Exodus 12:43-51 Ordinance of the Passover!

43And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner is to eat of it. 44But any slave who has been purchased may eat of it, after you have circumcised him. 45A temporary resident or hired hand shall not eat the Passover.

46It must be eaten inside one house. You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of the bones.

47The whole congregation of Israel must celebrate it. 48If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover, all the males in the household must be circumcised; then he may come near to celebrate it, and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised man may eat of it. 49The same law shall apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.”

50Then all the Israelites did this—they did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their divisions.

Passover lamb, “and you may not break any of the bones.”

This was looking forward to, in preparation for the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. John 1:29 (Jesus Christ)

Psalms 22:17 I can count all my bones; they stare and gloat over me.

Jhn 19:33 - But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

If a foreigner wanted to participate in the Passover they had to become part of the people of Israel by receiving the covenant of circumcision. 

Have you ever watched the movie The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston?

Particularly the scene when the Destroyer comes and the Israelites were in there homes eating the Passover. 

https://youtu.be/SIajxKkQYR4

It is a dramatization of the biblical account but it gives you an idea of what it may have been like. 

The Lord didn’t want the Israelites to forget, He wanted generations to come to keep this day in remembrance. The day He killed Egypt’s firstborn because the pharaoh wouldn’t let His firstborn people go!

For Christians, Jesus became our Passover Lamb.

Is He yours?

https://www.gotquestions.org/Passover-Lamb.html

Blessings, David 

Exodus 12:40-42 Vigil!

40Now the duration of the Israelites’ stay in Egyptwas 430 years. 41At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions went out of the land of Egypt. 42Because the LORD kept a vigil that night to bring them out of the land of Egypt, this same night is to be a vigil to the LORD, to be observed by all the Israelites for the generations to come.

“430 years, to the very day”

“Apparently the Exodus from Egypt began on the same calendar day as the 430th anniversary of Israel’s time in Egypt.” (Guzik)

Some argue that the Israelites didn’t spend 430 years in Egypt. 

The Geneva Study Bible notes this, “From Abraham's departing from Ur in Chaldea to the departing of the children of Israel from Egypt are 430 years.”

But God’s word in the Bible says “to the very day”. I will not attempt to prove His word is incorrect or who’s interpretation is right.

We must remember to never add to His word or take away from it!

Take His word for it!

“the LORD kept a vigil” especially to keep watch or pray.

Because the Lord did it, He wants it to be observed by all the Israelites for the generations to come.

Is it possible the Lord kept a vigil over us at a particularly difficult time in our lives?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 12:37-39 Swarm!

37The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth with about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children. 38And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.

39Since their dough had no leaven, the people baked what they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves. For when they had been driven out of Egypt, they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.

“mixed multitude”

“The Hebrew says ‘swarm’, from the same root as that used in 8:21 to describe the plague of gadflies.” (Cole)

Swarm, think about that word for a minute and envision the invasion at our southern border. We have seen large caravans that have stressed our country’s resources but nothing of the magnitude of a swarm, all at once.

The mixed multitude had unleavened dough to bake into loaves but took no other provisions.

“along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.” 

Did they have feed and water for the livestock? The Bible doesn’t mention it.

They would have to rely on the Lord for their provisions.

We thank the Lord daily for our blessings, our provisions.

Do you? 

If not it’s easy to do, just say thank you Lord for this food, my shelter, my income, my family, my spouse. Thank you Jesus for my salvation! In Jesus name I pray.

Blessings, David 

Exodus 12:31-36 Leave this land quickly!

31Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Get up, leave my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. 32Take your flocks and herds as well, just as you have said, and depart! And bless me also.”

33And in order to send them out of the land quickly, the Egyptians urged the people on. “For otherwise,” they said, “we are all going to die!” 34So the people took their dough before it was leavened, carrying it on their shoulders in kneading bowls wrapped in clothing.

35Furthermore, the Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing. 36And the LORD gave the people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they granted their request. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.

The pharaoh now knows who the Lord is!

Go now, “For otherwise,” they said, “we are all going to die!”

I’m sure the Egyptians thought if the Israelites didn’t leave more death would follow!

The Israelites asked the Egyptians for gold, silver and clothing, 

Don’t mis this, “And the LORD gave the people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they granted their request.”

I believe our move from Arizona happened in a similar fashion. We decided to move back to our home state and found a home in the the woods. I knew when I saw it that it was the one because my heart sang with joy. The purchase went through surprisingly fast. We decided to sell our Arizona home the following year but the Lord had other plans, leave this land quickly! We received an offer in 56 hours after listing the house for sale! We actually sold it to friends we knew from church. 

They had been looking for a year and were told the home they sought didn’t exist. We didn’t know they were looking and they didn’t know we were selling.

We both found favor, because of the Lord!

Have you found favor in the sight of someone because of the Lord?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 12:29-30 the LORD struck down every firstborn male!

The Tenth Plague 

29Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock.

30During the night Pharaoh got up—he and all his officials and all the Egyptians—and there was loud wailing in Egypt; for there was no house without someone dead.

The pharaoh had nine choices, nine times before this plague to let His chosen people go! But he was stubborn and he thought he was a god. 

“to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon”.

“Literally, the ‘pit-house’. Pits were a common prison. Here the opposite to pharaoh is not the ‘mill girl’ (Exodus 11:15), but the prisoner of war in the dungeon.” (Cole)

“Egypt and Pharaoh would not give God Hisfirstborn – Israel (Exodus 4:22-23); so God took the firstborn of Egypt.” (Guzik)

“Israel cried to God for deliverance (Exodus 2:23), and they cried to Pharaoh from relief (Exodus 5:15). Now the Egyptians had reason to cry.” (Guzik)

“and there was loud wailing in Egypt; for there was no house without someone dead.”

Who’s god was greater, the Egyptians or the Israelites?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 12:24-28 Deliverance!

24And you are to keep this command as a perpetual ordinance for you and your descendants. 25When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as He promised, you are to keep this service.

26When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’ 27you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck down the Egyptians and spared our homes.’”

Then the people bowed down and worshiped. 28And the Israelites went and did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.

“Passover was the greatest work of redemption performed on the Old Testament side of the cross.

In Passover, there was a two-fold work. First, an enemy was defeated (He struck the Egyptians). Second, God’s people were set free and given a new identity, with new promises, a new walk, a new life altogether (delivered our households).” Guzik 

Deliverance: 1. The act of delivering or the condition of being delivered.

2. Rescue from bondage or danger.

We received deliverance when we accepted the work of Jesus Christ and the cross.

Have you been delivered?

Blessings, David

Exodus 12:21-23 Hyssop!

21Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and told them, “Go at once and select for yourselves a lamb for each family, and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22Take a cluster of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin, and brush the top and the two side posts of the doorframe with some of the blood. None of you shall go out the door of his house until morning.

23When the LORD passes through to strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the top and the two side posts and pass over the door; so He will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.

“Through the Scriptures, hyssop was often used to apply blood for the cleansing of sin.” Guzik 

Hyssop was also used during the crucification of Christ. 

“It is possible that God meant this as a picture of purification, as Jesus bought our forgiveness with His sacrifice. Just as in the Old Testament blood and hyssop purified a defiled person, so Jesus’ shed blood purifies us from the defilement of our sin.” https://www.gotquestions.org/hyssop-Bible.html

Has Jesus’ blood purified you?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 12:14-20 Feast of Unleavened Bread!

14And this day will be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the LORD, as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 15For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.

16On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly, and another on the seventh day. You must not do any work on those days, except to prepare the meals—that is all you may do.

17So you are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. You must keep this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 18In the first month you are to eat unleavened bread, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. 19For seven days there must be no leaven found in your houses. If anyone eats something leavened, that person, whether a foreigner or native of the land, must be cut off from the congregation of Israel. 20You are not to eat anything leavened; eat unleavened bread in all your homes.”

Feast of Unleavened Bread, a Memorial and a feast for seven days!

Galatians 5:9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.

Leaven is a picture of sin and corruption. 

https://www.gotquestions.org/unleavened-bread.html

Matzoh: Matzo, matzah, or matza is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which chametz is forbidden.

Some suggest it was sweet in taste. 

Is there leaven in your life?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 12:1-13 Passover!

1Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2“This month is the beginning of months for you; it shall be the first month of your year.

3Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month, each man must select a lamba for his family, one per household. 4If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly.

5Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats. 6You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight.b 7They are to take some of the blood and put it on the two side posts and tops of the doorframes of the houses in which they eat the lambs.

8They are to eat the meat that night, roasted over the fire, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

9Do not eat any of the meat raw or cooked in boiling water, but only roasted over the fire—its head and legs and inner parts. 10Do not leave any of it until morning; before the morning you must burn up any part that is left over.

11This is how you are to eat it: You must be fully dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. You are to eat in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.

12On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13The blood on the houses where you are staying will distinguish them; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will fall on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

“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)

“the term paschal mysterysimply refers to the events of Christ’s death and resurrection and their significance for us, which we can only truly understand when our hearts are enabled to do so by God’s grace.”

https://www.gotquestions.org/paschal-mystery.html

This was the first Passover, a new beginning, the first month of the year.

Do you realize Jesus was crucified during Passover week?

He celebrated Passover the night before being crucified as our Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John 1:29

An interesting read. https://www.gotquestions.org/Day-of-Preparation.html

1 Corinthians 5:7 Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Jesus was the final Passover lamb for the world (Christians).

Gods timing of events is interesting, isn’t it?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 11:1-10 Hot with anger!

1Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will bring upon Pharaoh and Egypt one more plague. After that, he will allow you to leave this place. And when he lets you go, he will drive you out completely. 2Now announce to the people that men and women alike should ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”

3And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.

4So Moses declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt, 5and every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the servant girl behind the hand mill, as well as the firstborn of all the cattle. 6Then a great cry will go out over all the land of Egypt, the likes of which have never been heard before and will never be heard again. 7But among all the Israelites, not even a dog will snarl at man or beast.’ Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. 8All these officials of yours will come and bow before me, saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that, I will depart.”

And hot with anger, Moses left Pharaoh’s presence.

9The LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

10Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let the Israelites go out of his land.

“These jewels were employed afterwards in the adornment and enrichment of the Sanctuary. They flashed in the breastplate of the High Priest, and shone in the sacred vessels.” (Meyer)

“To sit ‘behind the two mill stones’ (so the Hebrew reads literally) is to do the work of the lowest woman slave in the household, grinding corn.” (Cole)

“An unprecedented outpouring of grief would follow, but among the Israelites there would be such tranquility on that evening that no a dog would have occasion to bark.” (Kaiser)

“The Lord hath put a difference between those who are his people and those who are not. There are many distinctions among men which will one day be blotted out; but permit me to remind you at the outset that this is an eternal distinction.” (Spurgeon)

“And hot with anger, Moses left Pharaoh’s presence.”

This verse is interesting to me. When you read the different bible translations you can clearly see it was Moses who was “hot with anger”. I ask myself, why?

I can only come to one conclusion. 

It was because after all the plagues, pharaoh’s heart was still hard, he wouldn’t let the Israelites go. It comes down to the Lord taking the firstborn. But Moses was told by the Lord this would happen! 

Exodus 4:22Then tell Pharaoh that this is what the LORD says: ‘Israel is My firstborn son, 23and I told you to let My son go so that he may worship Me. But you have refused to let him go, so I will kill your firstborn son!’”

Moses’ anger was justified.

When you get angry, is it justified?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 10:21-29 A Palatable Darkness!

21Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness will spread over the land of Egypt—a palpable darkness.”

22So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and total darkness covered all the land of Egypt for three days. 23No one could see each other, and for three days no one left his place. Yet all the Israelites had light in their dwellings.

24Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the LORD. Even your little ones may go with you; only your flocks and herds must stay behind.”

25But Moses replied, “You must also provide us with sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God. 26Even our livestock must go with us; not a hoof will be left behind, for we will need some of them to worship the LORD our God, and we will not know how we are to worship the LORD until we arrive.”

27But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. 28“Depart from me!” Pharaoh said to Moses. “Make sure you never see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you will die.”

29“As you say,” Moses replied, “I will never see your face again.”

There was no warning for this plague.

A palpable darkness, a darkness so dark that it could be felt. 

“Yet all the Israelites had light in their dwellings.” It would appear the Egyptians did not.

“Let us dread the consequences of sin; if three days of darkness were so dreadful, what will everlasting darkness be?” Matthew Henry

“Depart from me!” Pharaoh said to Moses. “Make sure you never see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you will die.”

Pharaoh gives Moses a warning! 

Is it a wonder what happens next?

The final plague of the firstborn is coming!

Blessings, David 

Exodus 10:12-20 They consumed all!

12Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, so that the locusts may swarm over it and devour every plant in the land—everything that the hail has left behind.”

13So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and throughout that day and night the LORD sent an east wind across the land. By morning the east wind had brought the locusts.

14The locusts swarmed across the land and settled over the entire territory of Egypt. Never before had there been so many locusts, and never again will there be. 15They covered the face of all the land until it was black, and they consumed all the plants on the ground and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left behind. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.

16Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. 17Now please forgive my sin once more and appeal to the LORD your God, so that He will remove this death from me.”

18So Moses left Pharaoh’s presence and appealed to the LORD. 19And the LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind that carried off the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust remained anywhere in Egypt.

20But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.

They consumed all!

Then the confession; 

“I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. 17Now please forgive my sin once more and appeal to the LORD your God, so that He will remove this death from me.”

“Once again comes the easy confession of sin, and the shallow repentance that springs only from a desire to avert the consequences.” (Cole)

Why did God harden pharaohs heart? Because he was an evil man and the Egyptians went along with him. For four hundred years they pressed the Israelites in slavery. 

“A previous pharaoh—possibly even the pharaoh in question—ordered that male Israelite babies be killed at birth”.

https://www.gotquestions.org/God-harden-Pharaoh-heart.html

Romans 9:17–18 (ESV)

17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

What purpose has God raised you up?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 10:8-11 The locusts are coming! The locusts are coming!

8So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the LORD your God,” he said. “But who exactly will be going?”

9“We will go with our young and old,” Moses replied. “We will go with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”

10Then Pharaoh told them, “May the LORD be with you if I ever let you go with your little ones. Clearly you are bent on evil. 11No, only the men may go and worship the LORD, since that is what you have been requesting.” And Moses and Aaron were driven from Pharaoh’s presence.

The pharaoh at first relents and tells Moses, “Go, worship the LORD your God,”, but then his hard heart gets in the way. He asks, “But who exactly will be going?”

The pharaoh didn’t want to loose his slave labor force, he wanted hostages to force the return of the men.

He seems to relent with qualifications. 

After all the plagues, he still doesn’t know who the Lord is.

The pharaoh sinned again, discipline is coming.....

I can see it now, a rider on a horse running at great speed with the rider yelling....

The locusts are coming! The locusts are coming!

Have you ever sinned knowing that the Lord would discipline you for your actions?

Blessings, David