• : Exodus Chapters
• 9, 10, 11, 12
• Plagues 5 through 9
• The 10th Plague- Firstborns
• The Passover
• Key Verses and Themes
• Chapter 9
• God using the evil to show his power:

Exod. 9:16-17

What does God do with Pharaoh's refusal to repent? See the discussion questions!

• Moses’s speech impediment:
• Exod. 9:20-21

Those who heeded and feared God were spared the plague’s harm.

• Chapter 10
• 1 person can make many suffer:

Exod. 10:7

Pharoah’s evil and stubbornness as leader caused all the Egyptians to suffer the plagues, though they wanted to let the Israelites leave.

• Chapter 11
• Oral Tradition:

Exod. 11:4

Remember the importance of the firstborn at the time! This plague was very grievous to the Egyptians.

• Chapter 12
• PASSOVER
• Calendar:

Exod. 12:2

This “month” is/was March/Spring. Notice Assyrian New Year happens around this time too, on April 1st , because Spring = a renewal of life and of nature, hence it is a

“new” year.

• Lamb chosen 5 days before:

Exod. 12:3

The lamb to be killed and eaten during the Passover was chosen on the 10th of month, then killed on the evening of the 14th (counted as 5 days [10,11,12,13,14]).

• Unblemished Lamb:
• Exod. 12:5

The lamb was a male, without blemish.

• All Israel kills Lamb in evening:

Exod. 12:6

The whole congregation of Israel was to kill the lamb at the going down of the sun, meaning at evening.

• Lamb’s blood saves:

Exod. 12:7, 13, 23

The lamb’s blood protects them from the angel of death that would pass over Egypt.

• Passover restrictions:

Exod. 12:46, 48

The lamb was to be eaten inside the house only, by those circumcised, with no bones being broken.

• God’s prophecy fulfilled:
• Exod. 12:35
• God’s prophecy in
• Exod. 3:21-22

is fulfilled.

References to the New Testament & our Church practices

• PASSOVER
• Calendar
• Lamb chosen 5 days before
• John 12:1, 12
• Unblemished Lamb
• 1 Peter 1:18–19, Luke 23:4
• Lamb’s blood saves
• Romans 5:9, Ephesians 1:7
• Passover Restrictions
• John 19:33–36

See discussion questions for all!

• Discussion Questions
• EXODUS 9

What does the 5th plague represent?

The Egyptians had elements of animal worship in their pagan error, giving the worship due to God to irrational animals, showing the irrationality and stupidity the Egyptians had stepped down too. Also, cattle act in frenzy, again showing the nature of the Egyptians worship of animals and carvings.

What does the 6th plague represent?

In the boils was represented the evils and filth of man, the swelling of them representing man’s swollen and inflated pride. Along with boils would come fevers as well as the body is trying to fight off the disease. Fevers, which warm the body’s internal temperature, represent the anger and the madness of rage. Think about how when someone’s mad we say “he’s hot right now” or “he’s boiling over with anger”.

What does the 7th plague represent?

Thunder means reproaches (disapproval) and divine rebukes, the hail as something to destroy vices which are in their earlier stages. Why fire? The fire is to burn the thorns and spiny plants that would be on the ground, which are those vices which have become burning, evil passion in men, those thorns which are the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, which choke the word (of God).

See Matthew 13:22.

• God using the evil to show his power:

What does God mean in Exodus 9:16-17?

Again, God is not taking away Pharoah’s free will, but knowing that Pharaoh will not repent, God still uses him despite this to show his glory, while also making His righteous judgement and punishment. How? God shows His power in that He leads Israel out of Egypt with an “outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.’” (

Exod. 6:6

) against Pharaoh and his mighty army/nation. Then, at the same time, He uses Pharoah’s unrepentantness against him to ultimately judge him.

A better example is our Assyrian nation! God used it as the “rod of His anger” to destroy the sinful and pagan Israeli nation later on in the OT, but He then also turns “against the king of Assyria and punish him—for he is proud and arrogant” because the Assyrians thought they were untouchable warrior gods!

• EXODUS 10

What does the 8th plague represent?

“Locusts represent the inconstancy of the human race, filled with dissent and discord. In another sense, the locusts can be interpreted as representing flittering mobility, like the pleasures of this world in a restless and skittish soul”

What does the 9th plague represent?

It shows that they are blind in their minds and hearts to God’s workings, and can also mean that God’s Divine economy and providence are most obscure (impossible to comprehend).

Also,

they represent the principalities and powers and the rulers of this world of darkness (

Ephesians 6:12

), and/or the originators and inventors of the false religions that existed in this world. Christ’s truth puts an end to these false religions.

• EXODUS 12

Why did the Israelites eat unleavened bread and bitter herbs?

Both have a couple meanings.

The unleavened bread (WITHOUT YEAST TO MAKE IT RISE) is instituted because leaven represents sin and its corrupting consequences, as we read from St. Paul in

1 Corinthians 5:6

. So then unleavened bread represents Christ’s, as he is sinless and therefore without “leaven”, which we know makes sense because the Passover was a foreshadowing of Christ!

Now then the bitter herbs represent the sometimes “tough” or “bitter” words of Christ, i.e,

• Matthew 19:21
• Luke 9:23–24

Luke 14:33

, which although sound harsh, are truly healing and curing for the soul. Just like doctors put bitter substances in medicines to heal, or bitter herbs taste bad but are healthy for you.

More simply, the unleavened bread was in accordance with the need for the Israelites to be quick and ready to leave (leaven takes time), and the bitter herbs for them to remember their bitter slavery in Egypt, although the former then also should be stated to represent the urgent nature of deliverance—leaving Egypt (sin) behind immediately and decisively.

What are the lamb’s “entrails”?

The internal organs.

Why did they have to eat it with the conditions in Exod. 12:11?

Because they had to be ready to leave Egypt quickly. What does that tell us? A Chrisitian must always be ready to work and act in our faith, as someone who has their belt around their waist and shoes on is ready to go to work.

• PASSOVER

Calendar

The Hebrew calendar is lunar, meaning it goes off moon cycles, so it changes each year, but our calendar, the Gregorian calendar, is solar, meaning it stays the same each year except for leap years.

That being said, Easter always falls between March 22

• nd
• and April 25
• th

, because Easter happens on the Sunday after the 1

st

full moon that occurs after the spring equinox, which is March 21st. March 22nd to April 25th is about 35 days, which is the length of a lunar cycle + 1 week to (28 +7), the extra week existing because Easter falls on the Sunday AFTER the 1st full moon, which could be a full week (6 days) if the Full moon is on a Monday.

• Lamb chosen 5 days before
• John 12:1, 12
• Christ, the Lamb of God, (

John 1:29,36, 1 Peter 1:18-19

) rides into Jerusalem 5 days before His passion, received as a Savior, as the cries of Hosanna mean “Save us”. He was chosen to save the world from sin, just as the Passover lamb saved the Israelite’s firstborn. Then as the lamb was eaten 5 days later, Christ, the Lamb of God, instituted the Mystical Supper 5 days after His entry into Jerusalem, giving the disciples the New Passover, which is His Body and Blood. So too would His passion start this day.

• Unblemished Lamb
• 1 Peter 1:18–19, Luke 23:4

Christ was unblemished in that he had no sins, and obviously a male as well.

• Lamb’s blood saves & protects

Romans 5:9, Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:18-19 again

Christ’s blood protects us from God’s righteous judgement on sinners, because His blood cleanses our sins, and thus protects us from death, which is the wage of sin (

• Romans 6:23

).

• Passover Restrictions

John 19:33–36

Christ’s bones were also unbroken as the Passover lamb. Also fulfilling prophecy in

Psalm 34:20

The lamb, eaten only within the house, mirrors the Lamb of God, Christ, Whose Body is only to be eaten within the house of God, which is The Church.

No uncircumcised person was to partake in eating the Passover lamb, just as no unbaptized person is to partake in the Holy Eucharist, which is why the deacons dismiss the catechumens “Whoso has not received baptism, let him depart.”

Verses 43-44

“....No foreigner may eat it. Any slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised him.”

A foreigner in The Church is someone who is unbaptized, and therefore not received the adoption of sonship that believers received in baptism (hence we call each other brothers and sisters in Christ).

• Galatians 3:26–27 & Romans 8:15-17

, Romans directly referencing slaves in verse 15.

No slave may have eaten the Passover; no slave to sin may partake in the Body of Christ unless he is baptized and in repentance! Or else what happens is ⇒

1 Corinthians 11:27–30.

• This Week's Study

Watch the video by His Holiness Mar Awa Jesus being the "Lamb of God".