11. PRIDE CAUSES SOME TO STUBBORNLY REFUSE TO DO THE RIGHT THING, REGARDLESS OF THE COST TO THEMSELVES.
Exodus 10:3,7 - "So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, 'Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.' Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, 'How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?'"
Pharaoh's real problem was simple: a lack of humility! The power of his position had gone to his head. He would not tolerate defeat, though he would learn in time that fighting against Jehovah always leads to failure. Even his advisors can see the proper course to pursue, but Pharaoh is blinded by his arrogance. Some today will foolishly "dig in their heels" regarding a certain sin and consequently suffer greatly, when the wise thing to do would be to swallow one's pride, admit wrong, and change!
12. GOD WILL BE GLORIFIED--EVEN IF WE ARE BENT ON REBELLION.
Exodus 11:9 - "But the LORD said to Moses, 'Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.'"
God is so amazing that He can make human wickedness yield something good (cf. Gen. 50:19,20; Calvary)!
13. GOD IS SUPERIOR TO ANY IDOL.
Exodus 12:12 - "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."
There is only one God! It was true then and it is still true today. Jehovah excels our modern man-made "deities" such as money, pleasure, power, recreation, and beauty. The wise will behave accordingly.
14. MEMORIALS ARE A GREAT WAY TO TEACH CHILDREN.
Exodus 12:24-27 - "And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. It will come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. And it shall be, when your children say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?' that you shall say, 'It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD...'"
When children witness a memorial of any type, they are inclined to ask questions out of curiosity. Such is the perfect teaching opportunity to explain the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the matter under consideration.
15. WHEN THE LORD IS ON YOUR SIDE, THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR.
Exodus 14:10,14 - "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...'The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.'"
In general, the Israelites had weak faith and were scared; in contrast, Moses had strong faith and was fearless. Lack of faith and fear are always related. God provided them a way of escape to their difficulty, as He still does for us today (cf. I Cor. 10:13). If you allow fear to conquer you, cripple you, or turn you into a complainer, your faith is exposed as weak--trust and obey, friends (cf. Matt. 10:28)!
16. GOD IS WORTHY OF OUR PRAISE--ESPECIALLY WHEN HE BLESSES US.
Exodus 15:1,2 - "Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: 'I will sing to the LORD for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; my father's God, and I will exalt Him.'"
The destruction of the Egyptian army was a great reason to rejoice. In truth, God is always worthy of our praise, even in difficult times. But, humans are naturally more inclined to praise Him when overcoming a challenging situation. At the very least, if we don't praise Him then, we are selfish, ungrateful creatures indeed. Our aim should be to praise Him always (cf. Eph. 5:20; Phil. 4:4)!