Exodus 12
From Theologica
The Passover Lamb (12:1 - 12:13) Observation - 12:1-2 - While the Hebrews were still in Egypt, God Commanded them to make the current month the beginning of their calendar 12:3 - God commands Moses and Aaron to tell Israel that the tenth of this first month each household is to take a lamb for itself. 12:4 - Small households may share lambs according to the amount able to be eaten. 12:5 - The lamb is to be unblemished male (1 yr old). - It may be either a sheep or a goat. 12:6 - The people are to keep their respective lamb/goat for 4 days (till the 14th day) - The lamb is to be sacrificed at twilight on the 14th day. 12:7 - Each household is to take some of the blood and put it on the doorposts and lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 12:8 - Each household is to eat the flesh in the same night. - it is to be cooked with fire - It is to be eaten with unleavened bread (the bread of affliction (Dt 16:3) and bitter herbs 12:9 - The meat is not to be eaten raw or boiled. - Reiteration that it is to be roasted over fire - The entire animal is to be roasted. Including the head, legs and entrails. 12:10 - None of the animal is to be left until morning. - What is left is to be burned with fire. 12:11 - The manner in which this meal is to be eaten - Loins girded - Sandals on your feet - Staff in hand - Hastily - It is the Lord's passover 12:12 - God says He will go through all the land of Egypt that night. - Every firstborn will be killed - Both men and beasts - God is executing His judgments aginst all of the gods of Egypt. 12:13 - The blood of the lambs is to be a sign for the Hebrews - When God sees the blood, He will pass over the household. - No plague will befall those who have blood on their doorposts.
Interpretation - - An unblemished lamb. In this regard it is to physical deformities. With regard to Christ it is in regard to sin. - If Christ is the unblemished lamb, then it can be assumed to we are deformed because of sin. - What is the difference between a sheep and a goat? 12:2 - Can this verse be used to apply to all the previous plagues that God is executing His judgments on the gods of Egypt? 12:3 - The blood is not to tell God which house contains Israelites, but rather to be a sign for them. - What kind of sign? - Is it a sign before or after the passage of the plague? - It is not a sign to the Egyptians - Is it just a simple sign to show Israel that those houses which indeed had the blood were protected? That God was true to His word? In the aftermath, they would see those who believed and those who did not. - How could it be a sign before the plague? - Escaping from God's judgment required belief and actions. - Surely at this point most of Israel must have believed God would bring about the events as foretold.
Application -
Feast of Unleavened Bread (12:14 - 12:28) Observation - 12:14 - "This day" will be a memorial. Talking about the Passover - It is to be celebrated as a feast - It is a permanent ordinance; one which should be celebrated yearly forever. 12:15 - The feast of unleavened bread is to last seven days. - During this time only unleavened bread is to be eaten. - You are to remove leaven from your houses. I'm not sure if this means to literally remove all leaven from a house, or just a figure of speech regarding not having bread made w/ leaven. - Whoever eats anything with leaven in it during these seven days is to be cut off from Israel. 12:16 - On the first day, Israel is to have an holy assembly - On the seventh day, there is also to be an holy assembly - No work is to be done on the first or the seventh (the days of holy assembly) with the exception of what is required for food. 12:17 - The first day represents the day the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt. - This redemption is why this day must be observed forever. 12:18 - The feast of unleavened bread begins on the fourteenth of the first month in the evening - until the 21st day of the month at evening 12:19 - There is to be no leaven within houses for seven days - Whoever eats what is leavened is to be cut off from the congregation of Israel. Regardless of native or alien. 12:20 - Nothing leavened is to be eaten. Only unleavened bread is allowed. 12:21 - Moses calls the elders of Israel - orders them to take lambs for themsleves and slay the passover lamb. 12:22 - Israel is to use hyssop dipped in the lbood of the lamb to apply the lintel and doorposts. - No one is to leave their houses until morning. 12:23 - What will happen - the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians - He will pass over the houses which have blood on the doorposts and lintels - The Lord will not allow the destroyer to enter those houses - So both God and "the destroyer" will pass through Egypt 12:24 - Again, Israel is to observe the passover forever - I think this must include Jews who are saved in Christ. - What does forever mean? Will the passover be celebrated in the millenial kingdom? Afterwards? 12:25 - Why is this here? - It was just stated the rite should last forever, why bother to say it will be observed once the Hebrews have entered the promised land? - This rite is to be observed in the promised land. 12:26-27 - When your children ask what the rite means - You shall say, "It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord." - The Lord passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt - He smote the Egyptions, but spared Israel - After all of this was said, the people bowed low and worshipped. 12:28 - The sons of Israel went and did as commanded by The Lord through Moses
Interpretation - - "Cut off from Israel" - Probably means cut off from the blessings and maybe even cut out of the covenant - - Leaven - Leaven from yeast. Egypt is the earliest known civilization to have leavened their bread. - What is the importance of leaven? - How does the feast of unleavened bread relate to the NT? - It is a celebration of redemption, of the new life in contrast to the former.
Application -
Death (12:23-12:32) Observation - 12:29 - About midnight, the Lord struck all of the firstborn in the land of Egypt - From the house of Pharaoh to firstborn of the prisoners in dungeons - included all of the firstborn of the cattle as well 12:30 - Pharaoh arose in the night, as did his servants and all egyptians. - No home was spared death. Someone died in every home. - There was a great cry throughout the land 12:31 - Pharoah called for moses and Aaron in the night - Pharaoh commanded them to "rise up" and get out of Egypt, away from his people. - "Go, worship the lord, and you have sead." 12:32 - Pharoah commands them to take flocks and herds, and all the people - Pharaoh also requests to be blessed.
Interpretation - - Why? - Was the last plague brought about for the purpose of justice? Because Israel's firstborn were killed in Ch 1? - Was the results of this plague to preceed Israel into the promised land? - Doesn't seem to fit since the crossing of the Red Sea is what is most talked about. - 12:12 says God is executing judgments against the gods of Egypt - 12:9 says that this is to happen to multiply God's wonders in the land of Egypt. (should that be magnified?) - Why did Pharaoh let them go now? - Did he finally realize the danger he was in? - Did he just want them out of his vision? As far away from him as possible? - Why did he not just slaughter them all? - Did he finally realize he was beaten and afraid of what would happen next? - What was Israel thinking? - Why not us? Were they grateful that they had been spared, or did they think they were now special and above such things? - Did they carry any guilt about their Egyptian friends? - Did they fear God?
Application -
The Exodus of Israel (12:33 - 13:22) The Exodus - From Rameses to Succoth (12:33 - 12:41) Observation 12:33 -The Egyptians urge the people to send "them" our of the land in haste - Who are the Egyptians and who are the people and who are "them"? - According to NASB, this is part of the previous paragraph - The wording makes it sound like the Egyptians might be those who are ruling, the people would be the people of the land and "them" would refer to Israel - In the end I think the grammar is just goofy. The next verse along with 12:39 would imply that both 'the people' and "them" are the same: Israel. - They feared they would die if the Israelites stayed - The desire was to get them out of the land 12:34 - Israel took their dough which had not had a chance to leaven. - They took their kneading bowls (which contained the dough) bound up in the clothes on their shoulders. - probably to contain the moisture. 12:35 - Israel obeyed the words of Moses -The requested articles of gold and silver from the Egyptians - They requested clothing 12:36 - God gave Israel favor in the sight of the Egyptians - The egyptians granted the requests - Israel plundered Egypt fulfilling the word of God in 3:22 12:37 - Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth (=~ 20 miles) - Six hundred thousand men on foot (this did not include children) 12:38 - Others (a mixed multitude) also went with them - Flocks and herds, a very large number, also went 12:39 - Some time between Rameses and Succoth, the dough which had been bound up was baked into cakes of unleavened bread - The dough did not have a chance to leaven - They did not prepare any provision for themselves 12:40 - Israel lived in Egypt for 430 years 12:41 - At the exact day the 430 years ended, all of Israel went out from Egypt.
Interpretation - 12:41 would imply that this was not a partial exodus; a bit at a time.
Application
Ordinance of the Passover (12:42 - 12:51) Observation - 12:42 - Passover is to be observed for remembrance of what the Lord did for Israel - For bringing Israel out of Egypt - Passover is not for Israel, but rather for the Lord; probably to encourage Israel to focus on What God accomplished. 12:43 - God tells Moses and Aaron that Passover is an ordinance - No foreigner is to eat of it. 12:44 - Every man's slave may eat of it if he has been circumcised. 12:45 - Neither a sojourner nor a hired servant is allowed to eat of it 12:46 - Passover is to be celebrated w/i a single house/family - No flesh is to be removed from the house - No bone is to be broken in the animal. 12:47 - All of Israel is to celebrate the passover 12:48 - Sojourners may celebrate it if he and his males are circumcised - If this happens, then he shall be like a native of the land. - Reiteration that no uncircumcised person may eat of it. 12:49 - This applies to everyone who sojourns with Israel 12:50 - Israel obeys and performs everything which was commanded them. 12:51 - On the same day (passover) God brought the sons of Israel out of Egypt.
Interpretation - - Should we have our own passovers? - We do in communion - What about in the home? w/i a family to bring about remembrance of what God has done for us? - No breaking of bones seems to resemble the lack of bones broken in Jesus' body - Jesus celebrated passover dinner. On the same day, He was crucified. - What is the difference between the day of His death and the day of His resurrection. - Which day is our redemption? - Is this an antetype of communion? - If this is an antetype of communion, what is applicable from passover to communion? - Does circumcision relate to believers? - What exactly does circumcision represent?
Application - - This is a good passage for speaking about communion
