Useful Bible Studies > Hebrews Commentary > chapter 11
In Hebrews 11:24-27, we have been studying how Moses first tried to free the Israelites (God’s people) from Egypt (Exodus 2:11-15). Moses tried to do it by his own method, and he was completely unsuccessful. But Moses did manage to free himself from the control of Egypt’s rulers. And in that matter, he had faith (active belief and trust in God).
After 40 years, Moses returned to Egypt. He now understood that he was God’s servant. And this time, he would use God’s method to save his people.
It will not surprise readers of the Book of Hebrews to know that God’s method was the blood of a sacrifice. A sacrifice is a gift that God considers valuable. For the Israelites it was the blood of a young sheep. For Christians, it is the blood of Christ, who died on the cross to save them from their sins (evil deeds). Christ’s death was the reality; God provided a copy to save the Israelites.
But before that, God showed the rulers of Egypt that he is the real God. And he urged them by Moses that they must free the Israelites. He allowed terrible events (called the plagues) to happen in Egypt. The false gods of Egypt could not stop those plagues. But the rulers of Egypt still refused to free the Israelites.
God told Moses that the oldest son in every family in Egypt would die. This would be the last plague. After it, the rulers of Egypt would allow the Israelites to leave.
This plague would happen in just one night. And on that night, the Israelites would only be safe if they obeyed God’s special instructions. Each Israelite family must kill a young sheep as a sacrifice. They cooked the meat and they ate it. But they took the blood and they used it to mark the entrances to their homes (Exodus chapter 12). God would see the blood, and he would protect those homes.
That night was called the Passover. On that night, God protected the families who were trusting him to save them. They had marked their homes with the blood of a sacrifice, as God had ordered. God protected them, so that nobody died in those houses. But someone died in all the other homes in Egypt, even in the king’s palace (Exodus 12:29-30).
On that night, God separated the people who had faith. In other words, he saved only the people who trusted God. He showed that there is a difference between them and other people.
Next part: The Israelites cross the Red Sea (Hebrews 11:29)
Please use the links at the top of the page to find our other articles in this series. You can download all our articles if you go to the download page for our free 450 page course book.
© 2014, Keith Simons.