God speaks to Moses and declares that one final plague will fall upon Egypt, the death of every firstborn. After this, Pharaoh will not just release the Israelites; he will drive them out. God instructs the Israelites to ask their Egyptian neighbors for silver and gold, and He causes the Egyptians to look favorably on them. Moses, now deeply respected, delivers God’s solemn warning to Pharaoh: at midnight, the Lord will pass through Egypt, and every firstborn, human and animal, will die, from the palace to the slave quarters. But Israel will be untouched, a sign of divine distinction. Moses leaves Pharaoh in anger, knowing his heart remains hardened. Yet God reminds Moses that this resistance will only magnify His wonders. The chapter closes with Moses and Aaron performing miracles, but Pharaoh’s defiance continues, setting the stage for the final act of deliverance.

It reads in Exodus 11 Easy: The Lord said to Moses, ‘I will cause Pharaoh and Egypt to have one more trouble. Then Pharaoh will let you go out of Egypt. He will cause you to leave very quickly and go away from him. So, tell the Israelite people now what they must do. Every man and every woman must ask the Egyptians that live near them for gold things and silver things. ‘The Lord caused the Egyptians to be kind to the Israelite people. As for Moses himself, Pharaoh’s officers and the Egyptian people respected him as an important man. So, Moses went to the king and he said, ‘The Lord God says this: “At about midnight, I will travel through the whole country of Egypt. I will cause all the firstborn sons in Egypt to die. The firstborn son of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, will die. The firstborn son of the female slave who makes flour, will die. Even the firstborn of the farm animals will die. Everyone will be crying loudly in the whole country of Egypt. Nothing like that has ever happened before now, and it will never happen again. But no trouble will happen to the Israelite people. Not even a dog will frighten them or their animals. Then you will know that I, the Lord, make a difference between Egypt and Israel.” ’ Moses continued to say to the king, ‘All your officers will come to me. They will fall down in front of me, and they will say, “Now go! Leave here with all your people.” After that, I will leave. ‘After he said that, Moses left Pharaoh. Moses was very angry. The Lord had already said to Moses, ‘Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. But that will give me the chance to do even greater miracles in Egypt.’ Moses and Aaron did all these miracles in front of Pharaoh. But the Lord caused Pharaoh’s mind to be hard. So, Pharaoh would not let the Israelites leave his country.

Father God, of justice and mercy, You, warned Pharaoh, You, wept for Egypt, and still You moved with power. You are not slow to act, nor blind to suffering. You see the cries of the oppressed, And You answer in Your time. As we read this chapter, let our hearts not grow hard like Pharaoh’s. Let us not delay obedience, nor ignore the voice of Your Spirit. Teach us to honor Your warnings, to trust Your timing, and to stand under Your covering. When midnight comes, when judgment falls and cries rise.  Let us be found faithful, marked by grace, Sheltered by the blood of the Lamb. You are the God who makes a distinction. Make us holy. Make us ready. Make us Yours. Praise You and thank You in Jesus Precious name, Amen.

This pencil drawing of the mother holding her child, tear-streaked and tender, resonates with the heartbreak described in Exodus 11. The chapter speaks of the death of Pharaoh’s firstborn and every firstborn in Egypt, a midnight sorrow so deep that “everyone will be crying loudly. Nothing like that has ever happened before now, and it will never happen again.” Yet no trouble will come to the Israelites, for the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.