-three adds, They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of  Israel had lights in their dwellings.  The darkness was just on the Egyptians and not the Israelites.  Today, those who are not followers of Christ live in spiritual darkness.  Verse twenty-four declares, And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you.  Pharaoh tried to compromise once more, saying all the people could go but not the herds.  People too often attempt to compromise with God, wanting to accept part of what God's word says, but not all.  Verse twenty-five proclaims, And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God.  Moses told Pharaoh that he must give the Israelites something to sacrifice to God.  All we can really sacrifice to God is our life.  Everything else is already His, but we can only become His by willingly sacrificing ourselves to Him.  Verse twenty-six adds, Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the LORD our God; and we know not with what we must serve the LORD, until we come thither.  Moses then said that all their cattle had to go as well.  We must bring everything to God if we are to truly worship Him.  Verse twenty-seven declares, But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.  Once more, Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he changed his mind.  Verse twenty-eight continues, And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die.  Pharaoh told Moses to leave and if he came again Pharaoh would kill him.  We may never face such a test of our faith, but if we do we must be ready to stand firm.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.  Moses told Pharaoh that he would see him no more.  If we give up on a person accepting Christ, we must make sure that God has told us to do so.

Exodus 10:12 says, And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.  God sent locusts to destroy the rest of the crops.  Just like the Egyptians and Pharaoh, we might not lose everything at once when we go against God's will, we will lose everything gained that way eventually.  Verse thirteen states, And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.  Once again, God waited until the next day to send the plague.   Pharaoh could have still changed his mind and have let the Israelites go.   We can be sure that God will always give everyone ample opportunity to respond to His gift of salvation.  Verse fourteen declares, And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such.  There was an unprecedented swarm of locusts.  There will come an unprecedented punishment for those who do not accept the free gift of salvation.  Verse fifteen adds, For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.   We would think that Pharaoh would have believed God by now, but he still didn't.  Some people today refuse to believe God, no matter how much evidence they are confronted with.  Verse sixteen declares, Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.  Pharaoh once again called Moses and Aaron and confessed his sin, but there was really no sincerity to his confession.  When in a bad situation today, many people will call on God and make any promise, but as soon as the problem goes away, they forget their promise.  Verse seventeen adds, Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only.  Pharaoh asked Moses and Aaron to forget His sin this one time and ask God for His forgiveness.  I believe the implication was that he wouldn't sin again.  Verse eighteen states, And he went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD.  Moses once again prayed to God for Pharaoh.  I am not sure that Moses believed Pharaoh, but I believe that his prayer was sincere.  We may not have a lot of confidence in a person's declaration of faith and their asking us to pray for their forgiveness, but we must be sincere when we pray if they ask us to.  Pharaoh's obedience was between him and God and was not up to Moses to judge.  Verse nineteen declares, And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt. God granted Moses' prayer for Pharaoh and got rid of all the locusts.  When we ask God for salvation through Jesus Christ, He gets rid of all our sins.  Verse twenty concludes, But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.  Pharaoh once again failed to live up to his promise to God, just as some people today refuse to live up to promises made to God simply to get out of a bad situation.

Exodus 10:1 says, And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him:  God told Moses to once again go to Pharaoh.  This time it says that God had hardened Pharaoh's heart, but I still believe that Pharaoh had a choice in whether to believe God or not.  Even though I know we are told that there will come a time when God will no longer offer His mercy to someone who continually rejects it, I don't believe that God ever causes anyone to eject His mercy.  Verse two adds, And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD,  God told Moses to tell Pharaoh that he would tell his children and grandchildren what things God had done in Egypt that they might know that He is the LORD.  God's work in the world should always be evident to those who will acknowledge it.  Verse three states, And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.  This is the question that everyone ultimately has to answer, and that is how long will he or she refuse to humble themselves before God.  Verse four adds, Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast:  Of course, with Pharaoh there was the requirement to let God's people go after Pharaoh humbled himself, and with us it is to let our sins go.  Verse five continues, And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field:  God once again gave Pharaoh time to obey.  This time, God said He was going to send locusts to eat up what was left of the crops of the Egyptians.  God gives everyone plenty of opportunities to come to Him for salvation.  Verse six concludes, And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh.  Moses told Pharaoh that this was to be a swarm of locusts like had never been seen before.  Then, Moses left.  Once we have delivered the gospel to someone, especially if they continually refuse to refuse to accept it, there may come a time when all we can do is leave.  Verse seven declares, And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?  Pharaoh's servants were even advising Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, but they could not make the decision for him.  Just like Pharaoh, each individual must decide whether to accept or reject God.  No one else can do it for them.  Verse eight states, And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the LORD your God: but who are they that shall go?  Moses and Aaron were brought back, told to go, but then were asked who would be going.  Pharaoh was still attempting to control the situation, just as many people attempt to put conditions on God's salvation today.  Verse nine declares,  And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD.  Moses said all the Israelites were going and they were taking their possessions with them.  When we come to Christ, we must bring everything that we have with us, though we cannot accept salvation for others.  Verse ten states, And he said unto them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you. Then verse eleven adds, Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.  Pharaoh said he would let the men go, but not the children. Once more he thought he was still in control and more powerful than God.  This is a dangerous place to be.  We cannot attempt to compromise with God.

Exodus 9:27 says, And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.  Pharaoh once more sent for Moses and Aaron.  This time Pharaoh acknowledged the truth, and that was that his people and he had sinned against God.  We need to remember that it was not just Pharaoh, but the people of Egypt as well who were afraid of the Israelites becoming too powerful.  Though the leaders of the world today may call for Christians to be persecuted, it is often just the people of the world themselves who persecute them without the government endorsing it.  Verse twenty-eight states, Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.  Pharaoh again asked for Moses and Aaron to speak to God on his behalf.  He said he had endured enough and he would let the Israelites go.  If we ask for God to help us, we need to be sincere in our promise to do what He wants us to do.  Verse twenty-nine declares, And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD’s.  What Moses told Pharaoh he would do to stop the storm should have proven beyond a doubt that God was the One causing the storms.  We do not have such a sign today, but God will still make Himself know to everyone in a way that cannot be denied other than by refusal to believe.  Verse thirty adds, But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.  Moses said he would do what Pharaoh asked, even though he knew that Pharaoh and the Egyptians still did not believe God.  Verse thirty-one says,  And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.  Then verse thirty-two adds, But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up.  Though the Egyptians had lost part of their crops, they had not lost everything.  Ultimately, sin will cost us everything that we gain by it, though we may not lose everything in this life.  Verse thirty-three states, And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. Moses did what he told Pharaoh he would do, and God did as Moses asked.  When we act on God's behalf, knowing we are following His will, then He will answer our prayers.  Verse thirty-four declares, And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.  Once God did what He said He would do, the Egyptians and Pharaoh once again hardened their hearts.  Verse thirty five concludes, And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.  Pharaoh again refused to let the children of Israel go.  We should never make a commitment to God when we need His help and then refuse to follow through once He has delivered us from the problem.