Exodus 10:28-13:16

The 10th and final plague is preceded by an exchange of anger. Pharaoh never wants to see Moses again and threatens to have him killed. Moses responds by announcing the final and worst plague before storming out in anger. The 10th plague would involve firstborn sons dying during the night. All firstborn sons (and even cattle) would be killed. The only exception would be the Israelites who followed specific directions from the Lord. They were to sacrifice unblemished male lambs. They were to put the blood of these lambs along their doorposts. They were to completely eat (and burn any left-overs) the meat. They were to eat in haste (ready to exit Egypt).

The event, of course, brought great devastation and grief to Egypt, but caused the Israelites to worship God for the fact that He had spared them by the blood. This event, for Israel, was to mark an annual reminder of God's grace and mercy toward the Israelites. As Christians, we easily recognize the foreshadowing of the imagery here. The lamb represents Christ. The physical purity of the lamb represents the spiritual purity of Christ. The blood of the lamb represents the blood of Christ. The sacrifice foreshadows the cross. The devastation represents the wrath that Jesus protects us from.

Obviously the Egyptians pleaded for, and Pharaoh finally consented to, the release of the Israelites (this time w/o compromise). Nor did the Israelites leave empty-handed, they were given articles of silver and gold (and clothing) by the Egyptians. The Israelites, in turn, consecrated their firstborn sons to the Lord in obedience to His command and as another means to commemorating this event.