The Book Of Exodus
Exodus 3:14 "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say
unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
This next set of laws is connected to the 8th commandment. Various examples of theft or destruction of property are presented along with the prescribed punishments for each crime.
Verses 1-4: The thief is required to pay back five oxen for the theft of one ox and four sheep for one sheep if he has killed or sold the stolen animal. (v.1) (2 Samuel 12:6, Proverbs 6:31, Luke 19:8) If a thief is caught breaking into a man’s home and the homeowner kills him, then the homeowner is blameless for the death. (v.2) But if the thief survives the murder attempt and is captured by the authorities, he is to make full restitution. If he has no wherewithal to pay back the money or goods that was stolen, then he shall be sold as a slave to repay his debt. (v.3) If it was livestock that the thief was caught trying to steal then he is to pay back double what was taken. Verses 5-6: These verses describe situations in which property is destroyed through negligence. Verse 5 explains the punishment for a man who allows his livestock to graze in his neighbor’s field after his own field has been eaten up. He is to pay back from the best of his own crops and vineyards whatever amount his beast consumed. Verse 6 deals with the negligence of someone who allows a fire to get out of control and it burns up his neighbor’s crops. Verses 7-9: If a man is keeping money or goods in trust for his neighbor, and those things are stolen from the man’s house, the thief – if he can be found – is to pay back double what was stolen. (v.7) But if the thief isn’t found, then the trustee is hauled before the judges to determine if he is the guilty one. (v.8) In the case of one man accusing another of stealing from him, “…both parties shall come before the judges…”. Whomever the judge determines to be guilty shall pay back double to his neighbor. (v.9) Verses 10-15: If a man is watching over his neighbor’s livestock and any of them die, or are injured, or run away, and there is no other witnesses to vouch for the man’s innocence in the matter, then shall he swear by an oath of the Lord that he did not injure, kill or drive away the beast. (v.10-11) (1 Samuel 20:42, 2 Samuel 21:7, 1 Kings 2:42-43, Hebrews 6:16) The owner of the animal is to accept this and no restitution is required. But if the animal is stolen while under the other man’s care, then that man is required to make restitution to his neighbor according to the law stated in verse 1. (v.12) (Genesis 31:39) Likewise, if the animal is killed by another beast, the man that is keeping watch over his neighbor’s livestock will prove his innocence by bring the pieces of the carcass for evidence, and, thus, he won’t have to make restitution. (v.13) This, of course, presumes that the animal’s death is not due to any negligence on the part of the man babysitting his neighbor’s flock. If that is the case, and there is sufficient witnesses to prove it, then that man would very likely be required to pay back to his neighbor according to verse 1. That same law of restitution applies to any livestock borrowed by one’s neighbor and something happens to the beast. (v.14) The neighbor is responsible for making good with the animal’s owner. But if the owner is with his beast at the time of the incident, then the neighbor is not at fault since the animal is still in the care of its owner while both man and beast are assisting one’s neighbor. (v.15) Verses 16-17: The usage of the word “entice” in verse 16 (Deuteronomy 22:28-29, Judges 14:15, 16:5, Proverbs 1:10, 16:29) refers to seduction, not rape. The wording implies consent on the part of the woman, not resistance, and the man is expected to provide for her, regardless of whether or not she is allowed to marry him. This law refers to sex outside of marriage, and the father of the virgin has the authority to deny his daughter’s marriage to the man that seduced her. If she is no longer a virgin, she would be unable to marry anyone else according to the other laws pertaining to the 7th commandment; hence the requirement for the man that enticed her to pay the full dowry regardless. Verse 18: The nation of Israel is not allowed to have anyone in their midst who practices divination or sorcery of any kind. This is punishable by death. (Leviticus 19:31, 20:6, 27, Deuteronomy 18:10-11, 1 Samuel 28:3, Jeremiah 27:9-10) Witchcraft and all its related arts is an abomination before God. It is of the devil. To practice it is to invite demons and evil spirits into one’s life, and the child of God has no business doing any of that. Sorcery, magic and other forms of divination are a staple of the false religions and false gods of the heathen nations that inhabit the promised land as well as Egypt, the land of bondage from which the Israelites had just been delivered. (Exodus 7:11) This law is another example of God setting apart His chosen people from the pagans and idol worshipers that surround them. Witchcraft and sorcery are no different today than they were back then. We now group it all under the heading of New Ageism, but the basic themes and beliefs are the same. Mother Earth, the cycle of new moons, crystals, meditation, Eastern Mysticism, Druidism, Celtic/Norse/Greek/Roman mythology, casting spells, the pentagram, the celebration of Halloween – all of it is an abomination of pride and rebellion against God. It is all false religion and the worship of self, and, even worse, to engage in any of these arts or beliefs is to open the door to the very real and very demonic spirit worlds, the realm of Satan and his fallen angels. Halloween, in particular, is a holiday that should not be celebrated in any way, shape or form by any Christian today. Even just allowing one’s children to dress up as their favorite cartoon character or superhero and going around the neighborhood to collect candy door to door should be forbidden. No, it’s not harmless fun. Satan has deceived the world into thinking this holiday is just a fun time for the kids and very few adults truly understand the historical roots of All Hallow’s Eve and what it truly represents. Halloween is a celebration of witchcraft, sorcery, divination, evil spirits, and death. God commands us right here in Exodus and Leviticus to abstain from all forms of this particular evil. The Israelites are commanded to execute known witches and sorcerers by stoning. That’s how serious God is about this sin. So why should we today, who call ourselves followers of Christ, have anything to do with a holiday that celebrates the very thing from which God commands us to abstain? Verse 19: Bestiality is expressly and explicitly forbidden. Violation of this law is punishable by death. (Leviticus 18:23-24, 20:15-16, Deuteronomy 27:21) As with witchcraft and divination, this abomination was also commonly practiced and allowed among the heathen nations of the promised land. The Hittites even allowed by law the sexual union of a man and his horse or donkey. Sexuality was created by God as something holy to be shared only between husband and wife. Therefore, anything other than that is an abomination and perversion of this holy ordinance. That’s why God forbids adultery, homosexuality, bestiality and incest. All of it is wicked, filthy, immoral behavior, and we who are saved by the blood of Christ, risen and sanctified in Him, and always striving for holiness must adopt the same attitude as God when it comes to these abominations that the world says are okay and acceptable. Verse 20: God is a jealous God, and He abhors idolatry. The commandment of the death penalty for any who are found guilty of offering sacrifices unto false gods shows just how serious God is about the Israelites' worship of Him. (Exodus 32:8, 34:15, Leviticus 17:7, Numbers 25:2, Deuteronomy 17:2-3, 5, 1 Kings 18:40, 2 Kings 10:25) We today are guilty of this sin with idols that displace God in our hearts: time, entertainment, money, sex, hobbies, our family, etc. When God is not the number one priority in our lives, we rob Him of the worship and love that is due Him. This is why the sin of sexual immorality goes hand in hand with idolatry. All those sexual perversions I listed in the commentary for verse 19 promote the worship of self. Lust is a sin of selfishness and the result of pride. One of the many deadly consequences of pornography addiction is that it feeds the lust of the flesh which, in turn, keeps us focused our selfish needs and desires and turns us away from God. Verses 21-24: Slavery of any foreigners by the Israelites is expressly forbidden. (v.21) (Exodus 23:9, Deuteronomy 10:19, 24:18, Zechariah 7:10) The word “vex” in verse 21, from the Hebrew word “yanah”, means “to oppress or suppress” or “to do violence”. In other words, God is saying to His chosen people, “Remember how you were once enslaved by a foreign nation. Don’t do the same to others.” Nor are they to oppress, abuse, or take advantage of in any way the widows and orphans. (v.22) (Deuteronomy 24:17, Proverbs 23:10-11, Jeremiah 7:6-7, James 1:27) There’s a beautiful promise in verse 23: “…I will surely hear their cry…”. This is another example of how the God of Israel is the one, true God. Unlike the false gods of the Egyptians or the Hittites or the Canaanites, our God hears our cry! He is a friend of the fatherless and the widows. (Psalm 68:5) He places the solitary in families (Psalm 68:6) and frees the slave. He is the savior of the downtrodden and the oppressed. (Psalm 34:6-7) Unlike the other laws where God ordains judges and human government to carry out the penalties and punishments, He Himself will be the judge of those guilty for breaking this law. (v.24) (Psalm 69:24) If the Israelites as a nation do not enforce this law, God will bring upon them invasion and captivity by their enemies. (Psalm 109:9) This is another way in which God’s law differs from the laws and treaties of the other peoples and cultures of the ANE. Foreigners have no rights and are often enslaved. Widows and orphans are likewise taken advantage of or abandoned entirely. But God makes special provisions in His law for this specific group of people. Verses 25-27: God also takes a dim view of those who take advantage of the poor. Usury by one Israelite to another is forbidden. (v.25) (Deuteronomy 23:19-20, Psalm 15:5, Ezekiel 18:8) If a man’s cloak is given as a pledge to his neighbor and it’s his only cloak, the neighbor must return it by nightfall. (v.26) To take advantage of one’s neighbor by depriving him of his only warmth at night is cruel, and God will hear the cry of oppressed. For God is gracious. (v.27) (Exodus 34:6-7) Verse 28-31: The first part of verse 28 is related to the 3rd commandment. To revere and honor God is more than just not taking His name in vain. The word “revile”, translated form the Hebrew word “qalal”, means “to appear trifling or insignificant” or “to make despicable” or “to curse”. It is the sense of dismissing God and all that He is by not worshiping Him, obeying Him, and always giving Him first place in our lives and our hearts. To do otherwise invites God’s righteous wrath. (Leviticus 24:16) The second part of that verse commands us to also not curse those whom God has placed in authority over us. (Proverbs 24:21, Ecclesiastes 10:20, Matthew 22:21, Acts 23:5, Romans 13:1, 1 Peter 2:17) Even when our leaders are ungodly and persecute us we are still commanded to love them and pray for them. For God is sovereign over all, and He allows kings and governors to rise to power for a reason. It's not our place to question God, but to trust in Him and obey Him. That goes back to the first part of this verse. Because God has first place in our lives we are to offer Him the first fruits of everything: our labor, our time, our children, our tithe, etc. (Exodus 13:2, 12, 15, 23:16, 19, Deuteronomy 15:19, 26:2, Proverbs 3:9) For the Israelites, it’s their firstborn sons or daughters, the firstborn of their livestock, and the first fruits of their crops and vineyards. (The word “liquors” in verse 29 is translated as “juice”.) The second part of verse 30 refers to the time that the eldest child of an Israelite or the eldest of the offspring of the livestock should spend with his/her mother. On the eighth day the child is brought forth and dedicated to God through the ceremony of the circumcision, if it is a male. For the sheep or the bullock, the animal is offered up in a blood sacrifice on the eighth day. This chapter concludes with a commandment for the Israelites not to consume the meat of wild beasts that were killed by other animals and left to rot. This is carrion and is unclean due to other animals feeding on the carcass as well as disease caused by the length of time the flesh has been rotting in the sun. God reminds His chosen people that they “…shall be holy men unto Me…”. (Exodus 19:6, Leviticus 11:44, 19:2) The whole point of this concluding verse is to restate the purpose of God’s law: the children of Israel are His chosen people, and they are to come out from among the other nations and peoples around them and walk separately unto God. They do this by obeying His commandments, treating one another with kindness and respect, and honoring God in all that they say and do. The same holds true for us today.
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Verses 1-2: God’s command to Moses and the Israelites in verse 2 is another memorial of the Exodus from Egypt. Just as the Passover is to be held at this time every year for all future generations, so is the firstborn child of every Israelite family to be sanctified, or “set apart” for God’s service. Even though God had slain only the firstborn sons of Egypt, He does not say here that only the firstborn sons of Israel are to be set apart and consecrated for Him. It is any firstborn child, male or female, and this law doesn’t just apply to the Israelites, but to all their livestock as well. (Exodus 22:29, Leviticus 27:26, Numbers 3:13, 8:16, 18:15, Deuteronomy 15:19)
It should be noted, though, as you can see from those cross references, that God later places special emphasis on the firstborn sons. Also, after God established the Aaronic priesthood and set aside the tribe of Levi to serve in that role, Israelite parents could redeem their firstborn with a sacrificial lamb - or two turtledoves if they could not afford a lamb - rather than give their son over for lifelong service to God. Hannah chose to do the latter when God finally answered her prayer for a son (1 Samuel 1:27-28), while Joseph and Mary did the former when Jesus was born. (Luke 2:22-23) Verses 3-10: These instructions and reminders from Moses, as well as God’s command about the consecration of the firstborn, were probably all given to the Israelites at the same time as the instructions of the Passover in chapter 12. The subject of unleavened bread is again emphasized here, as is the command to pass on to each generation the story of the Exodus and what God did for His chosen people. (v.8-9) (Exodus 10:2, 12:26-27, Psalm 44:1) Note from my study Bible: “The word ‘sign’ has been the subject of some speculation. Due to this verse and Deuteronomy 6:8 and 11:18 the Jews have concluded that this meant literally wearing pouches called tephillin, a term explained to mean prayers. The Greek designation is ‘phylakterion’ (Matthew 23:5), from which the English word ‘phylactery’ is derived. Phylacteries were small pouches made from the skin of ceremonially clean animals, sewn to leather bands by which they were strapped to the forehead between and immediately above the eyes, and to the left arms, of males who had reached the age of 13. Inside the pouches, certain passages of the law were written.” Verses 11-16: Moses’ instructions circle back around to the consecration of the firstborn. In verse 12 he specifically states that “…males shall be the Lord’s.” According to the Believer’s Bible Commentary, “The firstborn sons became priests of God, until the tribe of Levi was later set apart for this service. The firstborn of clean animals were to be sacrificed to God within a year. The firstborn of unclean animals, such as a donkey, could not be sacrificed to the Lord; therefore, it had to be redeemed by the death of a lamb; that is, a lamb had to die in its place. If the donkey was not redeemed, then its neck had to be broken. It was a choice between redemption and destruction. Later, provision was made for the donkey to be redeemed with money (Leviticus 27:27, Numbers 18:15). The firstborn child, born in sin, also had to be redeemed, the payment being five shekels (Numbers 3:46-47, 18:16). This was a solemn reminder of man’s unclean moral condition before God.” Verses 17-18: Upon the immediate exodus from Egypt, God does not lead the children of Israel to the Red Sea by the most direct route. The reason for this is because it would have taken them through the land of the Philistines (v.17), and the Israelites are not prepared for a sustained military conflict. “…Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.” God knows that the Israelites fledgling faith in Him is nowhere near as strong as needs to be – nor are their men as trained and ready to fight as they need to be – for this newly established nation to overcome and defeat the large numbers of the Philistine armies. He knows that as soon as the Israelites see what they’re up against, they will not hesitate to turn and flee back to Egypt. What’s interesting about verse 17, though, is that God had just demonstrated his awesome power and might through the ten plagues that He unleashed upon the Egyptians for all the world to witness. It seems improbable that, after witnessing firsthand such a wonderous and miraculous display, and then successfully escaping Egypt altogether with a bounty of spoil from the Egyptians, that the children of Israel would not have eagerly and wholeheartedly obeyed and followed God in something as ordinary as a war against their enemies. But God knows the hearts of His chosen people, and He also has one last, great miracle in mind for them that will prove His power and might for all generations to come. And yet, why wouldn’t God have just defeated the Philistine armies the same way that He would later on when the Israelites finally entered the promised land? There are multiple times throughout the OT when God intervened on behalf of His chosen people by defeating an attacking army through the use of direct, supernatural intervention. So why not do that here? Surely such a miraculous event would still achieve the same objective which is the glory, honor and magnification of God, His power, and His majesty, would it not? I believe the answer lies in the faith of the children of Israel. God had only just recently made Himself known to them. (Exodus 3 and 4) Yes, they had witnessed ten miraculous and jaw-dropping display of His judgment and power against their enemy, but their faith was still brand new. Just like newly saved Christians today, the faith of the Israelite nation in Yahweh was not strong enough to face a test of the magnitude of the Philistine army. There’s a wonderful and loving picture of God displaying His grace and mercy here in verse 17. Rerouting the children of Israel to the Red Sea accomplishes two things. One, it shows God’s mercy in that He is not going to test His children with a trial that He knows their fledgling faith will not be able to withstand; and two, He is leading them to an even greater opportunity to not only deliver them from the Egyptians but also demonstrate His power, might and majesty in a way that will be even more stunning and miraculous than if He had defeated the Philistine armies through some kind of supernatural means. This is proven by Rahab’s statement to the spies in Joshua 2:10. The same is true for us today. How many times has God demonstrated His omniscience and providence through some great miracle in our own lives, but then we quickly forget as soon as He gives us a direction towards a destination that we either don’t understand or think is impossible. We often think we know where God is leading us, only to be disappointed or discouraged when things don’t work out the way we expected, even though we followed God’s direction and obeyed. But then a different outcome altogether appears, and our original prayer is answered in a way we could have never anticipated! For the Israelites, they are about to be delivered from the hand of the Egyptians once and for all in a way that they could have never foreseen! At the same time, God will demonstrate His providence, His power, and His majesty in a way that will be forever recorded for all future generations, even today for you and me! Verse 19: In the process of observing the Passover and then preparing for the Exodus, Moses does not forget the bones of Joseph. (v.19) (Genesis 50:24-25, Joshua 24:32) Joseph’s dying request – as well as his prophecy to his children – is at last fulfilled. Verses 20-22: God leads His chosen people from Succoth to Etham where they stop to set up camp at the edge of the wilderness of Shur. (Exodus 12:37) He leads them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. (v.21) (Exodus 14:19, 24, 33:9-10, Numbers 9:15, 14:14, Deuteronomy 1:33, Nehemiah 9:12, Psalm 78:14, 99:7, 105:39, Isaiah 4:5, 1 Corinthians 10:1) As I noted previously, the first 28 verses of this chapter take place some time before the ninth plague, probably on the ninth day of the current month of Abib which would, from now on, be the first month of the Jewish calendar. (v.2) The tenth day would have been the first of the three days of darkness over all the rest of Egypt since God required the Israelites to select a perfect lamb of one year old and separate it from the flock for three days. (v.3, 5-6) Thus, on the evening of the third day, as Moses has his penultimate confrontation with Pharaoh (10:24-29, 11:4-8), the children of Israel would have been obeying God’s new ordinance to them by slaying the lamb and using the hyssop to mark the side posts and the lintel of the door of every house.
Verses 1-2: This month in which God delivers His chosen people from their bondage in Egypt is the month of Abib. (Exodus 13:4) From this time on, this is now the first month of the Hebrew calendar year. (v.2) Verses 3-6: According to Strong’s concordance, the Hebrew word for “congregation”, used for the first time here in verse 3, is “edah”, and it is used over 100 times in the Exodus/Joshua narrative. According to the Moody Bible Commentary, “It has the basic meaning of ‘community’ or ‘congregation.’ Up to now the people have been identified as ‘Hebrews’ or ‘sons of Israel,’ but from now on they are constituents of a unique assembly; they will be exclusively bound together by this Passover experience into the ‘edah’.” Each house is to select a lamb on the tenth day of Abib. (v.3) If a household is too small for a whole lamb, then those of that house may share with their neighbor. The lamb should also be large enough that there are plenty of portions for all the members of the house. (v.4) If a lamb is not available, then a goat may be used. (v.5) It’s to be an unblemished male of a year old, and it must be separated from the flock for three days. (v.6) During this time he must be observed and examined to make sure that he is perfect. On the fourteenth day of Abib, at twilight, the lamb is to be killed. The Exodus narrative, as well as the ordination of the Passover, is riddled with typologies and symbology of us today as sinners and Jesus Christ as our savior. Just as God delivered His chosen people from their slavery in Egypt and instituted the first Passover, so Jesus Christ was born into this world so that He could die on a cross so that we today might have deliverance from the bondage of sin and death. It was no coincidence that God required the Israelites to select a perfect lamb. Jesus Christ is intentionally referred to in the New Testament as the “Lamb of God”, the ultimate fulfillment of the lamb that was used in the blood sacrifices of the Old Testament as atonement for sins. (Genesis 22:7-8, Exodus 20:24, Isaiah 53:7, Ezekiel 45:15, John 1:29, 36, Hebrews 9:13-14, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Revelation 5:12-13) Just as the children of Israel were born in Egypt, so are we born in sin (Genesis 3:7, Psalm 51:5.) We are captives, slaves to the flesh and the god of this world, and we need a savior. Jesus Christ is that savior. (Romans 6:12-14, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) It’s also worth noting here that Jesus spent three days in the tomb following his crucifixion, just as all of Egypt spent three days in darkness. At the end of those three days, following the slaying of the perfect lamb, the Israelites were delivered from bondage into freedom. When Christ arose from the dead on the third morning, we today are delivered from the darkness and slavery of sin into the glorious dawn of liberty and new life in Christ. But that’s only if we first accept the shed blood of Jesus and surrender to Him as Lord and Savior, just as the Israelites had to first follow God’s commands regarding the slaying of the lamb and then painting the blood on the side posts and lintel of the door of every house. Verses 7-13: The blood of the slain lamb is to be applied to the side posts and upper post of the door of every house wherein the lamb was eaten. (v.7) The lamb itself is to be roasted in fire, not boiled (v.9), seasoned with bitter herbs and eaten with unleavened bread. (v.8) The roasting in fire foreshadows Christ’s suffering on the cross, as does the fact that the lamb is to be roasted whole. (v.9) No bones are to be broken (v.46) (Numbers 9:12), also significant as Christ would have none of his bones broken while hanging on the cross. (Psalm 34:20, John 19:33, 36) The bitter herbs are to remind the Israelites of the bitterness of their slavery in Egypt. The unleavened bread eaten here is significant for two reasons. One, this whole meal is to be prepared in haste for the exodus from Egypt is happening this same night and so there’s no time to allow the bread to properly rise before baking, which usually takes a few hours. (Deuteronomy 16:3-4) Two, leaven is often used in scripture to represent sin. The apostle Paul made this direct connection in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 and Galatians 5:9. Jesus used the example of leaven in bread to represent the hypocrisy and false doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:11-12, Mark 8:15, Luke 12:1) Nothing of the lamb is to remain after the meal. Whatever is not eaten is to be burned in the fire. (v.10) The meal is to be eaten in haste, with all members of the household dressed and ready to leave as soon as it’s over. (v.11) This verse concludes with the phrase, “…it is the Lord’s passover.” Verses 12-13 explain the significance of the entire meal and its methods of preparation as well as the painting of blood on the doorposts. God is executing judgment against all of the false gods of Egypt. He has that right because He is the one true God. “I am the Lord.” (v.12) Each plague thus far has been a judgment against one or two of the specific false gods, and this tenth judgment is to be the final, definitive proof of just how impotent and unreal are all the mythical gods of the Egyptians. The reason that the children of Israel are to have their loins girded, their shoes on their feet and their staffs in hand while eating the passover meal is because as soon as the Egyptians discover their dead sons, they will drive out the Israelites immediately. They will not wait until morning. (Exodus 6:1) The blood on the doorposts will protect the children of Israel from God’s wrath and judgment. “…I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you…” (v.13) Just as our sins today are covered under the blood of Christ when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, so God’s chosen people were saved from judgment by the blood of the Passover lamb. Verses 14-20: The feast of the Passover is not just to be eaten on one night. It is a memorial feast that will, henceforth, be celebrated for one week. (v.15) It would begin on the fourteenth day of Abib, lasting until the 21st day, and only unleavened bread would be eaten. (v.18, 20) No leaven was to be found anywhere in the houses where this feast would be observed. Whoever did not honor the requirements of this meal would be “…cut off from Israel.” (v.15, 19) That phrase, “cut off”, means that the person or persons would be “…removed from the blessing and protection of the community”, according to my Moody Bible commentary. (Genesis 17:14, Numbers 9:13) As noted earlier, God used leaven here to represent sin. This was the first major step in the process of marking off and separating His chosen people from all the other nations and cultures around them, especially those of the promised land to which He would be leading them. From the first day of this holy week to the seventh, all leaven is to be purged and cleansed from every Israelite house. All other activities of normal life for this one week are to be suspended, and everyone’s focus is to be on this memorial feast. (v.16) The Israelites were to remember for all generations to come what God had done here on this night for His chosen people. (v.14, 17) The efforts to remove all leaven from the house represented the cleansing of hearts from sin and helped to keep the focus of the Israelites on God and His holiness. That’s why it would be a grievous sin to ignore God’s command and eat bread that was made with yeast. (v.15, 19) God repeats this ordination for emphasis in verse 20: “Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.” It’s important to note here that God was not saving the Israelites just so that they could then go off to some other land and enjoy the blessings and freedom apart from Him. I briefly alluded to this in my commentary of chapter 3. Ever since revealing Himself to Abraham and initiating that covenant with him, God’s plan was always to develop and cultivate a relationship with Abraham’s seed. This Passover Feast, which was to be observed annually, was the first major step in the creation of that ongoing relationship with the Israelites. As we will see later in Exodus and Leviticus, God will be instituting many other feasts and traditions for the Israelites that will even further cement this special relationship between them and Him. Verses 21-28: Moses then relays all of the commands from God regarding the selection and preparation of the lamb, the painting of blood on the doorposts, and the details of the Passover Feast to the congregation of Israel. In verses 24-27, he reminds them of the reason why they would be celebrating this week-long feast every year: that their children and their children’s children may know of what God will do for His chosen people this night. (Exodus 10:2, Deuteronomy 32:7, Joshua 4:6, Psalm 78:6) Verses 29-33: As God promised to both Moses and Pharaoh, He passes through Egypt at midnight, and the firstborn of Pharaoh all the way down to the eldest of the captive slave in the dungeon, as well as the firstborn of all the cattle, is slain. (v.29) There is not a single house in all of Egypt where there is not one dead. (v.30) This includes the valley of Goshen. In the houses of the Israelites, the death was the Passover lamb instead of the firstborn son. That death, a substitutionary sacrifice of shed blood, averted the judgment of God. The obvious picture here is, once again, a foreshadowing of Christ’s death on the cross once and for all as the substitutionary atonement for our sins, thus providing us a way of eternal salvation and escape of God’s wrath. Pharaoh immediately summons Moses and Aaron and, just as God predicted (Exodus 3:20, 6:1), he tells them to go. “Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel…” (v.31) “Also, take your flocks and your herds…” (v.32) Pharaoh wanted every last Israelite, along with all their livestock, out of his land and away from his people as soon as possible. This, too, was just as Moses had predicted in his meeting with Pharaoh earlier that evening. (Exodus 10:9, 26) Also, incidentally, Pharaoh was wrong in his prediction earlier that evening. (Exodus 10:28) Not only is this his final meeting with Moses, but Moses is most certainly not going to die. Pharaoh’s last words to Moses and Aaron are, “Bless me also.” (v.32) But, as with all his previous false confessions of repentance, we can safely assume that his heart is not genuinely softened towards God, even after the loss of his firstborn son. He still does not truly believe. He is only sorrowful over the death of his son, still completely missing the point of God’s judgment and wrath against him and all his people. We know this because of the final confrontation between the Egyptians and the Israelites at the Red Sea. (Exodus 14) Not just Pharaoh, but all of Egypt is insistent that the children of Israel get out of the land as soon as possible. They are now even more terrified of the Hebrew nation and their God than ever before. “…We be all dead men.” (v.33) Verses 34-39: The Israelites depart Egypt in such haste that the bread for the next day’s meal doesn’t have time to rise, nor is there time to properly pack up their utensils and other things. (v.34, 39) And also, just as God had predicted, the Israelites find “…favor in the sight of the Egyptians…” (v.35-36) in that the Egyptians give the children of Israel silver, gold, clothing and other supplies for their exodus. (Exodus 3:21-22) Note from my study Bible: “The phrases ‘borrowed of the Egyptians’ and ‘they lent unto them’ does not imply any deception on the part of the Israelites. Both ‘borrowed’ and ‘lent’ come from the same Hebrew word, with the first commonly translated ‘asked’ and the second being rendered as ‘handed over’, as it is in a different stem. This was not merely conscience money for the Jews’ generations of slave labor. It had been promised to Abraham long before in Genesis 15:14.” In the early hours of the morning of the fifteenth day of Abib, the children of Israel, now numbering about six hundred thousand, (Exodus 38:26, Numbers 1:46, 2:32, 11:21), not including the women and children, journey from Rameses to Succoth. (Genesis 47:11, Exodus 1:11, Numbers 33:3, 5) That puts the current total population of this fledgling nation at approximately two to two-and-a-half million, according to the Moody Bible Commentary. It’s no wonder that the Pharaoh from Exodus 1 says in verse 9, “…Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we…”! Nor is it just the Israelites that leave Egypt this day. Verse 38 mentions that “…a mixed multitude went up also with them…”. This is most likely some of the Egyptians that had come to believe in the one true God (Exodus 9:20), as well as some of the other slaves of the Egyptians, and possibly some other criminals and malcontents that seized upon the opportunity to escape judgment from the law, according to my study Bible. Some of this “mixed multitude” will eventually cause trouble for the children of Israel. (Numbers 11:4) Verses 40-51: The total years of the Israelites’ bondage in Egypt was 430. (v.40-41) (Genesis 15:13, Acts 7:6) Once again, God stipulates to Moses and Aaron that the Passover meal, with all of its ordinances and rituals, is to be observed each year hence by the children of Israel for all generations. (v.42) He then adds provisions for the non-Israelite that wishes to partake of the Passover. As long as that gentile is part of the Israelite household, i.e. a “…servant that is bought for money…” (v.44), and provided he has been circumcised, he may partake of the Passover meal. But a foreigner or a hired servant are forbidden, meaning that any outsider who does not intend to become a permanent resident among the children of Israel cannot participate in any of the rituals nor eat any of the Passover meal. (v.45) (Leviticus 22:10-11) However, if a stranger who is visiting an Israelite household for a time wishes to participate, he and all his sons must first be circumcised and then he/they may eat of the meal and observe the rituals. (v.48) (Numbers 9:14) The same law – and its subsequent blessings and provisions – would apply to both the “…homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.” (v.49) Furthermore, none of the Passover lamb is to be taken outside of the house. The meat is to be eaten only within that home where it is prepared and cooked. (v.46) God also gives one last reminder to Moses and Aaron that none of the lamb’s bones are to be broken at any time during the meal’s preparation. The children of Israel do all that God commands Moses and Aaron, both in the initial preparation and eating of the Passover meal on their last night in Egypt, as well as in the early morning hours of the next day as they quickly depart the land of Egypt in a single mass exodus. (v.50) Thus, “…the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.” (v.51) |
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