Let us turn again to God's Word
and turn into that portion of Holy Scripture that we read in
the book of Exodus in Exodus chapter 12 and I'll read at verse 40 through
to verse 42 Exodus 12 verse 40 now the sojourning of the children
of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was 430 years And it came to pass at the end
of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day,
it came to pass that all the host of the Lord went out from
the land of Egypt. It is a night to be much observed
unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt. This
is that night of the Lord's to be observed of all the children
of Israel in their generations. considering more particularly
that 43rd verse, and it came to pass at the end of 430 years,
even the selfsame day, it came to pass that all the host of
the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. Our theme then is the
time of Israel's deliverance the time of Israel's deliverance. We see it again in verse 51. And it came to pass the selfsame
day that the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the
land of Egypt by their armies. And what struck me really in
both of these verses, verse 41 and verse 51, is that expression with regards
to the self-same day. Even the self-same day, it says,
it came to pass that all the host of the Lord went out from
the land of Egypt. Studying and considering that
particular word I discovered that it has the
idea of the substance of a day, or the strength of a day. It's a very real day, a significant
day then, that is being spoken of in verse 41 and again in verse
51. And it was the day wherein the
Lord had determined that He would deliver the children of Israel
and it's connected of course to the 10th plague that we have
recorded in the former part of the chapter when the destroying
angel comes over the land and passes over the households of
the Hebrews they've slaughtered the Passover lamb and they put
the blood of sacrifice upon the doorposts and the lintels And
the destroying angel passes over, there's no death in any of those
households. But in all of the households
of the Egyptians, the first born were killed. It was the 10th
plague. There were previous plagues,
9 previous plagues of course. But in each of those plagues,
what happened was nothing more than the hardening of Pharaoh's
heart. There were those occasions when
it seems that he would let the children of Israel go. For example, in chapter 9 and
verse 28 we see that. Speaking to Moses and Aaron,
Pharaoh says, Entreat 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." But he wasn't so. That plague
brought nothing but hardness of heart, verse 35 of that chapter,
and then into chapter 10, the heart of Pharaoh was hardened.
Neither would he let the children of Israel go as the Lord had
spoken by Moses, 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 show these my signs before them. God is in all of
these things hardening the hearts even of the Pharaoh. And so the plagues would come
one after another. And before this tenth plague
there was another plague. It was the plague of darkness. darkness over the whole of the
land, and then comes the tenth plague. And that is a dreadful
plague to the Egyptians. It's the destruction
of all their firstborn. And yet, in the tenth plague,
we also see the mercy of God. I thought of it as we were singing
that hymn just now. several verses, but think of
that last verse, thy judgments are too deep for reasons lying
to sound, thy tender mercies to thy sheep no bottom know nor
bound. How strange, how mysterious are
the ways of God. None of the plagues brings any
deliverance. All we see in those previous
nine plagues is God's work of judgment. It's not until we come
to the tenth plague. And of course in the tenth plague
we have the Passover lamb. And how they were given very
specific instructions with regards to that lamb in the previous
verses of the chapter. There at verse 3, speaking 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 a house. 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 sows. Every
man, according to the eating, shall make your cow for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish.
a male of the first year, ye shall take it out from the sheep
or from the goats. 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.
And they shall take of the blood and strike it on the two sides
post, and on the upper door post of the houses wherein they shall
eat it. And they shall eat the flesh
in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread, and with
bitter herbs they shall eat it. All this instruction, and it's
very specific and very particular, and they're told that to be ready
and prepared to depart. Verse 11, 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. It is the Lord's Passover. Why all this detail? Why is it
to be without any blemish? Why is it taken on the tenth
day and yet it is not to be slaughtered until the fourteenth day? It's
all typology, of course. We know that from the New Testament.
As Paul says there in 1 Corinthians 5, for even Christ, our Passover,
is sacrificed for us. Or the Passover directs us to
the Lord Jesus Christ in a more glorious deliverance. than ever
the children of Israel, the Hebrews, experienced there when they were
brought out of that house of bondage, out of that land wherein
they had been slaves for so many years. And it was in conversation
with a friend recently, talking about the situation that we're
in, And we have been in now for many months and all the limitations,
all the restrictions, and we recognize, I'm sure we recognize
none of these things has come by mere chance, it's God. And
God's judgment is upon this nation, upon other nations. And yet what happens? We see
really no indication of any recognition of God. certainly in high places
even amongst many who profess the Lord's name no recognition
of God no spirit of repentance no humbling before the Lord God
and I think of those previous plagues they came Pharaoh seemed
to be touched, but then there's that hardening. So they go on
and on, and here it is, he comes to this tenth plague, but there's
something different now. There's a Passover lamb, and
he made me think then of the words of another hymn. 746, law
and terrors do but harden all the while they work alone, but
a sense of blood-bought pardon soon dissolves the hearts of
stone. Well, we need to plead that God
would yet appear in mercy. It's mercy. And mercy alone that
really moves the hearts of men and women. Men are so hardened
in their sins that we have that word in the psalm, Thou shalt
arise and have mercy upon Zion for the time to favor her. Yea,
the said time is come. And all that there might yet
be a said time. wherein God will favour Zion
again and come and graciously work and revive his own work
in the midst of the years. Here then, looking at the words
that we have in this text in verse 41, it came to pass at
the end of the 430 years, even the south same day, it came to
pass that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of
Egypt. And I want, as I proceed tonight,
to divide what I say into these two parts. First of all, to say
something with regards to the most significant darkness at
this time. And then, in the second place,
to try to say something with regards to deliverance and the
spiritual deliverance. First of all, there is a darkness. As I said, the previous plague,
the ninth plague, was darkness over the whole of the land. But
what do we read here, as God is about to deliver his people?
Verse 29. We're told he came to pass it
at midnight. At midnight. The Lord smote all
the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of
Pharaoh that sat on his throne, unto the firstborn of the captive
that was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle.
And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants, and
all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in
Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead."
All God's judgment And what does he say through his servant the
prophet Isaiah? I gave Egypt for thy ransom. That's what he tells the children
of Israel when again there in the days of Isaiah they were
going after the gods of the nations round about them, bent on their
idolatrous ways. I gave Egypt for thy ransom he
says. And oh God when he was dealing
with the Egyptians, and visiting really his judgments upon them,
how God would make a difference. We see it there in chapter 8
and verse 23, God's word to Pharaoh, I will put a division between
thy people and my people, he says. And we have it again in
chapter 11 and verse 7, chapter 8 verse 23, chapter 11 verse
7 we read of God making a difference, putting a division between the
Egyptians and the Hebrews. And it's interesting because
there in the margin we see that the word division is literally
the word redemption. I will put a redemption between
thy people and my people says God and we see it of course here
at the end with his tenth plague and the Passover lamb how significant
these things are and here we are told you see how it comes
to pass at midnight at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn
in the land of Egypt. Verse 30, Pharaoh rose up in
the night with all his servants and there's a great cry and there's
not one house that is free from this terrible plague that has
come upon that wicked people. Oh God does it you see. God sends
the darkness and it is dark with all. We read of the pestilence,
the pestilence that walketh in darkness. We read of outer darkness,
the Lord Jesus in the course of his own ministry. And how
strange it is that the Lord does oftentimes speak not only of
heaven but also of hell. And he speaks of that place on
occasions in terms of outer darkness, outer darkness. or with the children
of Israel when that plague came, it was a darkness that may be
felt, we are told. What an awful situation it was. No wonder then there's this great
rife throughout the land of Egypt. But this awful destruction that
has come upon them. And then again in the Gospel
we have that word, don't we, concerning the Lord's coming
again. At midnight there was a cry made, behold the bridegroom
cometh, with regards to the virgins, or the wise and the foolish virgins. The cry was made, the end is
coming, the day of judgment, the day of reckoning, and we
need to be those who are prepared. Oh, we often sing those words
of the hymn, prepare me gracious God, to stand before thy face,
thy spirit must at work perform, for all it is, it's all of grace. It's all of the grace of God.
What a significant darkness this is that comes upon the Egyptians. But then, as I said with the
tent plague God's purpose has now ripened and there is also
here mercy and so in the second place I want us to turn to what
I term a spiritual deliverance it's midnight and yet in a sense
now we have the light of a new day coming that selfsame day
it says those words that I mentioned just now here both in verse 41
and verse 51 even the self same day the substance of the day
the strength of the day or this day that is such a significant
day and what is the gospel day? what is the gospel day? isn't
the gospel day the day of the Lord? Isn't it the acceptable
time? Isn't it the day of salvation? Has not the Lord Jesus Christ
come and He is that one who is the true light? Why, He declares,
I am the light. In all those great statements
that we have in John's Gospel, those I am statements. where
we see him as that one who is truly the image of the invisible
God, that revelation of the Lord Jehovah, we see it in Jehovah
Jesus. He is the I Am. Before Abraham
was, he says, I am. If you believe not that I am,
you shall perish in your sins. And he says, I am the light. He that believeth in me shall
not walk in darkness. that shall have the light of
life. All this gospel dispensation,
it is truly the day of the Lord, and now the true light has come. What I want is, as we come to
this second point, this idea of deliverance, to see the spiritual
significance of the Word. It's an historic account that
we have here. Of course it is. We know that.
We recognize that. Much of Scripture is historical. And we don't overlook that fact. We take account of that fact.
But when we come to the Word of God, we also recognize that
it is a spiritual book. And there is much that is, to
us, more than history. There's mystery in this book.
And are we not told in the New Testament concerning God's dealings
with the children of Israel there in 1 Corinthians 10, where the
apostle is speaking of the days of Moses, how all these things
happened unto them for ensamples. Literally all these things happened
unto them for types. And they are written for our
admonition upon whom the ends of the world are coming. and
the end of the world is this day in which we're living, this
gospel day and all these things are written for us and surely
we don't do justice to the Word of God if we come and just consider
it as a Bible study one doesn't despise Bible study, it's interesting
it's interesting to study the Word of God, to look into the
Word of God, to try to understand the Word of God And I think I've
commended before the idea of word study. Sometimes it's good
to do that, to come and to get a commentary that is more like
a word study, which brings out the significance of the words. Because we believe that the Bible
is verbally inspired. It's the very words of God. Not
one jot nor one tittle can pass till all be fulfilled, says the
Lord Jesus concerning the Scripture. And the jot, remember, is just
a little Hebrew letter, the smallest of all the letters in that alphabet.
Not one of those can pass away. So it's good to study the Word
of God. But we want to do more than just
fill our heads We want to find something that will minister
our trust to our souls. They are a typical people, these
people that we are reading of in this chapter, the Hebrews,
the children of Israel. We know he is not a Jew which
is one outwardly, neither is circumcision that which is outward
in the flesh, but he is a Jew, says Paul, which is one inwardly,
and circumcision is that of the spirit in the heart. are not
in the letter. They are not all Israel that
are of Israel. There is a spiritual Israel. And we believe that now
Christian believers are those who are the true seed of Abraham
and of Isaac and of Jacob, the true people of God. And when
we think of God's dealings with his spiritual Israel Can we not
think and ought we not to think in terms of darkness and light?
That's what we have here, darkness and light. And what does that
remind us of? Well, I want to mention three
things with regards to the Lord's dealings with his people. Three
things. First of all, the darkness and
light reminds us that there is much that is paradoxical in the
experience of the Christians. And there's words, verses, two
verses that we find there in the prophecy of Zechariah, that
mysterious book at the end of the Old Testament. And there
in the last chapter, chapter 14, and verse 6, it says this,
He shall come to pass in that day Now that's a significant
statement. Whenever we read of that day,
or the last day, or the day of the Lord, in these
prophecies it's speaking of the gospel day. It shall come to
pass in that day that the light shall not be clear nor dark. But it shall be one day which
shall be known to the Lord, not day nor night, but it shall come
to pass that evening time it shall be light strange words
it shall come to pass in that day that the light shall not
be clear nor dark, but it shall be one day which shall be known
to the Lord, not day nor night, but it shall come to pass that
at evening time it shall be light." That's so paradoxical. It's not
clear, nor is it dark, it's half light. It's half light, and yet
it's the dawning of the day, because suddenly it's evening
time, then it's light. And I think of the way sometimes
God deals with his people and how God's people feel as the
Lord begins with them. There's another striking verse
in Isaiah 59 and verse 10. It says, We grope for the wall
like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes. We stumble
at noonday as in the night We are in desolate places as dead
men. And isn't that sometimes descriptive
of how it is when the Lord begins with us, when the Lord's having
dealings with us? We seem to stumble along when we look back
upon our experience. There are those times when we
do seem to be feeling our way along as if we're blind men. Certainly the case when there's
that initial awakening in the soul, the beginning of the gospel
day in the soul. How strange are the Lord's ways.
We read until the day dawn and the day star arise in our heart. We need the day star, the harbinger
as it were, of the coming of the day, the son of righteousness.
Oh, he's not yet arisen but he will arise. That is the promise
of God there in Malachi 4, the Son of Righteousness arises with
healing in His wings, healing in His beings. But until the
day dawn, or the day star arises, the Lord's dealings with us are
strange and mysterious. But we have the promises of God's
Word, the explanations of God's Word, Psalm 112 and verse 4,
unto the upright it says, there ariseth light in the darkness.
Oh, when the Lord begins with us, it does sometimes seem to
be so dark, we're in dismal places. We're awakened, we're aware of
our need, we have a consciousness of what we are, of sinners. We
feel maybe something of our ignorance, something of our blindness. We
don't understand the Word of God and the ways of God. But
we're told that the light will yet shine in the midst of darkness. At evening time it shall be light. There might be conviction, but
there will yet be that that is comforting to the soul of the
sinner. There is much that is strange and mysterious in the
way in which the Lord deals with us. There is that that is paradoxical. But this is the comfort of the
child of God. In the midst of all of that,
there is the presence of God. There is the presence of the
Lord, God himself. His very presence is in all that
that awakened soul is passing through. Oh, it's that self-same day, you
see. It came to pass the selfsame day that the Lord did bring the
children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies. And what a day it was. What a
night it was. It was a night never to be forgotten. It was a night that they were
to continually observe. As we see here in verse 42, it
is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them
out from the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord
to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations. The Lord is in all these things.
What did we read there in that passage in Zechariah 14? It shall be one day It shall
be one day which shall be known to the Lord. Not day nor night,
but the Lord knows it. All the Lord knows He's dealing
with us even when we're in those dark places. That's the comfort
of the child of God. There's a hymn of William Gadsby's. Remarkable hymn. I don't think
I've ever sung it. I don't think it's one that one
It's not a hymn that one would necessarily sing. But it's a
hymn to read, and it's a hymn to meditate upon. 722. And it's... Well, the text at the head of
the hymn is that verse in Zechariah 14.7, At evening time it shall
be light. What am I? And where am I? Strange myself, and paths appear. Verse 4 it says, is the evening
time at hand? Will it then indeed be light?
Will the sunnish beams extend, chase away the shades of night?
Will the Lord indeed appear? Give me light and joy and rest,
drive away my gloomy fear, draw me to his loving breast. I think
some of the hymns, well you're aware of that I'm sure, they're
not altogether suitable for public worship. But there's much instruction. And I would say there's much
comfort in some of the hymns. And I think there goes, you see
what strange experience he's describing. But there is a mystery
in the way in which the Lord deals with his people. There's
a mystery here in the way in which the Lord has dealt with
the children of Israel. throughout all those plagues.
He's not just dealing with the Egyptians. He's not just visiting
his judgment upon them. Oh, he was determined to do that.
He would bring out the children of Israel by a display of mighty
wonders. His great power was demonstrated
to the proud Pharaoh. But in all of that, the Lord
is dealing with his own people. And it's not till we come to
this chapter and the 10th plague that we have their actual deliverance. And the Lord is always there,
He's always with His people through all of the various scenes and
changes of their lives here upon the earth. The Lord knoweth them
that are His. Oh, the Lord knows His people.
And David says it, doesn't he, in the Shepherd's psalm, Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou
art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort
them, the valley of the shadow of death. Oh, the Lord has a
gracious work to accomplish in the souls of His people and He'll
accomplish that work. Even though to them it seems
something that's inscrutable. It's such a paradox. Again, look
at the language that we have there in Proverbs 4.18. The path
of the just is as a shining light that shineth more and more unto
the perfect day. The Lord will cause that at evening
time there shall be light. The light shineth in the darkness
and the darkness comprehended it not. The darkness cannot overcome
it. There we have this time, you
see, this time of great darkness. At midnight the Lord smote all
the firstborn in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh rose up in the
night, he and all his servants, and all the Egyptians, and there
was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there
was not one dead. No wonder No wonder the Lord
reminds the children of Israel, it is a night to be much observed
unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt. And
so when the Lord, you see, is dealing with us, if we're His
people, and events that occur and surround us, there's much
to be remembered even in those dark seasons, those difficult
seasons. It's paradoxical, but there is
always the presence of God. There's always the presence of
God. And that's what David lived to prove. Even in the valley
of the shadow of death, thou art with me. And God was there
for a purpose. He's right. His staff was there
to comfort David. But there's not only the presence
of God, there's also the promise. Oh, there's the promise of God. There's His words. That blessed
word of promise that God has given to His people. Now, here,
of course, it speaks of that. We're told how the sojourning
of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was 400 and thirty
years. And it came to pass at the end
of four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came
to pass, that all the host of the Lord went out from the land
of Egypt. Now, what is this four hundred
and thirty years? Were they four hundred and thirty
years actually in bondage? I don't believe that's the case.
I think the reference here is rather to what God had said to
Abraham all those many years previously. Remember what God said back in
Genesis chapter 15. In Genesis chapter 15 and there
at verses 13 and 14 we read these words He said unto Abram, Know of a
surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is
not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four
hundred years. And also that nation whom they
shall serve will I judge, and afterwards shall they come out
with great substance. Now clearly there is a reference
here to that time that they're going to be in bondage in Egypt,
that they're going to come out And they're going to be brought
out with great substance. They're going to spoil the Egyptians. But it doesn't speak of 430 years. They shall afflict them, it says,
400 years. So we have to go back again,
you see, in Genesis. We have to go back from chapter
15 to chapter 12 and what God says there at verse
7. That was 30 years previously. and this is God now speaking
to him and we have to add those 30 years
that transpired between chapter 12 and chapter 15 in order to make up the 430 years
and what God was going to do. But the significant thing is
this that God had determined, He determined from all eternity
the very day in which he would bring the children of Israel
out of that cruel bondage that they were having to endure in
the land of Egypt. It's the very day that God has
appointed. That self-same day. The strength of a day, the substance
of a day, it was the Lord's day. There is a a time for every purpose under
heaven. Isn't that what we read there
in Ecclesiastes chapter 3? To everything a season and a
time to every purpose under heaven. And so it's the very day that
God has appointed It's not one day more nor one day less. It's all foreordained. It's all
predestinated. It's the sovereignty of God.
It's God's timing. And we see it, of course, when
we come to the New Testament and the coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ. The language of Paul there in Galatians 4, when the
fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made
of a woman, made under the law. All God has a purpose to fulfill.
And God will fulfill it, not in my time or your time, but
in his own time. My time is not yet come, he says.
Your time is ever ready. And that's what we have to remember
and that's what we have to submit to. and to recognize the significance
of the promise of God, and to live on the promise of God, and
to trust the promise of God. Why He has not only given His
promise, when He gave promise to Abraham, and we've read those
verses back in chapter 15, God gave the promise to Abraham,
and what did He do? He swore by Himself. If His Word fails, God fails,
and that can never be. All His Word, you see, His promise,
He has magnified His Word above all His name. His name is Himself.
And yet, He has sworn by Himself. He has taken oath upon Himself.
If His Word fails, He fails. That's the promise of God. And
that's our comfort. going back to what we were saying
at the outset now there seems to be upon us a time of judgment
in many respects in many respects there is a time of judgment judgments
begin at the house of God or does not God's rod have a
voice? and we are We're to recognize
that, to see the rod, to hear the voice of the Lord, the God
who speaks to us by his dealings with us. Now a time of judgment. And what does judgment bring?
It seems it only brings hardness of heart amongst the people in
general. And we need a season of mercy. Now we need to be those who would
pray for that to come, that season of mercy yet. Or the psalmist
can say, I will sing of mercy and of judgment unto thee, O
Lord, will I sing. We can sing of God's judgments,
we sang it just now in our second hymn, we sang of mercy and of
judgment. But now we need also to be those who would be praying
that God will yet appear in mercy. That's what we need, that God
would come. Oh Lord, revive thy work, says the prophet Habakkuk. In the midst of the years make
known, in wrath all remember mercy. If God does not appear
in mercy, when are things really going to change? Can we not come
and plead with him and reverently remind the Almighty that it is
yet the day of grace. What a comfort that is. Now is
the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. It is still that day of grace. That's our comfort. Even this
day, this is the day that the Lord has made. We're to rejoice,
we're to be glad in it. But all to embrace the day and
to plead with the Lord that in the midst of all that darkness
that we maybe have felt at times the Lord is yet fulfilling his
own purpose and do we believe that is a gracious purpose and
all that he would fulfill that purpose even in our own hearts
and in our own lives Here we see then that there was a day,
it was the Lord's appointed day, that selfsame day it says, it came to pass that all the
host of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt, and then it's
repeated at the end there in the last verse, it came to pass
the selfsame day that the Lord did bring the children of Israel
out of the land of Egypt by their armies. Oh, the Lord then grant
us faith to believe His words and to trust His promises. Amen.