All right, and I will tell you
that in a minute or two, we will be looking at Exodus 4, verses
22 and 23, brought to bear on our subject and study of the
morning. But for now, Exodus 11. And the Lord said unto Moses,
Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt,
afterward he will let you go hence. When he shall let you
go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether. Speak now
in the ears of the people that every man borrow of his neighbor,
every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, jewels of gold. And the Lord gave the people
favor 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. And Moses said, Thus saith the
Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt. 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 beast. 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. 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. And all these thy servants shall
come down unto thee, bow down themselves unto thee, saying,
Get thee out, all the people shall follow thee, and after
that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh
in great anger. And the Lord said unto Moses,
Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you that my wonders may be multiplied
in the land of Egypt. 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
the land. Now, we're interested in the
Lord's firstborn. Let's begin this way. There are
two senses in which the firstborn is used, and we find it used
in the Scripture. First of all, it is used over
and over repetitively in a mundane sense to mean the firstborn of
a family, being literally the first to be born of a woman or
of a wife or of a family. the firstborn child of a man
and his wife in their home or in their family. And of all we
remember that there were certain privileges that were attached
to those that were the firstborn in the family. There was a high
honor given them and a high value to the eldest son in the family. He had special responsibility
and special privileges for being the firstborn in the family that
were assigned unto him. Now the Lord after the deliverance
from the land of Egypt, made a claim to all of the firstborn
of the people and of their flocks and their herds." You'll find
that in Exodus chapter 13, verse 12. and thirteen. Sanctify unto me all of the firstborn,
and the firstborn of the beast were to be redeemed, even a donkey."
And if he's not redeemed, his neck was then to be broken. But secondly, like most everything
else under the old economy, the treatment of the firstborn and
the truth of the firstborn also had a spiritual significance. It had a New Testament antitype. Something that was foreshadowed
in the old economy, in this case in the firstborn, which will
lead us sooner or later unto the Lord Jesus Christ in the
New Testament. A blessed, blessed relation that
our Lord had and sustained to His people and they unto Him. Now when we come to the New Testament
and the Antitype, there we will read some wonderful things concerning
our Lord Jesus Christ. Here are a few, we'll return
later. Colossians 1 and verse 15, He
is called the firstborn of every creature. In Colossians 1 and
verse 18, He is called the firstborn from the dead, the Lord Jesus
Christ. the firstborn from the dead. You remember that great passage
in Romans 8 and verse 29, that He might be the firstborn among
many brethren. Over in Revelations 1 and verse
5, He is called the first begotten of the dead and the prince of
all of the kings of the earth, even though our Lord was not
the first in time to be raised again from the dead. And John
liked to refer to Him as the only begotten Son of God. John used that as a favorite. At least five times in his writing,
in the gospel and in the epistles of John, he refers to him as
the only begotten Son of God. In 1 Corinthians 15, the great
chapter on the resurrection, in verse 20, and again in verse
23, he is called the firstfruits of them that slept. And the firstfruits
have significance as well. Finally, in Hebrews chapter 12
and verse 23, we read of the church of the firstborn, yes,
the church of the firstborn, made up all of firstborn ones,
in the spiritual sense of the word. But now let's go back to
the Old Testament and the significance of being a firstborn, especially
in regard to the deliverance of the seed of Abraham out of
their Egyptian bondage and misery. When God is preparing Moses to
go and appear and bring them out onto the land of Canaan,
He appears to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus chapter 3. There He called and commissioned
Moses to be the one to go confront Pharaoh, say to him, let my people
go, my firstborn, and bring them out. Now Moses had a hard ministry,
for the Lord tells him in Exodus 4 and verse 21 to perform wonders
before Pharaoh. Do all these things before Pharaoh,
these wonders and signs and miracles, but I will harden his heart that
he shall not let the people go." Exodus 4 and 21. Now, let's read
that passage in Exodus chapter 4, verse 22 and 23. And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh,
Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn. And I say unto thee, let my son
go, that is, my firstborn son, let my son go, that he may serve
me. And if thou refuse to let him
go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. Now we notice that he uses a
double description in the 22nd verse. Israel is my firstborn,
is my son, even my firstborn. Now, not just a son, but a firstborn
son. Thus saith the Lord." Now, Matthew
Henry said this is the first time that such a preface is found
anywhere in the Scripture. Read from Genesis 1, says Matthew
Henry, this will be the first time that you will come across
this expression, Thus saith the Lord God. but then it is used
over and over. Moses has a double message from
his God to be delivered unto Pharaoh, that it might impress
upon the evil this spot. Number one, the very special
relation in which this people stood to the Lord God. This was
not just any people, not just any nation. These people, Israel,
had a special, peculiar, particular, wonderful relationship unto the
Lord God. And it is summed up there in
Exodus 4, Israel is my son, even my firstborn. That's the first
thing he would have them know. Israel is my firstborn, let them
go. Secondly, he is to speak to Pharaoh
of the judgment that is to come upon him and his land if he withstood
the word of the Lord and was disobedient. In Exodus 4 and
verse 23, there it is, if you refuse to let him go, behold,
I will destroy your firstborn Son. All of them. Now, let's
consider the matter of Israel being called the firstborn Son
of God. It is a declaration, as someone
said, of their national election. Israel is the people chosen of
God, the seed of Abraham, so that they bear the relation of
the firstborn son of God. The prophet Jeremiah takes up
the same thing. And he asks in Jeremiah chapter
2 and verse 14, is Israel a servant? Is he a home-born slave? Of course
not. He is the son of Jehovah. Hosea 11. And verse 1, when Israel
was a child, then I loved him and I called my son out of Egypt. Jeremiah again, chapter 31 and
verse 9, I am a father to Israel and Ephraim is my firstborn. Now we have a most definitive
statement from the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 9 and verse
4, as he elucidates the great privileges that belonged unto
Israel, not the least of which was this, to them or to whom
pertains the adoption. To them pertains the adoption,
literally the sonship of all of their privileges. The best
are summed up in this way, that they are the adoption, they have
the sonship. As in Exodus 4 and verse 22,
Israel is my son. Now we understand I think that
adoption has the literal meaning of placing among the sons. The word adoption is son-placing. Moses and Esther were adopted. Mephibosheth was adopted into
the family of David. We need to remind ourselves that
the adoption of Israel was a national adoption. in that every Jew was
not a spiritual child of Jehovah. Not each and every individual
was an elect of God. Therefore, the adoption here
in our first text applies to, or refers to, ethnic Israel,
as we may call them. The theocratic people of God,
that while the name Israelite speaks of their ethnicity, Israel,
while adoption describes their relationship unto the Father,
what God did to establish them in choosing them to be a peculiar
people of the Lord God. And among them, He set up a system
of worship and made unto them revelation. And to them were
committed the oracles of God. Romans chapter 3 and verse 2. High privileges are bestowed
from God upon the adopted. The greatest blessing being the
adoption itself. Because you see, adoption is
the great blessing because it includes all other blessings. All other blessings come with
sonship or with adoption. To take one who is not a child
by physical kinship, one who is a stranger or even an enemy
or perhaps an orphan or has been deserted, and to take them and
bring them or put them into the family and make them a son who
otherwise would not be so, is a great and a high blessing. So we deal with the question,
how came Israel to enjoy their status as the firstborn son of
the Most High God? How did they attain this status? How did it become so unto them? Upon what account were they given
this blessed privilege to be the adopted son of God? The adoption and the sonship
of Israel were, of course, the result of the sovereign choice
of Almighty God. He chose them out of His good
pleasure. of all the nations upon the face
of the earth, God chose them, not the strongest or the mightiest
people, but the fewest and the weakest, to be his special people. He chose them, Deuteronomy 7
and verse 6, the Lord your God has chosen you to be a special
people unto Himself above all people that are upon the face
of the earth. The prophet Amos chapter 3 verse
2 says to them, you only have I known of all of the families
of the earth. But Deuteronomy 7 and verse 7
and verse 8, the Lord did not choose them because they were
a mighty nation. He did not choose them because
they were so many in number, but He chose them because He
would, and keep the oath that He swore unto their fathers,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Now Moses tells them in Deuteronomy
chapter 14, they are to abstain from certain things because In
verse 1 and 2, you are the children of the Lord your God and holy
people unto the Lord your God, who has chosen you to be a peculiar
people unto himself above all nations that are upon the earth. And here in Exodus 11, we have
Moses' announcement of the tenth and final plague to come upon
the land of Egypt. One called this the, quote, decisive
blow. This is the one that did it.
This is the one that broke the back of Pharaoh and of his people. God said in verse 1, I will bring
one more plague upon Pharaoh, upon Egypt. After that he will
let you go. One more plague would then affect
the deliverance from Egypt of Israel. And we see that in Exodus
11 verses 4 and verse 5. The word firstborn is three times
in verse 5. Each time referring to the firstborn
of the Egyptian and all that pertain to the land of Egypt. They had been given this warning
in Exodus 4, 22 and 23. Let my firstborn go or I will
slay all of your firstborn. Now this actually occurred on
the first night of the Passover. In Exodus chapter 12 we have
that awful judgment. It was to be all comprehensive,
extensive it was to be, the slaying of every firstborn in the Egyptian,
from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who was king sitting upon the
throne, to the firstborn of the beast grazing out yonder in the
field or there in the stall and in between the maidservant, literally
the slave girl behind the mill in Exodus 11 and verse 5. To the firstborn of the captive
down yonder in the dungeon. You find that in Exodus 12 and
verse 29. Even the man locked and shackled
in the dungeon. His firstborn would be taken
away. It was an awful, awful night,
Exodus 11 and verse 6. A great cry was heard throughout
all of the land of Egypt. There was not a house where there
was not a great cry among the Egyptians, none like it before
and none since. Exodus 12 and verse 30, there
was not a house except the Israelites where there was not at least
one dead. Among the Egyptians, every firstborn
child and the firstborn of every beast of every species in the
land. No need to conclude that all
the dead were firstborn little babies in the cradle. We might
think of that sometime, that the firstborn are all little
bitty babies in the cradle. I'm firstborn. Some of you are
firstborn. So, no need to think of it only
as babes in the cradle. Now, coming to verse 7 of our
text, and let's look at it again. Against any of the children of
Israel, shall not so much as 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 between Israel." Now while
there would be a very great plague of death against the Egyptians
on Passover evening, while the sword of death was brandished
against the Egyptians and all of their firstborn. Not even
a dog would bark or come a-running or snarling or attack any of
the Israelites or any of their beasts. Even as they left out
of the land of Egypt, the dogs were silent, did not bark as
they passed by. Now notice the Lord put a difference
between the Egyptians and Israel, the greatest example being here
in the tenth plague brought upon them. But consider, going back
to some of the other plagues, for example, in the plague of
darkness in Exodus 10, 21 through 23, had you read or did you remember
that while there was darkness over all of the land, So bad
that the Egyptians sat still for three days and three nights,
couldn't move, the darkness was so great, yet there was light
in the dwellings of the Israelites. Darkness in Egypt, light in the
dwellings of them. So in the plague of flies, formenting
and corrupting all of the food of the house of Pharaoh and the
Egyptian. Yes, I will put a division, as
the margin said, or a redemption between my people and thy people,
and tomorrow shall this sign be. Now, in Exodus 9, 4 through
6, the Egyptians' cattle died, but not the cattle of the children
of Israel. Now the point is this, God made
a visible, manifest distinction between His firstborn and the
heathen Egyptians, and He made it manifest to them in so many
ways that it was undeniable. Now, let's take this idea of
the firstborn to the New Testament that we might see the full Spiritual
significance. Now, just to rehearse a bit on
our way. The Lord is called, in Colossians
1.15, the firstborn of every creature, Colossians 1.18, the
firstborn from the dead, Romans 8.29, the firstborn among many
brethren. as well as those places where
Christ is called the only begotten Son, the only begotten Son of
the Father. John loves to refer to Him. Now,
let's put our vessels into this vast ocean of truth, first at
that place in Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 6, which says, And
again, when He brings in the first begotten into the world,
He said, and let all the angels of God worship Him. Now that is part, as you will
remember, The first begotten, which without question refers
to the Lord Jesus Christ. And contextually, in its context,
or its overall context, we know that the author says this. He
writes this about the Lord and the angels as further proof of
the excellency, the superiority of Christ over the very angels
of God. In other words, he is saying
that Christ is both essentially and officially superior to the
angels of God. That the angels of God, those
high holy beings created by Him, worship the One that is born
of Mary. So says Psalms 97 and verse 7. But we focus on that designation,
the first begotten, Hebrews 1 and verse 6. That Christ is met,
that it no doubt includes Him as incarnate in the flesh, brought
into the world, is how it is said. These are not easy things
here for us to correctly exegete, so let us walk and tread here
very carefully. Jesus was the firstborn of Mary,
her first child. But when Scripture calls Him
the first begotten, It cannot mean that he was the first one
created. It cannot mean that he was the
first one brought forth into existence by God because the
Son is an eternal, uncreated being who never was without existence. Now, the Russellites, you know
them as Jehovah Witnesses and others, are blasphemers to say
that the Son, Jesus, is a created son or being who once was non-existent
and then was created by God. But such a view, he cannot be
God. That would rob him of his deity
and probably this is their aim in speaking of him as a created
being. It is generally conceded that
Psalms chapter 89, is largely messianic. Some things that are
said there can only be applied to Christ and to none other,
firstly to David and his family, but absolutely and essentially
only to Christ. In fact, some, as Charles Spurgeon
had wrote, call this the covenant psalm. As God says, He will make
covenant with David. And in verse 27 of that 89th
psalm, I will make my firstborn higher than the kings of the
earth. This, as many prophecies, is
capable, of course, of a double application. First to the family
of David, then to the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ
himself. Under the firstborn, we remind
our self again under the law, the firstborn had at least a
three-fold privilege that was his by virtue of being the firstborn. A, we read that he was given
a double portion of the Father's goods. Deuteronomy 21 and verse
17. He enjoyed a double portion above
the other. He had authority over his younger
sibling, 2 Chronicles 21 and verse 3. And thirdly, The firstborn
son had priestly authority in the family until the establishment
of the Levitical priesthood took it away. Numbers chapter 8 verse
14 through 17. Now, when therefore the Lord
Jesus Christ is called God's firstborn, it has reference to
that unspeakable preeminence which He has in relationship
to God His Father. As Paul says in Colossians 1.18,
that in all things he might have the preeminence as the firstborn. Here's a quote from David Pitcairn
that I ran across from his treatise by the title of the Anointed
Savior from the year about 1846. Quote, I will make him my firstborn,
that is, I will constitute him the chief of all creatures and
the depository of all power, the possessor of all privileges,
and the heir of all creation." Robert Haldane wrote this on
Romans chapter 8 and verse 29. that the word firstborn signifies
what surpasses anything else in that same category. And he wrote, quote, the appellation
of firstborn belongs to Jesus Christ as to the superiority
of His nature, His office, and of His glory, unquote. Now let's
take a minute to give examples of the words firstborn also being
used as a metaphor or a figure of speech, most of them in the
Old Testament, using firstborn metaphorically, such as Job 18
and verse 13. He speaks of the firstborn of
death. The firstborn of death, meaning
the most ominous death that disease is capable of inflicting upon
one. Isaiah 14 and verse 30, the firstborn
of the poor. Now, not the first to be in poverty,
but the most imminent for their poverty. Calvin said, those who
hold the first rank among the wretched were the poorest of
the poor, having the distinction then of being recognized for
their wretchedness or for their poverty. Now, we read from Jesus
We read that Jesus was the firstborn from the dead. Colossians 1.18,
1 Corinthians 15 and 20, that Christ is risen from the dead
and become the firstfruits of them that slept. Slept is a metaphor
for dead. Immediately we think, why the
Lord Jesus Christ as glorious as was His resurrection from
the dead, was not the first one actually to be raised to life
again from the dead. There were some in the Old Testament
that were raised to life again. Some in the New Testament prior
to the resurrection of our Lord coming out of the grave. How
is it then that Paul refers to him as the firstborn and the
firstfruits of them that slept, when in actual order of time
he was not the first to die and then to take up his life again. And yet, he is called both the
firstborn from the dead and the firstfruits of them that slept. Now as we know, both of these
titles are applied to Christ Jesus in the New Testament Scripture. But they have their actual roots
in the Old Testament, as does almost every great doctrine. Now at the same time, I think
that we need to distinguish between firstborn and firstfruits. especially as we look at them
typically from the Old Testament, as they were not one and the
same thing. Even though Christ is both in
regard to death, He's the firstborn from the dead, He's the firstfruits
also of them that slept. And it refers to His preeminence. his authority, his honor, his
dignity, his glory, and such like that he had. Now, first
fruits, as you may remember, under the mosaic economy, was
that known as the first ripe of the crop. That was ripened
first in their fields and their vineyards and their gardens and
such like. It was the first that was ripe
and the first that was harvested, which is but a portion of that
which is to come and a guarantee that there will be other of likeness
to follow. And Paul uses this analogy there
in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and in verse 20, as John Brown and
others understood it. Now Christ is risen, the firstfruits
of them that slept. That is, as the firstfruit of
them who are dead and in the grave. One thing Paul is establishing
here in this chapter, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, is the connection
between the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of those
who have fallen asleep in Him. He calls Christ the firstfruits
of them that slept. Then in verse 23, He again calls
Christ the firstfruits, saying, Christ the firstfruits, watch,
afterwards them that are His at His coming. Christ the firstfruits,
but a harvest will follow. Christ the firstfruits, and afterward
them that are His. Now, let's sharpen our focus
just a mite and consider another matter that we can bring into
this study. The contrast, or shall we say,
the difference, if there be any, between Christ being called the
first begotten, as in Hebrews 1.6 and Revelation 1.5, and Him
being called the only begotten, as in the Gospel of John 1.14,
again in verse 18, John 3.16, 1 John 4, and verse 9, His only begotten
Son. Now in the latter sense, only
begotten, I've already told you, is a favorite with the Apostle
John. Let us not leave off the part
or the word Son, only begotten Son. This defines the Son's existence
and His eternal relationship and union with the Father, what
is called by some theologians His eternal generation. And this
He does not have in common with any, neither angels, neither
with the elect, whether regenerate or whether even glorified. Only
He is begotten in this sense of the word. Does not John say
clearly, only begotten Son? Clearly it is different from
first begotten. He is the only begotten Son prior
to the incarnation. and prior to His resurrection
from the dead. Thomas Goodridge speaks only
of the Son of God ordained to become incarnate, assuming flesh,
partaking of flesh and blood. Even then is He the only begotten
Son of God. This quotation from the Puritan
John Owen in his commentary at Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 6,
and I quote, the Lord Jesus is never absolutely called the first
begotten or first born with respect either to his eternal generation
or to the conception and nativity of his human nature, unquote. Then John Brown on the same text
wrote, quote, though Jesus Christ is repeatedly termed the only
begotten of God and the firstborn of Mary, yet he is never represented
as the first begotten or firstborn of God. This serves as a hedge
from John against those heretics claiming that Jesus is a created
being at some point in time and that he had an actual beginning
rather than being the eternal uncreated Son of God. By that some heretic would strip
Him of His eternality and of His deity. But then do you say,
look, if it is neither His eternal generation nor His nativity,
how then is the Christ the firstborn of every creature, or firstborn
among many brethren, firstborn from the dead, firstborn of every
creature? Well, the answer is, it respects
the dominion, the dignity, the honor given to the man, Christ
Jesus, that He is made heir of all things, Hebrews 1, verse
3 and verse 4, that He is made heir of all things, that He is
the Father's favorite Son, the only begotten in that sense of
the word. It's the passage in Psalm 89,
27. My firstborn, I will make Him
higher than the kings of the earth. Now, let's close with
a quick consideration of James 1.18. We have to kind of squeeze
it down constraint-wise for the sake of time, though we have
to look at it very quickly. Of His own will begat He us with
the word of truth. Now listen to this part. That
we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Now under the
old economy, the first fruits were dedicated unto God, holy
unto Him, Exodus 23 and verse 19. They were to be brought to
the house of God and presented there before the Lord as the
first fruits. The regenerate are the Lord's
portion. Those quickened elect are the
Lord's portion. He has put a great difference
between the elect and the reprobate. Our God has stayed a great difference. between the elect and the reprobate,
that He does not quicken the reprobate. He does not regenerate
them and free them from their bondage to sin and depravity. But He quickens His elect. He regenerates them by sovereign
power. Then they have life while the
rest of the world continues to walk around in spiritual darkness. Furthermore, nothing can pluck
them out of the hand of God or out of the hand of Christ. They
are the gift of the Father unto the Son, and this difference
exists that none are able to separate them from the love of
God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. In the Old Testament,
the difference was more manifested. Today, it is not so much manifested
in signs and wonders, but believe you me, there is a difference
between the elect and the reprobate, and God is the one who has made
us to differ, Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3. We did not make ourselves
to differ, it is the Lord that makes us to differ. Yes, the
Lord's firstborn is dear and precious unto Him, and He claims
them for His own and bestows upon them blessings beyond measure. Thank God for they who are the
firstborn in and through Christ.