Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Exodus
Book: Exodus
Chapter: 11
Overview:
God's last instructions to
Moses respecting
Pharaoh and the
Egyptians.
(1-3) The
Death of the
First-born threatened.
(4-10)
1-3 A secret
Revelation was made to
Moses while in the presence
of
Pharaoh, that he might give warning of the last dreadful
Judgment, before he went out. This was the last
Day of the
servitude of
Israel; they were about to go away. Their masters,
who had abused them in their work, would have sent them away
empty; but
God provided that the labourers should not lose their
hire, and ordered them to demand it now, at their departure, and
it was given to them.
God will right the injured, who in humble
silence commit their cause to him; and none are losers at last
By patient suffering. The
Lord gave them favour in the sight of
the Egyptians,
By making it appear how much he favoured them. He
also changed the
Spirit of the Egyptians toward them, and made
them to be pitied of their oppressors. Those that honour
God, he
will honour.
4-10 The
Death of all the
First-born in
Egypt at once: this
Plague had been the first threatened, but is last executed. See
how slow
God is to wrath. The
Plague is foretold, the time is
fixed; all their
First-born should sleep the sleep of
Death, not
silently, but
So as to rouse the families at midnight. The
Prince was not too high to be reached
By it, nor the slaves at
the
Mill too low to be noticed. While angels slew the Egyptians,
not
So much as a
Dog should bark at any of the children of
Israel. It is an
Earnest of the difference there shall be in the
great
Day, between
God's people and his enemies. Did men know
what a difference
God puts, and will
Put to eternity, between
those that serve him and those that serve him not, religion
would not seem to them an indifferent thing; nor would they act
in it with
So much carelessness as they do. When
Moses had thus
delivered his message, he went out from
Pharaoh in great
Anger
at his obstinacy; though he was the meekest of the men of the
Earth. The
Scripture has foretold the unbelief of many who hear
the
Gospel, that it might not be a surprise or stumbling-block
to us, Ro 10:16. Let us never think the worse of the
Gospel of
Christ for the slights men
Put upon it.
Pharaoh was hardened,
yet he was compelled to abate his stern and haughty demands,
till the Israelites got full
Freedom. In like manner the people
of
God will find that every struggle against their spiritual
Adversary, made in the might of
Jesus Christ, every attempt to
overcome him
By the
Blood of the
Lamb, and every desire to
attain increasing likeness and
Love to that
Lamb, will be
rewarded
By increasing
Freedom from the enemy of souls.