The First Passover

Exodus 12 (NIV)
The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread

1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. 10Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.
12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
14 “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance. 15 For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do.
17 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 18 In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day.19 For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel. 20 Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread.”
21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 23 When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.
24 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. 28 The Israelites did just what the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron.
29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.
The Exodus
31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”
33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!” 34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing. 35The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. 36 The LORD had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.
37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. 38 Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. 39 With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.
40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions left Egypt. 42Because the LORD kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the LORD for the generations to come.

Outline:
1. 12:1-2 – Sets the main characters and the time of the new calendar.
2. 12:3-5 – Preparation for Passover in terms of the sacrifice needed and commanded.
3. 12:6 – Sets the day and time for Passover to take place.
4. 12:7-11 – Directions for what to do with the sacrifice and how the Israelites were to mark their households.
5. 12:12-13 – God’s plan for action against Egypt.
6. 12:14-17 – Command to celebrate this festival of Passover and remembrance.
7. 12:18-20 – Directive for the absence of all yeast in bread.
8. 12:21-28 – Moses releases the elders to start preparing for Passover with specific instructions.
9. 12:29-30 – God takes action against Egypt.
10. 12:31-36 – Egypt pushes for Israel to leave quickly.
11. 12:37-42 – Israel’s journey out of Egypt.

Verse 1-2 - I found this reading to be very interesting in that there were specific areas that seemed to detail how things might happen or take place in the near future for the Israelites. One of the first things I noticed was in verse 1-2 in that God, Moses, and Aaron seem to be the main characters within the conversation that is taking place. God tells Moses to start his calendar year during that particular month. Now up to this point, did the Egyptians and the Israelites already have a way of keeping time in terms of seasons? I would assume they did being that the Egyptians were worshipers of the sun. And if so, was this one of God’s methods of discrediting the Egyptian worship of the gods? Or was this simply a way for God to give the Israelite people a new life, a fresh start with a new calendar year? This seems more likely as they would mark their calendar year with the celebration of Passover, the beginning of a new life. Another thought would be that God doesn’t specify a particular day that the month starts on, so that leads me to wonder if that was up to Moses or if that particular day was the beginning of the month. God goes on to tell Moses to have the Israelite people select a lamb on the tenth day, so I am leaning toward this conversation between God, Moses and Aaron happening on the first day of the first month of the year.

Verses 3-5 not only talk about the meal for Passover, but also how to prepare for it and how to dress while eating the meal. I was intrigued to re-read the instruction of God to His people, because it is obvious that they intended to be ready to travel, a people on the move. It would appear that God wanted them to be ready a moment’s notice to pick up and vacate the area. This would be commonplace for this people for the next 40 years. This must have been a very anxious time for the Israelites. To know that God had been working on the house of Pharaoh and that this very night, they are going to witness mass destruction in terms of life. What must they have thought as they prepared the meal? Verse 6 gives us the day that Passover was to be celebrated, as God is very specific as to when it is to start for the Israelite people. But something I found that I easily overlooked is that the Israelites were to take care of the lamb until this appointed time.

Another observation is that of the preparation and cooking method of the Passover lamb. It is to be roasted on an open fire, not boiled or eaten raw, this at first confused me as to it’s importance, but then I thought of how God instructs the people to bring their sacrifices to the Tabernacle in the near future, and how they are to be burned on an open fire so that the aroma would be pleasing to God. I have to wonder if this is the same concept here. Continuing on with the topic of preparation, what was the significance of caring for the lamb prior to the sacrifice? Was this to bond with, or identify with the lamb before it’s death?

One observation that I nearly missed is that for this sacrifice, there is no priest or alter designated for the sacrifice. Each leader of the home was to facilitate for the family. But this whole process mirrors the direction and instruction the Israelite people will receive when it comes to the Tabernacle, especially the significance of the blood sprinkled on the doorpost. One question I have is did the Israelite people at this point, understand the significance of the blood on the doorpost or did they just comply with Gods directive? And if so, why the sudden change of heart. The Israelite people had been disobeying and getting into trouble earlier, why the sudden total compliance with the directives and instructions of God?

Verses 7-11 – Not only was the Passover to be on a specific day, and the people to handle the selection of the sacrifice in a certain way, they were to execute the actual ceremony of the Passover as well with specific detail. By spreading the blood of the sacrifice on the doorframe of their houses, it was a sign to the destroyer that they were set aside as God’s chosen people. This display of blood is a precursor and symbol of the blood that is spread on our hearts, the door frame to our house, so that God sees that we are redeemed through Christ’s blood and work on the cross.

Verses 12-13 – This is a confusing passage to many people, but if we look at what it is saying, it might give us some insight into the reasoning for this display of death. God states that he is going to pass through Egypt and kill the first born of all people and animals. Why? To bring judgment on all of the god’s of Egypt. This holds some very interesting clues as to why the death of first-born. Many societies of that time would sacrifice their young to the gods for specific reasons such as fertility and good crops for the year. It’s possible that God is saying there is no blessing here because you serve false gods.

Verses 14-17 - God gives clear instruction to the Israelites to remember this day and to celebrate it always, passing it from generation to generation so that all may remember that this was the day that God brought them out of captivity. The absence of yeast in verses 18-20 could possibly indicate the haste in which this meal was eaten or was to be eaten in light of the coming exodus from Egypt.

Verses 21-30 – These 7 verses are so rich with information I had to back up several times to re-read them so I didn’t miss it. First of all Moses calls all the Elders to assemble so he can instruct them in the directives that God gave him. He also instructs them to observe this ceremony after they have entered the Promised Land. For generations to come they are to observe what was instructed on this day. He tells them to go quickly, which is also similar as to how they are to eat the meal, but it also shows the time for God’s judgment on Egypt is coming quickly, there isn’t time to waste, it was immanent. I have always wondered why Hyssop was used in this and other sacrificial ceremonies, but after visiting Israel, I found that hyssop is a common herb used in homes, (it taste wonderful on fresh baked bread with olive oil.) So it is very possible that this would have been found in just about any home as a common staple food or herb. I do have to wonder what the elders were thinking at this point. Were they secretly taking stock of the hyssop they had at home? Then Moses instructs them to stay indoors after putting blood on the doorframe. It would have been very tempting to take a peak, but I have a feeling that these folks new better than to fool around with immanent death.

That leads me to my other thought on this passage. I over looked this statement many times, but finally it jumped out at me. In verse 23, scripture says that, “When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the door frame and will pass over that doorway, and will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.” Who exactly is this destroyer? Is it an angel of God or is God ushering Satan through Egypt? Is the angel of death in tow as God sweeps his judgment over Egypt? This for me was a very interesting statement that I didn’t catch at first. I always assumed that God carried out the judgment, but this sounds like He allowed it to happen at the hands of another entity. Regardless of who or how, that very night God carried out his judgment on Egypt and there was wailing through out the land.

Verse 31-36 – It seems as though God hits the Egyptians where it hurts and they push for the Israelites to leave as soon as possible. So much so that they give them their possessions and, in a sense, allow the Israelites to plunder them as they send them on their way. The Egyptians were so grief stricken that they didn’t care what it took, they just wanted the Israelites gone and the curse and judgment with them. Of course this was all at the hand and design of God, so the plunder is no mistake or fluke, it is orchestrated through divine will and direction.

Verse 37-42 – As the Israelites leave Egypt, verse 37 recorded that there are about six hundred thousand men, not counting women and children. It also says that there were many other people that went with them including, “large droves of livestock”. (NIV) There are arguments among some as to how many people really left Egypt during the exodus, some say that the numbers presented here in this passage are literal and others say that it was closer to about twenty thousand. Regardless as to if this number is literal or not, it must have been a sight to see thousands and thousands of people and animals leave Egypt and begin their travels in the wilderness. What must the celebration have been like as they walked out of oppression into freedom? Did they sing as they walked? I can only imagine after years of hard labor, and being under the thumb of a dictator, how freeing it must have been to walk out, not to mention having God on your side.

Some of the Structural Relationships I noticed were in v.17-21 and v.42. Both relationships are of Substantiation using the word “because”. Verse 17 signifies the reason behind why the Israelites are to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It is to remind them that God rescued them from their lives of slavery and oppression. And Verse 42 indicates the reason behind why ALL the Israelites made it out of Egypt. It was because the LORD stood watch to make sure the all made it out. This clearly indicates, as if it is needed, that God was on their side and was looking out for them in times of great turmoil and oppression.

Some questions that come to mind include: At this point in the lives of the Israelites, when they had been oppressed for so long, and had seen much loss and grief, what did they feel about the thought of a celebration being established, prior to there being anything to celebrate? And what caused them to believe and obey the instructions that were being given to them?

Some implications could be for those who chose to not obey the commands being given out. Were there Israelites that chose not to follow the instructions of the Lord? If so, the implications where huge in terms of freedom and being a part of the covenant inheritance. Another implication of the celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was that it would cause people to remember what God had done. The actual creation of the celebration, prior to the events taking place, imply that God knew He was going to be successful in freeing the Israelites from the Egyptian oppression and therefore set up a time of rejoicing and remembrance. Another implication is that God’s bigger plan is at work among the people now as it was then. If God never changes, then He is always looking out for his chosen people, we have nothing to fear.

The story of the Exodus is a great recount of history that should remind us that God always keeps His word, and although people like Pharaoh may try to stand in His way, God will not be defeated, He will not be swayed, and He will not tolerate people who try to do so. The Israelite people did not completely understand where they were going, or what lay ahead of them, they did however trust God to bring them up out of the land of oppression, and He did. We must remember that although we may go through tough times, when we call on the Lord He will answer us. It may not be our answer, however it will be the answer God gives and regardless if we wander the wilderness for 40 years or not, God’s plan is always the better and bigger plan and we would be wise to follow it.

References
Life application study Bible (New International Version). (2005). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.