"God strikes Egypt with the final plague: Death of every firstborn male and firstborn male livestock. Before God inflicts this plague on Egypt, He commands the Israelites to sacrifice a one year old unblemished goat or lamb, eat it the same night, burn the remains, and put its blood around the door entrance to their homes. This is to happen on the 14th day of the first month of the year. On that day, God will carry out the tenth plague against Egypt, but when God sees the blood on the door frames He will Passover that house and leave the firstborn children unharmed. After God told this to Moses, Moses spread the message to all the Israelites in Egypt. At midnight on the 14th day of the first month of the year, the Lord struck every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of his prisoner in the dungeon, and every firstborn of the livestock. After this, Pharaoh wails because he lost his firstborn son, and he begs Moses to take all the Israelites, their possessions, and livestock and leave Egypt. The Egyptians want them to leave so badly that they gave the Israelites silver and gold jewelry and clothing. The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about 600,000 soldiers on foot, besides their families. An ethnically diverse crowd also went up with them, along with a huge number of livestock, both flocks and herds. The Israelites lived in Egypt for 430 years. God establishes this Passover as a memorial celebratory festival for all future Israelite generations."
Exodus 12 Amplified Bible (AMP)
The Passover Lamb12 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This [a]month shall be the beginning of months to you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. 3 Tell all the congregation of Israel, ‘On the tenth [day] of this month they are to take a lamb or young goat for themselves, according to [the size of] the household of which he is the father, a lamb or young goat for each household. 4 Now if the household is too small for a lamb [to be consumed], let him and his next door neighbor take one according to the number of people [in the households]; according to what each man can eat, you are to divide the lamb. 5 Your lamb or young goat shall be [perfect] without blemish or bodily defect, a male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it [b]at twilight. 7 Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel [above the door] of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the meat that same night, roasted in fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted in fire—both its head and its legs, along with its inner parts. 10 You shall let none of the meat remain until the morning, and anything that remains left over until morning, you shall burn completely in the fire. 11 Now you are to eat it in this manner: [be prepared for a journey] with your [c]loins girded [that is, with the outer garment tucked into the band], your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; you shall eat it quickly—it is the Lord’s Passover. 12 For I [the Lord] will pass through the land of Egypt on this night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and animal; against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments [exhibiting their worthlessness]. I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you on [the doorposts of] the houses where you live; when I see the blood I shall pass over you, and no affliction shall happen to you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
- GREAT FORESHADOWING OF LORD JESUS CHRIST. In preparation for the 10th and final plague against the Pharaoh's hardened heart and the false gods/idols of Egypt, God gave detailed instructions to the Israelites as part of His distinction and setting apart of the people, so that no firstborn from them shall die. The lamb without blemish was like a sacrificial, burnt offering to the Lord. At this point, there were 1-2 million people/families in the land of Goshen. On the 14th day of the month, the lamb shall be slaughtered by the Israelites between sunset and nightfall (likely 6:00-7:20 p.m.), and they should put or brush some blood on their 2 doorpost and above the door, which to me, perfectly resembled the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus was also the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice for our sins, so Exodus 12 was a great foreshadowing of the coming Savior, Messiah. The blood on the doorpost acts as a sign of protection from death. In our spiritual lives, have we acknowledged and believed what the Lord Jesus had done on the cross? He spilled His blood, and gave up His life for all mankind, so that everyone (who believes) will be reconciled back to the Father and be forgiven and saved. Jesus was the ultimate, perfect lamb offering and sacrifice that took away God's wrath, and gave us true freedom and life.
Footnotes: Exodus 12:2 Originally known as Abib (March/April), after the Babylonian captivity the name was changed to Nisan.
Exodus 12:6 Lit between the two evenings, that is, between sunset and nightfall (likely 6:00-7:20 p.m.) each household was to slaughter its own lamb or goat.
I was also reminded of Communion Jesus did with his disciples! The Lord's Supper
"For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." John 15:13
- PREPARING FOR EXODUS. All the rituals and instructions from God came with a very important reminder to all the Israelites. They shall do all those things, and eat-- with a manner that is ready, vigilant, and prepared for a journey. For after 430 years, God was freeing and driving out the Israelites out of Egypt (the temporary home that started with Joseph, Jacob and the 12 Tribes/Sons) back in Genesis. Whoaaa! I can only imagine the kind of atmosphere and the feeling of anticipation of everyone. Death was coming and just around the corner, but so was new life. Freedom from oppression and slavery. The promised land that God promised to Abraham and his descendants. The great journey in the wilderness, that would sadly be an end after 40 years for those who rebelled and just wished to come back their old life of slavery (excluding Moses), but an epic one for the new generation that was courageous and obedient to God.
Feast of Unleavened Bread
14 ‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as an ordinance forever. 15 [In the celebration of the Passover in future years,] seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove the [d]leaven from your houses [because it represents the spread of sin]; for whoever eats leavened bread on the first day through the seventh day, that person shall be cut off and excluded from [the atonement made for] Israel. 16 On the first day [of the feast] you shall have a holy and solemn assembly, and on the seventh day there shall be another holy and solemn assembly; no work of any kind shall be done on those days, except for the preparation of food which every person must eat—only that may be done by you. 17 You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because on this very day I brought your hosts [grouped according to tribal armies] out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an ordinance forever. 18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, [and continue] until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 Seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses; whoever eats what is leavened shall be cut off and excluded from [the atonement made for] the congregation of Israel, whether a stranger or native-born. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take a lamb for yourselves according to [the size of] your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 You shall take a bunch of [e]hyssop, dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and touch some of the blood to the lintel [above the doorway] and to the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.
A Memorial of Redemption
23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel [above the entry way] and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow [f]the destroyer to come into your houses to slay you. 24 You shall observe this event [concerning Passover] as an ordinance for you and for your children forever. 25 When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has promised, you shall keep and observe this service. 26 When your children say to you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians, but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed [their heads] low and worshiped [God].
28 Then the Israelites went and did [as they had been told]: just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
- FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD. The Israelites were commanded to keep/observe the Passover as a feast throughout all the generations, so that it can never be forgotten-- how good, strong, and faithful our God was over Egypt when He rescued His people. With this, God explained how they shall do it in the future, when the Israelites take hold of the promised land of Canaan (Israel in present time). God was ESTABLISHING THE NATION OF ISRAEL here. In this way, God will know who deeply and solemnly believe and obey Him. Bread (the people's basic food before) was essential for living, and to give up physical satisfaction and follow/observe the Feast by eating only unleavened bread would be difficult for some, I think. This is how you know that God truly loves His people, His children. Leaven or yeast in bread symbolizes and represents the "spread of sin", and God wants His people to know that apart from Him, they can be destroyed, hardened and blinded by sins. The Feast of the Unleavened Bread is not to restrict, limit or punish the people, it is ordained so everyone can reflect and acknowledge their great need for God. So that everyone will remember that it is God who had, and can free them from the oppression and slavery of sin, it is only God who can rescue.
Footnotes: Exodus 12:15 This is the first time leaven is mentioned in the Bible. The Hebrew word (seor) refers specifically to the leavening agent (as opposed to dough containing it), which today is thought of as yeast, a type of fungus. In Jewish thinking, leaven was symbolic of impurity and corruption. As leaven spreads through dough, sin spreads through a population. Jesus used it as a symbol for the corrupt and hypocritical teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees (see especially Luke 12:1; cf Matt 16:11; Mark 8:15), but He also used leaven’s ability to permeate a mass of dough many times its own size as an illustration of the spread of the kingdom of heaven (Matt 13:33; Luke 13:21).
Exodus 12:22 This evidently was a bristly plant which was useful as a kind of brush.
Exodus 12:23 Another translation is “the destruction,” which would make Yahweh (God) Himself, and not an “Angel of the Lord,” the One who either “passes over” (Ex 12:13) or “destroys.”
Exodus 12:29 Lit house of a cistern. Cisterns, which were underground water reservoirs, were, when dry, sometimes used to confine prisoners.
29 Now it happened at midnight that the Lord struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the [g]dungeon, and all the firstborn of the cattle. 30 Pharaoh got up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry [of heartache and sorrow] in Egypt, for there was no house where there was not someone dead. 31 Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Get up, get out from among my people, both you and the Israelites; and go, serve the Lord, as you said. 32 Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and [ask your God to] bless me also.”
Exodus of Israel
33 The Egyptians [anxiously] urged the people [to leave], to send them out of the land quickly, for they said, “We will all be dead.” 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders.
35 Now the Israelites had acted in accordance with the word of Moses; and they had asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing. 36 The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they gave them what they asked. And so they plundered the Egyptians [of those things].
37 Now the Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides [the women and] the children. 38 A mixed multitude [of non-Israelites from foreign nations] also went with them, along with both flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock. 39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought from Egypt; it was not leavened, since they were driven [quickly] from Egypt and could not delay, nor had they prepared any food for themselves.
40 Now the period of time the children of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41 At the end of the four hundred and thirty years, to that very day, all the hosts of the Lord [gathered into tribal armies] left the land of Egypt.
- PHARAOH LET GO. Without any warning or clue from Moses, the death of all the Egyptian firstborn and their cattle happened. Such a mystery and wonder and miracle! If only Pharaoh acknowledge God and let the Israelites free earlier. But it had to come this way, which was tragic. There was great crying, sorrow and mourning. I don't want to imagine how horrific it may have sounded. Pharaoh's sins brought death in the land. The gods/idols of Egypt were powerless, and basically non-existent in the first place. Pharaoh's firstborn, heir to the throne, died and was no more. This was the opposite with God though-- though His firstborn Son Jesus died (and gave up His life) as an atonement for our sins, Jesus rose again and lived, crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords, reigning forevermore. Back to the story, Pharaoh had no other choice but to let the Israelites go. Not only his own firstborn son died, but if he did not do the right thing, all the Egyptians will turn against him! So I think, Pharaoh reluctantly did the right thing.
- GOODBYE EGYPT. Just as the Lord said! The Israelites were quickly driven out, but not without plundering and being given with silver and gold by the Egyptians, that act as payment for all the years of hard work and slavery. Lots of people, men and women, children, even non-Israelites from foreign nations went with them! Cattle, livestock, how noisy and exciting that moment had been! If I was one of the slaves, I would also be up and running the front line, leaving everything behind and looking forward for a new life!
42 It is a night of watching to be observed for the Lord for having brought them out of the land of Egypt; this [same] night is for the Lord, to be observed and celebrated by all the Israelites throughout their generations.
43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: no [h]foreigner is to eat it; 44 but every man’s slave who is bought with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. 45 No stranger (temporary resident, foreigner) or hired servant shall eat it. 46 It is to be eaten inside one house; you shall not take any of the meat outside the house, nor shall you break any of its bones. 47 The entire congregation of Israel shall keep and celebrate it. 48 If a stranger living temporarily among you wishes to celebrate the Passover to the Lord, all his males must be circumcised, and then he may participate and celebrate it like one that is born in the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat it. 49 The same law shall apply to the native-born and to the stranger who lives temporarily among you.”
50 Then all the Israelites did so; they did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very same day the Lord brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their hosts (tribal armies).
Footnotes: Exodus 12:43 I.e. a gentile who had not become a proselyte to Judaism; but see v 48 for an exception.
* Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik:
i. “The paschal lamb was not killed in order to be looked at only, but to be eaten; and our Lord Jesus Christ has not been slain merely that we may hear about him and talk about him, and think about him, but that we may feed upon him.” (Spurgeon)
c. Let none of it remain until morning: The Passover lamb had to be eaten completely; a family had to totally consume the sacrifice.
i. The idea behind eating it all was that you had to take it all then, and not store up some of the rescue for later. It was for right then, right now, and you had to receive all of it without thinking you could take a bit then and come back to it later if you pleased. We take all of Jesus, not just the parts that please us.
i. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul made it perfectly clear: For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7). John the Baptist drew on a similar image when he said of Jesus, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29) It seems that Jesus was actually crucified on Passover (John 19:14). We see Jesus in the Passover.
· Jesus lived with and became bonded to the human family before He was sacrificed for them.
· The sacrifice of Jesus has to be appropriate to each home, not simply on a national or community basis.
· Jesus the Passover Lamb was spotless – perfectly so, not stained by any sin, any moral or spiritual imperfection.
· It was only the blood of Jesus, His actual poured-out life that atoned for sin.
· In His death Jesus was touched with fire, the fire of God’s judgment and wrath.
· In His death Jesus received the bitter cup of God’s judgment.
· The work of Jesus has to be received fully, with none left in reserve.
· The Passover work of Jesus for His people is the dawn and prelude to their freedom.
c. For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses: Leaven was also a picture of sin and corruption, because of the way a little leaven influences a whole lump of dough, and also because of the way leaven “puffs up” the lump – even as pride and sin makes us “puffed up.”
i. Significantly, God called them to walk “unleavened” after their initial deliverance from Egypt. Symbolically, they were being called to a life in moral purity before the Lord.
a. An ordinance for you and your sons forever: The deliverance of Passover was not only for them, but also for their children, and all generations to follow. Passover was the greatest work of redemption performed on the Old Testament side of the cross.
i. In the same way Jesus gave the new Passover, saying that His work on the cross was not only for that generation, but should be remembered and applied to all generations (Luke 22:14-20).
c. Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste…they plundered the Egyptians: The Egyptian people also agreed that the Israelites must go, to the extent that they essentially paid the Israelites to leave. Therefore, the children of Israel left in a hurry, so quickly that there was no time to let the bread rise. This is why they had to eat unleavened bread as the Lord had commanded.
i. We can imagine that some of the Israelites did not follow God’s instruction to get all the leaven out (Exodus 12:15). Now because of the haste of their departure they had to do what God had told them because God arranged the circumstances so that they couldn’t use leaven.
ii. In the same way, sometimes God arranges circumstances to where obedience is simply made necessary, even if we would not normally choose it. For example, God may want a man to give up friends that bring a bad influence and the man finds that his friends leave him first.
c. Out from the land of Egypt: The phrase out of Egypt is repeated 56 times in the Bible after this point. God wanted His people to remember His deliverance of Israel from Egypt.
i. In this sense, Passover means all this and more to Christians: Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:7-8)
b. The Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt: When Israel left Egypt, it was a nation born in a day. It was as if the 430 years were a time of gestation when the baby grew large. The plagues were like labor pains before birth and now the nation was born.
Reference and credits to https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Exd/Exd-12.cfm ©2013 David Guzik
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