God has one more terrible plague to bring on Pharaoh and the people of Egypt. It will be the plague that finally frees Israel from slavery. While this plague will be great, what God will do afterward will stun Egypt and Israel. It will cement in history the ultimate power of the Only True God.

Death of the Firstborn

And the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether.’ Exodus 11:1

The tenth plague is often called the ‘death of the firstborn.’ The firstborn child (or animal) was seen as having the purest and strongest blood because they were the first to receive the many benefits of the mother’s womb. The firstborn son had a special place in his family. He grew up to have authority over his younger brothers and sisters. He was also entitled to the ‘Birthright,’ which was a double portion of the family property at the death of the father. The firstborn son also became the spiritual leader of the family at the father’s death. He would provide for his mother until she died, and also provide for his sisters until they married.

The final part of God’s plan in Pharaoh agreeing to give the children of Israel their freedom was the death of all firstborn children in Egypt. God would protect Israel through what is known as the ‘Lord’s Passover’ (Exodus 12:1-11) You can read the details of the Passover in Exodus 12:14-28. It was vital that every Israelite family followed God’s direction in order to live through what He was going to do to Pharaoh and the Egyptians.

For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike 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. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:12-13

And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, 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. Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, ‘Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the Lord as you have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.’ And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, ‘We shall all be dead’ … Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. Exodus 12:29-33, 35-36

This is exactly what God had prophesied to Moses when He first talked with him from the burning bush in Midian –

But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians. Exodus 3:22

God spoke to Moses about consecrated all the firstborn to Him – ‘whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine’ (Exodus 13:1-2). Moses taught the people about how to remember this special occasion of God’s deliverance (Feast of Unleavened Bread), along with the law of the firstborn (Exodus 13:3-16).

After Pharaoh freed Israel from slavery, God led them around by way of the wilderness of Red Sea rather than by way of the land of the Philistines, which was closer. Why? ‘God said, ‘Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt’ (Exodus 13:17) Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, which was Joseph’s stated desire centuries earlier – ‘God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you’ (Exodus 13:19).

Moses led the Israelites from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. God went before Israel by day in a ‘pillar of cloud, and by night in a ‘pillar of fire’ to give them light.

Death of Pharaoh’s Army

Pharoah, though a defeated demigod, is not done yet. Neither is the One True God –

Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.’ And they did so. Exodus 14:1-14

Notice that God said He would ‘harden Pharaoh’s heart’ so he would pursue the Israelites. God said that by doing that, He would ‘gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.’ Remember, that’s what this is all about! God was going to finish proving to Egypt that He was the Only True God by destroying Pharaoh’s army.

Here’s how it played out –

And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses, ‘Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen. Exodus 14:8-18

‘Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.’ I love that divine statement. We don’t do anything, other than be still and know that God is the One True God. How did God ‘save’ Israel from Pharoah’s armies?

  1. The Angel of God moved the pillar of cloud from in front of Israel to stand behind Israel. That meant that God stood between the children of Israel and the soldiers of Pharaoh. The cloud and darkness of the pillar faced the soldiers’ camp at night, while the other side gave light to Israel at night. That meant the soldiers could not move forward to attack Israel.
  2. Moses stretched out his hand over the Red Sea and God caused the waters to divide. That allowed the children of Israel to walk across the sea on ‘dry ground.’ The divided waters were a ‘wall’ on their left and right.
  3. The Egyptians were finally allowed to pursue Israel. They went after them ‘into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horseman.’ However, God ‘looked down upon the army of the Egyptians’ and ‘troubled’ them. God took off their chariot wheels, making driving them difficult.
  4. The Egyptian soldiers said, ‘Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.’ However, by the time they realized that it was too late.
  5. Moses stretched out his hand over the sea while the Egyptian army was trying to turn around and go back to their side of the land. The Red Sea returned to its full depth, drowning Pharaoh’s army. ‘Not as much as one of them remained.’
  6. The children of Israel arrived on the other side of the Sea before the waters returned, so none of the Israelites were lost.

So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses. Exodus 14:30-31

Free eBook

You can download the first 13 chapters of this series here.

Next Time

God proved that He is the One and Only True God. All other ‘gods’ are nothing more than powerless pieces of stone and wood. What happens next? We’ll look at that in the next part of our series – Train to Reign.

“Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

GraceLife Copyright © 1990-2025