The Passover
Exodus 12:29-42
July 24, 2022
There are several events in history that stand out as something hard to erase from the
memories of those who saw it. The morning after the death angel passed over Egypt is
one of those events. I can hardly imagine what it was like to be there.
There is a big idea that jumps out at us in this part of the exodus story. If we are going
to have the kind of relationship with God that we need, we need to spend some time
remembering how God has worked in our lives. When I am facing a difficult time, it is
helpful to me to stop and think about what God has done in my life in the past. In
fact, I shouldn’t wait until times are difficult before I think about what God has done. I
should have regular times when I often and purposely think about what God has done.
Consider for a moment the experiences of the children of Israel. Remember what
they had seen God do while they were in Egypt. Think about how God had spared
them, provided for them, and delivered them from slavery. In the years ahead,
some of the Israelites will forget what God has done, and some will remember. The
people who forgot made some poor decisions. The people who remembered what God
had done followed His directions.
As our text begins, the Lord has kept His promise and struck down all the firstborn sons
in Egypt. In every Egyptian home, the people are waking up to discover what has
happened during the night. Their reaction is what you might expect. They are stricken
with grief. Death has come to every Egyptian home.
But things were not this way in the homes of the Israelites. They had followed God’s
instructions and applied the blood of the sacrificed animals to the doorframes of their
houses. They had gone to bed dressed to travel.
29 ¶ And that night at midnight, the LORD struck down all the firstborn sons in
the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to
the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their
livestock were killed.
30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the people of Egypt woke up during the
night, and loud wailing was heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not
a single house where someone had not died.
31 Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron during the night. “Get out!” he ordered.
“Leave my people — and take the rest of the Israelites with you! Go and
worship the LORD as you have requested.
32 Take your flocks and herds, as you said, and be gone. Go, but bless me as
you leave.”
33 All the Egyptians urged the people of Israel to get out of the land as quickly
as possible, for they thought, “We will all die!”
34 The Israelites took their bread dough before yeast was added. They
wrapped their kneading boards in their cloaks and carried them on their
shoulders.
35 And the people of Israel did as Moses had instructed; they asked the
Egyptians for clothing and articles of silver and gold.
36 The LORD caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they
gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of
their wealth!
37 ¶ That night the people of Israel left Rameses and started for Succoth.
There were about 600,000 men, plus all the women and children.
38 A rabble of non-Israelites went with them, along with great flocks and
herds of livestock.
39 For bread they baked flat cakes from the dough without yeast they had
brought from Egypt. It was made without yeast because the people were
driven out of Egypt in such a hurry that they had no time to prepare the bread
or other food.
40 The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years.
41 In fact, it was on the last day of the 430th year that all the LORD’s forces
left the land.
42 On this night the LORD kept his promise to bring his people out of the land
of Egypt. So this night belongs to him, and it must be commemorated every
year by all the Israelites, from generation to generation.
- How did Pharaoh and his officials respond to the deaths of the firstborn? (12:29-32)
Why do you think Pharaoh asked for Moses’ blessings?
29 ¶ And that night at midnight, the LORD struck down all the firstborn sons in
the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to
the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their
livestock were killed.
30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the people of Egypt woke up during the
night, and loud wailing was heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not
a single house where someone had not died.
31 Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron during the night. “Get out!” he ordered.
“Leave my people — and take the rest of the Israelites with you! Go and
worship the LORD as you have requested.
32 Take your flocks and herds, as you said, and be gone. Go, but bless me as
you leave.”
The response of the Egyptians is seen in verse 30 when the Israelites could hear the
Egyptians loud wailing. Every home was impacted by the death of their firstborn son.
I am sure that Pharaoh spoke for them all when he commanded Israel to “get out.”
Pharaoh asked Moses to bless him as he left. I believe Pharaoh, even though he was
still very stubborn, was seeing that Israel’s God really did have the power to do
whatever He wanted to do. Pharaoh also understood that Moses seemed to have a
direct line of communication with this powerful God. Most people want God’s blessings. - How do you think the Egyptians were feeling about the Israelites leaving? (12:33)
33 All the Egyptians urged the people of Israel to get out of the land as quickly
as possible, for they thought, “We will all die!”
It would be easy to see that the Egyptians realized that a whole laundry list of bad
things had recently happened, and all these plagues were somehow related to Israel and
their God. The power of God can either be a comfort to those who trust Him or a fearful
thing to those who don’t.
- How do the bread and the kneading boards point to the haste with which Israel left?
(12:34) How quick should we be to obey God’s instructions for us?
They left in such a hurry that they did not have time to add the yeast and let their bread
rise. Interestingly enough, unleavened bread would become the hallmark for the
celebration of Passover. They had to be ready to leave in a hurry. Likewise, we need to
be ready to obey God’s instructions in our life in a hurry. We shouldn’t be so tied up in
our own affairs that we can’t quickly go where God wants us to go and to do as He
leads. - What was the result of the people obeying Moses’ instructions? (12:34-36) What
might this teach us about our own obedience?
34 The Israelites took their bread dough before yeast was added. They
wrapped their kneading boards in their cloaks and carried them on their
shoulders.
35 And the people of Israel did as Moses had instructed; they asked the
Egyptians for clothing and articles of silver and gold.
36 The LORD caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they
gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of
their wealth!
As a result of Israel’s obedience to God, they left Egypt as a wealthy nation. Because
the Lord caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, they gave their wealth
to Israel. Egypt was transformed from a wealthy nation to a nation without significant
resources in a very short period of time. The plagues had destroyed much of the natural
resources, and now Israel had their silver and gold. Our obedience to God will be a
complete game changer. Likewise, our disobedience will result in a disaster. - Who left Rameses that night? (12:37-38) Who would you guess made up the rabble
of non-Israelites?
37 ¶ That night the people of Israel left Rameses and started for Succoth.
There were about 600,000 men, plus all the women and children.
38 A rabble of non-Israelites went with them, along with great flocks and
herds of livestock.
I think we can very conservatively estimate that 2 million plus Israelites left Egypt. My
guess is that this rabble of non-Israelite people were primarily Egyptians who recognized
that they were serving the wrong gods and turned to Israel to learn more about their
God. - Are there timely lessons for us to learn about the Israelites having no time to
prepare food? (12:39-40)
39 For bread they baked flat cakes from the dough without yeast they had
brought from Egypt. It was made without yeast because the people were
driven out of Egypt in such a hurry that they had no time to prepare the bread
or other food. 40 The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years.
I believe that among the lessons we learn from this experience is the need to be also
prepared. God’s people ought to manage well the blessings of God. We should be the
people who manage our money well, have an emergency fund, set our priorities in
alignment with God’s instructions, and use our time for its intended purposes. It is
common knowledge that emergencies happen, opportunities come up suddenly,
economies crash and accidents occur. It is not just the Boy Scout who should be well
prepared, it is the people of God who read the word of God. - When you think ahead in this story, how might remembering what God had done for
them have impacted Israel’s decision at Kadesh-Barnea when the 12 spies entered the
promised land? (Numbers 13)
If the people of God at Kadesh-Barnea had been remembering all the things God did for
them just 2 years earlier in Egypt, they would have been far more likely to have gone
into the Promised Land 38 years earlier than they did. - How do you spend time remembering what God has done in your life? How do these
times help you to move forward?
Reading the Bible, listening to my favorite gospel music, and visiting my family cemetery
all help me remember what God has done for me.