Exodus 12:43-13:22
Notes
Transcript
The Passover rules reiterated.
A description of who is ineligible to observe the Passover.
43 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. 44 But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. 45 A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. 46 In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. 49 One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”
The rules for the Passover are reiterated here following verse 38, describing a mixed multitude coming along with Israel.
Exodus 12:38 “38 A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock.”
God gave clear instructions concerning this most important feast.
It was a feast to be observed by the entire community and centered in the home.
Those who participated had to be identified with the covenant promise through circumcision.
Those who could participate were clearly identified
those of a man’s household, his family, and those who have become part of his house hold through purchase, who had been circumcised.
Those who could not participate were
the one who was only temporarily living among them — one who was not a lasting member of the community
or someone who was a temporary worker — not part of the family or household.
This wasn’t a festival you just participate in and go on back to your life serving your other gods, and living your life how you wish.
This was a feast that declared the mighty work that God did for his people to bring them out from serving Pharaoh to serve Himself.
The sign of the covenant relationship with God was circumcision.
Notice that when a stranger wanted to observe it, they were not rejected but told how they could participate, through circumcision.
They were able to participate but it was through entering into a covenant relationship with YHWH.
This is what the Passover points to; God liberation of his people to serve Him in covenant relationship.
There was no difference between Jew and Gentile when it came to the observation of the Passover they were both to approach God through the same means of circumcision.
and we read that they were obedient to this command.
50 Thus all the children of Israel did; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. 51 And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.
Israel was obedient to heed God’s command concerning the passover and that same day of their observation He brought them out
So far we have read the way Israel was to celebrate each year the feast of Passover and Unleavened bread. Passover remembered how Israel was spared the 10th plague. The feast of Unleavened bread memorializes what we will begin to read, the exodus of God’s people, the bread they had when they left Egypt in a hurry.
Now we will read God’s command to set apart the firstborn unto him
This is connected with the 10th plague striking down of the firstborn in Egypt (12:29-30)
1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.”
God spared the firstborn of Israel and now he takes them as his own.
to consecrate means to set them apart unto him,
for some ancient cultures of the day it meant that the firstborn child was sacrificed to the deity they worshipped, in order to further insure fertility.
for others who worshipped ancestors it meant that the firstborn would be set apart as a priest for the family
for Israel it is for consecration — set apart fro God’s use, to serve him or to serve in the temple. Later in Israel’s history God accepts the Levites in place of the first born of Israel.
3 And Moses said to the people: “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. 4 On this day you are going out, in the month Abib (March and April). 5 And it shall be, when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month.
Again the call to remember through the observance of the feast what God has done.
The day they were brought out from bondage
by the strength of YHWH
It’s to be remembered when they enter the land that God is bringing them into
The land that God promised Abraham, the land of Canaan, the land he dwelt in as a stranger, the land that God promised his descendants would dwell in as a posession.
a land described here as flowing with milk and honey
Exodus 3:8 “8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.”
This described a land filled with natural blessing of fruits and resources, and bountiful for raising livestock,
The Feast of Unleavened Bread Rules
6 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. And no leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters. 8 And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the Lord did for me when I came up from Egypt.’ 9 It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. 10 You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.
Like the consecration of the firstborn, there are rules for observation of the feast of unleavened bread.
Both events were connected to Israel’s exodus.
as they are observed, it created an opportunity to teach ones children about the mighty acts of YHWH.
what does verse 9 mean? it shall be a sign on your hand…
In the context is seems to be speaking of something different
but let me give this illustration
Heather has a necklace with the initials of our two boys on it.
Her children she sees it and thinks of them, feels it thinks of them, when i see it i think of them, I think about our love for them.
These feasts were to be that for them…
By doing them every year, preparing for them they were to be like something they wore so close to their minds and hands.
something that other would see, like their children, and ask about what they were doing,
something they would see or feel, and be reminded of the great works of God.
Now later orthodox Jews interpreted this passage, and a couple others, literally and would bind little passages of the Law on their arms and foreheads in small pouches, call phylacteries.
The Law of the Firstborn is further explained
11 “And it shall be, when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you (when he fulfills his promise), 12 that you shall set apart to the Lord all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the Lord’s. 13 But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.
14 So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say to him, ‘By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’
16 It shall be as a sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”
Here we see this part repeated giving more to the understanding of the repetitive nature of these feast and their observance having a great effect on their memory as though they were bound to them physically.
the redemption of the firstborn
Both man and beast were redeemed in the tenth plague that God brought upon Egypt.
So all firstborn sons and male animals were to be dedicated to the Lord.
The first born male animal became a sacrifice to YHWH,
But Moses gives instruction for ceremonially unclean animals, animals that were not to be sacrificed, like donkeys,
These animals could be redeemed, or bought back with a price,
that price was a lamb sacrificed in its place.
if there were not redeemed, they lost their life.
The firstborn son though was not sacrificed but redeemed by a lamb.
Its interesting to consider that the Egyptian firstborn were slain in judgment
the Israelite firstborn were slain in sacrifice, and
the Israelite firstborn males were redeemed by a slain lamb.
This was all to be done when Israel entered the promise land.
to be a continual reminder of God’s mighty acts.
The slaying of a firstborn spoke of God’s justice against sin and his grace to provide a substitute.
Leaving Egypt
17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.
God is recognized as the one leading Israel, not Moses, which is also explained in verse 21.
God knew the path that was before Israel and the various routes that existed
The one route that he did not take them on was the obvious one, the shortest one, which would take them through Philistine territory, along the Mediterranean coast to the land of Canaan.
A route that was heavily defended because it was used for Egyptian armies and trade caravans. This route could have led to military confrontation with Israel and they would be tempted to return to Egypt.
To avoid this we are told that God took them by way of the wilderness of what our bible translation says is the Red Sea.
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 13
to
19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”
400 years later Josephs’ faith filled words become a reality
God visited his people and brought them out of Egypt.
He knew he wouldn’t see it but he wanted to be buried in the land when it happened.
we read in Joshua 24:32 “32 The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance of the children of Joseph.”
20 So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
God not only brought them out of slavery but he leads them by day and by night to their destination.
The cloud led them during the day, symbolizing God’s very presence, guiding them, assuring them of his goodness and faithfulness
The cloud we will learn also obscured Egypts view of Israel, and possibly provided cover for them from the sun (Psalm 105:39)
even when darkness closed in around them, and it became night, God’s divine with them presence was visible in the pillar of fire.
always with them to lead them.
by continuing to hold these feasts year after year, remembering what God had done for them it would give them a worldview and an identity by which to orientate themselves.
They were slaves rescued by the power of YHWH
He is giving them a possession, a inheritance
It was filled with blessings they didn’t cultivate or produce of their own power.
by continuing to remember this it would provide Israel the right perspective going forward into all that God has for them,
all they have is from YHWH and therefore the appropriate response is to worship God with it all, to honor Him.
Moses warns the generation who is about to enter the land to not forget by keeping God’s commands…
Deuteronomy 8:11–14 “11 “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, (of which were the feast ordinances) 12 lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;”
Colossians 3:1–4 “1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
