Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 12:1
And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
1. unto Moses and Aaron ] Together, as often in P: v. 43, Exo 7:8, Exo 9:8, Num 2:1 al. in the land of Egypt
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
This chapter was written some time after the Exodus, probably when Moses put together the portions of the book toward the end of his life. The statements that these instructions were given in the land of Egypt, and that they were given to Moses and Aaron, are important: the one marks the special dignity of this ordinance, which was established before the Sinaitic code; the other marks the distinction between Moses and Aaron and all other prophets. They alone were prophets of the law, i. e. no law was promulgated by any other prophets.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Exo 12:1-2
The beginning of months.
A new start
I. The idea of a new start is naturally attractive to all of us. We are fatigued, we are dissatisfied, and justly so, with the time past of our lives. We long for a gift of amnesty and oblivion.
II. There are senses in which this is impossible. The continuity of life cannot be broken. There is a continuity, a unity, an identity, which annihilation only could destroy.
III. The beginning of months is made so by an exodus. Redemption is the groundwork of the new life. If there is in any of us a real desire for change, we must plant our feet firmly on redemption.
IV. When we get out of Egypt, we must remember that there is still Sinai in front, with its thunderings and voices. We have to be schooled by processes not joyous but grievous. These processes cannot be hurried, they must take time. Here we must expect everything that is changeful, and unresting, and unreposeful, within as without. But He who has promised will perform. He who has redeemed will save. He who took charge will also bring through. (Dean Vaughan.)
The first month of the year
I. The first month of the year is a good time for religious contemplation and devotion. Then the flight of time, the events of life, and the mortality of man, may all furnish topics for reflection. Then especially should the Passover be celebrated, the blood of Christ anew be sprinkled on the soul; and in this spirit of trust in the Saviour should the year begin.
II. The first month of the year is eventful in the history of individual and collective life. How many souls, awakened by the circumstances of life, have been led to the Cross at this solemn period? What we are then, we are likely to remain throughout the year; we then get an impulse for good or evil which will affect our moral character to the end. The first month is the keynote of the years moral life. It is the rough sketch of the souls life for the year. We should therefore seek to observe it unto the Lord.
III. The first month of the year is important in its relation to the commercial prospects of men. The new year may mark the advent of new energy, or it may witness the continuance of the old indolence. Lessons:
1. That the ordering of months and of years is of God.
2. That the first month must remind us of the advent of the Saviour.
3. That the first month must be consecrated by true devotion.
4. That the Church must pay some attention to the calendar of the Christian year.
5. That God usually by His ministers makes known His mind to His Church. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
The beginning of months
I want to bring to your mind this fact, that, just as the people of Israel when God gave them the Passover had a complete shifting and changing of all their dates, and began their year on quite a different day, so when God gives to His people to eat the spiritual passover there takes place in their chronology a very wonderful change. Saved men and women date from the dawn of their true life; not from their first birthday, but from the day whereto they were born again of the Spirit of God, and entered into the knowledge and enjoyment of spiritual things.
I. First, then, let us describe this remarkable event, which was henceforth to stand at the head of the Jewish year, and, indeed, at the commencement of all Israelitish chronology.
1. This event was an act of salvation by blood. The law demands death–The soul that sinneth it shall die. Christ, my Lord, has died in my stead: as it is written, Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree. Such a sacrifice is more than even the most rigorous law could demand. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Therefore do we sit securely within doors, desiring no guard without to drive away the destroyer; for, when God sees the blood of Jesus He will pass over us.
2. Secondly, that night they received refreshment from the lamb. Being saved by its blood, the believing households sat down and fed upon the lamb. It was a solemn feast, a meal of mingled hope and mystery. Do you remember when first you fed upon Christ, when your hungry spirit enjoyed the first morsel of that food of the soul? It was dainty fare, was it not?
3. The third event was the purification of their houses from leaven, for that was to go in a most important way side by side with the sprinkling of the blood and the eating of the lamb. You cannot feed on Christ and at the same time hold a lie in your right hand by vain confidence in yourself, or by love of sin. Self and sin must go. This month is the beginning of months, the first month of the year to us, when the Spirit of truth purges out the spirit of falsehood.
4. A fourth point in the Passover is not to be forgotten. On the Passover night there came, as the result of the former things, a wonderful, glorious, and mighty deliverance. This month, etc.
II. Now, secondly, I want to mention the varieties of its recurrence among us at this day.
1. The first recurrense is of course on the personal salvation of each one of us. The whole of this chapter was transacted in your heart and mine when first we knew the Lord.
2. But then it happens again in a certain sense when the mans house is saved. Remember, this was a family business. A family begins to live in the highest sense when, as a family, without exception, it has all been redeemed, all sprinkled with the blood, all made to feed on Jesus, all purged from sin, and all set at liberty to go out of the domains of sin, bound for the kingdom.
3. Extend the thought–it was not only a family ordinance, but it was for all the tribes of Israel. There were many families, but in every house the passover was sacrificed. Would it not be a grand thing if you that employ large numbers of men should ever be able to gather all together and hopefully say, I trust that all these understand the sprinkling of the blood, and all feed upon Christ.
III. And now I come to show in what light this date is to be regarded, if it has occurred to us in the senses I have mentioned. Primarily, if it has occurred in the first sense to us personally: what about it then?
1. Why the day in which we first knew the Saviour as the Paschal Lamb should always be the most honourable day that has ever dawned upon us. Prize the work of grace beyond all the treasures of Egypt.
2. This date is to be regarded as the beginning of life. Let your conversion be the burial of the old existence, and as for that which follows after, take care that you make it real life, worthy of the grace which has quickened you.
3. Our life, beginning as it does at our spiritual passover, and at our feeding upon Christ, we ought always to regard our conversion as a festival and remember it with praise. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The beginning of days
If you have no such spiritual new years day, now is a good time to secure one. Says old Thomas Fuller: Lord, I do discover a fallacy, whereby I have long deceived myself, which is this: I have desired to begin my amendment from my birthday, or from the first day of the year, or from some eminent festival, that so my repentance might bear some remarkable date. But when those days were come, I have adjourned my amendment to some other time. Thus, whilst I could not agree with myself when to start, I have almost lost the running of the race. I am resolved thus to befool myself no longer. I see no day like to-day Grant, therefore, that to-day I may hear Thy voice. And if this day be remarkable in itself for nothing else, give me to make it memorable in my soul; thereupon, by Thy assistance, beginning the reformation of my life. Let this day be the beginning of months, the first month of the year to you. (H. C. Trumbull.)
The lessons of time
1. Time gives birth to actions.
2. God ordains that certain periods of life shall determine others (Luk 19:44).
3. There is an extension of mans trial. One chance more.
4. Procrastination ends destructively, Not only thief of time, but also hardener of mens hearts.
5. Time will end.
6. The issues of time will last for ever. (British Weekly.)
Turning over a new leaf
The time has come for turning over a new leaf. As the town clock struck midnight of the last day of the old year divers and sundry resolutions which had lain dormant a long time, waiting for the New Year to ring its chimes, came forth into new life. They had long had an existence, these new resolutions had, for in reality they are not new at all, but quite venerable; for on the first of January of many a past year they have been brought to the surface. And so the new leaf has been turned over, and on its virgin pages these new resolutions have been written, and, alas! not inscribed for the first time. Were they not written on the new leaf on the first of January, just a year ago, and the New Years day before that, and can you not go back, and back, and back, till you come to your childhood and the time when you first began to turn over a new leaf? These new leaves that we are always turning over–how they accuse us! We write on the newly turned page that we will do many duties which we have left undone–many duties in the home, the church–many duties to our friends, our neighbours, duties to God and to ourselves; and how long is it before there comes a little January gust and blows the leaf back again? and then all goes on pretty much as before. The trouble with this matter of leaf-turning, of making good resolutions only to break them, is twofold.
1. The effort is not made in good faith–it is more a whim than a solemn purpose put into action, and so it is we have altogether too much regard to times and seasons, and too little to the imperative demand of to-day. Conscience is a court whose fiat is to be obeyed not on New Years day, or Christmas, or on a birthday, but now–on the instant. A man who defers to execute a right resolution till some particular day has arrived will be pretty sure not to carry it out at all.
2. Then the second difficulty is that we rely too much upon our own will and too little upon Gods help. No man can change his own nature or reform himself. He can do much, if he but will, in the direction of carrying cut a good resolution; but the real efficient reliance must be God. (Christian Age.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER XII
The month Abib is to be considered as the commencement of
the year, 1, 2.
The PASSOVER instituted; the lamb or kid to be used on the
occasion to be taken from the flock the tenth day of the
month, and each family to provide one, 3, 4.
The lamb or kid to be a male of the first year without
blemish, 5.
To be killed on the fourteenth day, 6,
and the blood to be sprinkled on the side posts and lintels
of the doors, 7.
The flesh to be prepared by roasting, and not to be eaten
either sodden or raw, 8, 9;
and no part of it to be left till the morning, 10.
The people to eat it with their loins girded, c., as persons
prepared for a journey, 11.
Why called the PASSOVER, 12.
The blood sprinkled on the door posts, &c., to be a token to
them of preservation from the destroying angel, 13.
The fourteenth day of the month Abib to be a feast for ever,
14.
Unleavened bread to be eaten seven days, 15.
This also to be observed in all their generations for ever, 17-20.
Moses instructs the elders of Israel how they are to offer
the lamb and sprinkle his blood, and for what purpose, 21-23.
He binds them to instruct their children in the nature of
this rite, 24-27.
The children of Israel act as commanded, 28.
All the first-born of Egypt slain, 29, 30.
Pharaoh and the Egyptians urge Moses, Aaron, and the Israelites
to depart, 31-33.
They prepare for their departure, and get gold, silver, and
raiment from the Egyptians, 34-36.
They journey from Rameses to Succoth, in number six hundred
thousand men, besides women and children, and a mixed multitude,
37, 38.
They bake unleavened cakes of the dough they brought with them
out of Egypt, 39.
The time in which they sojourned in Egypt, 40-42.
Different ordinances concerning the PASSOVER, 43-49
which are all punctually observed by the people, who are brought
out of Egypt the same day, 50, 51.
NOTES ON CHAP. XII
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The lord spake; had spoken, before the three days darkness, as may appear by comparing Exo 12:3,6 of this chapter with Exo 11:4. And the mention of it was put off by him till this place, as well that he might not interrupt the history of all the plagues, as that he might give the whole institution of the passover together.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1. the Lord spake unto Mosesrather,”had spoken unto Moses and Aaron”; for it is evidentthat the communication here described must have been made to them onor before the tenth of the month.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,…. Before they and the children of Israel came out of it, before the slaying of the firstborn, yea, before Moses came from the presence of Pharaoh, and had given him notice of it; and it is very probable even before the three days darkness, seeing it seems necessary it should be four days before the passover, since on the tenth day the lamb was to be taken, and on the fourteenth slain, Ex 12:3 and by what follows it looks as if it was at the beginning or first day of the month, and so the words may be rendered, “the Lord had spoke” y; and the following account is deferred to this place, that there might be no interruption of the history of the plagues, and that the passover, with all its rites and ceremonies, both at the first institution and observance of it, and in later times, might be laid together.
y “alloquutus antem fuerat”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator “dixerat autem”; so some in Drusius, and Ainsworth.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Institution of the Passover. – The deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt was at hand; also their adoption as the nation of Jehovah (Exo 6:6-7).
But for this a divine consecration was necessary, that their outward severance from the land of Egypt might be accompanied by an inward severance from everything of an Egyptian or heathen nature. This consecration was to be imparted by the Passover-a festival which was to lay the foundation for Israel’s birth (Hos 2:5) into the new life of grace and fellowship with God, and to renew it perpetually in time to come. This festival was therefore instituted and commemorated before the exodus from Egypt. Vv. 1-28 contain the directions for the Passover: viz., Exo 12:1-14 for the keeping of the feast of the Passover before the departure from Egypt, and Exo 12:15-20 for the seven days’ feast of unleavened bread. In Exo 12:21-27 Moses communicates to the elders of the nation the leading instructions as to the former feast, and the carrying out of those instructions is mentioned in Exo 12:28.
Exo 12:1-2 By the words, “ in the land of Egypt, ” the law of the Passover which follows is brought into connection with the giving of the law at Sinai and in the fields of Moab, and is distinguished in relation to the former as the first or foundation law for the congregation of Jehovah. The creation of Israel as the people of Jehovah (Isa 43:15) commenced with the institution of the Passover. As a proof of this, it was preceded by the appointment of a new era, fixing the commencement of the congregation of Jehovah. “ This month ” (i.e., the present in which ye stand) “ be to you the head (i.e., the beginning) of the months, the first let it be to you for the months of the year; ” i.e., let the numbering of the months, and therefore the year also, begin with it. Consequently the Israelites had hitherto had a different beginning to their year, probably only a civil year, commencing with the sowing, and ending with the termination of the harvest (cf. Exo 23:16); whereas the Egyptians most likely commenced their year with the overflowing of the Nile at the summer solstice (cf. Lepsius, Chron. 1, pp. 148ff.). The month which was henceforth to be the first of the year, and is frequently so designated (Exo 40:2, Exo 40:17; Lev 23:5, etc.), is called Abib (the ear-month) in Exo 13:4; Exo 23:15; Exo 34:18; Deu 16:1, because the corn was then in ear; after the captivity it was called Nisan (Neh 2:1; Est 3:7). It corresponds very nearly to our April.
Exo 12:3-14 Arrangements for the Passover. – “ All the congregation of Israel ” was the nation represented by its elders (cf. Exo 12:21, and my bibl. Arch. ii. p. 221). “ On the tenth of this (i.e., the first) month, let every one take to himself (a lamb, lit., a young one, either sheep or goats; Exo 12:5, and Deu 14:4), according to fathers’ houses ” (vid., Exo 6:14), i.e., according to the natural distribution of the people into families, so that only the members of one family or family circle should unite, and not an indiscriminate company. In Exo 12:21 mishpachoth is used instead. “A lamb for the house,” , i.e., the family forming a household.
Exo 12:4 But if “ the house be too small for a lamb ” (lit., “ small from the existence of a lamb, ” comparative: is an existence which receives its purpose from the lamb, which answers to that purpose, viz., the consumption of the lamb, i.e., if a family is not numerous enough to consume a lamb), “ let him (the house-father) and his nearest neighbour against his house take (sc., a lamb) according to the calculation of the persons.” computatio (Lev 27:23), from computare ; and , the calculated amount or number (Num 31:28): it only occurs in the Pentateuch. “ Every one according to the measure of his eating shall ye reckon for the lamb: ” i.e., in deciding whether several families had to unite, in order to consume one lamb, they were to estimate how much each person would be likely to eat. Consequently more than two families might unite for this purpose, when they consisted simply of the father and mother and little children. A later custom fixed ten as the number of persons to each paschal lamb; and Jonathan has interpolated this number into the text of his Targum.
Exo 12:5 The kind of lamb: integer , uninjured, without bodily fault, like all the sacrifices (Lev 22:19-20); a male like the burnt-offerings (Lev 1:3, Lev 1:11); one year old ( , lxx). This does not mean “standing in the first year, viz., from the eighth day of its life to the termination of the first year” ( Rabb. Cler., etc.), a rule which applied to the other sacrifices only (Exo 22:29; Lev 22:27). The opinion expressed by Ewald and others, that oxen were also admitted at a later period, is quite erroneous, and cannot be proved from Deu 16:2, or 2Ch 30:24 and 2Ch 35:7. As the lamb was intended as a sacrifice (Exo 12:27), the characteristics were significant. Freedom from blemish and injury not only befitted the sacredness of the purpose to which they were devoted, but was a symbol of the moral integrity of the person represented by the sacrifice. It was to be a male, as taking the place of the male first-born of Israel; and a year old, because it was not till then that it reached the full, fresh vigour of its life. “ Ye shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats: ” i.e.,, as Theodoret explains it, “He who has a sheep, let him slay it; and he who has no sheep, let him take a goat.” Later custom restricted the choice to the lamb alone; though even in the time of Josiah kids were still used as well (2Ch 25:7).
Exo 12:6 “ And it shall be to you for preservation (ye shall keep it) until the fourteenth day, and then…slay it at sunset.” Among the reasons commonly assigned for the instruction to choose the lamb on the 10th, and keep it till the 14th, which Jonathan and Rashi supposed to refer to the Passover in Egypt alone, there is an element of truth in the one given most fully by Fagius, “that the sight of the lamb might furnish an occasion for conversation respecting their deliverance from Egypt,…and the mercy of God, who had so graciously looked upon them;” but this hardly serves to explain the interval of exactly four days. Hoffmann supposes it to refer to the four doroth (Gen 15:16), which had elapsed since Israel was brought to Egypt, to grow into a nation. The probability of such an allusion, however, depends upon just what Hoffmann denies without sufficient reason, viz., upon the lamb being regarded as a sacrifice, in which Israel consecrated itself to its God. It was to be slain by “ the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel: ” not by the whole assembled people, as though they gathered together for this purpose, for the slaughtering took place in every house (Exo 12:7); the meaning is simply, that the entire congregation, without any exception, was to slay it at the same time, viz., “ between the two evenings ” (Num 9:3, Num 9:5, Num 9:11), or “in the evening at sunset” (Deu 16:6). Different opinions have prevailed among the Jews from a very early date as to the precise time intended. Aben Ezra agrees with the Caraites and Samaritans in taking the first evening to be the time when the sun sinks below the horizon, and the second the time of total darkness; in which case, “between the two evenings” would be from 6 o’clock to 7:20. Kimchi and Rashi, on the other hand, regard the moment of sunset as the boundary between the two evenings, and Hitzig has lately adopted their opinion. According to the rabbinical idea, the time when the sun began to descend, viz., from 3 to 5 o’clock, was the first evening, and sunset the second; so that “between the two evenings” was from 3 to 6 o’clock. Modern expositors have very properly decided in favour of the view held by Aben Ezra and the custom adopted by the Caraites and Samaritans, from which the explanation given by Kimchi and Rashi does not materially differ. It is true that this argument has been adduced in favour of the rabbinical practice, viz., that “only by supposing the afternoon to have been included, can we understand why the day of Passover is always called the 14th (Lev 23:5; Num 9:3, etc.);” and also, that “if the slaughtering took place after sunset, it fell on the 15th Nisan, and not the 14th.” But both arguments are based upon an untenable assumption. For it is obvious from Lev 23:32, where the fast prescribed for the day of atonement, which fell upon the 10th of the 7th month, is ordered to commence on the evening of the 9th day, “from even to even,” that although the Israelites reckoned the day of 24 hours from the evening sunset to sunset, in numbering the days they followed the natural day, and numbered each day according to the period between sunrise and sunset. Nevertheless there is no formal disagreement between the law and the rabbinical custom. The expression in Deu 16:6, “at (towards) sunset,” is sufficient to show that the boundary line between the two evenings is not to be fixed precisely at the moment of sunset, but only somewhere about that time. The daily evening sacrifice and the incense offering were also to be presented “between the two evenings” (Exo 29:39, Exo 29:41; Exo 30:8; Num 28:4). Now as this was not to take place exactly at the same time, but to precede it, they could not both occur at the time of sunset, but the former must have been offered before that. Moreover, in later times, when the paschal lamb was slain and offered at the sanctuary, it must have been slain and offered before sunset, if only to give sufficient time to prepare the paschal meal, which was to be over before midnight. It was from these circumstances that the rabbinical custom grew up in the course of time, and the lax use of the word evening, in Hebrew as well as in every other language, left space enough for this. For just as we do not confine the term morning to the time before sunset, but apply it generally to the early hours of the day, so the term evening is not restricted to the period after sunset. If the sacrifice prescribed for the morning could be offered after sunrise, the one appointed for the evening might in the same manner be offered before sunset.
Exo 12:7 Some of the blood was to be put ( as in Lev 4:18, where is distinguished from , to sprinkle, in Lev 4:17) upon the two posts and the lintel of the door of the house in which the lamb was eaten. This blood was to be to them a sign (Exo 12:13); for when Jehovah passed through Egypt to smite the first-born, He would see the blood, and would spare these houses, and not permit the destroyer to enter them (Exo 12:13, Exo 12:23). The two posts with the lintel represented the door (Exo 12:23), which they surrounded; and the doorway through which the house was entered stood for the house itself, as we may see from the frequent expression “in thy gates,” for in thy towns (Exo 20:10; Deu 5:14; Deu 12:17, etc.). The threshold, which belonged to the door quite as much as the lintel, was not to be smeared with blood, in order that the blood might not be trodden under foot. But the smearing of the door-posts and lintel with blood, the house was expiated and consecrated on an altar. That the smearing with blood was to be regarded as an act of expiation, is evident from the simple fact, that a hyssop-bush was used for the purpose (Exo 12:22); for sprinkling with hyssop is never prescribed in the law, except in connection with purification in the sense of expiation (Lev 14:49.; Num 19:18-19). In Egypt the Israelites had no common altar; and for this reason, the houses in which they assembled for the Passover were consecrated as altars, and the persons found in them were thereby removed from the stroke of the destroyer. In this way the smearing of the door-posts and lintel became a sign to Israel of their deliverance from the destroyer. Jehovah made it so by His promise, that He would see the blood, and pass over the houses that were smeared with it. Through faith in this promise, Israel acquired in the sign a firm pledge of its deliverance. The smearing of the doorway was relinquished, after Moses (not Josiah, as Vaihinger supposes, cf. Deu 16:5-6) had transferred the slaying of the lambs to the court of the sanctuary, and the blood had been ordered to be sprinkled upon the altar there.
Exo 12:8-9 With regard to the preparation of the lamb for the meal, the following directions were given: “ They shall eat the lamb in that night ” (i.e., the night following the 14th), and none of it (“ underdone ” or raw), or (“ boiled, ” – lit., done, viz., , done in water, i.e., boiled, as does not mean to be boiled, but to become ripe or done, Joe 3:13); “ but roasted with fire, even its head on ( along with) its thighs and entrails; ” i.e., as Rashi correctly explains it, “undivided or whole, so that neither head nor thighs were cut off, and not a bone was broken (Exo 12:46), and the viscera were roasted in the belly along with the entrails,” the latter, of course, being first of all cleansed. On and see Lev 1:9. These regulations are all to be regarded from one point of view. The first two, neither underdone nor boiled, were connected with the roasting of the animal whole. As the roasting no doubt took place on a spit, since the Israelites while in Egypt can hardly have possessed such ovens of their own, as are prescribed in the Talmud and are met with in Persia, the lamb would be very likely to be roasted imperfectly, or underdone, especially in the hurry that must have preceded the exodus (Exo 12:11). By boiling, again, the integrity of the animal would have been destroyed, partly through the fact that it could never have been got into a pot whole, as the Israelites had no pots or kettles sufficiently large, and still more through the fact that, in boiling, the substance of the flesh is more or less dissolved. For it is very certain that the command to roast was not founded upon the hurry of the whole procedure, as a whole animal could be quite as quickly boiled as roasted, if not even more quickly, and the Israelites must have possessed the requisite cooking utensils. It was to be roasted, in order that it might be placed upon the table undivided and essentially unchanged. “Through the unity and integrity of the lamb given them to eat, the participants were to be joined into an undivided unity and fellowship with the Lord, who had provided them with the meal” (cf. 1Co 10:17).
(Note: See my Archologie i. p. 386. Baehr (Symb. 2, 635) has given the true explanation: “By avoiding the breaking of the bones, the animal was preserved in complete integrity, undisturbed and entire (Psa 34:20). The sacrificial lamb to be eaten was to be thoroughly and perfectly whole, and at the time of eating was to appear as a perfect whole, and therefore as one; for it is not what is dissected, divided, broken in pieces, but only what is whole, that is eo ipso one. There was not other reason for this, than that all who took part in this one whole animal, i.e., all who ate of it, should look upon themselves as one whole, one community, like those who eat the New Testament Passover, the body of Christ (1Co 5:7), of whom the apostle says (1Co 10:17), “There is one bread, and so we, being many, are one body: for we are all partakers of one body.” The preservation of Christ, so that not a bone was broken, had the same signification; and God ordained this that He might appear as the true paschal lamb, that was slain for the sins of the world.”)
They were to eat it with ( , azymi panes ; lxx, Vulg.), i.e., (not sweet, or parched, but) pure loaves, nor fermented with leaven; for leaven, which sets the dough in fermentation, and so produces impurity, was a natural symbol of moral corruption, and was excluded from the sacrifices therefore as defiling (Lev 2:11).
“ Over (upon) bitter herbs they shall eat it.” , (lxx), lactucae agrestes ( Vulg.), probably refers to various kinds of bitter herbs. , according to Aristot. Hist. an. 9, 6, and Plin. h. n. 8, 41, is the same as lactuca silvestris , or wild lettuce; but in Dioscor. 2, 160, it is referred to as the wild or , i.e., wild endive, the intubus or intubum of the Romans. As lettuce and endive are indigenous in Egypt, and endive is also met with in Syria from the beginning of the winter months to the end of March, and lettuce in April and May, it is to these herbs of bitter flavor that the term merorim chiefly applies; though others may also be included, as the Arabs apply the same term to Scorzonera orient., Picris scabra, Sonclus oler., Hieracium uniflor., and others ( Forsk. flor. cxviii. and 143); and in the Mishnah, Pes. 2, 6, five different varieties of bitter herbs are reckoned as merorim, though it is difficult to determine what they are (cf. Bochart, Hieroz. 1, pp. 691ff., and Cels. Hierobot. ii. p. 727). By (upon) the bitter herbs are represented, both here and in Num 9:11, not as an accompaniment to the meat, but as the basis of the meal. does not signify along with, or indicate accompaniment, not even in Exo 35:22; but in this and other similar passages it still retains its primary signification, upon or over. It is only used to signify accompaniment in cases where the ideas of protection, meditation, or addition are prominent. If, then, the bitter herbs are represented in this passage as the basis of the meal, and the unleavened bread also in Num 9:11, it is evident that the bitter herbs were not intended to be regarded as a savoury accompaniment, by which more flavour was imparted to the sweeter food, but had a more profound signification. The bitter herbs were to call to mind the bitterness of life experienced by Israel in Egypt (Exo 1:14), and this bitterness was to be overpowered by the sweet flesh of the lamb. In the same way the unleavened loaves are regarded as forming part of the substance of the meal in Num 9:11, in accordance with their significance in relation to it (vid., Exo 12:15). There is no discrepancy between this and Deu 16:3, where the mazzoth are spoken of as an accompaniment to the flesh of the sacrifice; for the allusion there is not to the eating of the paschal lamb, but to sacrificial meals held during the seven days’ festival.
Exo 12:10-11 The lamb was to be all eaten wherever this was possible; but if any was left, it was to be burned with fire the following day, – a rule afterwards laid down for all the sacrificial meals, with one solitary exception (vid., Lev 7:15). They were to eat it , “ in anxious flight ” (from trepidare , Psa 31:23; to flee in terror, Deu 20:3; 2Ki 7:15); in travelling costume therefore, – with “ the loins girded, ” that they might not be impeded in their walking by the long flowing dress (2Ki 4:29), – with “ shoes (Sandals) on their feet, ” that they might be ready to walk on hard, rough roads, instead of barefooted, as they generally went (cf. Jos 9:5, Jos 9:13; Bynaeus de calceis ii. 1, 7; and Bochart, Hieroz. i. pp. 686ff.), and “ staff in hand ” (Gen 32:11). The directions in Exo 12:11 had reference to the paschal meal in Egypt only, and had no other signification than to prepare the Israelites for their approaching departure. But though “this preparation was intended to give the paschal meal the appearance of a support for the journey, which the Israelites were about to tale,” this by no means exhausts its signification. The divine instructions close with the words, “it is to Jehovah;” i.e., what is prescribed is a pesach appointed by Jehovah, and to be kept for Him (cf. Exo 20:10, “Sabbath to Jehovah;” Exo 32:5, “feast to Jehovah”). The word , Aram. , Gr. , is derived from , lit., to leap or hop, from which these two meanings arise: (1) to limp (1Ki 18:21; 2Sa 4:4, etc.); and (2) to pass over, transire (hence Tiphsah, a passage over, 1Ki 4:24). It is for the most part used figuratively for , to pass by or spare; as in this case, where the destroying angel passed by the doors and houses of the Israelites that were smeared with blood. From this, pesach ( , Aquil. in Exo 12:11; , Joseph. Ant. ii. 14, 6) came afterwards to be used for the lamb, through which, according to divine appointment, the passing by or sparing had been effected (Exo 12:21, Exo 12:27; 2Ch 35:1, 2Ch 35:13, etc.); then for the preparation of the lamb for a meal, in accordance with the divine instructions, or for the celebration of this meal (thus here, Exo 12:11; Lev 23:5; Num 9:7, etc.); and then, lastly, it was transferred to the whole seven days’ observance of the feast of unleavened bread, which began with this meal (Deu 16:1), and also to the sacrifices which were to be offered at that feast (Deu 16:2; 2Ch 35:1, 2Ch 35:7, etc.). The killing of the lamb appointed for the pesach was a , i.e., a slain-offering, as Moses calls it when making known the command of God to the elders (Exo 12:27); consequently the eating of it was a sacrificial feast (“the sacrifice of the feast of the Passover,” Exo 34:25). For is never applied to slaying alone, as is. Even in Pro 17:1 and 1Sa 28:24, which Hoffmann adduces in support of this meaning, it signifies “to sacrifice” only in a figurative or transferred sense. At the first Passover in Egypt, it is true, there was no presentation ( ), because Israel had not altar there. But the presentation took place at the very first repetition of the festival at Sinai (Num 9:7). The omission of this in Egypt, on account of the circumstances in which they were placed, constituted no essential difference between the first “sacrifice of the Passover” and the repetitions of it; for the choice of the lamb four days before it was slain, was a substitute for the presentation, and the sprinkling of the blood, which was essential to every sacrifice, was effected in the smearing of the door-posts and lintel. The other difference upon which Hofmann lays stress, viz., that at all subsequent Passovers the fat of the animal was burned upon the altar, is very questionable. For this custom cannot be proved from the Old Testament, though it is prescribed in the Mishnah.
(Note: In the elaborate account of the Passover under Josiah, in 2 Chron 35, we have, it is true, an allusion to the presentation of the burnt-offering and fat (2Ch 35:14); but the boiling of the offerings in pots, caldrons, and pans is also mentioned, along with the roasting of the Passover (2Ch 35:13); from which it is very obvious, that in this account the offering of burnt and slain-offerings is associated with the preparation of the paschal lamb, and the paschal meal is not specially separated from the sacrificial meals of the seven days’ feast; just as we find that the king and the princes give the priests and Levites not only lambs and kids, but oxen also, for the sacrifices and sacrificial meals of this festival (see my Archologie, 81, 8).)
But even if the burning of the fat of the paschal lamb had taken place shortly after the giving of the law, on the ground of the general command in Lev 3:17; Lev 7:23. (for this is not taken for granted in Exo 23:18, as we shall afterwards show), this difference could also be accounted for from the want of an altar in Egypt, and would not warrant us in refusing to admit the sacrificial character of the first Passover. For the appointment of the paschal meal by God does not preclude the idea that it was a religious service, nor the want of an altar the idea of sacrifice, as Hoffmann supposes. All the sacrifices of the Jewish nation were minutely prescribed by God, so that the presentation of them was the consequence of divine instructions. And even though the Israelites, when holding the first Passover according to the command of God, merely gave expression to their desire to participate in the deliverance from destruction and the redemption of Egypt, and also to their faith in the word and promise of God, we must neither measure the signification of this divine institution by that fact, nor restrict it to this alone, inasmuch as it is expressly described as a sacrificial meal.
Exo 12:12-13 In Exo 12:12 and Exo 12:13 the name pesach is explained. In that night Jehovah would pass through Egypt, smite all the first-born of man and beast, execute judgment upon all the gods of Egypt, and pass over ( ) the Israelites. In what the judgment upon all the gods of Egypt consisted, it is hard to determine. The meaning of these words is not exhausted by Calvin’s remark: “God declared that He would be a judge against the false gods, because it was most apparent then, now little help was to be found in them, and how vain and fallacious was their worship.” The gods of Egypt were spiritual authorities and powers, , which governed the life and spirit of the Egyptians. Hence the judgment upon them could not consist of the destruction of idols, as Ps. Jonathan’s paraphrase supposes: idola fusa colliquescent, lapidea concidentur, testacea confringentur, lignea in cinerem redigentur . For there is nothing said about this; but in v. 29 the death of the first-born of men and cattle alone is mentioned as the execution of the divine threat; and in Num 33:4 also the judgment upon the gods is connected with the burial of the first-born, without special reference to anything besides. From this it seems to follow pretty certainly, that the judgments upon the gods of Egypt consisted in the slaying of the first-born of man and beast. But the slaying of the first-born was a judgment upon the gods, not only because the impotence and worthlessness of the fancied gods were displayed in the consternation produced by this stroke, but still more directly in the fact, that in the slaying of the king’s son and many of the first-born animals, the gods of Egypt, which were worshipped both in their kings and also in certain sacred animals, such as the bull Apis and the goat Nendes, were actually smitten themselves.
Exo 12:13 To the Israelites, on the other hand, the blood upon the houses in which they were assembled would be a sign and pledge that Jehovah would spare them, and no plague should fall upon them to destroy (cf. Eze 21:31; not “for the destroyer,” for there is no article with ).
Exo 12:14 That day (the evening of the 14th) Israel was to keep “ for a commemoration as a feast to Jehovah, ” consecrated for all time, as an “ eternal ordinance, ” “in your generations,” i.e., for all ages, denoting the succession of future generations (vid., Exo 12:24). As the divine act of Israel’s redemption was of eternal significance, so the commemoration of that act was to be an eternal ordinance, and to be upheld as long as Israel should exist as the redeemed people of the Lord, i.e., to all eternity, just as the new life of the redeemed was to endure for ever. For the Passover, the remembrance of which was to be revived by the constant repetition of the feast, was the celebration of their birth into the new life of fellowship with the Lord. The preservation from the stroke of the destroyer, from which the feast received its name, was the commencement of their redemption from the bondage of Egypt, and their elevation into the nation of Jehovah. The blood of the paschal lamb was atoning blood; for the Passover was a sacrifice, which combined in itself the signification of the future sin-offerings and peace-offerings; in other words, which shadowed forth both expiation and quickening fellowship with God. The smearing of the houses of the Israelites with the atoning blood of the sacrifice set forth the reconciliation of Israel and its God, through the forgiveness and expiation of its sins; and in the sacrificial meal which followed, their communion with the Lord, i.e., their adoption as children of God, was typically completed. In the meal the sacrificium became a sacramentum , the flesh of the sacrifice a means of grace, by which the Lord adopted His spared and redeemed people into the fellowship of His house, and gave them food for the refreshing of their souls.
Exo 12:15-20 Judging from the words “ I brought out ” in Exo 12:17, Moses did not receive instructions respecting the seven days’ feast of Mazzoth till after the exodus from Egypt; but on account of its internal and substantial connection with the Passover, it is placed here in immediate association with the institution of the paschal meal. “ Seven days shall he eat unleavened bread, only ( ) on the first day (i.e., not later than the first day) he shall cause to cease (i.e., put away) leaven out of your houses.” The first day was the 15th of the month (cf. Lev 23:6; Num 28:17). On the other hand, when is thus defined in Exo 12:18, “on the 14th day of the month at even,” this may be accounted for from the close connection between the feast of Mazzoth and the feast of Passover, inasmuch as unleavened bread was to be eaten with the paschal lamb, so that the leaven had to be cleared away before this meal. The significance of this feast was in the eating of the mazzoth, i.e., of pure unleavened bread (see Exo 12:8). As bread, which is the principal means of preserving life, might easily be regarded as the symbol of life itself, so far as the latter is set forth in the means employed for its own maintenance and invigoration, so the mazzoth, or unleavened loaves, were symbolical of the new life, as cleansed from the leaven of a sinful nature. But if the eating of mazzoth was to shadow forth the new life into which Israel was transferred, any one who ate leavened bread at the feast would renounce this new life, and was therefore to be cut off from Israel, i.e., “from the congregation of Israel” (Exo 12:19).
Exo 12:16 On the first and seventh days, a holy meeting was to be held, and labour to be suspended. is not indictio sancti, proclamatio sanctitatis ( Vitringa), but a holy assembly, i.e., a meeting of the people for the worship of Jehovah (Eze 46:3, Eze 46:9). , from to call, is that which is called, i.e., the assembly (Isa 4:5; Neh 8:8). No work was to be done upon these days, except what was necessary for the preparation of food; on the Sabbath, even this was prohibited (Exo 35:2-3). Hence in Lev 23:7, the “work” is called “servile work,” ordinary handicraft.
Exo 12:17-20 “ Observe the Mazzoth ” (i.e., the directions given in Exo 12:15 and Exo 12:16 respecting the feast of Mazzoth), “ for on this very day I have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt.” This was effected in the night of the 14th-15th, or rather at midnight, and therefore in the early morning of the 15th Abib. Because Jehovah had brought Israel out of Egypt on the 15th Abib, therefore Israel was to keep Mazzoth for seven days. Of course it was not merely a commemoration of this event, but the exodus formed the groundwork of the seven days’ feast, because it was by this that Israel had been introduced into a new vital element. For this reason the Israelites were to put away all the leaven of their Egyptian nature, the leaven of malice and wickedness (1Co 5:8), and by eating pure and holy bread, and meeting for the worship of God, to show that they were walking in newness of life. This aspect of the feast will serve to explain the repeated emphasis laid upon the instructions given concerning it, and the repeated threat of extermination against either native or foreigner, in case the law should be disobeyed (Exo 12:18-20). To eat leavened bread at this feast, would have been a denial of the divine act, by which Israel was introduced into the new life of fellowship with Jehovah. , a stranger, was a non-Israelite who lived for a time, or possibly for his whole life, in the midst of the Israelitish nation, but without being incorporated into it by circumcision. , a tree that grows upon the soil in which it was planted; hence indigena , the native of a country. This term was applied to the Israelites, “because they had sprung from Isaac and Jacob, who were born in the land of Canaan, and had received it from God as a permanent settlement” ( Clericus). The feast of Mazzoth, the commemoration of Israel’s creation as the people of Jehovah (Isa 43:15-17), was fixed for seven days, to stamp upon it in the number seven the seal of the covenant relationship. This heptad of days was made holy through the sanctification of the first and last days by the holding of a holy assembly, and the entire suspension of work. The beginning and the end comprehended the whole. In the eating of unleavened bread Israel laboured for meat for the new life (Joh 6:27), whilst the seal of worship was impressed upon this new life in the holy convocation, and the suspension of labour was the symbol of rest in the Lord.
Exo 12:21-28 Of the directions given by Moses to the elders of the nation, the leading points only are mentioned here, viz., the slaying of the lamb and the application of the blood (Exo 12:21, Exo 12:22). The reason for this is then explained in Exo 12:23, and the rule laid down in Exo 12:24-27 for its observance in the future.
Exo 12:21-22 “ Withdraw and take: ” is intransitive here, to draw away, withdraw, as in Jdg 4:6; Jdg 5:14; Jdg 20:37. : a bunch or bundle of hyssop: according to Maimonides, “ quantum quis comprehendit manu sua .” ( ) was probably not the plant which we call hyssop, the hyssopus officinalis , for it is uncertain whether this is to be found in Syria and Arabia, but a species of origanum resembling hyssop, the Arabian zter, either wild marjoram or a kind of thyme, Thymus serpyllum , mentioned in Forsk. flora Aeg. p. 107, which is very common in Syria and Arabia, and is called zter, or zatureya, the pepper or bean plant. “ That is in the bason; ” viz the bason in which the blood had been caught when the animal was killed. , “ and let it reach to, i.e., strike, the lintel: ” in ordinary purifications the blood was sprinkled with the bunch of hyssop (Lev 14:51; Num 19:18). The reason for the command not to go out of the door of the house was, that in this night of judgment there would be no safety anywhere except behind the blood-stained door.
Exo 12:23-26 (cf. Exo 12:13). “ He will not suffer ( ) the destroyer to come into your houses: ” Jehovah effected the destruction of the first-born through , the destroyer, or destroying angel, (Heb 11:28), i.e., not a fallen angel, but the angel of Jehovah, in whom Jehovah revealed Himself to the patriarchs and Moses. This is not at variance with Psa 78:49; for the writer of this psalm regards not only the slaying of the first-born, but also the pestilence (Exo 9:1-7), as effected through the medium of angels of evil: though, according to the analogy of 1Sa 13:17, might certainly be understood collectively as applying to a company of angels. Exo 12:24. “ This word, ” i.e., the instructions respecting the Passover, they were to regard as an institution for themselves and their children for ever ( in the same sense as , Gen 17:7, Gen 17:13); and when dwelling in the promised land, they were to explain the meaning of this service to their sons. The ceremony is called , “service,” inasmuch as it was the fulfilment of a divine command, a performance demanded by God, though it promoted the good of Israel.
Exo 12:27 After hearing the divine instructions, the people, represented by their elders, bowed and worshipped; not only to show their faith, but also to manifest their gratitude for the deliverance which they were to receive in the Passover.
Exo 12:28 They then proceeded to execute the command, that through the obedience of faith they might appropriate the blessing of this “service.”
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Appointment of the Passover; the Feast of Unleavened Bread. | B. C. 1491. |
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. 10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. 11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD‘s passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. 14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. 15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. 17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. 18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. 19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. 20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
Moses and Aaron here receive of the Lord what they were afterwards to deliver to the people concerning the ordinance of the passover, to which is prefixed an order for a new style to be observed in their months (Exo 12:1; Exo 12:2): This shall be to you the beginning of months. They had hitherto begun their year from the middle of September, but henceforward they were to begin it from the middle of March, at least in all their ecclesiastical computations. Note, It is good to begin the day, and begin the year, and especially to begin our lives, with God. This new calculation began the year with the spring, which reneweth the face of the earth, and was used as a figure of the coming of Christ, Son 2:11; Son 2:12. We may suppose that, while Moses was bringing the ten plagues upon the Egyptians, he was directing the Israelites to prepare for their departure at an hour’s warning. Probably he had be degrees brought them near together from their dispersions, for their are here called the congregation of Israel (v. 3), and to them as a congregation orders are here sent. Their amazement and hurry, it is easy to suppose, were great; yet now they must apply themselves to the observance of a sacred rite, to the honour of God. Note, When our heads are fullest of care, and our hands of business, yet we must not forget our religion, nor suffer ourselves to be indisposed for acts of devotion.
I. God appointed that on the night wherein they were to go out of Egypt they should, in each of their families, kill a lamb, or that two or three families, if they were small, should join for a lamb. The lamb was to be got ready four days before and that afternoon they were to kill it (v. 6) as a sacrifice; not strictly, for it was not offered upon the altar, but as a religious ceremony, acknowledging God’s goodness to them, not only in preserving them from, but in delivering them by, the plagues inflicted on the Egyptians. See the antiquity of family-religion; and see the convenience of the joining of small families together for religious worship, that it may be made the more solemn.
II. The lamb so slain they were to eat, roasted (we may suppose, in its several quarters), with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, because they were to eat it in haste (v. 11), and to leave none of it until the morning; for God would have them to depend upon him for their daily bread, and not to take thought for the morrow. He that led them would feed them.
III. Before they ate the flesh of the lamb, they were to sprinkle the blood upon the doorposts, v. 7. By this their houses were to be distinguished from the houses of the Egyptians, and so their first-born secured from the sword of the destroying angel, Exo 12:12; Exo 12:13. Dreadful work was to be made this night in Egypt; all the first-born both of man and beast were to be slain, and judgment executed upon the gods of Egypt. Moses does not mention the fulfillment, in this chapter, yet he speaks of it Num. xxxiii. 4. It is very probable that the idols which the Egyptians worshipped were destroyed, those of metal melted, those of wood consumed, and those of stone broken to pieces, whence Jethro infers (ch. xviii. 11), The Lord is greater than all gods. The same angel that destroyed their first-born demolished their idols, which were no less dear to them. For the protection of Israel from this plague they were ordered to sprinkle the blood of the lamb upon the door-posts, their doing which would be accepted as an instance of their faith in the divine warnings and their obedience to the divine precepts. Note, 1. If in times of common calamity God will secure his own people, and set a mark upon them; they shall be hidden either in heaven or under heaven, preserved either from the stroke of judgments or at least from the sting of them. 2. The blood of sprinkling is the saint’s security in times of common calamity; it is this that marks them for God, pacifies conscience, and gives them boldness of access to the throne of grace, and so becomes a wall of protection round them and a wall of partition between them and the children of this world.
IV. This was to be annually observed as a feast of the Lord in their generations, to which the feast of unleavened bread was annexed, during which, for seven days, they were to eat no bread but what was unleavened, in remembrance of their being confined to such bread, of necessity, for many days after they came out of Egypt, v. 14-20. The appointment is inculcated for their better direction, and that they might not mistake concerning it, and to awaken those who perhaps in Egypt had grown generally very stupid and careless in the matters of religion to a diligent observance of the institution. Now, without doubt, there was much of the gospel in this ordinance; it is often referred to in the New Testament, and, in it, to us is the gospel preached, and not to them only, who could not stedfastly look to the end of these things,Heb 4:2; 2Co 3:13.
1. The paschal lamb was typical. Christ is our Passover, 1 Cor. v. 7. (1.) It was to be a lamb; and Christ is the Lamb of God (John i. 29), often in the Revelation called the Lamb, meek and innocent as a lamb, dumb before the shearers, before the butchers. (2.) It was to be a male of the first year (v. 5), in its prime; Christ offered up himself in the midst of his days, not in infancy with the babes of Bethlehem. It denotes the strength and sufficiency of the Lord Jesus, on whom our help was laid. (3.) It was to be without blemish (v. 5), denoting the purity of the Lord Jesus, a Lamb without spot, 1 Pet. i. 19. The judge that condemned him (as if his trial were only like the scrutiny that was made concerning the sacrifices, whether they were without blemish or no) pronounced him innocent. (4.) It was to be set apart four days before (Exo 12:3; Exo 12:6), denoting the designation of the Lord Jesus to be a Saviour, both in the purpose and in the promise. It is very observable that as Christ was crucified at the passover, so he solemnly entered into Jerusalem four days before, the very day that the paschal lamb was set apart. (5.) It was to be slain, and roasted with fire (v. 6-9), denoting the exquisite sufferings of the Lord Jesus, even unto death, the death of the cross. The wrath of God is as fire, and Christ was made a curse for us. (6.) It was to be killed by the whole congregation between the two evenings, that is, between three o’clock and six. Christ suffered in the end of the world (Heb. ix. 26), by the hand of the Jews, the whole multitude of them (Luke xxiii. 18), and for the good of all his spiritual Israel. (7.) Not a bone of it must be broken (v. 46), which is expressly said to be fulfilled in Christ (Joh 19:33; Joh 19:36), denoting the unbroken strength of the Lord Jesus.
2. The sprinkling of the blood was typical. (1.) It was not enough that the blood of the lamb was shed, but it must be sprinkled, denoting the application of the merits of Christ’s death to our souls; we must receive the atonement, Rom. v. 11. (2.) It was to be sprinkled with a bunch of hyssop (v. 22) dipped in the basin. The everlasting covenant, like the basin, in the conservatory of this blood, the benefits and privileges purchased by it are laid up for us there; faith is the bunch of hyssop by which we apply the promises to ourselves and the benefits of the blood of Christ laid up in them. (3.) It was to be sprinkled upon the door-posts, denoting the open profession we are to make of faith in Christ, and obedience to him, as those that are not ashamed to own our dependence upon him. The mark of the beast may be received on the forehead or in the right hand, but the seal of the Lamb is always in the forehead, Rev. vii. 3. There is a back-way to hell, but no back-way to heaven; no, the only way to this is a high-way, Isa. xxxv. 8. (4.) It was to be sprinkled upon the lintel and the sideposts, but not upon the threshold (v. 7), which cautions us to take heed of trampling under foot the blood of the covenant, Heb. x. 29. It is precious blood, and must be precious to us. (5.) The blood, thus sprinkled, was a means of the preservation of the Israelites from the destroying angel, who had nothing to do where the blood was. If the blood of Christ be sprinkled upon our consciences, it will be our protection from the wrath of God, the curse of the law, and the damnation of hell, Rom. viii. 1.
3. The solemnly eating of the lamb was typical of our gospel-duty to Christ. (1.) The paschal lamb was killed, not to be looked upon only, but to be fed upon; so we must by faith make Christ ours, as we do that which we eat, and we must receive spiritual strength and nourishment from him, as from our food, and have delight and satisfaction in him, as we have in eating and drinking when we are hungry or thirsty: see John vi. 53-55. (2.) It was to be all eaten; those that by faith feed upon Christ must feed upon a whole Christ; they must take Christ and his yoke, Christ and his cross, as well as Christ and his crown. Is Christ divided? Those hat gather much of Christ will have nothing over. (3.) It was to be eaten immediately, not deferred till morning, v. 10. To-day Christ is offered, and is to be accepted while it is called to-day, before we sleep the sleep of death. (4.) It was to be eaten with bitter herbs (v. 8), in remembrance of the bitterness of their bondage in Egypt. We must feed upon Christ with sorrow and brokenness of heart, in remembrance of sin; this will give an admirable relish to the paschal lamb. Christ will be sweet to us if sin be bitter. (5.) It was to be eaten in a departing posture (v. 11); when we feed upon Christ by faith we must absolutely forsake the rule and dominion of sin, shake off Pharaoh’s yoke; and we must sit loose to the world, and every thing in it, forsake all for Christ, and reckon it no bad bargain, Heb 13:13; Heb 13:14.
4. The feast of unleavened bread was typical of the Christian life, 1Co 5:7; 1Co 5:8. Having received Christ Jesus the Lord, (1.) We must keep a feast in holy joy, continually delighting ourselves in Christ Jesus; no manner of work must be done (v. 16), no care admitted or indulged, inconsistent with, or prejudicial to, this holy joy: if true believers have not a continual feast, it is their own fault. (2.) It must be a feast of unleavened bread, kept in charity, without the leaven of malice, and insincerity, without the leaven of hypocrisy. The law was very strict as to the passover, and the Jews were so in their usages, that no leaven should be found in their houses, v. 19. All the old leaven of sin must be put far from us, with the utmost caution and abhorrence, if we would keep the feast of a holy life to the honour of Christ. (3.) It was by an ordinance for ever (v. 17); as long as we live, we must continue feeding upon Christ and rejoicing in him, always making thankful mention of the great things he has done for us.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
EXODUS – CHAPTER TWELVE
Verses 1, 2:
“And the Lord spake…” lit. “Jehovah spake…” The law that was about to be established in Israel was from Jehovah. It did not originate with Moses and Aaron.
The importance of the ordinance here introduced in Israel is underscored by the fact that it changed Israel’s reckoning of time. It was to mark the beginning of the year for them. Prior to this, the Hebrew year began with the autumnal equinox, the month Tisri (October). But from this point on, the year was to begin with Abib (April).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
1. And the Lord spake. Although the institution of the Passover in some degree appertains to the Fourth Commandment, where the Sabbath and Feast-days will be treated of; yet, in so far as it was a solemn symbol (308) of their redemption, whereby the people professed their obligation to God their deliverer, and in a manner devoted themselves to His dominion, I have not hesitated to insert it here as a supplement of the First Commandment. The observation of the day itself will again recur in its proper place; it will only be suitable to observe here, that God enjoined this ceremony in order that He might wholly bind the people under obligation to Himself alone, and that from it the Israelites might learn that they should never turn away from Him, by whose kindness and hand they were redeemed. For by these means He had purchased them to Himself as His peculiar people; and, therefore, whenever He reproves them for declining from His pure worship, He complains that they were forgetful of this great favor, the memory of which ought to have been sufficient to retain them. In effect, then, the celebration of the Passover taught the Israelites that it was not lawful for them to have regard to any other God besides their Redeemer; and also that it was just and right for them to consecrate themselves to His service, since He had restored them from death to life; and thus, as in a glass or picture, He represented to their eyes His grace; and desired that they should on every succeeding year recognize what they had formerly experienced, lest it should ever depart from their memory. First, let us define what the Passover (Pascha) is; (309) I use its trite and ordinary name. In its etymology there is no difficulty, except that the passage (transitus) of God, is equivalent to His leaping over, (transilitio) whereby it came to pass that the houses of the Israelites remained untouched; for Isaiah, (310) speaking of the second redemption, unquestionably alludes to this place, when he says, I will leap over Jerusalem. The reason, then, for this expression being used is, that God’s vengeance passed over the Israelites, so as to leave them uninjured. With respect to the twofold mention by Moses of a passing-over, observe that the same word is not used in both places; but Pesah (311) refers to the chosen people, and Abar to the Egyptians; as if he had said, my vengeance shall pass through the midst of your enemies, and shall everywhere destroy them; but you I will pass over untouched. Since, then, God was willing to spare His Israel, He awakened the minds of the faithful to the hope of this salvation, by the interposition of a sign; (312) whilst He instituted a perpetual memorial of His grace, that the Passover might every year renew the recollection of their deliverance. For the first Passover was celebrated in the very presence of the thing itself, to be a pledge to strengthen their terrified minds; but the annual repetition was a sacrifice of thanksgiving, whereby their posterity might be reminded that they were God’s rightful and peculiar dependents (clientes). Yet both the original institution and the perpetual law had a higher reference; for God did not once redeem His ancient people, that they might remain safely and quietly in the land, but He wished to bring them onward even to the inheritance of eternal life, wherefore the Passover was no less than Circumcision a sign of spiritual grace; and so it has an analogy and resemblance to the Holy Supper, because it both contained the same promises, which Christ now seals to us in that, and also taught that God could only be propitiated towards His people by the expiation of blood. In sum, it was the sign of the future redemption as well as of that which was past. For this reason Paul writes, that “Christ our Passover is slain,” (1Co 5:7😉 which would be unsuitable, if the ancients had only been reminded in it of their temporal benefit. Yet let us first establish this, that the observation of the Passover was commanded by God in the Law, that He might demand the gratitude of His people and devote to Himself those who were redeemed by His power and grace. I now descend to particulars. God commands the Israelites to begin the year with the month in which they had come out of Egypt, as if it had been the day of their birth, since that exodus was in fact a kind of new birth; (313) for, whereas they had been buried in Egypt, the liberty given them by God was the beginning of a new life and the rising of a new light. For though their adoption had gone before, yet, since in the mean time it had almost vanished from the hearts of many, it was necessary that they should be in a manner re-begotten, that they might begin to acknowledge more certainly that God was their Father. Wherefore He says in Hosea,
“
I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no God but me,” (Hos 12:9, and Hos 13:4😉
because He had then especially acquired them to Himself as His peculiar people; and He speaks even more clearly a little before,
“
when Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” (Hos 11:1.)
Now, although it was common to the race of Abraham with other nations to begin the year with the month of March; yet in this respect the reason for it was different, for it was only to the elect people that their resurrection was annually put before their eyes. But, up to that time, the Hebrews themselves had begun their year with the month of September, which is called in Chaldee Tisri, and in which many suppose that the world was created; because immediately on its creation the earth produced ripe fruits, so that its fecundity was in perfection. And still there remains among the Jews a twofold manner of dating and counting their years; for, in all matters which relate to the common business of life, they retain the old and natural computation, so that the first month is the beginning of Autumn; but, in religious matters and festivals, they follow the injunctions of Moses; and this is the legal year, beginning nearly with our month of March, (314) yet not precisely, because we have not their ancient embolisms; for, since twelve circuits of the moon would not equal the sun’s course, they were obliged to make an intercalation, lest, in progress of years, an absurd and enormous diversity should arise. Thence it happens that the month Nisan, in which they celebrated the Passover, begins among the Jews sometimes earlier, and sometimes later, according as the intercalation retards it.
(308) Memorial. — Fr.
(309) This paragraph not in French.
(310) Isa 31:5 C.’s own translation of the words rendered in our A. V., “passing over he will preserve it,” i.e., Jerusalem, is “transiliens servabit;” that of Bishop Lowth is “leaping forward, and rescuing her.” In his note on the passage, he expresses the opinion that the action described by the word פסח, in this chapter, is the “springing forward” of Jehovah the protector, to defend his people from the destroying angel.
(311) פסח and עבר in verses 13 and 12. It is observable that C. now properly translates פסח, transilire, in his own comment; though, when commenting on it before, he had only used parts of the word transire, which expresses no more than עבר. — W
(312) “Symbolum.” — Lat. “Signe ou Sacrement.” — Fr.
(313) “Une facon de faire renaistre;” a means of bringing about the new birth of the Church. — Fr.
(314) There is a considerable abbreviation of this passage in the French.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
ISRAELS BONDAGE. MOSES AND THE EXODUS
Exo 1:1 to Exo 15:21.
DR. J. M. Grays five rules for Bible reading: Read the Book, Read the Book Continuously, Read the Book Repeatedly, Read the Book Independently, Read the Book Prayerfully, are all excellent; but the one upon which I would lay emphasis in this study of Exodus is the second of those rules, or, Read the Book Continuously. It is doubtful if there is any Book in the Bible which comes so nearly containing an outline, at least, of all revelation, as does the Book of Exodus. There is scarcely a doctrine in the New Testament, or a truth in the Old, which may not be traced in fair delineation in these forty chapters.
God speaks in this Book out of the burning bush. Sin, with its baneful effects, has a prominent place in its pages; and Salvation, for all them that trust in Him, with judgment for their opposers, is a conspicuous doctrine in this Old Testament document. God, Sin, Salvation, and Judgmentthese are great words! The Book that reveals each of them in fair outline is a great Book indeed, and its study will well repay the man of serious mind.
Exodus is a Book of bold outlines also! Its author, like a certain school of modern painters, draws his picture quickly and with but few strokes, and yet the product of his work approaches perfection. How much of time and history is put into these three verses:
And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. And the Children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them (Exo 1:5-7).
These three verses contain 215 years of time, and all the events that crowded into that period would, if they were recorded, fill volumes without end. And, while there are instances of delineation in detail in the Book of Exodus, the greater part of the volume is given to the bolder outlines which sweep much history into single sentences.
In looking into these fifteen chapters, I have been engaged with the question of such arrangement as would best meet the demands of memory, and thereby make the lesson of this hour a permanent article in our mental furniture. Possibly, to do that, we must seize upon a few of the greater subjects that characterize these chapters, and so phrase them as to provide mental promontories from which to survey the field of our present study. Surely, The Bondage of Israel, The Rise of Moses, and the Exodus from Egypt, are such fundamentals.
THE BONDAGE OF ISRAEL.
The bondage of Israel, like her growth, requires but a few sentences for its expression.
Now, there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the Children of Israel are more and mightier than we; Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pit horn and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the Children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the Children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour (Exo 1:8-22).
There are several features in Egypts conduct in effecting the bondage of Israel which characterize the conduct of all imperial nations.
The bondage began with injustice. Israel was in Egypt by invitation. When they came, Pharaoh welcomed them, and set apart for their use the fat of the land. The record is,
Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Raamses, as Pharaoh had commanded (Gen 47:11).
There they flourished until a king arose which knew not Joseph. Then a tax was laid upon them; eventually taskmasters were set over them, and those who came in response to Pharaohs invitation, Come unto me and I will give you the good of the, land of Egypt, and ye shall eat of the fat of the land, were compelled by his successors to take the place of slaves. It seems as difficult for a nation as it is for an individual to refrain from the abuse of power. A writer says, Revolution is caused by seeking to substitute expediency for justice, and that is exactly what the King of Egypt and his confederates attempted in the instance of these Israelites. It would seem that the result of that endeavor ought to be a lesson to the times in which we live, and to the nations entrusted with power. Injustice toward a supposedly weaker people is one of those offences against God which do not go unpunished, and its very practice always provokes a rebellion which converts a profitable people into powerful enemies.
It ought never to be forgotten either that injustice easily leads to oppression. We may suppose the tax at first imposed upon this people was comparatively slight, and honorable Egyptians found for it a satisfactory excuse, hardly expecting that the time would ever come when the Israelites should be regarded chattel-slaves. But he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. It is doubtful if there is any wrong in mans moral relations which blinds him so quickly and so effectually as the exercise of power against weakness.
Joseph Parker, in speaking of the combat between Moses and the Egyptian, says, Every honorable-minded man is a trustee of social justice and common fair play. We have nothing to do with the petty quarrels that fret society, but we certainly have to do with every controversysocial, imperial, or internationalwhich violates human right and impairs the claims of Divine honor. We must all fight for the right. We feel safer by so much if we know there are amongst us men who will not be silent in the presence of wrong, and will lift up a testimony in the name of righteousness, though there be none to cheer them with one word of encouragement.
It is only a step from enslaving to slaughter. That step was speedily taken, for Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river (Exo 1:22). Unquestionably there is a two-fold thought in this fact. Primarily this, whom the tyrant cannot control to his profit, he will slay to his pleasure; and then, in its deeper and more spiritual significance, it is Satans effort to bring an end to the people of God. The same serpent that effected the downfall of Adam and Eve whispered into Cains ear, Murder Abel; and into the ears of the Patriarchs, Put Joseph out of the way; and to Herod, Throttle all the male children of the land; and to the Pharisee and Roman soldier, Crucify Jesus of Nazareth. It remains for us of more modern times to learn that the slaughter of the weak may be accomplished in other ways than by the knife, the Nile, or the Cross. It was no worse to send a sword against a feeble people, than, for the sake of filthy lucre, to plant among them the accursed saloon. Benjamin Harrison, in a notable address before the Ecumenical Missionary Conference held in the City of New York years ago, said, The men who, like Paul, have gone to heathen lands with the message, We seek not yours but you, have been hindered by those who, coming after, have reversed the message. Rum and other corrupting agencies come in with our boasted civilization, and the feeble races wither before the breath of the white mans vices.
Egypt sought to take away from Israel the physical life which Egypt feared; but God has forewarned us against a greater enemy when He said, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. * * Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him. If in this hour of almost universal disturbance the sword cannot be sheathed, let us praise God that our Congress and Senate have removed the saloona slaughter-house from the midst of our soldiers, and our amended Constitution has swept it from the land.
THE RISE OF MOSES.
I do not know whether you have ever been impressed in studying this Book of Exodus with what is so evidently a Divine ordering of events. It is when the slaughter is on that we expect the Saviour to come. And that God who sits beside the dying sparrow never overlooks the affliction of His people. When an edict goes forth against them, then it is that He brings their deliverer to the birth; hence we read, And there went a man of the house of Levi and took to wife a daughter of the house of Levi, and the woman conceived and bare a son (Exo 2:1-2),
That is Moses; that is Gods man! It is no chance element that brings him to the kingdom at such a time as this. It is no mere happening that he is bred in Pharaohs house, and instructed by Jochebed. It is no accident that he is taught in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. It is all in perfect consequence of the fact that God is looking upon the Children of Israel, and is having respect unto them.
Against Pharaohs injustice He sets Moses keen sense of right. When Moses sees an Egyptian slay an oppressed Israelite, he cannot withhold his hand. And, when after forty years in the wilderness he comes back to behold afresh the affliction of his people, he chooses to suffer with them rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. God never does a better thing for a nation than when He raises up in it such a man. We have heard a great deal of Socrates wisdom, but it is not in the science of philosophy alone that that ancient shines; for when Athens was governed by thirty tyrants, who one day summoned him to the Senate House, and ordered him to go with others named to seize Leon, a man of rank and fortune, whose life was to be sacrificed that these rulers might enjoy his estate, the great philosopher flatly refused, saying, I will not willingly assist in an unjust act. Thereupon Chericles sharply asked, Dost thou think, Socrates, to talk in this high tone and not to suffer? Far from it, replied the philosopher, I expect to suffer a thousand ills, but none so great as to do unjustly. That day Socrates was a statesman of the very sort that would have saved Athens had his ideas of righteousness obtained.
Against Pharaohs oppression He sets Moses Divine appointment. There were many times when Moses was tempted to falter, but Gods commission constrained his service. When Moses said, Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh? God answered, Surely I will be with thee. When Moses feared his own people who would not believe in his commission, God answered, Thus shalt thou say unto the Children of Israel, I AM hath sent you. When Moses feared that the Israelites would doubt his Divine appointment, God turned the rod in his hand into a worker of wonders. And, when Moses excused himself on the ground of no eloquence, God replied, Go, and I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say. With any man, a conviction of Divine appointment is a power, but for him who would be a saviour of his fellows, it is an absolute essential.
Pastor Stalker, speaking to the subject of a Divine call to the service of soul-winning, said, Enthusiasm for humanity is a noble passion and sheds a beautiful glow over the first efforts of an unselfish life, but it is hardly stern enough for the uses of the world. There come hours of despair when men seem hardly worth our devotion. * * Worse still is the sickening consciousness that we have but little to give; perhaps we have mistaken our vocation; it is a world out of joint, but were we born to put it right? This is where a sterner motive is needed than love for men. Our retreating zeal requires to be rallied by the command of God. It is His work; these souls are His; He has committed them to our care, and at the judgment-seat He will demand an account of them. All Prophets and Apostles who have dealt with men for God have been driven on by this impulse which has recovered them in hours of weakness and enabled them to face the opposition of the world. * * This command came to Moses in the wilderness and drove him into public life in spite of strong resistance; and it bore him through the unparalleled trials of his subsequent career. How many times he would have surrendered the battle and left his fellows to suffer under Pharaohs heels, but for the sound of that voice which Joan of Arc heard, saying to him as it said to her, Go on! Go on!
Against Pharaohs slaughter God set up Moses as a Saviour. History has recorded the salvation of his people to many a man, who, either by his counsels in the time of peace or his valor in the time of war, has brought abiding victory. But where in annals, secular or sacred, can you find a philosopher who had such grave difficulties to deal with as Moses met in lifting his people from chattel slaves to a ruling nation? And where so many enemies to be fought as Moses faced in his journey from the place of the Pyramids to Pisgahs Heights?
Titus Flaminius freed the Grecians from the bondage with which they had long been oppressed. When the herald proclaimed the Articles of Peace, and the Greeks understood perfectly what Flaminius had accomplished for them, they cried out for joy, A Saviour! a Saviour! till the Heavens rang with their acclamations.
But Moses was worthy of greater honor because his was a more difficult deed. I dont know, but I suppose one reason why Moses name is coupled with that of the Lamb in the Oratorio of the Heavens, is because he saved Israel out of a bondage which was a mighty symbol of Satans power, and led them by a journey, which is the best type of the pilgrims wanderings in this world, and brought them at last to the borders of Canaan, which has always been regarded as representative of the rest that remaineth for the people of God.
THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT
involves some items of the deepest interest.
The ten plagues prepare for it. The river is turned into blood; frogs literally cover the land; the dust is changed to lice; flies swarm until all the houses are filled; the beasts are smitten with murrain; boils and blains, hail, locusts and darkness do their worst, and the death of the first-born furnishes the climax of Egyptian affliction, and compels the haughty Pharaoh to bow in humility and grief before the will of the Most High God (chaps. 7-12).
There is one feature of these plagues that ought never to be forgotten. Without exception, they spake in thunder tones against Egyptian idolatry. The Nile River had long been an object of their adoration. In a long poem dedicated to the Nile, these lines are found:
Oh, Nile, hymns are sung to thee on the harp,
Offerings are made to thee: oxen are slain to thee;
Great festivals are kept for thee;
Fowls are sacrificed to thee.
But when the waters of that river were turned to blood, the Egyptians supposed Typhon, the God of Evil, with whom blood had always been associated, had conquered over their bountiful and beautiful Osiristhe name under which the Nile was worshiped.
The second plague was no less a stroke at their hope of a resurrection, for a frog had long symbolized to them the subject of life coming out of death. The soil also they had worshiped, and now to see the dust of it turned suddenly into living pests, was to suffer under the very power from which they had hoped to receive greatest success. The flies that came in clouds were not all of one kind, but their countless myriads, according to the Hebrew word used, included winged pests of every sort, even the scarabaeus, or sacred beetle. Heretofore, it had been to them the emblem of the creative principle; but now God makes it the instrument of destruction instead. When the murrain came upon the beasts, the sacred cow and the sacred ox-Apis were humbled. And ~when the ashes from the furnace smote the skin of the Egyptians, they could not forget that they had often sprinkled ashes toward Heaven, believing that thus to throw the ashes of their sacrifices into the wind would be to avert evil from every part of the land whither they were blown. Geikie says that the seventh plague brought these devout worshipers of false gods to see that the waters, the earth and the air, the growth of the fields, the cattle, and even their own persons, all under the care of a host of divinities, were yet in succession smitten by a power against which these protectors were impotent. When the clouds of locusts had devoured the land, there remained another stroke to their idolatry more severe still, and that was to see the Sun, the supreme god of Egypt, veil his face and leave his worshipers in total darkness. It is no wonder that Pharaoh then called to Moses and said, Go ye, serve the Lord; but it is an amazing thing that even yet his greed of gain goads him on to claim their flocks and their herds as an indemnity against the exodus of the people. There remained nothing, therefore, for God to do but lift His hand again, and lo, death succeeded darkness, and Pharaoh himself became the subject of suffering, and the greatest idol of the nation was humbled to the dust, for the king was the supreme object of worship.
He is a foolish man who sets himself up to oppose the Almighty God. And that is a foolish people who think to afflict Gods faithful ones without feeling the mighty hand of that Father who never forgets His own.
One day I was talking with a woman whose husband formerly followed the habit of gambling. By this means he had amassed considerable wealth, and when she was converted and desired to unite with the church, he employed every power to prevent it, and even denied her the privilege of church attendance. One morning he awoke to find that he was a defeated man; his money had fled in the night, and in the humiliation of his losses, he begged his wifes pardon for ever having opposed her spirit of devotion. Since that time, though living in comparative poverty, she has been privileged to serve God as she pleased; and, as she said to me, finds in that service a daily joy such as she at one time feared she would never feel again. Gods plagues are always preparing the way for an exodus on the part of Gods oppressed.
The Passover interpreted this exodus. That greatest of all Jewish feasts stands as a memorial of Israels flight from Egypt as a symbol of Gods salvation for His own, and as an illustration of the saving power of the Blood of the Lamb.
The opponents of the exodus perished. Our study concludes with Israels Song of Deliverance, beginning, The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation, and concluding in the words of Miriam, Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. See Exo 15:1-21. Such will ever be the end of those who oppress Gods people and oppose the Divine will.
When one studies the symbolism in all of this, and sees how Israel typifies Gods present-day people, and Moses, their deliverer, Jesus our Saviour, and defeated Pharaoh, the enemy of our souls, destined to be overthrown, he feels like joining in the same song of deliverance, changing the words only so far as to ascribe the greater praise to Him who gave His life a deliverance for all men; and with James Montgomery sing:
Hail to the Lords Anointed
Great Davids greater Son
Who, in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun.
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captive free,
To take away transgression,
And rule in equity.
He comes, with succor speedy,
To those who suffer wrong;
To help the poor and needy,
And bid the weak be strong;
To give them songs for sighing,
Their darkness turn to light,
Whose souls, condemned and dying.
Were precious in His sight.
Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Exo. 12:1-2
THE FIRST MONTH OF THE YEAR
The nations of the globe have regarded various periods as the commencement of the year. The Athenians reckoned the commencement of their year from midsummer; the Romans from the middle of winter; the Arabians from the spring; and the Egyptians from the autumn, as then the Nile returned within its banks, and seed-time began. It would appear that Israel, during their bondage, had recognised the Egyptian calendar, which commenced in autumn. They are henceforth to reckon the commencement of the year from the spring; this was their ecclesiastical year. The civil year began in the seventh month (Lev. 25:9).
I. The first month of the year is a good time for religious contemplation and devotion. In this beginning of months the Israelites were to celebrate the Passover. They were to undertake all the services described in this chapter. They were to celebrate their deliverance from Egyptian bondage, and from the sword of the destroying angel. This was pre-eminently the month of their religious life, when its holy memories were awakened, when its impulses were quickened, when its experiences were enriched, and when God was especially near to them as a people. And so the first month of the year is a good time for religious meditation, and for the public devotion of the people of God, the spiritual Israel. It should indeed be in this respect the beginning of months with them. The old year has gone, the new year is opening to the vision of the soul. It is, therefore, pre-eminently a time for thought and prayer. Then the flight of time, the events of life, and the mortality of man, may all furnish topics for reflection. Then especially should the Passover be celebrated, the blood of Christ anew be sprinkled on the soul; and in this spirit of trust in the Saviour should the year begin.
II. The first month of the year is eventful in the history of individual and collective life. Truly this first month of the year was eventful in the history of the Israelites. In it they were brought out of Egyptian bondage; in it they went over the river Jordan, and came into the land of Canaan (Jos. 4:19). Thus it was eminently eventful in their national history. And the first month of the year is important in the history of the soul. How many souls, awakened by the circumstances of life, have been led to the Cross at this solemn period of the year! How many men have been converted in special religious services held at this appropriate time! Truly this has been a period when many immortal souls have come out from the bondage of sin into the liberty of Gods dear Son; and when many have crossed the Jordan of death into the land of rest, to pass, not time, but eternity, with the God who has redeemed them. Hence the first month of the year is important in the history of the soul. What we are then, we are likely to remain throughout the year; we then get an impulse for good or evil which will affect our moral character to the end. The first month is the keynote of the years moral life. It is the rough sketch of the souls life for the year. We should therefore seek to observe it unto the Lord.
III. The first month of the year is important in its relation to the commercial prospects of men. The first month of the year was spring-time, answering to part of our March and April. The Hebrews in their months followed the course of the moon, every new moon being to them the beginning of a month. Hence at the commencement of the year all things began to flourish and to revive in strength and put on the beauty of spring. And so with men now. The first month of the year has much to do with the vitality and energy of their commercial life. Then trade may receive an impulse or a check. The new year may mark the advent of new energy, or it may witness the continuance of the old indolence. LESSONS:
1. That the ordering of months and of years is of God.
2. That the first month must remind us of the Advent of the Saviour.
3. That the first month must be consecrated by true devotion.
4. That the Church must pay some attention to the calendar of the Christian year.
5. That God usually by His ministers makes known His mind to His Church.
ILLUSTRATIONS
BY
REV. WM. ADAMSON
New Year! Exo. 12:2. Hamilton relates how the last words of Mr Hardcastle, when dying, were: My last act of faith I wish to be, to take the blood of Jesus, as the high priest did when he entered behind the veil; and when I have passed the veil, I would appear with it before the throne. So in making the transit from one year to another, this is our most appropriate exercise. We see much sin in the retrospect. We see many a broken purpose, many a misspent hour, many a rash and unadvised word, when we calmly sit down to reflect. There is nothing for us but the blood of the Iamb. With that atonement, let uslike believing Israelbegin the New Year. Bearing that infinitely afficacious and precious blood, let us pass within the veil of a solemn and eventful future, which none of us can read. Then if, as Israels host, we have to pass the swellings of the sea within the year, that crimson tide will be with us
Soothing the trembling Christians parting breath,
And whispering life amidst the waves of death.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
THE TEXT OF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
12 And Je-ho-vah spake unto Mo-ses and Aar-on in the land of E-gypt, saying, (2) This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. (3) Speak ye unto all the congregation of Is-ra-el, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to their fathers houses, a lamb for a household: (4) and if the household be too little for a lamb, then shall he and his neighbor next unto his house take one according to the number of the souls; according to every mans eating ye shall make your count for the lamb. (5) Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old: ye shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats: (6) and ye shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Is-ra-el shall kill it at even. (7) And they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side-posts and on the lintel, upon the houses wherein they shall eat it. (8) And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; with bitter herbs they shall eat it. (9) Eat not of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof. (10) And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; but that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. (11) And thus shall ye eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste; it is Je-ho-vahs passover. (12) For I will go through the land of E-gypt in that night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of E-gypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of E-gypt I will execute judgments: I am Je-ho-vah. (13) And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and there shall no plague be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of E-gypt. (14) And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to Je-ho-vah: throughout your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
(15) Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Is-ra-el. (16) And in the first day there shall be to you a holy convocation, and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you. (17) And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your hosts out of the land of E-gypt: therefore shall ye observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance for ever. (18) In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. (19) Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Is-ra-el, whether he be a sojourner, or one that is born in the land. (20) Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
(21) Then Mo-ses called for all the elders of Is-ra-el, and said unto them, Draw out, and take you Iambs according to your families, and kill the passover. (22) And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side-posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. (23) For Je-ho-vah will pass through to smite the E-gyp-tians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side-posts, Je-ho-vah will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. (24) And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. (25) And it shall come to pass, when ye are come to the land which Je-ho-vah will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. (26) And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? (27) that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of Je-ho-vahs passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Is-ra-el in E-gypt, when he smote the E-gyp-tians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. (28) And the children of Is-ra-el went and did so; as Je-ho-vah had commanded Mo-ses and Aar-on, so did they.
(29) And it came to pass at midnight, that Je-ho-vah smote all the first-born in the land of E-gypt, from the first-born of Pha-raoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle. (30) And Pha-raoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the E-gyp-tians; and there was a great cry in E-gypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. (31) And he called for Mo-ses and Aar-on by night, and said, Rise up, get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Is-ra-el; and go, serve Je-ho-vah, as ye have said. (32) Take both your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. (33) And the E-gyp-tians were urgent upon the people, to send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We are all dead men. (34) And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. (35) And the children of Is-ra-el did according to the word of Mo-ses; and they asked of the E-gyp-tains jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: (36) and Je-ho-vah gave the people favor in the sight of the E-gyp-tians, so that they let them have what they asked. And they despoiled the E-gyp-tians.
(37) And the children of Is-ra-el journeyed from Ram-e-ses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, besides children. (38) And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks and herds, even very much cattle. (39) And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of E-gypt; for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of E-gypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victuals. (40) Now the time that the children of Is-ra-el dwelt in E-gypt was four hundred and thirty years. (41) And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of Je-ho-vah went out from the land of E-gypt. (42) It is a night to be much observed unto Je-ho-vah for bringing them out from the land of E-gypt: this is that night of Je-ho-vah, to be much observed of all the children of Is-ra-el throughout their generations.
(43) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses and Aar-on, This is the ordinance of the passover: there shall no foreigner eat thereof; (44) but every mans servant that is bought for money, when thou has circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. (45) A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof. (46) In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. (47) All the congregation of Is-ra-el shall keep it. (48) And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to Je-ho-vah, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: but no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. (49) One law shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. (50) Thus did all the children of Is-ra-el; as Je-ho-vah commanded Mo-ses and Aar-on, so did they. (51) And it came to pass the selfsame day, that Je-ho-vah did bring the children of Is-ra-el out of the land of E-gypt by their hosts.
EXPLORING EXODUS: CHAPTER TWELVE
QUESTIONS ANSWERABLE FROM THE BIBLE
1.
After careful reading, propose a brief title or topic for the chapter.
2.
Where were Gods instructions about the Passover given? (Exo. 12:1)
3.
What change in the calendar did the Passover make? (Exo. 12:2)
4.
When is the month Abib according to our calendar? (Exo. 13:4)
5.
On what day of the month was the lamb to be selected? (Exo. 12:3)
6.
What was the passover lamb a type of? (1Co. 5:7)
7.
What groups of people selected lambs? (Exo. 12:3)
8.
What if a family was too small to eat a whole lamb? (Exo. 12:4)
9.
What were the qualifications for the passover lamb? (Exo. 12:5)
10.
On what day was the lamb slain? At what time of day? (Exo. 12:6)
11.
What was done with the blood? (Exo. 12:7; Exo. 12:22)
12.
How was the lamb to be cooked and served? (Exo. 12:8-9; Exo. 12:11)
13.
What was done with the inwards of the lamb? (Exo. 12:9)
14.
What was to be done with the leftovers? (Exo. 12:10; Exo. 12:45)
15.
How were the people to be clothed as they ate the passover? In what manner was it to be eaten? (Exo. 12:11)
16.
What does passover mean? (Exo. 12:11-13)
17.
Who passed over the land? (Exo. 12:12-13; Exo. 12:23)
18.
Against what would God execute judgment? (Exo. 12:12)
19.
What caused God to pass over the Israelites? (Exo. 12:13)
20.
How was the Passover remembered after the original observance in Egypt? (Exo. 12:14)
21.
What feast followed the Passover? (Exo. 12:15; Exo. 12:17)
22.
How long did this feast last? (Exo. 12:15; Exo. 12:18)
23.
What was the penalty for eating leaven? (Exo. 12:15)
24.
When were holy convocations (gatherings) to be held during the feast of Unleavened bread? (Exo. 12:16)
25.
What work was to be done during this feast? (Exo. 12:16)
26.
What was the cause or purpose for observing the feast of unleavened bread? (Exo. 12:17)
27.
On what days of the month were the feasts of Passover and unleavened bread? (Exo. 12:18)
28.
Was there any restriction about leaven besides not eating it? (Exo. 12:19)
29.
Who selected and killed the passover lamb? (Exo. 12:21)
30.
What was used to apply blood? (Exo. 12:22)
31.
Where were the people to stay during the passover? (Exo. 12:22)
32.
Did the Israelites leave in the middle of the night or the morning? (Exo. 12:22)
33.
How long was the Passover to be observed? (Exo. 12:24)
34.
Who would ask questions about the Passover observance? (Exo. 12:26)
35.
What was the reaction of the Israelites to Moses orders about the Passover? (Exo. 12:27-28; Exo. 12:50)
36.
At what time did the firstborn die? (Exo. 12:29)
37.
What was the reaction of the Egyptians to the death of their firstborn? (Exo. 12:30)
38.
Who called Moses and Aaron? When? (Exo. 12:31)
39.
What did Pharaoh tell Moses and Aaron to do? (Exo. 12:31-32)
40.
What did Pharaoh ask Moses to do for him? (Exo. 12:32)
41.
How urgent were the Egyptians? (Exo. 12:33)
42.
What is stated about the bread dough the Israelites carried out? (Exo. 12:34; Exo. 12:39)
43.
What did the Israelites ask for? (Exo. 12:35)
44.
What place was the starting point of Israels journey out? (Exo. 12:37)
45.
How many Israelites went out of Egypt? (Exo. 12:37; Num. 1:46)
46.
Who went out with the Israelites? (Exo. 12:38)
47.
How long had the Israelites dwelt in Egypt? (Exo. 12:40-41; Gen. 15:13; Act. 7:6; Gal. 3:17)
48.
How were the Israelites to feel about and react to the Passover? (Exo. 12:42)
49.
Could foreigners eat the passover? (Exo. 12:43)
50.
When could servants or sojourners eat the passover? (Exo. 12:44-45; Exo. 12:48)
51.
Where was the passover to be eaten? (Exo. 12:46)
52.
What was the law about the bones of the passover lamb? (Exo. 12:46)
53.
Why is this law about the bones significant to Christians? (Joh. 19:36)
54.
Which Israelites were to keep the passover? (Exo. 12:47)
55.
In what groups did God bring the Israelites out? (Exo. 12:51)
EXODUS TWELVE: OVER AND OUT!
(The radio-operators expression Over and out sums up much of the story in Exodus 12.)
I.
God passed over Egypt; Exo. 12:1-36.
II.
Israel went out of Egypt; Exo. 12:37-51.
THE FIRST MONTH OF THE YEAR! (Exo. 12:2)
I.
A time of deliverance; Exo. 12:13.
II.
A time of sacrifice; Exo. 12:3-6.
III.
A time of observance; Exo. 12:42.
IV.
A time to step forth; Exo. 12:37.
RELIGION IN THE HOME! (Exo. 12:3-4; Exo. 12:15)
I.
Sacrifices in every home; (Exo. 12:3)
II.
Gatherings in every home; (Exo. 12:3-4; Exo. 12:22)
III.
Blood on every house; (Exo. 12:7; Exo. 12:22)
IV.
Instruction in every home; (Exo. 12:26-27)
No LEAVEN IN YOUR HOUSES! (Exo. 12:19)
I.
Unleavened bread after the Passover; (Exo. 12:15).
(After accepting Christ, our Passover lamb, we must put out the leaven of malice and wickedness. 1Co. 5:7-8).
II.
Unleavened bread in every generation; (Exo. 12:17).
(Be thou faithful unto death. Rev. 2:10).
DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN,
A TYPE OF CHRISTS SECOND COMING! (Exo. 12:29)
I.
A time of judgment and vengeance; Exo. 6:6; 2Th. 1:7-9.
II.
Advance warnings given; Exo. 11:4-5; Exo. 12:12; Rev. 1:7.
III
Sudden; Exo. 12:29; 1Th. 5:2-3.
IV
No one escapes; Exo. 12:30; 1Th. 5:3.
V.
A time of cry; Exo. 12:30; Rev. 1:7; Rev. 6:15-17.
VI.
Deliverance to those under the blood; Exo. 12:13; Exo. 12:23; Rev. 5:9.
DELIVERANCE OF GODS PEOPLE! (Exo. 12:29-36)
I.
It is the work of GOD; (Exo. 12:29).
II.
It requires obedience; (Exo. 12:28).
III
It requires stepping forth; (Exo. 12:34; Exo. 12:37)
IV
It is triumphant; (Exo. 12:35-36).
GOD FULFILLING HIS PROMISES!
1.
His people would come out from bondage. (Gen. 15:14)
2.
His people would come forth with great substance. (Gen. 15:14; Exo. 12:36)
3.
Pharaoh would drive them out. (Exo. 6:1; Exo. 12:31-33)
4.
His people would be ill treated for four hundred years. (Gen. 15:13; Exo. 12:40)
THE PASSOVER
in Egypt
A Type of
CHRIST, Our Passover
1.
The start of a new year. Exo. 12:2.
1.
The start of new life for the believer. 2Co. 5:17.
2.
Each family, led by the father, kept the feast. Exo. 12:3
2.
Each person and family keeps the feast. 2Co. 5:8.
3.
Unblemished lamb; Exo. 12:5
3.
Christ, the lamb of God (Joh. 1:29), without sin; (Heb. 4:14-15).
4.
Lamb pre-selected; Exo. 12:3.
4.
Christ foreknown; 1Pe. 1:19-20.
5.
Lamb slain! Exo. 12:6; Exo. 12:21.
5.
Christ slain! Rev. 5:6; Exo. 13:8.
6.
Not a bone broken; Exo. 12:46; Num. 9:12.
6.
Not a bone broken; Joh. 19:33; Joh. 19:36.
7.
Blood applied to doors; Exo. 12:7; Exo. 12:22.
7.
Blood sprinkled upon our hearts; 1Pe. 1:2; Heb. 12:24.
8.
Lamb eaten; Exo. 12:8-10
8.
Must eat of Christ; Joh. 6:53.
9.
Be ready to march; Exo. 12:11.
9.
Be ready to obey; Tit. 3:1.
10.
All firstborn died except those under the blood; Exo. 12:12-13; Exo. 12:29.
10.
All to perish except those under the blood; Heb. 9:22; Rom. 5:9.
11.
An eternal observance; Exo. 12:14; Exo. 12:24-25.
11.
Jesus the same forever; Heb. 13:8.
12.
Leaven removed; Exo. 12:15; Exo. 12:19-20; Exo. 13:6-7.
12.
Purge out old leaven (malice, wickedness); 1Co. 5:8.
13.
Holy convocations to be kept; Exo. 12:16.
13.
Need to assemble together; Heb. 10:25.
14.
Brought deliverance; Exo. 12:30-33.
14.
Brings deliverance; Heb. 2:14-15.
15.
Available to all those circumcised; Exo. 12:43-48.
15.
Available to all those circumcised in baptism; Col. 2:11-13.
16.
To speak of it always; Exo. 12:24-27; Exo. 13:8-9.
16. Speak always of our hope; 1Pe. 3:15.
EXPLORING EXODUS: NOTES ON CHAPTER TWELVE
1.
What is in Exodus twelve?
Gods instructions to Moses in the land of Egypt occupy Exo. 12:1-20. These instructions concerned how the Israelites should kill and eat the passover in Egypt (Exo. 12:3-14), and how they should keep the feast of unleavened bread (Exo. 12:15-20). Pervading these instructions are words about the future observance of these feasts.
The chapter relates how Moses gave a last-day reminder to the people to kill the passover (Exo. 12:21-28).
The chapter tells of the death of Egypts firstborn, and how the Egyptians thrust out the Israelites, and how the Israelites collected jewelry from the Egyptians. It tells of Israels mass departure. (Exo. 12:29-42)
The chapter closes with Jehovahs revelation to Moses about foreigners eating the Passover (Exo. 12:43-51).
2.
Where did God give the instructions about the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread? (Exo. 12:1)
He gave them in Egypt. Of the three annual feasts of the Israelites, the Passover alone is said to have been instituted in Egypt. Why should this statement be made, unless as a matter of fact it is true?
Critics maintain that the Passover information in Exodus 12 is a very late priestly composition (fifth century B.C.), designed to give an explanation for the Passover and to enforce its observance upon the people. Supposedly it had been borrowed from a sheep-herding people, who at lambing season smeared blood on their tent-flaps to protect their flocks from some demonic spirits. Such ideas lack any proof at all, and certainly do not agree with the Biblical information about the Passovers origin.
3.
What month became the first month of the year? Why?
The month when the Passover occurred became thereafter the first month of the Israelites religious year. God designated this to be done because the Passover was the occasion of Israels liberation from Egypt. It started a new epoch in Israels history.
The month containing the Passover was anciently called Abib, and occurred partly in our March and partly in April. Exo. 23:15 : You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month A bib, for in it you came out of Egypt. Compare Exo. 34:18; Deu. 16:1.
This month was called Nisan after the Babylonian captivity. See Est. 3:7; Neh. 2:1.
The Israelites had two starting points for their years. The religious calendar began in Abib. The civil (or agricultural) calendar began six months later in Ethanim (also called Tishri), which was in our Sept.-Oct. The Tishri-to-Tishri year had been used before the Passover was instituted.
In a true spiritual sense the Passover marked the beginning of a new year for Israel. In the same way, our acceptance of Jesus as Lord, Messiah, and savior is the start of Gods new year for us. It is our spiritual birthday. Our past life in sin was a bondage, like Israels in Egypt. When any one is in Christ, lo, he is a new creature! (2Co. 5:17)
4.
What animal was selected for the Passover? (Exo. 12:3-5)
A lamb was selected. The Hebrew word for lamb used here (seh) referred also to kid goats. See Exo. 12:5.
Each family was to select its own lamb, and thus many lambs would be sacrificed. In view of this fact, it is very noteworthy to see that throughout this chapter the lamb is referred to as singular (not lambs). We feel that this was no accident, but was Gods way of indicating that there was only ONE true passover lamb in HIS mind. That lamb is Christ, our passover, who has been sacrificed for us! (Joh. 1:29; 1Co. 5:7). Unless the Passover is studied with this in mind, it is little more than a triviality of history. But the twelfth chapter of Exodus becomes exciting when we realize that almost every line of it reveals more about Christ, the true Passover lamb.
5.
When was the Passover lamb to be selected? (Exo. 12:3; Exo. 12:6)
The lamb was to be selected on the tenth day of the month. Presumably it was kept apart from the rest of the flock. It was to be slain on the fourteenth day of the month. (Exo. 12:6)
The act of selecting out the Passover lamb four days in advance served several purposes. It directed the peoples minds toward the coming feast. It became a topic of conversation. The visible presence of the lamb stimulated the people to do the other necessary jobs in preparation for the coming feast and for their departure. More than that, it illustrated the fact that Christ our passover lamb was selected and foreordained to die long before He perished on Calvary. Indeed, he was foreknown before the foundation of the world! (1Pe. 1:19-20)
In Exo. 12:3 we have the first Biblical usage of the term congregation (Heb. edah). This became a common technical term for the whole body of the Israelites. The word has a somewhat similar meaning to the New Testament word ekklesia, the church, or the called-out assembly. Though there were many families in Israel, they were all one congregation. In a similar way we Christians today should think and act like members of a single, world-wide congregation of those redeemed by Christ, our Passover lamb. Loyalty to our humanly-created denominations and exclusive devotion to our local congregations destroy the Spirit-given unity of the whole world-wide congregation of God.
6.
What function did family units have in the Passover? (Exo. 12:3-4)
The Passover was eaten by family groups individually. The Passover was fundamentally a family-feast, although two or more small families could join together if one family was too small to eat an entire lamb. Jewish tradition later specified ten as the smallest number of participants at a family Passover. But this number was originally left to the discretion of individual heads of families.
The observance of the Passover in this way was a simple, manageable way to guarantee the participation of every Israelite in the Passover feast. It also showed Gods approval of and stress on the family. The family is a vital, divinely-ordained unit in society.
7.
What kind of lamb was selected? (Exo. 12:5)
The lamb was without blemish, having no sores, scars, or deformities. Compare Lev. 22:20-22. Likewise Christ was without blemish of sin (1Pe. 1:19; Heb. 4:15). The lamb was to be a male a year old. The Jewish rabbis interpreted this to mean born within the year. More probably it meant a full year old. The Hebrew literally says a son of a year. A similar expression is used in Gen. 21:4, where we are told that Isaac was circumcised when he was a son of eight days, that is, eight days old. Lev. 27:6 has a similar wording: from a son of a month unto a son of five years.[197]
[197] Davis, op. cit., p. 138.
Our Lord Jesus, like the full-grown yearling lamb, was offered at the peak of his young maturity, a little beyond age thirty (Luk. 3:23).
8.
Who killed the lamb? When? (Exo. 12:6)
The whole congregation killed it between the two evenings. (Compare Num. 9:3.) Probably only one person in each family actually killed the lamb, the father or someone he appointed. But by the principle of representation every member of the family killed it; all were involved in its death. It is most remarkable that all the assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it, as if God referred to ONE lamb for the whole body of Israelites. We feel that this is exactly what God had in mind. God was providing to them an advance symbol, or type, of THE lamb, Christ!
By the same principle of representation, we all killed the Lord Jesus. The Jews and the Romans condemned him and drove the nails. But we by our sins also shared in killing him!
This principle works also for our benefit. We become sharers in the death of Jesus by this principle. Jesus died for sins, and died to sins, once for all. We who are baptized into his death (Rom. 6:3-4) have been united with Him in death. His death becomes our death to sin. We are united with him in death and in resurrection.
The lamb was slain about sunset. Deu. 16:6 : Thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, Exo. 12:6 literally says between the two evenings. The meaning of this is not absolutely certain, but the Jews interpreted it to mean between three and six oclock in the afternoon.[198] Supposedly if it were after sunset, it would place the sacrifice on the next calendar day. The annual Day of Atonement was on the tenth day of the seventh month, but the observance began on the ninth day of the month, at even (Lev. 23:32). Perhaps this is an analogy with the start of the Passover: it could be slain at any period from late afternoon, to sunset, or shortly after.
[198] Josephus, Antiquities, XIV, iv, 3.
It is noteworthy that our Lord died at the ninth hour, about 3:00 p.m., which was the time the passover lambs began to be slain.
9.
Was the Passover a SACRIFICE?
Certainly it was a kind of sacrifice. Observe that the Passover ritual is called the sacrifice of the Lords Passover (Exo. 12:27; Exo. 34:25; Deu. 16:2).
The only reason for hesitating to call the Passover a sacrifice is that its original observance in Egypt did not involve use of altars or priests. But this was due to the fact that the first Passover was kept during the patriarchal age before the law of Moses (given at Mt. Sinai) set up a system of priests, altars, etc. But this did not keep it from being a true sacrifice. Prior to the law of Moses the heads of families often functioned as priests to offer sacrifices (Gen. 8:20; Job. 1:5).
Like all true sacrifices the Passover involved blood and death. Blood was given by God to make atonement for our souls (Lev. 17:11), and was employed for no other purpose.
Like all true sacrifices, the Passover was in later times to be offered only at the central place of worship which God had designated (Deu. 12:2; Deu. 12:5-6).
Like all true sacrifices, the Passover involved substitution! The Israelites were sinners and idolaters, just like the Egyptians. They deserved to perish (as we do also). God did not spare Israel because they were righteous (Deu. 9:4). God was determined to destroy all the firstborn IN Egypt, not just the firstborn OF Egypt (Exo. 11:4). The death of the lamb was accepted as the substitute for the death of the firstborn of Israel.
We stress the fact that the Passover was a sacrifice, because it was a type of the death of Christ. Christs death was also a sacrifice, the righteous Christ dying in the place of unrighteous sinners like us. His death was not just a moral lesson or good example but a provision for our guilt, a substitution for us. This is a great comfort to us, if we have become truly aware of our desperate condition in sin.
10.
Where was the blood placed? (Exo. 12:7; Exo. 12:22)
It was placed on the two side posts and on the lintels across the tops of the doorways of the houses where the passover was being eaten. A bunch of hyssop was used to apply the blood to the door-posts, after the hyssop had been dipped in the blood in the basin.
The sprinkling of the blood and the use of hyssop both suggest cleansing and putting out (expiation) of uncleanness. Hyssop is a lowly plant, sometimes growing out of cracks in walls (1Ki. 4:33). Hyssop was used in the rituals for cleansing leprosy (Lev. 14:4-6; Lev. 14:49-52), for cleansing the uncleanness associated with the dead (Num. 19:18-19), and for cleansing sin generally (Psa. 51:7).
The blood spattered about the door was the only difference that night between Israel and Egypt. Likewise, on the day of judgment, whether or not the blood of Christ is sprinkled upon our hearts (that is, souls) will be the only criterion for determining whether we receive eternal life or eternal punishment. See 1Pe. 1:2; Heb. 12:24.
Exo. 12:22 speaks of dipping the hyssop in the blood in the basin. The Hebrew word translated basin (saph) indeed means basin, or bowl, (as in Jer. 52:19; 1Ki. 7:50). But it is also translated threshold, or sill (as in Jdg. 19:27; 2Ki. 12:9). The Greek O.T. translated it in Exo. 12:22 as thura, meaning door or threshold.
Some interpreters make a big matter of this, arguing that by having blood on the threshold, all four sides of the doorway were sprinkled with blood, and thus the Israelites were totally protected from entry by a destroyer. Whether this idea is set forth with a reverent attitude (as by Pink) or as an attempt to explain the sprinkling of the blood as a custom borrowed from other nations by the Israelites, it is still not valid. How could there be enough blood in (or on) the threshold to dip a hyssop into it? Why should blood be placed on the door threshold where it could be trodden under foot of men?
The 1969 Broadman Bible Commentary seriously assures us that we need to know that the doorway was the abode of good and evil spirits in Near Eastern culture, in order to have understanding of the smearing of the blood in the Passover narrative (p. 373). Possibly some superstitious peoples did believe that his was true; but it has no proven connection with the acts of the Israelites.
11.
How was the lamb prepared for eating? How was it served? (Exo. 12:8-9; Exo. 12:46)
It was roasted entire (not cut up), probably over an open fire. It was served with unleavened bread and bitter-herbs. The inward parts were roasted with the rest of it. (We are quite sure that the entrails were first cleaned out before roasting.)
Perhaps the significance of the lambs being roasted entire lay in the fact that Christ sacrificed himself entirely, body and soul. The entirety of the lamb hardly represents the perfect unity of Israel as a nation,[199] unless Israel is represented as a sacrifice for its own salvation.
[199] J. H. Hertz, The Pentateuch and Haftorahs (London: Soncino, 1969), p. 255.
The Greek O.T. (LXX) inserts into Exo. 12:10 the words, and a bone of it ye shall not break. This is stated in Exo. 12:46, both in the Hebrew and the Greek. The unbroken bones of the Passover lamb symbolized the unbroken bones of Christ (Joh. 19:36). See notes on Exo. 12:46.
Unleavened bread is bread made without yeast or other starter. Usually the leaven was a pinch of the old dough added to the next new batch of dough. Unleavened bread would be flat, unraised, and probably pancake-shaped. Leaven was not used on Passover night because there was not time for the process of letting the bread rise (Exo. 12:34).
The apostle Paul reveals that there was a spiritual meaning in the Unleavened bread, which was not clearly revealed in the original feast. Leaven is a symbol of such evil influences as malice, wickedness, and hypocrisy (2Co. 5:7; Luk. 12:1; Mar. 8:15). These are leaven which must be put out of a Christians life.
The bitter herbs that were served with the unleavened bread and roasted lamb probably were symbols of the previous sufferings of the Israelites. They also remind us that Christ was a man of sorrows (Isa. 53:3). The bitter herbs are also referred to in Num. 9:11. The Jewish writings called the Mishna allowed as bitter herbs lettuce, chicory, pepperwort, snakeroot, or dandelion. (Pesahim 2:6) (The Mishna dates from second century B.C. to second century A.D.)
12.
Why were no leftovers kept from the Passover feast? (Exo. 12:10; Exo. 12:46)
The reason is not stated. Compare Num. 9:12; Deu. 16:4. Perhaps it was to cause the participants to associate this food exclusively with the deliverance they experienced that night. Also perhaps leftover fragments might have been used as objects for superstitious practices. Also any leftover fragments might have fallen into irreverent hands that would treat them spitefully. God has frequently claimed holy things for His exclusive use. See Exo. 30:37-38; Lev. 27:30 ff.
13.
In what manner were the Israelites to eat the Passover? (Exo. 12:11)
They were to eat it in haste. The hour was probably late by the time the lamb was roasted and served, and lamb had to be eaten by midnight (Exo. 11:4; Exo. 12:29). There was also many other last-minute jobs for the Israelites, as any one who has ever packed up to move can testify. As they ate the supper, they were to be packed-up and clothed for travel, even though the hour was late. We wonder if some babies were not crying because of the interruption in their usual life patterns.
Little did the Israelites dream that those same clothes and shoes they wore that night would be miraculously preserved for forty years in the desert. (Deu. 29:5; Neh. 9:21)
The instructions about the Passover were made forcible by Gods declaration It is Jehovahs passover. Although the passover was for mans good, it was not BY man. The Lord God was the creator and designer of the passover. Salvation is of GOD. GOD so loved the world that he gave, . . . Often we fail to honor God and His basic place in our salvation. In various cases of sacrifice God himself has provided FOR HIMSELF the sacrifice that saves us. Thus he did for Abraham (Gen. 22:8). Thus also He did when he provided for Christ a body in which to die for us (Heb. 10:5-7).
The Passover was a new thing, and not a reinterpretation of some old previously-existing ritual.
The Hebrew word for passover is pesach; the Greek is pascha, from which we get paschal lamb. Pesach means a sparing, or immunity from penalty or calamity. Its meaning can be seen (by the use of the related verb pasach) in Isa. 31:5 : Jehovah of hosts will protect Jerusalem; he will protect it and deliver it, he will pass over and preserve it. Pasach has another meaning: to halt, limp, or waver, as in 1Ki. 18:21. This meaning does not seem to apply to the matter of the Passover.
14.
What disaster would strike Egypt the night of the Passover? (Exo. 12:12)
God would go through the land of Egypt on that (literally this) night, and smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of men and beast. By this act God would perform (literally do) judgments against all the gods of Egypt. Compare Num. 33:4. Note that it was GOD who passed over the land. No destroying angel is mentioned here; but see the notes on Exo. 12:23.
Pass through in Exo. 12:12 is a different term from pass over. Passing through merely has the idea of movement across some area. Passing OVER has the idea of sparing, or passing by. To Egypt it was a passing through; to Israel it was a passing over!
Pharaoh considered himself a son of various gods. His firstborn son was the prime heir to his divine royal dignity. But God executed judgment upon Egypts gods during the plagues, and particularly at the passover. All the gods of Egypt could not save the firstborn of Egypt.
Again God asserted, I am Jehovah. How often God had said that! See notes on Exo. 6:2.
15.
What was the purpose of the blood? (Exo. 12:13)
The blood was to be a token, or sign, for the Israelites, upon their houses. A sign of what? A sign of faith; a sign of sacrifice; a sign of obedience; a sign for deliverance. A sign to whom? To God; to the destroyer (Exo. 12:23); to one another.
How glorious are the words: When I see the blood, I will pass over you.
Does the word plague in Exo. 12:13 indicate that the firstborn of Egypt died by a disease plague? The Hebrew word here translated plague (Heb. negeph) is a rather general term meaning a smiting, hurting, or stumbling. By itself it does not necessarily refer to a disease plague.
However, Psa. 78:50-51 says, He spared not their soul from death, But (Heb., And) gave their life over to the pestilence, and smote all the firstborn in Egypt. The word pestilence here is deber, the same word translated murrain (once) and pestilence forty-seven times. In some Bibles the words their life is translated their beasts in the margin, This would connect the pestilence to the death of the cattle. However, the literal reading is their life; and the close connection of Psa. 78:50 c with Psa. 78:51 a seems definitely to link the pestilence with the death of the firstborn.
When we first read Psa. 78:50-51, we found ourselves resisting the idea that a pestilence killed Egypts firstborn, lest anyone think that we were endeavoring to give a purely natural explanation for the death of the firstborn. We believe that this was a miraculous judgment in the fullest sense of that term. Still we cannot deny the testimony of Psa. 78:50; it is also part of Gods word. Therefore we accept the information that the firstborn of Egypt perished by a pestilence. But what a miraculous pestilence! It was almost instantaneous in its effect. It struck every house at the same moment. It struck only at the oldest child in every family, and the oldest beasts. It did not strike in houses with blood at the doors.
16.
What observance of the Passover was to be kept in the future? (Exo. 12:14; Exo. 12:24-27)
It was to be observed every year thereafter as a memorial and as a feast unto Jehovah, throughout Israels generations, for ever. Exo. 13:10. Compare Lev. 23:4-5. In one way the Passover was for ever, because Christ is for ever.
The Old Testament records just six times when the passover was kept: 1. Egypt (Exodus 12); 2. Sinai (Numbers 9); 3. Canaan (Joshua 5); 4. Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 30); 5. Josiah (2 Kings 23); 6. Jews returned from Babylon (Ezra 6). We suppose that it was kept in other years. But we know the Israelites were not always faithful in observing it.
Repeating the Passover yearly made the later generations participants in the original event in a very real way. Similarly God has given to us the observances of baptism and the communion. These are both memorials to past events and means to help us be participants in those events.
17.
What observance followed the Passover? (Exo. 12:15-25)
The feast of Unleavened bread followed the Passover during the seven days after it. (See Lev. 23:5-8; Num. 28:17-25; Deu. 16:3-8.) These two feasts were so closely associated that they were sometimes spoken of as one feast (Exo. 23:14-15).
During this feast no leaven of any sort was to be tolerated in the Israelites houses.[200] This was a convenient ordinance for the Israelites who left Egypt to observe. They left in such a hurry their bread was not leavened anyway (Exo. 12:34).
[200] Jews in later centuries excluded as leaven any product made of grain, such as beer, vinegar, porridge, paste, or cosmetics.
It rather appears that Moses did not relay Gods instructions (given in Exo. 12:15-20) concerning the feast of unleavened bread until after their departure was underway. Exo. 12:17 speaks of Israels departure as a completed act, which had occurred this day. Moses gave the instructions about the Passover at least four days in advance (Exo. 12:3; Exo. 12:6), and he gave a last-day reminder about killing the Passover (Exo. 12:21). But the instructions about the feast of Unleavened bread apparently were delivered the day of Israels departure (Exo. 13:5-7). Another possible interpretation is that God said I have brought you out (a completed action) before He actually had brought them out, because the predicted act was as good as done in His determined plans. Numerous Bible prophecies are spoken of as completed acts.
During the feast of unleavened bread Israel was to hold holy convocations (assemblies) on the first and seventh days of the feast. Also they were to do only such work as was necessary to eat.
The feast of Unleavened bread was probably impossible to keep fully during the years of Israels wanderings. They had no houses to remove leaven from (Exo. 12:19). God stressed that they were to observe the feast when they arrived in Canaan (Exo. 13:5-6).
The New Testament explains leaven as a symbol of corruption and evil influence. (See Mat. 16:6; Mar. 8:15; 1Co. 5:7. Mat. 13:33 seems to be an exception.) This suggests the following typology: When we accept Christ (symbolized by the Passover lamb), then we must put out of our lives all ungodliness and worldly lusts (symbolized by the leaven) for ever (symbolized by the seven days). Seven is the Biblical number signifying completeness. The seven days of unleavened bread suggest complete and constant conformity to Gods word.
Failure to keep the feast of unleavened bread was to be punished by being cut off from the congregation of Israel. Exactly what this punishment involved is not clearly specified, whether execution, or expulsion from access to the temple sacrifices, or from buying and selling among Israelites, or from all social contacts with the people. These are dire penalties.
Liberal critics[201] maintain that the feasts of Passover and Unleavened bread were both borrowed by the Israelites from the Canaanites or someone else. They maintain that these were originally distinct, unrelated occasions. Passover was supposedly a pastoral feast when blood was placed on the tent flaps to protect herds. Unleavened bread was a cult feast at the beginning of wheat harvest, when the first yearly produce of the land was offered to the gods, and eaten while uncontaminated by addition of leaven. There is no concrete evidence even for the existence of such feasts, much less for the Israelites borrowing them. Certainly this interpretation conflicts with the Biblical information.
[201] As an example see Martin Noth, Exodus, p. 97.
18.
What last-day Passover instructions did Moses give the people? (Exo. 12:21-22)
Moses called the elders (the older men functioning as leaders of tribes and families) and told them again the information God has given approximately a week before. See Exo. 12:3-7. Moses added statements about using hyssop.[202] (See notes on Exo. 12:7.) He added instructions about not leaving the houses that night until morning.
[202] The exact botanical identification of the hyssop referred to in the Bible is somewhat uncertain. It may be the herb majoram. Or it may be a long-stalked, corn-like plant, such as durrah, Joh. 19:29 seems to refer to such a plant.
By faith Moses kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them (Heb. 11:28).
Regarding the basin (Exo. 12:22), or threshold, see notes on Exo. 12:7.
Regarding the perpetual observance of the passover (Exo. 12:24-25), see the notes on Exo. 12:14.
Critics ascribe Exo. 12:21-27 to a tenth century author (J) in the Southern kingdom of Judah.[203] But Exo. 12:21-27 makes good sense as a continuation of the preceding narrative. Either Exo. 12:21-27 is the public announcements by Moses of the instructions God had given him (in Exo. 12:1 ff), or, much more probably, it was Moses last-day reminder of those instructions.
[203] Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 1 (1969), p. 372.
19.
Who was the destroyer? (Exo. 12:23)
We suppose that the destroyer was an angel sent by God. Psa. 78:49 says, He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, . . . a band of angels of evil. Whether Psa. 78:49 refers to the preceding verse, which refers to the plague of hail, or to the following verse, which refers to the death of the firstborn, can be debated. It may refer to both. Angels have been employed on other occasions by God to execute His judgments. Angels were sent to Sodom (Gen. 18:2; Gen. 19:1; Gen. 19:13). An angel of God slew in Jerusalem (2Sa. 24:15-16).
In Exo. 11:4; Exo. 12:12 God said that HE HIMSELF would pass over the land that night. Even Exo. 12:23 says that JEHOVAH would pass through to smite the firstborn. But this does not rule out the likelihood that an angel or angels accompanied God in this mission. The scripture does not contain the expression death angel. Destroying angel might be more Biblical terminology.
Certainly this destroyer was not some demonic spirit trying to get to the Israelites in their houses while God was trying to fend it off. Evil spirits are real, but they operate only within the limits that God tolerates. Satan could only afflict Job to the degree that God consented to tolerate (Exo. 1:9-12; Exo. 2:6). The universe is not controlled by two powers competing for mastery, but by God alone, who barely tolerates the Satanic evil for a little while. It was God himself, accompanied by HIS destroyer(s), who went forth that night to take vengeance.
20.
How would children be taught about the Passover? (Exo. 12:26-27)
When the Israelites observed the unusual supper in future generations, the children would ask questions about it, as children do! The parents were to be prepared to answer and eager to do so, There was to be no talk like, Cant you see Im busy, Junior? Beat it!
In the modern Jewish passover ritual there is a prescribed point when a child asks Why do we keep the Passover? and the parent then relates the history of it. Originally the passover was not so formally structured, and the question was to be answered at whatever time it came up.
John Davis[204] reminds us that the concern which Moses showed over the meaning of this Passover ordinance should be a warning to us that Gods ordinances are not only to be perpetuated in correct form, but to be taught as representing personal experience and correct theology. In our homes and Bible schools we should be quick and eager to answer the questions of our children concerning the religious observances they see. It is Gods plan that the children be taught from infancy to serve God intelligently.
[204] Moses and the Gods of Egypt, p. 144.
Note the rather formal title for the passover: the sacrifice of Jehovahs passover. Here again the Passover is expressly said to be a sacrifice. Sacrifices deal with SIN. Compare Deu. 16:2. This fact transforms the Passover from a ritual of the past to a reality in the present.
The word Passover is applied to (1) the lamb killed in the sacrifice (Exo. 12:21); to (2) all the events of the feast (Lev. 23:5); to (3) the Lords act of mercy in sparing the Israelites (Exo. 12:14).
21.
Did the Israelites obey Moses instructions? (Exo. 12:27-28)
They not only obeyed, but obeyed worshipfully.
Their obedience was purely an act of faith in God and Moses. However, after seeing all the plagues Moses had predicted and brought upon Egypt, the people certainly should have had faith. But people do not always respond in a reasonable manner. After people had seen all the miracles Jesus did, they still did not believe him (Joh. 12:37).
22.
What happened at midnight in Egypt? (Exo. 12:29-30)
The Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. There was not a house where there was not one dead.
These deaths were not painless and silent. The shrieks of the dying awakened every house. And there arose a great cry in Egypt as the firstborn expired. (Compare Exo. 11:6)
God had foretold to Pharaoh, Because thou hast refused to let Israel, my firstborn, go, . . . behold, I will slay thy son, thy firstborn (Exo. 4:23). Moses had clearly forewarned Pharaoh (Exo. 11:4-6). But seemingly Pharaoh had just refused to believe. Therefore, the fearsome threat to Pharaoh came to pass. There is a time-limit on Gods mercy to rebels.
Sinners cannot elude the retributions of God. Men cannot avoid the stroke of heaven. It comes at a time when ye think not, when everyone is safe asleep. The second coming of Christ will be like the death of the firstborn in Egypt sudden, final, and fearsome to those who are not under the blood. (See 1Th. 5:1-3; 2Th. 1:7-8; Rev. 1:7.)
The Egyptians did not see the destroying angel(s) who struck their firstborn with a sudden fatal pestilence. But they knew the source of this calamity: it was from Jehovah, the God of Israel, whose prophet Moses they had disbelieved. (Regarding the destroying angel(s), see notes on Exo. 12:23. Regarding the pestilence, see notes on Exo. 12:13.)
The firstborn of every social level died, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat upon the throne, to the firstborn of the captive in the dungeon (literally, house of the pit). In Exo. 11:5 the lowest level of society was the maid-servant that is behind the (grinding) mill. But on the Passover night social status made no difference. Only the blood mattered.
If Amenhotep II was the Pharaoh of the exodus, his son who died was the older brother of Thutmose IV, who succeeded Amenhotep II. Between the legs of the Sphinx in Egypt stands a large stone bearing an inscription by Thutmose IV. In this inscription, called the dream-inscription, it is evident that Thutmose IV was not the oldest son, the usual heir to the throne, but that he had to obtain this position by other means. We feel that this came about as the result of the death of the firstborn son.
This inscription[205] tells how Thutmose IV went to sleep beside the Sphinx, whose body was then mostly covered with sand. In a dream as he lay there, the Sphinx told him that he would give Thutmose the kingdom upon earth, at the head of the living. Thou shalt wear the southern crown and the northern crown. If Thutmose had been the legitimate heir of the throne, he would not have needed such a rationalization as this to claim it.
[205] Ancient Near Eastern Texts, (Princeton, 1955), p. 449.
Liberal critics do not like the story of the death of the firstborn. While we get no joy from it (neither did God!), we do not feel we have the right to sit in judgment upon Gods word and dismiss whatever sections offend our natural feelings. To write that this story is perhaps contradictory to the later and fuller revelation, or that it was written in the words of men who spoke in pre-Christian cultural, ethical, and theological words,[206] seems to us like setting our judgment above Gods. Surely a comprehension of Gods absolute holiness and his hatred for sin would remove the emotional resistance to the revelations about Gods punishments upon the ungodly.
[206] Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 1 (1969), p. 365.
23.
What did the Egyptians do when their firstborn died? (Exo. 12:30-33)
All of the Egyptians, including Pharaoh, rose up in the night, and called for Moses and Aaron, and begged them to leave their land. They seemed to fear that the plague was just beginning, and that before it was over We are all dead men!
Pharaohs spirit was broken. He was no longer arrogant. He called for Moses and Aaron. Pharaoh uttered the long-awaited words: GO, SERVE JEHOVAH. He pleads, And bless me also. This is an amazing request in the light of Pharaohs assumed divinity. Bless me also is a request that God would save them from further disasters, and perhaps restore their plague-battered land.
All of Gods predictions came true! There was a loud cry in all of Egypt (Exo. 11:6). Pharaohs servants did come and bow down to Moses and ask them to leave (Exo. 11:8). True to Gods prediction, Egypt did let Israel go (Exo. 3:20). As God predicted, Pharaoh by a strong hand drove them out of his land (Exo. 6:1).
On the other hand, Pharaohs prediction (or threat) that he would kill Moses if he saw him again (Exo. 10:28) was forgotten! Egypt was glad when they departed, for fear of the Israelites had fallen upon them (Psa. 105:38).
The statement about Israels being sent out in haste relates to Exo. 12:39. The Israelites did not have time enough before their departure to prepare leavened bread or food for their journey.
24.
What food did Israel take out? (Exo. 12:34; Exo. 12:39)
They took out only the unleavened dough, which they possibly baked on hot rocks as they stopped briefly in their travels. They had no leftover food from the Passover feast (Exo. 12:10; Exo. 12:46). They were in a position where they would very soon become utterly dependent upon God to provide their needs.
Israel left on foot, as pilgrims, not in chariots. They left carrying their kneading-troughs (or kneading-bowls) bound up in cloths upon their shoulders. (However, that was surely better than carrying bricks, whether made with or without straw!) Israels first experiences of freedom involved the labor of long walks, and carrying their goods, and of going forth without an adequate food supply for a long trip. Israels experiences were much like our own: victory and glory are accompanied by hardships. They were going to need perseverance and fortitude. In giving liberty to His church God may put upon it some hardships.
25.
What did the Egyptians give to the Israelites? (Exo. 12:35-36)
They gave them jewels (literally, vessels) of silver and gold; and also clothing. (It does get quite cold in the mountainous parts of the Sinai peninsula. It even snows in spots.)
As Jehovah had instructed them, the Israelites asked for these jewels (Exo. 3:22; Exo. 11:2-3). The Lord gave the Israelites favor in the feelings and thoughts of the Egyptians (Exo. 3:21), and the Egyptians let them have what they asked. And they despoiled the Egyptians. The word spoil has the connotation of a conqueror taking the goods of a people defeated in battle. Thus the jewelry given by the Egyptians was not basically a remuneration for long service and a compensation for cruel wrongs, but it was a symbol of triumph. (Note the theme of triumph in Exo. 15:1.)
The giving of goods was part of the fulfillment of the promise given to Abraham six centuries earlier, that the descendants of Abraham would come out of their land of bondage with great substance (Gen. 15:14).
Psa. 105:37 : He brought them forth also with silver and gold; and there was not one feeble person among their tribes. God was already at work among Israel, and thus none of them were sickly or infirm when they left Egypt.
We gather from Exo. 13:18 that some weapons were taken by the Israelites also, although our information about this is very scanty.
26.
What were the first two places in the Israelites journey out of Egypt? (Exo. 12:37)
They journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. The Rameses of Exo. 12:37 is presumably the same place as that referred to in Exo. 1:11. How thrilling it was to say Good bye forever! to a place of cruel slave labor.
Rameses is at present considered to be either the city-site known as Tanis and Avaris (modern San el-Hagar) in the northeast part of the Nile delta, or the site of Qantir, some twelve miles south of Tanis. Extensive temple ruins from the time of king Rameses II have been found at Tanis, but no remains of the XVIII dynasty. At Qantir ruins of a large palace were found. Pottery fragments bearing the name of Per-Rameses (the name of the captial of Rameses II) were found at Qantir.[207] We have selected Qantir as the proposed site of Rameses on our map. It is nearer to the land of Goshen (the Wadi Tumilat area) than Tanis is. The absence of XVIII dynasty remains at these sites remains a problem for those accepting the early exodus date, as we do, but we feel this problem will be resolved in time, as many other problems have been already.
[207] Jack Finegan, Light From the Ancient Past, Vol. I (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Press, 1974), p. 115.
Succoth is generally thought to be the hill-mound of Tell el-Maskhuta, about ten miles west of Lake Timsah. Succoth means booths, or tents, or temporary dwellings.
While the Israelites were travelling from Rameses to Succoth (a distance of about thirty-eight miles, or three days travelling), the Egyptians were burying their dead. Num. 33:3 says that the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of the Egyptians.
27.
How many Israelites left Egypt? (Exo. 12:37)
There were six hundred thousand on foot that were men, besides children. This is a round number. The same number is given in Num. 11:21. A census at Mt. Sinai not long after their departure recorded 603, 550 men (plus 22,000 Levites). See Num. 1:46; Num. 2:32; Num. 3:39; Exo. 38:26. After adding women and children, the total departing horde of Israelites would surely have numbered two and a half million. This vast number fulfilled Gods promise to Abraham: I will make of thee a great nation (Gen. 12:2).
This enormous number seems incredible to many people.[208] Nonetheless, we believe it is the correct figure. It is not incredible. J. H. Hertz[209] tells that at the close of the eighteenth century 400,000 Tartars started from the confines of Russia toward the Chinese border in a single night.
[208] Even conservative authors like Alan Cole and Bernard Ramm find the number hard to believe. The radical Martin Noth says the number exceeds enormously what is even the slightest degree historically probable. (Op. cit., p. 99)
[209] Op. cit., p. 259.
In the censuses recorded in the book of Numbers, (chapters one and twenty-six) the total population of Israel is broken down by tribal divisions into small segments (46,500 for the tribe of Reuben, etc.). The fact that the big total population is the sum of numerous smaller group totals shows the integrity of the whole count; and also it gives evidence of the accurate preservation and presentation of the whole enumeration.
What are some of the objections to the large number of 600,000 Israelite men?
(1) The Sinai peninsula could not have supported such a mass of people, even it if was greener in Moses time than now.[210] Answer: Parts of the Sinai are greener than is generally realized. But that is beside the point. The scripture unhesitatingly asserts that there was simply NOT enough food for the Israelites in Sinai (Exo. 16:3; Num. 11:6). The Israelites were maintained by the miraculous manna from the LORD for forty years (Exo. 16:35; Compare Joh. 6:31-32; Joh. 6:39).
[210] Ramm, op. cit., pp. 8183.
(2) The number in Exo. 12:37 is thought by some[211] to have been transferred from the census figures taken by King David over four hundred years later (1 Chronicles 21; 2 Samuel 24). Statistics from Davids census were somehow transferred into the story of the exodus. Answer: the population totals in Davids census do not agree with the 600,000 figure in Exodus (2Sa. 24:9; 1Ch. 21:5).
[211] G. E. Wright, Biblical Archaeology (Philadelphia: Westminister, 1957), pp. 6667.
Also the notion that the Bible as delivered to us is so scrambled up that statistics from a census taken centuries later might be included in the exodus story casts serious shadows over the general reliability of the whole Bible as Gods true revelation. We prefer to accept the words of Jesus about the reliability of Gods law: It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail (Luk. 16:17).
(3) Egypt could not have kept in subjection a people numbering over two million. Bernard Ramm asserts that all Egypt had only about seven million people, and an army of not over twenty-five thousand. These could not have subjected such a host as 600,000 Israelites. Answer: If Egypt had counted every man in their country as a fighting man, as the Israelites did, Egypt would have had two million fighting men (even by Ramms figures). But neither nation had all of their men armed and ready to fight at all times. In Egypt Israel was not armed to resist the domination of Egypt.
Furthermore, it is not necessary to assume that for one people to subjugate another, that they must greatly outnumber them. Small groups of well-armed, determined, and disciplined revolutionists have taken over whole nations frequently. The Egyptians had the upper hand over the Israelites. As long as that was the case, they did not need to outnumber the Israelites many times over in order to rule them.
(4) The word translated thousands (eleph) may also mean family, or clan, or tribal subdivision. Mendenhall suggests that the eleph was a military unit. Thus, Israel supposedly had about six hundred families in its total population, with a population of perhaps six thousand. Others suggest up to twenty-five thousand.
Answer: This argument is weakened by the fact that the large total is broken down into twelve smaller tribal populations in Numbers. Most of the individual tribes numbered more than the total population conceded to Israel by advocates of the low total. Also we read in Jos. 8:3 that an Israelite army of thirty thousand attacked Ai. Five thousand more joined the army (Jos. 8:12). Surely this does not mean thirty families, plus five families.
(5) If Israel had a population of over two million, it would have been almost impossible for it to move as a unit. That many people walking five abreast with their cattle would likely make a speed of one mile per hour, and would take two hundred and thirty hours to pass a given point; and would need for bare subsistence nine hundred tons of food daily. They could not have crossed the Red Sea in one night.
Answer: We certainly concede the logistical difficulties! This only makes us marvel the more at Moses amazing ability as a leader to organize and direct this mob. However, it is not necessary to assume that the Israelites marched five abreast (though some have interpreted Exo. 13:18 to say that). They probably marched in a column at least a mile wide. The dry path across the Red Sea was probably a mile or more in width. The people could all see the pillar of cloud and fire which guided their movements (Exo. 13:21-22). Daily travel instructions did not have to be handed down to every family.
28.
Who went out with the Israelites? (Exo. 12:38-39)
A mixed multitude[212] accompanied Israel out. A multitude means MANY. Also they were accompanied by flocks and herds and very numerous cattle. The reference to cattle indicates that the bondage of the Israelites did not extend to confiscation of livestock.
[212] Mixed is from the same root as the word swarms, which refers to the plagues of flies in Exo. 8:21.
We do not know the racial identity of this mixed multitude. Possibly they were remnants of an old Semitic population left over from the Hyksos occupation. (The Hyksos were expelled in 1580 B.C.) Egyptian writings and paintings tell of numerous Amorites and other Asiatics who entered Egypt. Perhaps they were included in the mixed multitude. Moses Cushite (Ethiopian) wife may have been included among these (Num. 12:1). We doubt that any Egyptians were part of the mixed multitude; their firstborn had all died in the Passover.
In a very similar manner, when the Jews nine centuries later came back from Babylonian captivity, there came unto them people from among the nations that were round about them (Neh. 5:17). Thus also the Gibeonites joined themselves to Israel (Joshua 9).
This mixed multitude proved to be a thorn in the flesh of the Israelites. They lusted (craved) for meat at Kibroth-Hattaavah, being dissatisfied with the manna (Num. 11:4-5). This caused a plague (Num. 11:33).
Why did the mixed multitude leave with Israel? We do not know for certain. Perhaps they had seen Gods judments in Egypt, and wished to escape any future judgments there. Perhaps they just followed the crowd. Many people still do that. When Gods people are dominant and triumphant, there are always a lot of hangers-on to them. If there is a genuine Barnabas around, there will probably be Ananias and Sapphira also. Like a net full of mixed fish, or a grain field infested with tares, so Gods congregation is often mixed (Mat. 13:25-30; Mat. 13:47-48).
Regarding the Israelites unleavened bread and lack of victuals, see notes on Exo. 12:34.
29.
How long had Israel been in Egypt? (Exo. 12:40-41)
They had been there four hundred and thirty years. They came out at the end of four hundred and thirty years, on the very self-same day! This implies that there had been a record made of the exact year, month, and day when Israel came in. On that very day exactly four hundred and thirty years later they left. The existence of such a record need not astound us. The Egyptians were the most thorough record-keepers of all antiquity, and family records giving genealogies and business transactions spanning hundreds of years have been preserved.[213]
[213] K. A. Kitchen, Some Egyptian Backgrounds to the Old Testament, Tyndale House Bulletin, Nos. 56 (April 1960), pp. 1418.
Note that the Israelites are called the hosts of Jehovah. What a beautiful honor-bearing title! They were Gods by creation and by purchase.
Although there are some problems associated with this four hundred and thirty year period, we believe it is the correct number.
For a study of How Long Was Israel in Egypt? see the article at the end of this chapter.
30.
How were the Israelites to commemorate the night of their deliverance? (Exo. 12:42)
They commemorated it by an observance[214] to the Lord. It is a night of observance to the Lord concerning (the way) He brought them from the land of Egypt. That night shall be an observance to Jehovah by all the sons of Israel, unto (all) their generations.
[214] The word-form shimurim, translated to be observed, occurs only in Exo. 12:42. It is plural in form (occasions to be observed), though probably singular in meaning (vigil, observation). It has a passive appearance (something to BE observed).
Exo. 12:42 appears to be an exhortation by Moses, inserted when he wrote the book of Exodus some time after the events of the Passover night. Exo. 12:42 leads directly into the instructions about the Passover in Exo. 12:43-49.
Notice that Exo. 12:42 states twice that that night was to be a night of observance. Future generations were to make special observance of that night. This should speak also to us about the great significance of the Passover observance, including its significance to Christians.
Skeptical critics see the duplication in Exo. 12:42 not as emphasis, but only as indication of multiple sources for Exodus. Driver ascribes Exo. 12:42 to E and calls it a gloss (an insertion). Oesterly and Robinson attribute it to J (in the P section Exo. 12:40 to Exo. 13:2). Noth does not separate Exo. 12:42 from the rest of the narrative. These authors make positive pronouncements about multiple authorship, but cannot agree even with one another.
31.
Why are supplementary instructions about the Passover given in Exo. 12:43-50?
The reason for giving them here is not clearly stated. But since the instructions primarily concern the participation of foreigners in the Passover, and since a mixed multitude had left Egypt with Israel (Exo. 12:38), we suspect that these instructions were given at this early point in Israels journeys, perhaps at Succoth (Exo. 12:37), to clarify to both Israelites and non-Israelites how His passover was to be observed.
Basically, the instructions were that a hired servant or sojourner (alien) living among the Israelites was not to partake of the Passover. A sojourner could partake if he consented to be circumcised. Observe the stress on the fact that there was ONE law for both strangers and for Israelites, when it came to eating the Passover (Exo. 12:49).
Num. 9:14 refers to strangers keeping the passover according to the statute of the passover. Probably this refers to the laws in Exo. 12:43-48.
The Passover belonged only to covenant-keepers. The instructions in Exo. 12:43-48 probably were uttered to persuade the non-circumcised fellow-travellers with the Israelites to get into Israel all the way, or to expect none of the blessings of Israelites. In our times people sometimes attend Christian worship meetings and activities, but never consent to be baptized and really get into the group. Much like the mixed multitude accompanying Israel, they enjoy Gods people, but do not desire to acknowledge their need for further obedience.
The instructions about the Passover in Exo. 12:43-48 seem to be stated in seven (or six) laws.[215] These are stated succinctly and precisely, and in Hebrew each ends with the suffix o (meaning him or it). In condensed form the commands are as follows: a. No foreigner may eat (Exo. 12:43). b. The circumcised may eat (Exo. 12:44). c. No settler or hired servant may eat unless circumcised (Exo. 12:45). d. Eat it in one house (Exo. 12:46). e. All the congregation shall keep the feast (Exo. 12:47). f. Let sojourners be circumcised (Exo. 12:48). g. The circumcised aliens shall be accepted as are natives of the land (Exo. 12:48). (The last two regulations may actually constitute only one.)
[215] U. Cassuto, A Commentary on Exodus (Jerusalem, Magnes Press, 1967), p. 150.
Certainly these instructions about the future observance of the Passover in Israels future homeland gave much assurance to Israel that God surely intended to bring them into the land, where they would keep these ordinances. Christians likewise have clear promises about their activities in our eternal home in the new heaven and earth.
32.
What was the law about the bones of the Passover lamb? (Exo. 12:46)
Not a bone of it shall be broken. Compare Num. 9:12. Joh. 19:33-36 tells that this foreshadowed the fact that the bones of Christ (the true Passover lamb) would not be broken. It is not easy to imagine any other satisfactory explanation for this law.
The Greek wording of Joh. 19:36 is quite similar to the Greek O.T. wording of Exo. 12:46. (The Greek text has the same law about not breaking the bones of the lamb in Exo. 12:10. The Hebrew text gives it only in Exo. 12:46.)
Psa. 34:19-20 also refers to the unbroken bones of the righteous. (Righteous is the singular, the righteous one.) This verse applies in a general way to all of Gods saints, but probably had a specific application to Christ, THE righteous one.
All three of the laws in Exo. 12:46 about the Passover lamb eating it in one house, keeping all fragments of it in one place, and not breaking its bones suggest the UNITY and integrity of the Passover lamb, and of Christ.
33.
To what chapter and verse does Exo. 12:51 refer back?
It refers back to Exo. 12:41. Note the reference to the selfsame day in both Exo. 12:41 and Exo. 12:51. The interruption of Exo. 12:42-49 cleared up some of the relationships between the mixed multitude that left with Israel and Israel itself. Exo. 12:51 connects the following laws (in Exodus 13) about the firstborn to the preceding material.
Concerning the hosts of Israel, see notes on Exo. 7:4.
SPECIAL STUDY: HOW LONG WAS ISRAEL IN EGYPT?
1.
The Hebrew Bible says in Exo. 12:40-41, The time that the children of Israel dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day, it came to pass, that all the hosts of Jehovah went out from the land of Egypt. We accept this statement without any qualification.
2.
The statement of Stephen in Act. 7:6 is in basic agreement with the chronology in Exodus: His (Abrahams) seed should sojourn in a strange land, and that they should bring them into bondage, and treat them ill, four hundred years. We suppose the number Stephen gave is a round number for the four hundred and thirty in Exodus 12.
3.
Gods, original covenant with Abraham in Gen. 15:13 foretold that Abrahams seed would be sojourners in a land that was not theirs, and that they would serve them; and that Abrahams seed would be afflicted four hundred years. Gen. 15:16 adds that Abrahams seed would return to Canaan in the fourth generation. Seemingly this makes each of the generations referred to a hundred years long, which is unexpectedly long, but is not impossible.
4.
The three foregoing scripture passages seem mutually harmonious. A problem arises when we consider the Greek O.T. (LXX), and the statement of Paul in Gal. 3:17.
5.
The Greek O.T.[216] has in Exo. 12:40 : And the sojourning of the children of Israel, while they sojourned in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan was four hundred and thirty years. The addition of the words and in the land of Canaan makes the four hundred and thirty years include the total time from Abrahams entry into Canaan until Israels exodus from Egypt. Since two hundred and fifteen years elapsed from Abrahams entry into Canaan until Jacobs family came into Egypt, this would leave only two hundred and fifteen remaining years as the duration of the sojourn in Egypt (For scriptural chronological data, see Gen. 12:4; Gen. 21:5; Gen. 25:26; Gen. 31:38; Gen. 37:2; Gen. 41:46-47; Gen. 45:6; Gen. 47:9.)
[216] The Greek O.T. was translated about 275 B.C., over a thousand years after the time of Moses. In most passages it is astoundingly close to the wording of existing ancient Hebrew manuscripts.
As a general rule we regard the Hebrew Bible as being more authoritative than the Greek Bible. Also it seems very improbable that the scripture should refer to the sojourning of the children of Israel in Canaan, as the Greek O.T. does. How could Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob be referred to as children of themselves, or of their descendants? The children of Israel, or Jacob, sojourned in Canaan for only about twenty-two years of the two hundred and fifteen years from the time of Abrahams entry until Jacobs migration into Egypt. We do not regard the Greek Bible as correct in Exo. 12:40.
6.
Josephus, the Jewish historian of the first century A.D., follows the Greek O.T. rendering: They left Egypt . . . four hundred and thirty years after our forefather Abraham came into Canaan, but two hundred and fifteen years only after Jacob removed into Egypt (Ant. II, xv, 2). Josephus is, however, contradictory with himself, because he also wrote, Four hundred years did they spend under these afflictions (referring to their Egyptian slavery). (Ant. II, ix, 1)
7.
It might appear that the apostle Paul in Gal. 3:17 follows the Greek reading of Exo. 12:40, as opposed to the Hebrew reading. He writes as follows: A covenant confirmed beforehand by God [referring to Gods covenant with Abraham], the law, which came four hundred and thirty years after, doth not disannul. . . . This sounds as if Paul meant that the law which was given at Mt. Sinai shortly after Israel left Egypt, was given four hundred and thirty years after God made his covenant with Abraham. The only reference in Genesis to Gods making a covenant with Abraham is in Gen. 15:18. Abraham was approximately eighty-five years old at that time. (See Gen. 15:18.) If the four hundred and thirty years before the law was given (Gal. 3:17) started with this covenant in Gen. 15:18, then the 430 years would include BOTH the time Israel was in Egypt AND in Canaan, as the Greek reading indicates.
8.
We are persuaded that the Bible as originally written, and when properly understood, is always in harmony with itself. We believe also that Paul was a true apostle of Christ, and that his writings are therefore completely true, like all the other scriptures. We therefore feel that Gal. 3:17, when properly comprehended, will be in harmony with Exo. 12:40-41 and with the statement of Stephen (Act. 7:6), and all other passages.
9.
It seems to us that the key to understanding Gal. 3:17 is to understand what Paul referred to when he spoke of the covenant [with Abraham] confirmed beforehand by God. Is pre-confirming only a synonym for the making of the covenant? We think not. In Gal. 3:17 Paul uses the Greek verb prokuroo to describe this pre-confirming. This word means to make valid, or sure, or firm, in advance. W. G. Moorhead says[217] that the word (prokuroo) is never employed in the New Testament, nor as far as we have discovered, in the Greek version of the Old, to designate the institution of a thing, a first transaction; it signifies to ratify, or confirm a thing already in existence. All of the references to making a covenant in the Greek Pentateuch (Gen.-Deut.) use some form of the verbs tithemi (to set, put, or place) or histemi (to cause or make to stand, to place, put, set). See Gen. 6:18; Gen. 9:9; Gen. 15:18; Gen. 17:2; Exo. 23:32; Jer. 31:31 (Exo. 38:31 in Gr.) as examples.
[217] Outline Studies in the Books of the Old Testament
The verb kuroo (root of prokuroo, which is used in Gal. 3:17) occurs only twice in the O.T. In Gen. 23:20 it refers to Abrahams purchase of the cave for burial being made sure after Sarah was buried in it. The original purchase is referred to by another word (in the Greek, but not in the Hebrew) in Exo. 23:16-17. This use of the verb kuroo tends to confirm our interpretation of its meaning as a later confirmation of a previous transaction.
The other use of kuroo is in Lev. 25:30. There the passage concerns the buying back of property sold by any one. In the case of a house in a walled city, there was a one-year time period in which it could be redeemed (bought back) from the purchaser. If it was not redeemed in that time, then the house was surely confirmed (kuroo) to him that bought it for all his generations. This use of kuroo shows the same meaning as in Gen. 23:20, the confirmation of a previous transaction.
10.
What event could be referred to by Paul as a confirming beforehand of the covenant God made with Abraham? A careful reading of Gen. 15:13-21 (which tells of Gods making the covenant with Abraham) reveals that the first words God spoke to Abraham were these: Know of a surety that thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them,. . . . The seed (descendants) of Abraham did not begin their sojourn in the land of Egypt till 215 years after Abraham entered Canaan. Abraham had died before his grandson Jacob migrated to Egypt with his family. But at the time when Jacob and his family entered into Egypt, the covenant with Abraham was truly confirmed, because Gods first prediction in the covenant had come to pass. Four hundred and thirty years after this emigration into Egypt, God led the Israelites out, and gave them the law at Mt. Sinai. We feel that Paul was probably referring to this time period in Gal. 3:17.
11.
1Ch. 7:25 lists ten generations between Joseph and Joshua. Gleason L. Archer, Jr. writes that ten generations can hardly be reconciled with a mere two hundred and fifteen years (especially considering the longer life span of pre-Exodus Israelites), but it fits in very plausibly with an interval of four hundred and thirty years.[218]
[218] A Survey of O.T. Introduction (Chicago: Moody, 1964), p. 212.
12.
Exo. 6:18-20 names only four generations from Levi to Moses Levi, Kohath, Amram, Moses. As stated in our notes on this passage, we are practically forced to conclude that the names of some of the generations from Levi to Moses are not named here, because Levis descendants numbered 22,000 just after the exodus (and the descendants of Kohath, Levis son, alone numbered 8600 [Num. 3:27].) Four generations cannot have produced that many descendants, especially since Levi himself had only three sons (Kohath, Gershon, Merari). Therefore, this genealogical listing does not argue against the four hundred and thirty-year sojourn in Egypt.
13.
Finally, there is the argument from the population growth of the Israelites. When they came into Egypt, they numbered only seventy. When they left, there were over six hundred thousand men. Such a multiplication would require longer than two hundred fifteen years. Keil and Delitzsch report that the six hundred thousand population total could be obtained if every married couple among the Israelites produced three sons and three daughters for six generations, and then two sons and two daughters in the last four (making ten total) generations.[219] Such a population increase would have been possible in four hundred and thirty years, but extremely unlikely in two hundred and fifteen years.
[219] Op. cit., Vol. 2, p. 30.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
XII.
INSTITUTION OF THE PASSOVER.
(1) In the land of Egypt.This section (Exo. 12:1-28) has the appearance of having been written independently of the previous narrativeearlier, probably, and as a part of the Law rather than of the history. It throws together instructions on the subject of the Passover which must have been given at different times (comp. Exo. 12:3; Exo. 12:12; Exo. 12:17), some before the tenth of Abib. some on the day preceding the departure from Egypt, some on the day following. As far as Exo. 12:20 it is wholly legal, and would suit Leviticus as well as Exodus. From Exo. 12:20 it has a more historical character, since it relates the action taken by Moses.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
INSTITUTION OF THE PASSOVER, AND COVENANT CONSECRATION OF ISRAEL, Exo 12:1-28.
1. The Lord spake Had spoken, just before this final announcement to Pharaoh.
In the land of Egypt The passover was the only feast ordained in Egypt. All the other ordinances were given in the wilderness of Sinai or in the plains of Moab.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
THE TEN PLAGUES, Exo 7:8 to Exo 12:30.
Moses and Aaron now stand before Pharaoh as ministers of judgment, and the conflict opens between Jehovah and the gods of Egypt. The first contest between the messengers of Jehovah and the magicians, or enchanters, who are regarded as the servants of the false gods, given in Exo 7:8-13, is properly the opening scene of the struggle, and is therefore here included in the section with it. Several general observations on the whole subject are most conveniently introduced here for future reference.
(1.) The great and worthy object of these “signs and wonders” is throughout to be carefully held before the mind. There were several secondary purposes met, but the chief aim was, not to inflict retribution upon Egypt, although they did this as judgments, nor to give Israel independence, though they effected this by crushing the oppressor, but to teach the world the nature of God. It was a series of most solemn lessons in the fundamental truths of religion in God’s attributes and government. With perfect distinctness and reiterated emphasis is this declared from the very beginning: “ I am JEHOVAH Ye shall know the Egyptians shall know that I am JEHOVAH.” Events were to burn into the national consciousness of Israel, and into the memory of the world, the great truths revealed in the Memorial Name; and the faith of Israel, the sin of Pharaoh, and the might and splendour of Egyptian heathenism, were the divinely chosen instruments to accomplish this work. The rich Nile-land teemed with gods, and was the mother country of the idolatries that, centuries afterward, covered the Mediterranean islands and peninsulas, and filled the classic literature with such manifold forms of beauty. The gods of Greece were born in Egypt, and the Sibyls of Delphos and Cumaea descended from the sorcerers who contended with Moses. In no other land has idolatry ever reared such grand and massive structures as in Egypt. The immense ram-headed Ammun and hawk-headed Ra, the placid monumental Osiris, the colossal Rameses, sitting in granite “with his vast hands resting upon his elephantine knees,” these, and their brother gods of the age of the Pharaohs, have looked down upon the rising and falling Nile through all the centuries of European civilization. In no other land were the manifold forms and productions of nature so deified. In their pantheistic idolatry they offered worship not only to the sun, and moon, and earth, but to bulls, crocodiles, cats, hawks, asps, scorpions, and beetles. They seem to have made to themselves likenesses of almost every thing in “heaven above, in earth beneath, and in the waters under the earth.” The Apis and Mnevis bulls were stalled in magnificent palaces at Memphis and Heliopolis, and were embalmed in massive marble and granite sarcophagi, grander than enclosed the Theban kings. The sepulchres of Egyptian bulls have outlasted the sepulchres of Roman emperors. Nowhere else were kings so deified as here. Pharaoh incarnated in himself the national idolatry, and to crush the king was to crush the gods. The king made his palace a temple, and enthroned himself among the Egyptian deities. He sculptured himself colossal so vast that the Arabs to-day quarry millstones from his cheeks sitting hand in hand and arm in arm with his gods. To-day Rameses sits in the temple of Ipsambul between Ra and Ammun, his tall crown rising between the hawk head of the one and the tiara of the other, looking out from his rock-hewn shrine upon the desert, as he has sat since the Pharaohs. From Cambyses to Napoleon invasion after invasion has swept the Nile valley wave on wave yet here have sat these massive forms, the Nile coming to bathe their feet year by year, as if brothers to the mountains. They mark the graves of Egypt’s vanished gods, while the name of Him who smote these gods to death with Moses’s rod liveth forever.
(2.) But Egypt was the mother-land of philosophies as well as idolatries. Long ages after Moses, Herodotus, Pythagoras, and Plato followed the Hebrew lawgiver to the oldest university in the world. The Egyptian philosophy was inextricably entangled with its religion, and deciphered papyri show that magic and sorcery were esteemed as highly at the court of Pharaoh, as, long after, in the time of Daniel, at the court of Nebuchadnezzar. The dreamy mysticism of Plato and of Philo reveals how hopelessly most precious truths were entangled in priestly juggleries, and how deeply this black art, or illusion, or demonism, left its mark on the ancient world. The heathen idolatry had no more potent allies in the old civilizations than the soothsayers, sorcerers, and magicians, and it was needful that they too should be signally vanquished by the prophet of the true God. Hence Moses in Egypt as, a thousand years later, Daniel in Babylon, and a half thousand years later still, Paul at Salamis and Philippi discomfited the false prophets who aped God’s mighty works with their lying wonders. The sooth-saying and necromancy found in Christian lands to-day belong to the same kingdom of darkness, and can be exorcised only in that “Name which is above every name.” Moses, then, smites for mankind; Israel brings the Sacred Name through the wilderness for the world.
(3.) The weapons and tactics of this warfare were not such as to inflame the pride of the people of Israel, or to awaken in after generations a thirst for military glory, but such as to turn the tides of their faith and hope wholly away from themselves to their God. Hence the Hebrew national anthems glory in Jehovah rather than in Israel. Not the baptism of a war of national independence, but that of the Red Sea redemption, was their great national remembrance. Enthusiasm for Jehovah thus became the national passion. How appropriate was this in the training of a nation which was to teach the world true religion!
The real character of these plagues, or judgment strokes, will, as a general thing, appear from an attentive study of the Egyptian geography and natural history. They arise, as can usually be seen on the face of the narrative, from natural causes supernaturally intensified and directed. In the first and ninth plagues the natural causation is less distinct. They cannot, however, be explained away as natural events; for, if the record is to be believed at all, they were supernatural (1) in their definiteness, the time of their occurrence and discontinuance being distinctly predicted; (2) in their succession; and (3) in their intensity. They were, in their power and direction, threefold: (1) against the Egyptian faith in the diviners, enchanters, and sorcerers, the prophets of a false religion. (2) Against their faith in their deities, their gods of earth, and water, and air powers of nature; and beasts, and birds, and creeping things. Thus Jehovah’s supremacy over idolatry appeared. But (3) they were also punishments for disobedience to God. There is from the beginning a gradually increasing intensity in these supernatural manifestations till the magicians are utterly discomfited, all the gods of Egypt put to shame, and Pharaoh compelled to yield reluctant obedience. At first the magicians seem to display the same power as Moses, (Exo 7:11; Exo 7:22,) then come signs beyond their power . (Exo 8:18😉 soon the prophet of Jehovah so smites them that they cannot appear at all, (Exo 9:11😉 and then they vanish altogether . So the weight of the judgments increases as with increasing light the crime of disobedience rises in magnitude beginning with simple though sore annoyances, as blood, frogs, and flies; then advancing to the destruction of food and cattle smiting first their dwelling-place and surroundings, and then themselves; till the locusts swept the earth and the darkness filled the heaven, and only the death stroke was left to fall . Thus we are taught how the consequence of sin is sin, and judgments unheeded inevitably lead on to sorer judgments, till destruction comes .
(4.) Some commentators have found a special application in each plague to some particular idolatry or idolatrous rite, but this we do not find warranted by facts. Some, following Philo, the learned and devout but fanciful Alexandrian Jew, separate the plagues into two groups of nine and one, and then the nine into three groups of three, between which groups they trace what they deem instructive contrasts and correspondences. Origen, Augustine, and others, have traced parallels between these ten judgments and the ten commandments, the succession of the judgments and of the creative days, etc. Most of these interpretations not to dwell on the extravagant conceits of the Rabbies are amusing rather than instructive, and would be appropriate rather to a sacred romance or drama than to a sober history like this. The wild fables of the Talmud, the monstrosities of the Koran, and the often romantically embellished history of Josephus, present here an instructive contrast to the sacred narrative.
(5.) Thus far the Egyptian monuments give us no distinct mention of the plagues and of the exodus. We have, however, Egyptian records of the sojourn and exodus of Israel, although confused and fragmentary, and written more than a thousand years after the events. Chief and most valuable among these is the narrative of the priest Manetho, who wrote his Egyptian history during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, B.C. 283-247, of which a few fragments remain. Josephus has preserved all that we have of this narrative in his work against Apion. It is, as might be expected, a very different history, being the relation of an Egyptian priest many centuries after the events; yet the points of agreement are very striking.
The Israelites appear in Manetho’s story as a nation of lepers, headed by Osarsiph, a priest of Osiris, who had been educated at Heliopolis, but abandoned his order and the Egyptian religion to take the lead of this people. He taught them to abjure idolatry, gave them laws, a constitution and ceremonial, and when he united his fortunes with theirs he changed his name to Moses. The war is described as a religious war, in which, for the time, the Egyptians were discomfited, and obliged, in compliance with prophetic warnings, to abandon the country for thirteen years, and to flee, with their king Amenophis, into Ethiopia, taking with them the bull Apis and other sacred animals, while this leprous nation, reinforced by shepherds from Jerusalem, fortified themselves in Avaris, (Zoan,) a city of Goshen, robbed the temples, insulted the gods, roasted and ate the sacred animals, and cast contempt in every way upon the Egyptian worship. Amenophis afterwards returned with a great army and chased the shepherds and lepers out of his dominions through a dry desert to Palestine. (From Ewald’s trans., Hist. of Israel, 2: 79.) Here, as Ewald shows, the great outlines of the story of the exodus are to be clearly seen; the Mosaic leadership, the war of religions, the uprising of the hostile religion in Egypt itself, the leprous affliction of the revolting people, so pointedly mentioned in the Pentateuch, the secret superstitious dread inspired by Moses, which seems to have shaken the foundations of the Egyptian religion, the confession of defeat in the struggle, and the transformation of the exodus into an expulsion from Egypt these are unmistakable traces of the same history coming down through Egyptian channels. The later Egyptian writers, Chaeremon and Lysimachus, echo the story of Manetho, mingling with it Hebrew traditions. ( Josephus Against Apion, bks. i, 2.)
(6.) The exotic of Israel from Egypt is a fact now universally admitted, whatever differences may exist in its explanation. Bunsen says, in his Egypt, that “History herself was born on that night when Moses led forth his countrymen from the land of Goshen.” That this event resulted from some heavy calamities which at that time befel the Egyptians, or, in other words, that the narrative of the plagues has a solid historical foundation, is also now maintained with unbroken unanimity by Hebrew and Egyptian scholars, even by those who decline to see in these events anything supernatural. Thus Ewald says, that this history, “on the whole, exhibits the essence of the event as it actually happened.” And Knobel says, that “in the time of Moses circumstances had transpired which made it possible for the Hebrews to go forth of themselves, and impossible for the Egyptians to hinder their undertaking or to force them to return.” In other words, they who refuse to recognise here miraculous influence do recognise miraculous coincidence. Without any war, which, had it happened, must, as Knobel says, have left some trace in the history without any invasion from abroad or insurrection from within to weaken the Egyptian power a nation, unified and vitalized by faith in the one Jehovah, went forth unhindered from the bosom of a strong and prosperous empire. This is the event to be explained. The Mosaic record alone gives an adequate cause.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exodus 12 Instructions To Israel Concerning The Passover.
This chapter is partly historical, and partly explanatory. It splits into a number of sections. (1) Exo 12:1-14 contain the explanations given by Yahweh to Moses and Aaron with regard to the conducting of the first Passover. (2) Exo 12:15-20 connect the Passover with the Feast of Unleavened Bread to be observed at future times. (3) Exo 12:21-23 present Moses’ explanations in abbreviated form to the elders for the conducting the first Passover. (4) Exo 12:24-28 explain the future way in which their children are to be taught of the Passover. (5) Exo 12:29-42 describe the actual occurrence of the Passover , the slaying of the firstborn, and the departure of the people. (6) Exo 12:43-51 conclude with further instructions for the Israelites regarding the celebration of the Passover in the future, and especially focus on the participation of foreigners who will dwell among them. But only the section from 1-36 is part of the Passover narrative., which is from 11:1-12:36.
Yahweh’s Explanation to Moses and Aaron Concerning the First Passover ( Exo 12:1-14 ).
Note that it is a direct address by Yahweh to Moses and Aaron to be passed on to His people.
a The moon period of Abib is from now on to be the beginning of months to them, the first moon period of the festal year (Exo 12:1-2).
b On the tenth day of this month the head of the family is to take for each family a lamb/kid, one lamb/kid per household. If a household is too small to be able to eat a whole lamb/kid then two households may join together. The lamb/kid must be without blemish, a year old male, and either a sheep or a goat (Exo 12:3-5).
c It shall be kept by each household until the fourteenth day of the moon period (around the full moon) and the whole of the gathering of Israel will each kill their lamb/kid between the two evenings (Exo 12:6).
d And they shall take the blood and put it on the side posts and on the overhead lintel, on the houses in which they eat of it (Exo 12:7).
e And they shall eat its flesh, roasted with fire, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They must not eat it raw, or sodden with water, but roasted with fire (Exo 12:8).
e Its head and its legs and innards. They must let nothing of it remain until the morning, and what remains of it in the morning must be burned with fire (Exo 12:9-10).
d And they will eat it with their loins girded, their shoes on their feet, their staff in their hand, and with haste. For it is Yahweh’s Passover (Exo 12:11).
c For Yahweh will go through the land of Egypt that night and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. For He is Yahweh (Exo 12:12).
b And the blood will be a token on the houses where they are, and when Yahweh sees the blood He will pass over them, and no plague will come on them to destroy them, when He smites the land of Egypt (Exo 12:13).
a And this day is to be a memorial and kept as a feast to Yahweh. Throughout their generations they will keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever (Exo 12:14).
We note the parallels found in this solemn account. In ‘a’ the moon period of Abib is to be fixed for each year, and in the parallel the fourteenth day of that moon period is to be observed for ever. In ‘b’ the households gather and make ready a lamb/kid, and in the parallel those households are safe from Yahweh as He passes over and smites the land of Egypt. In ‘c’ the Passover lamb/kid is slain and in the parallel the firstborn of the land of Egypt are slain. In ‘d’ the blood is put as a token on the outside of the houses where they ‘will eat it’ and in the parallel the people ‘will eat it’ waiting to depart and fitted to leave on their journey in haste. In ‘e’ the provisions for eating it are described, and in the parallel the fact that all must be consumed.
Exo 12:1
‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying, “This month shall be to you the beginning of months, it shall be the first month of the year to you.”
This is a turning point in the book. It was a moment of huge historical importance, for in this month Israel’s deliverance was to be achieved. Thus there is the specific declaration of a new beginning. From this day on life was to be seen as having begun in this month because it was in it that their deliverance from Egypt, ready for their reception of their future inheritance, commenced. It was in fact the month of Abib (Exo 13:4), the month in which the feast of unleavened bread was celebrated (Exo 23:15). Later in Canaan they would celebrate the agricultural New Year in the Autumn because then the harvest was over and the new round of nature was to begin, but even so this probably continued to be the New Year religiously speaking, for it commenced the round of feasts that led finally up to Tabernacles. This was the official calendar. The other simply one observed because of the nature of things. It was only later that that would become official (they did not think in strict calendar terms as we do).
“In the land of Egypt.” It is specifically stressed that this passover feast with its unique emphasis was instituted in the land of Egypt. The connection with Egypt is stressed again in two passages which are specifically stated to have been written by Moses (Exo 34:18 with Exo 12:25 compare 23:15 with Exo 12:18).
Exo 12:2-3
“You, speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth day of this month they shall take for themselves every man a lamb (or kid) according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household be too small for a lamb, then shall he, and his neighbour next to his house, take one according to the number of people, according to what every man eats you will take your count for the lamb.’ ”
On the tenth day of the month of Abib every household was to take a lamb (or goat) and set it apart ready for the Passover.
This was not specifically said here to be for a sacrifice, although it is in Exo 12:27. The purpose of the lamb was that it should be eaten. This is made abundantly clear. If the household could not fully eat it then two households could combine. But its ‘holiness’ is made clear in that it must all be eaten and any that is not eaten must be burned with fire (Exo 12:10). None must be left. And the putting of the blood on the doorpost (Exo 12:7) in the light of its purpose (to prevent the smiting judgment of Yahweh – Exo 12:23) suggests that it signifies some kind of substitutionary appeasement. The firstborn would not die because the blood was on the doorpost. Thus it clearly has a sacrificial element (Exo 12:27; compare Exo 34:25). The people would be protected by the blood and would hardly see it otherwise than as a sacrifice.
At this stage there was no priestly caste, and it is therefore probable that leaders of households acted as family priest. Thus each slaying would be made by the family priest. Certainly by the time of Jesus it had obtained sacrificial status for it had to be slain by the priests in the Temple.
“The congregation of Israel.” This is re-emphasising the unity of the children of Israel. They are one people, one gathering. The plea to Pharaoh had been that as a group they should be able to gather as a congregation in the wilderness to serve Yahweh. This was a phrase that would later represent the gathering of the whole people at a central sanctuary but it is not quite as fixed as that yet. Here it is rather those who are seen as being attached to ‘the children of Israel’ and represented by their leaders. It represents those who will gather to them when the time for departure comes. Those who, if the call came to sacrifice to Yahweh in the wilderness, would respond to that call. The identity of the group has been maintained as worshippers of Yahweh, and as accepting their connection with the people who entered Egypt with Israel (Jacob).
“According to their father” houses.’ This indicates the lowest level of group. Each father has his household, and this is the group involved. Those who live in the one house are the members of that household. The father would be both patriarch and priest.
Exo 12:5
“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You shall take it from the sheep or from the goats.”
“Without blemish.” The lamb (or kid) was to be without blemish. This too emphasises the sacrificial element. It is separated to Yahweh and must therefore be ‘perfect’. It is a ritual without an official altar and without a sanctuary, but it is nevertheless holy to Yahweh.
“A male of the first year (literally ‘son of a year”).’ This may mean one year old and therefore a grown lamb, or it may mean up to one year old.
Exo 12:6-7
“And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it between the two evenings. And they shall take of the blood and put it on the two side posts and on the lintel in the houses in which they shall eat it.”
No indication is given as to why the lamb had to be kept for four days. It was possibly so as to give time to discover any blemish. Perhaps even tribal inspections of the lambs took place. Or it may be that its period of separation was seen as allowing a certain time for it to become ‘holy’, a separated lamb, set apart to God. (Compare how later after washing with water men would not be clean until a certain period had passed, ‘shall not be clean until the evening’). But at this first Passover it was probably also to give opportunity of all who would respond to become aware of the situation.
The blood of the lamb was to be put on the lintel and on the two doorposts. A number of festivals are known where blood was so applied to ward off evil spirits but there is no question of that here. This is a ceremony required by a benevolent Yahweh from His people and attracts his protection. The blood is there for Him to see. And He does not need to be warded off. Rather He wants to be satisfied that they have fulfilled His requirements. They have slain and eaten and therefore they will be spared. Even if this ceremony is based on some similar ceremony held in the past or known among other peoples its nature is being fundamentally changed. The applying of the blood to the doorposts and lintel may well have a somewhat similar purpose to the presenting of the blood at the altar. It indicates to Yahweh that the sacrifice has been made and applies the blood of the offering of the lamb.
“The fourteenth day of Abib.” Passover was held at the time of the full moon, fourteen days after the new moon which would commence the month. This would aid them in their journey.
“The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel.” Each household was to slay the lamb. This would almost certainly be done by the head of the household. All would see him as acting as a priest. At this stage as far as we know there was no official priesthood among the children of Israel and the father, the patriarchal figure, of the group or of the family would act as priest. But it is emphasised that each household offers as a part of the whole congregation.
“Between the two evenings.” This has to signify a period which is prior to the commencement of the new day (which began in the evening), as the sun was going down – see verse 18 and compare Deu 16:6, ‘at the going down of the sun’. As working slaves they would be released just prior to sunset. Compare Jer 6:4, ‘the day declines, the shadows of the evening are stretched out’.
The passover celebration was to be both communal, for all would do it together, and individual, for each family unit would perform it. It had most of the elements of a sacrifice. An unblemished lamb, set apart as holy, solemnly killed by the priestly head of the household, partaken of by the household and the remainder burned with fire, with its blood applied before Yahweh (Who will specifically see it – Exo 12:13; Exo 12:23). It is specifically called a sacrifice in Exo 12:27. It was distinctive because of the nature of the circumstances which would ever be remembered.
Exo 12:8-10
“And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire and unleavened bread. They will eat it with bitter herbs. Do not eat of it raw, or sodden with water, but roast with fire, its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof. And you shall let nothing remain of it until the morning, but that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with fire.”
The lamb was to be eaten roasted with fire, not raw or boiled with water. The roasting may have been for purposes of speed, compared with boiling. Among other peoples sacrificial flesh was often eaten raw with a view to absorbing the blood of the animal, its life-force. But it was not to be so here. The eating of the blood would later be strictly forbidden to Israel (Lev 7:26; Lev 17:10) and clearly was so here. However, sacrificial flesh was certainly often boiled (Lev 6:28; Num 6:19). This is therefore a specific enactment. Deu 16:7 is sometimes cited as later allowing the boiling of the Passover lamb, but compare 2Ch 35:13 where bashal is used for both roast and boil (it can also mean ‘bake’ – 2Sa 13:8). It is thus a general word for cooking.
“Unleavened cakes.” Quickly and easily cooked. There is continual emphasis in the passage on speed and readiness. Compare also 12:34 where it is stated that they did not have time to leaven their dough. In Deu 16:3 they are called ‘the bread of affliction’ because of their connection with the escape from Egypt.
“Bitter herbs.” The lives of the children of Israel had been made ‘bitter’ (Exo 1:14) and this symbolised the bitterness of their lives in Egypt. (Later, according to the Mishnah, these would be composed of lettuce, chicory, pepperwort, snakeroot and dandelion).
Nothing was to be left of the meal. Whatever was uneaten was to be burned with fire. This would be because it was seen as a holy meal, set apart to God, and thus to be reserved only for use in the celebration. What remained was used as an offering to God. The whole of the sacrifice was thus seen as that night preparing them for their deliverance by sanctifying them (setting them apart as holy) in God’s eyes.
“Its head and its legs with the inwards thereof.” These were probably to be burned up and not eaten (compare Exo 29:17; Lev 1:8-9; Lev 1:12-13; Lev 4:11; Lev 8:20-21; Lev 9:13-14).
Exo 12:11-13
“And this is the way you shall eat it, with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is Yahweh’s passover, for I will go through the land of Egypt in that night and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments. I am Yahweh. And the blood will be for you a token on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood I will pass over you and there will be no plague on you to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt.”
As they prepared the lamb and ate it they were to be dressed ready for a journey with staff in hand, and they were to eat in expectancy of soon leaving (‘in haste’). For during that night Yahweh was about to smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.
The instructions about dress are not just as a symbol although they became that later on. The point is being made that the children of Israel must be ready for departure and that that departure will be hasty. They have only a few days to prepare for it and when the time comes they must be ready for it. It was a guarantee that their deliverance was coming.
“Loins girded.” Their robes tucked in so as not to impede the feet or get mud-ridden when walking. ‘Your shoes on your feet.’ Not left by the door as would be normal.
“It is Yahweh” s passover (pesach).’ The meaning of ‘pasach’ is not certain. However in Isa 31:5 it is used in comparison with birds flying over, and the thought is of protection by hovering or circling over. This fits admirably here. (It has also been connected with ‘pasach’ – ‘to limp’ (1Ki 18:21; 1Ki 18:26), and with Akkadian ‘pasahu’ – ‘to be soothed’). It was ‘a night of watching for Yahweh to bring them out of the land of Egypt’ (Exo 12:42).
“Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments. I am Yahweh” The protection of the gods was constantly sought by the Egyptians, but those so-called gods will be unable to intervene, as they had been unable to intervene previously. Indeed they will be unable to save themselves and their proteges. The sacred animals that represent them will all face death in the family. Their priests will suffer the same fate. And a potential god will be smitten in the house of Pharaoh, for his heirs were destined to become gods. It was a night of judgment. So Yahweh, ‘He Who is there to act’, will act. He will make Himself known under His true name as the uniquely all-powerful.
It is noteworthy that Moses himself never mentions the gods of Egypt. He does not see himself as battling with them. Considering his background this is remarkable and demonstrates to what extent he sees Yahweh not only as the most powerful God but as the only God.
“A token.” A distinguishing mark, a sign which Yahweh will see to bring to mind a covenant obligation (Gen 9:12), so that they will enjoy His protection and escape judgment. The blood signified that the necessary sacrifice had been made. It also meant that the firstborn within the house was looked on as Yahweh’s, doomed for slaughter, but because of the blood of the sacrifice ‘redeemed’ and was thus now Yahweh’s (Exo 13:1; Exo 13:13). The lamb meanwhile had taken the place of the firstborn and had been willingly offered as a sufficient representative and substitute. And all had partaken in it thus sharing in its efficacy. As a result they were protected under the covenant.
Exo 12:14
‘And this day shall be to you for a memorial, and you will keep it as a feast to Yahweh, throughout your generations you will keep it as a feast by an ordinance for ever.’
From this time on ‘for ever’ the Passover must be celebrated yearly as a reminder of and participation in this first feast and the deliverance it portended. It is still kept when we meet to celebrate the greater Passover of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“This day.” The fifteenth of Abib when the Passover was eaten and the firstborn of Israel were spared, and the children of Israel began their departure from the land. The day began in the evening and the Passover was therefore eaten on the first ‘day’ of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
“A memorial.” Something to bring to remembrance. God was concerned that what was done this day would be remembered for ever.
“You shall keep it as a feast (chag).” This is the general term for the later pilgrimage feasts of Israel. It signified a feast of unity, and while Passover was observed in separate houses it was observed by the congregation of Israel all at the same time. And its connection with the feast of unleavened bread meant that in the future it would have to be observed in connection with the gathering together of the people of Israel. In this sense it too would be a pilgrimage feast.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Exo 7:1 to Exo 12:30 The Ten Plagues Exo 7:1 to Exo 12:30 records the story of the ten plagues of Egypt. Here is a summary of the Ten Plagues:
Aaron turns rod to a serpent (Exo 7:10) Magicians copy (Exo 7:11) 1. Water turned to blood (throughout land) Magicians copy (Exo 7:22) 2. Frogs (covered land of Egypt) (Exo 7:6) Magicians copy (Exo 8:7) 3. Lice or flies (covered land) (Exo 8:17) Magicians could not (Exo 8:18) 4. Swarms (division of Goshen) (Exo 8:24; Exo 8:23) 5. Murrain (cattle disease) (Exo 9:3) 6. Boils (Exo 9:10) 7. Hail (division of Goshen) (Exo 9:23; Exo 9:26) 8. Locusts (Exo 10:13) 9. Darkness (division of Goshen) (Exo 10:22) 10.Death of first-born (Israel covered up blood) (Exo 12:29, Exo 11:7) The Ten Plagues upon Egypt were delivered by God in progressive intensity until it ended with the death of the firstborn. These plagues were a means of judgment upon the people of Egypt in order to bring them to repentance an to an acknowledgment of the God of Israel as the true and living God. This is why many of the plagues were orchestrated to demonstrate that the God of Israel was more powerful than particular gods of Egyptian mythology.
The wise men, sorcerers and magicians were able to copy the first three signs of the rod turning into a serpent (Exo 7:11), the water turning into blood (Exo 7:22), and the plague of frogs (Exo 8:7). After this, these enchanters began to see that God was working thru Moses and Aaron.
Exo 7:11, “Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.”
Exo 7:22, “And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.”
Exo 8:7, “And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Tenth Plague (Death of the Firstborn) – Exo 11:1 to Exo 12:30 tells us about the tenth and final plague in which an angel descended from Heaven and slew all of the firstborn in Egypt whose homes were not covered by the blood.
Exo 11:2-3 Scripture References – Note similar verses:
Exo 3:21-22, “And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.”
Exo 12:35-36, “And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.”
Exo 11:7 “shall not a dog move his tongue” Comments – No lamenting whatsoever shall occur.
Exo 11:8 Comments The Scriptures record several occasions when Moses displayed negative actions as a result of his anger. All of these actions resulted in consequences in the life of Moses. Moses’ anger at the abuse of his people moved him to murder:
Exo 2:11-12, “And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand .”
Moses was angry with Pharaoh:
Exo 11:8, “And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger .”
Moses was angry with the children of Israel:
Exo 16:20, “Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them .”
Moses broke the Ten Commandments in anger.
Exo 32:19, “And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot , and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.”
God commanded Moses to speak to the rock, but in his anger, he smote the rock twice. This cost Moses his trip into the Promised Land:
Num 20:11, “And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice : and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.”
Exo 12:1-28 The Institution of the Passover Exo 12:1-28 records the institution of the Passover, which was necessary in anticipation of the tenth plague? God had to get His people ready so that they did not have to partake of the final plague.
On the tenth day the lamb was chosen; it was inspected for three days; then it was sacrificed on the fourteenth day. Note that Jesus had a 3-year ministry in which He was inspected by many, especially the Pharisees. They could find no fault. Much of Gospel Passion narratives deal with last three days of Jesus ministry while He taught in temple and when He was taken and crucified.
The Scriptures teach us that there was healing in the Passover. Psa 105:37 tell us that there was not a single weak, or sick, person among those children of Israel who went out in the Exodus, “He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.” During the Passover that Hezekiah instituted, God healed the people, “And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.” (2Ch 30:20)
Exo 12:5 Comments Just as the Lord required every member of each household to have a sacrificial lamb in order cover them from the judgment of God, so does the Lord require everyone to come to the blood of Jesus to cover them from eternal judgment. No one can escape God’s wrath without going to Jesus Christ as their Saviour and being cleansed by His precious blood.
Exo 12:5 Comments The lamb was to be without blemish, which was a type and figure of Jesus, as our sacrificial lamb, who was without sin.
Exo 12:6 “ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month” – Comments – Why keep the lamb or goat for two weeks prior to sacrificing it on the day of Passover? One reason is that a goat has been out eating some trash. A goat will eat almost anything. This two-week period will give the owners time to feed it properly and to purge its system of impurities, so that the meat is fit to eat.
Exo 12:8 Comments – The unleavened bread and bitter herbs were part of the menu that the Israel’s dined on the night of their exodus from Egypt (Exo 12:8). Because the Israelites made haste in leaving Egypt they did not have time to leaven their bread. According to Jesus and Paul, leaven is figurative for sin (Mat 16:6; Mat 16:11-12, Mar 8:15, Luk 12:1 , 1Co 5:6-8, Gal 5:9). The Hebrew text reads, “with bitter,” with the word “herbs” implied. As a result, the YLT translates this phrase “bitter things.” Rawlinson tells us that Mishna suggests these bitter herbs may have been “endive, chicory, wild lettuce, and nettles.” [44] The LXX gives a literal translation, “ ” (of bitter [things]). The Clementine Vulgate renders this phrase as “wild lettuce” (cum lactucis agrestibus). [45] The ISBE says that lettuce and endive are used by modern Jews in their Passover meal. [46] As a result, Wycliffe reads, “letusis of the feeld,” the DRC reads, “wild lettuce,” and the NLT reads “bitter salad green.” Rawlinson expresses the popular view that these bitter herbs were in fact distasteful when eaten and represented the bitterness of their Egyptian bondage.
[44] G. Rawlinson, Exodus, in The Pulpit Commentary, ed. H. D. M. Spence and Joseph Exell (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1950), in Ages Digital Library, v. 1.0 [CD-ROM] (Rio, WI: Ages Software, Inc., 2001), comments on Exodus 12:8.
[45] Biblia Sacra juxta Vulgatam Clementinam (Ed. electronica) in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2005), Exodus 12:8.
[46] E. W. G. Masterman, “Bitter herbs,” in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., c1915, 1939), in The Sword Project, v. 1.5.11 [CD-ROM] (Temple, AZ: CrossWire Bible Society, 1990-2008).
Exo 12:8, “And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.”
Mat 16:6, “Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”
Mat 16:11-12, “How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”
Mar 8:15, “And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.”
Luk 12:1, “In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
1Co 5:6-8, “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
Gal 5:9, “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.”
Exo 12:12 “against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD” Comments – Exo 12:12 says that the ten plagues were directed against specific Egyptian Gods. Because YHWH is the true and living God, He will judge those other gods. Some Bible commentators associate the ten plagues with specific Egyptian gods or beliefs. [47]
[47] See John J. Davis, Moses and the Gods of Egypt: Studies in Exodus , 2 nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1971); J. Vernon McGee, Exodus, in Thru the Bible With J. Vernon McGee (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Pub., 1998), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004).
1. Water turning to blood Because the Nile River was a vital source of life, the Egyptians had a number of gods associated with the Nile River. David Padfield says that “Khnum was the guardian of the Nile,” and “Hapi was the ‘spirit of the Nile;’” the Egyptians believed that the Nile River was the “bloodstream” of Osiris, the god of the underworld.” [48] Miriam Lichtheim suggests that the first plague of water turning to blood may have been directed against Hapi, the spirit of the Nile River. [49] J. Vernon McGee say that what was a source of life for the Egyptians became their death. [50]
[48] David Padfield, Against All The Gods Of Egypt (#1) ( Zion, Illinois : Church of Christ, 2009) [on-line]; accessed 2 March 2009; available from http://www.biblelandhistory.com/egypt/plagues-egypt-3.html; Internet.
[49] Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature: Vol. I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973-80), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), 204.
[50] J. Vernon McGee, Exodus, in Thru the Bible With J. Vernon McGee (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Pub., 1998), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Exodus 7:14-25.
2. The plague of frogs The second plague of frogs would have been directed against Heqt, often depicted as a frog, who was “the wife of the creator of the world and the goddess of birth.” (Padfield) [51] McGee notes that the Egyptians considered the frogs sacred, so they would have had difficulty in killing them. [52]
[51] David Padfield, Against All The Gods Of Egypt (#1) ( Zion, Illinois : Church of Christ, 2009) [on-line]; accessed 2 March 2009; available from http://www.biblelandhistory.com/egypt/plagues-egypt-3.html; Internet.
[52] J. Vernon McGee, Exodus, in Thru the Bible With J. Vernon McGee (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Pub., 1998), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Exodus 8:1-5.
3. The plague of lice Padfield believes that the plague of lice was actually sandflies or fleas. McGee suggests that the Hebrew word could mean gnats or mosquitoes, but prefers the word lice, and tells the story of a visitor to Egypt who thought the sand was moving, but found it to be thousands of tiny ticks which began to crawl up his leg. They suggest that this plague would have been directed towards “Geb, the great god of the earth.” [53]
[53] David Padfield, Against All The Gods Of Egypt (#1) ( Zion, Illinois : Church of Christ, 2009) [on-line]; accessed 2 March 2009; available from http://www.biblelandhistory.com/egypt/plagues-egypt-3.html; Internet; J. Vernon McGee, Exodus, in Thru the Bible With J. Vernon McGee (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Pub., 1998), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Exodus 8:16-19.
4. The plague of flies McGee and Padfield suggest the plague of flies was actually the sacred scarab beetle, which fed upon dung, and were believed to be sacred to the sun god named Ra. [54] Padfield says the Egyptians believed Ra pushed the sun across the sky much like the scarab beetle pushed a ball of dung along the ground.
[54] David Padfield, Against All The Gods Of Egypt (#1) ( Zion, Illinois : Church of Christ, 2009) [on-line]; accessed 2 March 2009; available from http://www.biblelandhistory.com/egypt/plagues-egypt-3.html; Internet; J. Vernon McGee, Exodus, in Thru the Bible With J. Vernon McGee (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Pub., 1998), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Exodus 8:20-23.
5. The murrain upon cattle Apis was the sacred bull in Egyptian mythology. McGee notes that thousands of them have been mummified in Egyptian tombs. [55] Or, perhaps the fifth plague of murrain would have been directed against the Egyptian goddess of the sky named Hathor, who was sometimes portrayed as a cow, and later as a woman with the head of a cow. [56]
[55] J. Vernon McGee, Exodus, in Thru the Bible With J. Vernon McGee (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Pub., 1998), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Exodus 9:1-7.
[56] David Padfield, Against All The Gods Of Egypt (#1) ( Zion, Illinois : Church of Christ, 2009) [on-line]; accessed 2 March 2009; available from http://www.biblelandhistory.com/egypt/plagues-egypt-3.html; Internet; Orval Wintermute, “Hathor,” in The World Book Encyclopedia, vol. 9 (Chicago: World Book, Inc, 1993), 86.
6. The plague of boils – The plague of boils affected man as well as beasts. Padfield suggests this plague may have been directed against “Imhotep, the god of medicine,” “Serapis, the deity in charge of healing,” and “Thoth, the ibis-headed god of intelligence and medical learning.” [57]
[57] David Padfield, Against All The Gods Of Egypt (#1) ( Zion, Illinois : Church of Christ, 2009) [on-line]; accessed 2 March 2009; available from http://www.biblelandhistory.com/egypt/plagues-egypt-3.html; Internet;
7. The plague of hail – The seventh plague of rain, hail and thunder may have been directed against the Egyptian god Seth, the god of those types of storms and violent weather conditions.” [58] McGee suggests it addressed “Isis (sometimes represented as cow-headed), goddess of fertility and considered the goddess of the air.” [59] Padfield it was directed against “Nut, the sky goddess.” He also lists “Shu, the wind god,” “Horus, the hawk-headed sky god of Upper Egypt,” and “Isis and Seth,” who “protected the crops.” [60]
[58] Orval Wintermute, “Seth,” in The World Book Encyclopedia, vol. 17 (Chicago: World Book, Inc, 1993), 323.
[59] J. Vernon McGee, Exodus, in Thru the Bible With J. Vernon McGee (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Pub., 1998), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Exodus 9:18-21.
[60] David Padfield, Against All The Gods Of Egypt (#1) ( Zion, Illinois : Church of Christ, 2009) [on-line]; accessed 2 March 2009; available from http://www.biblelandhistory.com/egypt/plagues-egypt-3.html; Internet;
8. The plague of locust – McGee believes the plague of locusts were a sign of divine judgment directed against the people of Egypt. [61] They would have to acknowledge that judgment had come upon their land. Padfield lists other gods who were associated with the planting of crops: “Nepri, the god of grain,” “Ermutet, the goddess of childbirth and crops,” Isis, “Thermuthis, the goddess of fertility and the harvest,” and “Seth, a god of crops.” [62]
[61] J. Vernon McGee, Exodus, in Thru the Bible With J. Vernon McGee (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Pub., 1998), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Exodus 10:17-20.
[62] David Padfield, Against All The Gods Of Egypt (#1) ( Zion, Illinois : Church of Christ, 2009) [on-line]; accessed 2 March 2009; available from http://www.biblelandhistory.com/egypt/plagues-egypt-3.html; Internet;
9. The plague of darkness – The ninth plague of darkness was directed towards the sun god Re, the chief god in Egyptian mythology. The sun was the most potent religious symbol of Egypt, with the worship of the sun-god Re, their chief deities. [63] Padfield lists Re the sun god, and Horus, who “was the god of light who personified the life-giving power of the Sun.” [64]
[63] John D. McEachran, “Re,” in The World Book Encyclopedia, vol. 16 (Chicago: World Book, Inc, 1993), 153-4
[64] David Padfield, Against All The Gods Of Egypt (#1) ( Zion, Illinois : Church of Christ, 2009) [on-line]; accessed 2 March 2009; available from http://www.biblelandhistory.com/egypt/plagues-egypt-3.html; Internet;
10. The death of the firstborn – The tenth plague was the death of the firstborn, which would have been directed against the Egyptian Pharaoh, who was considered to be the incarnation of the Horus, the son of Amon-Re, the sun god. [65] Padfield believes that this plague was directed against all of the Egyptian gods. He lists a number of them associated with procreation and life. [66]
[65] Leonard H. Lesko, “Pharaoh,” in The World Book Encyclopedia, vol. 16 (Chicago: World Book, Inc, 1993), 15.
[66] David Padfield, Against All The Gods Of Egypt (#1) ( Zion, Illinois : Church of Christ, 2009) [on-line]; accessed 2 March 2009; available from http://www.biblelandhistory.com/egypt/plagues-egypt-3.html; Internet;
Exo 12:17 “for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt” – Comments – God is called the Lord of the Armies (Sabaoth) in the book of James.
Exo 7:4, “But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies , and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.”
Jas 5:4, “Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth .”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Ordinances Concerning the Passover
v. 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, v. 2. This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. v. 3. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb v. 4. And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. v. 5. Your lamb shall be without blemish, v. 6. And ye shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, v. 7. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side-posts and on the upper doorpost of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. v. 8. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. v. 9. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs and with the purtenance thereof, v. 10. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
FIRST INSTITUTION OF THE PASSOVER.
EXPOSITION
THE INSTITUTION OF THE PASSOVER AND THE REASONS FOR IT.In the interval allowed by God, according to the precedent of former announced plagues, between the warning concerning the first-born and the execution, Moses received instructions for the institution of a new religious rite, founded possibly upon some previous national usage, but so re-shaped, re-cast, and remodelled as to have an entirely new and fresh character. In all Eastern nations, the coming in of spring was observed as a jocund and festive time, with offerings, processions, and songs of rejoicings. When the date of the vernal equinox was known, it was naturally made the starting-point for these festivities. Early flowers and fruits, the fresh ears of the most forward kinds of grain, or the grain itself extracted from the ears, were presented as thank-offerings in the temples; hymns were sung, and acknowledgments made of God’s goodness. Such a festival was celebrated each year in Egypt; and it is so consonant to man’s natural feelings, that, if the family of Jacob did not bring the observance with them from Palestine, they are likely to have adopted it, when they became to some extent agriculturists (Deu 11:10) under the Pharaohs. It is, however, a pure conjecture (Ewald) that the name given to this festival was Pesach, from the sun’s “passing over” at this time into the sign of Aries. The real name is unknown, and there is every, reason to believe that the term Pesach was now for the first time given a religious sense (upon the ground noticed in Exo 12:11, Exo 12:12) to what was in reality a new rite. God, being about to smite with death the first-born in each Egyptian house, required the Israelites to save themselves by means of a sacrifice. Each Israelite householder was to select a lamb (or a kid) on the tenth day of the current month (Exo 12:3), and to keep it separate from the flock until the fourteenth day at even, when he was to kill it, to dip some hyssop in the blood (Exo 12:22) and to strike with the hyssop on the two posts and lintel of his doorway (Exo 12:7), so leaving the mark of the blood on it. He was then the same night to roast the lamb whole, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (Exo 12:8-10). He was to have his dress close girt about him, his sandals on his feet, and his staff in his hand; to be prepared, that is, for a journey. If he did all this, God, when he went through the land to smite and destroy, would “pass over” the house upon which there was the blood, and spare all that dwelt in it. Otherwise the plague would be upon them to destroy them (Exo 12:11, Exo 12:13). Such were the directions given for immediate observance, and such was the Passover proper. The lamb itself was primarily the Pesach (Exo 12:11), the “pass,” which secured safety. From this the name spread to the entire festival. Having, by the directions recorded in Exo 12:3-13 instituted the festival, God proceeded, in Exo 12:14-20, to require its continued celebration year after year, and to give additional rules as to the mode of its annual observance.
1. The festival was to last seven days.
2. No leavened bread was to be eaten during that space, and leaven was even to be put away altogether out of all houses.
3. On the first day of the seven and on the last, there was to be “a holy convocation” or gathering for worship.
4. No work not strictly necessary was to Be done on these days.
Other directions were given at a later date.
1. Besides the Paschal lamb, with which the festival commenced, and which was to be a domestic rite, public sacrifices were appointed for each day of the sevento consist of two young bullocks, one ram, seven lambs, and one goat, with appropriate “meat-offerings” (Num 28:19-24).
2. On the second day of the feast, “the morrow after the sabbath,” the first fruits of the harvest were to be presented in the shape of a ripe sheaf (of barley) which was to be a wave-offering, and to be accompanied by the sacrifice of a lamb with meat and drink offerings (Lev 23:10-14). By this regulation the festival was made to embody the old spring feast, and to have thus a double aspect.
Exo 12:1
The Lord spake.According to the Biblical record, neither Moses nor Aaron introduced any legislation of their own, either at this time or later. The whole system, religious, political, and ecclesiastical, was received by Divine Revelation, commanded by God, and merely established by the agency of the two brothers. In the land of Egypt. The introduction of these words seems to show that we have here a separate document on the subject of the Passover, written independently of what has preceded, some time after the exodus, and placed here without alteration, when Moses gathered together his various writings into a single work.
Exo 12:2
This month shall be unto you the beginning of months. The Israelite year would seem to have hitherto commenced with the autumnal equinox (Exo 23:16), or at any rate with the month Tisri (or Ethanim), which corresponded to our October. Henceforth two reckonings were employed, one for sacred, the other for civil purposes, the first month of each year, sacred or civil, being the seventh month of the other. Abib, “the month of ears”our April, nearlybecame now the first month of the ecclesiastical year, while Tisri became its seventh or sabbatical month. It is remarkable that neither the Egyptians nor the Babylonians agreed with the original Israelite practice, the Egyptians commencing their year with Thoth, or July; and the Babylonians and Assyrians theirs with Nisannu, or April.
Exo 12:3
Speak ye unto all the congregation. Under the existing circumstances Moses could only venture to summon the elders of Israel to a meeting. He necessarily left it to them to signify his wishes to the people. (See Exo 12:21.) A lamb. The Hebrew word is one of much wider meaning than our “lamb.” It is applicable to both sheep and goats, and to either animal without limit of age, In the present case the age was fixed at a year by subsequent enactment (Exo 12:5); but the offerer was left free with respect to the species. It is curious that, such being the case, the lamb alone should, so far as appears, ever have been offered. According to the house of their fathers. Literally, “for a father’s house,” i.e. for a family.
Exo 12:4
If the household be too little for the lambi.e; “too few to consume it at a sitting.” Usage in course of time fixed the minimum number at ten. (Joseph. Bell. Jud. 6.9, 3.) The whole family, men, women and children participated. The lamb was generally slain between the ninth hour (3 p.m.) and the eleventh (5 p.m.). Let him and his neighbour take it according to the number of the souls. If there were a household of only five, which could not possibly consume the lamb, any large neighbouring family was to send five or six of its number, to make up the deficiency. Every man according to his eating, etc. It is difficult to see what sense our translators intended. The real direction is that, in providing a proper number of guests, consideration should be had of the amount which they would be likely to eat. Children and the very aged were not to be reckoned as if they were men in the vigour of life. Translate”Each man according to his eating shall ye count towards the lamb.”
Exo 12:5
Your lamb shall be without blemish. Natural piety would teach that “the blind, the lame, and the sick” should not be selected for sacrifice (Mal 1:8). The Law afterwards expressly forbade any blemished animals”blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed”to be offered for any of the stated sacrifices, though they might be given as free-will offerings (Le Exo 22:20-25). The absence of blemish was especially important in a victim which was to typify One “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.” A male. As standing in place of and redeeming the first-born of the males in each family. Of the first year. Perhaps as then more approaching to the ideal of perfect innocence. The requirement was not a usual one. Or from the goats. Theodoret says the proviso was made for the relief of the poorer class of persons; but practically it seems not to have taken effect. When people were poor, their richer neighbours supplied them with lambs (Kalisch).
Exo 12:6
Ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day. The interval of four days (see Exo 12:3) was probably intended to give ample time for the thorough inspection of the lamb, and for obtaining another, if any defect was discovered. The precept is not observed by the modern Jews; and the later Targum (which belongs to the sixth century after Christ) teaches that it was only intended to apply to the first institution; but the text of Exodus is wholly against this. The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it. One of the main peculiarities of the Paschal sacrifice was thisthat the head of each family was entitledin the early times was required to offer the sacrifice for himself. In it no one intervened between the individual and God. Thus it was recognised that the whole nation was a nation of priests, as are Christians also, according to St. John (Rev 1:6) and St. Peter (1Pe 2:5). The intervention of Levites at a late date (2Ch 30:17; 2Ch 35:5, etc.) was contrary to the original institution. In the evening. Litterally, “between the two evenings.” This phrase has been explained in two ways. Some regard the first evening as commencing when the sun begins visibly to decline from the zenith, i.e. about two or three o’clock; and the second as following the sunset. Others say, that the sunset introduces the first evening, and that the second begins when the twilight ends, which they consider to have been “an hour and twenty minutes later” (Ebn Ezra, quoted by Kalisch). The use of the phrase in Joh 16:12, and the command in Deu 16:6“Thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun,” seem to be decisive in favour of the second explanation. The first arose out of the later practice. When the lambs were sacrificed in the temple by a continual succession of offerers, it became impossible to complete the sacrifices in the short time originally allowed. Of necessity the work of killing the victims was commenced pretty early in the afternoon, and continued till after sunset. The interpretation of the direction was then altered, to bring it into accord with the altered practice.
Exo 12:7
They shall take of the blood. The blood, which, according to Hebrew ideas, “is the life,” and so the very essence of the sacrifice, was always regarded as the special symbol of that expiation and atonement, with a view to which sacrifice was instituted. As by the Paschal sacrifice atonement was made for the house, which was therefore to escape unscathed, the sign of atonement was to be conspicuously placed upon it. And strike. The “striking” was to be by means of a bunch of hyssop dipped in the blood (Exo 12:22). The selection of the doorway as the part of the house to receive the stains of blood is probably to be connected with the idea that the secondary agency producing death, whatever it was, would enter by the doorand if the door showed the house to have been atoned for, would not enter. The upper door-past. The word used is elsewhere translated “lintel” (Exo 12:22, Exo 12:23); but it seems properly to mean the latticed window which was commonly placed over a doorway in Egyptian houses, and which is often represented in the facades of tombs. It is derived from a root signifying “to look out.”
Exo 12:8
Roast with firs. The meat of sacrificial meals was commonly boiled by the Hebrews (1Sa 2:14, 1Sa 2:15). The command to roast the Paschal lamb is accounted for:
1. By its being a simpler and quicker process than boiling;
2. By a special sanctity being regarded as attaching to fire;
3. By the difficulty of cooking the animal whole unless it were roasted. Justin Martyr’s statement that for roasting two wooden spits were required, placed at right angles the one to the other, and thus extending the victim on a cross, will seem to many a better ground for the direction than any of these. And unleavened bread. See below, verse. 18. With bitter herbs. Literally, “with bitternesses.” That herbs, or vegetables of some kind, are intended, there is no reasonable doubt. The Mishna enumerates endive, chicory, wild lettuce, and nettles among the herbs that might be eaten. It is a strange notion of Kurtz’s, that the bitter herbs were a condiment, and “communicated a more agreeable flavour to the food.” Undoubtedly they were a disagreeable accompaniment, and represented at once the bitterness of the Egyptian bondage (Exo 1:14) and the need of self-denial, if we would feed on Christ.
Exo 12:9
Eat not of it raw. The injunction appears to moderns superfluous; but an , or eating of the raw flesh of victims sacrificed, seems to have been practised by several heathen nations in ancient times, more especially in the worship of Dionysus or Bacchus. Its head with its legs. The lamb was to be roasted wholeaccording to some, as a symbol of the unity of Israel, and especially of the political unit which they were to become so soon as they quitted Egypt; but, as we learn from St. John (Joh 19:36), still more to prefigure the unbroken body of Him whom the lamb especially represented, the true propitiation and atonement and deliverer of His people from the destroyer, our Lord Jesus Christ. The purtenance thereof. Rather, “the intestines thereof.” The Jewish commentators say that the intestines were first taken out, washed, and cleansed, after which they were replaced, and the lamb roasted in a sort of oven.
Exo 12:10
Ye shall let nothing of it remain till the morning. The whole of the flesh was to be consumed by the guests, and at one sitting, lest there should be any even accidental profanation of the food by man or animal, if part were put away. The English Church, acting on the same principle of careful reverence, declines to allow any reservation of the Eucharistic elements, requiring the whole of the consecrated bread and wine to be consumed by the Priest and communicants in the Church immediately after the service. That which remainethi.e; the bones, and any small fragments of the flesh necessarily adhering to them. Ye shall burn with fire. Thus only could its complete disappearance, and seeming annihilation be secured. It does not appear that this burning was viewed as a sacrificial act.
Exo 12:11
With your loins girded, etc. Completely prepared, i.e; to start on your journeywith the loose wrapper (beged), ordinarily worn, collected together and fastened by a girdle about the waist; with sandals on the feet, which were not commonly worn in houses; and with walking-sticks in the hand. There were some Jews who regarded these directions as of perpetual obligation; but the general view was that they applied to the first occasion only, when alone they would have answered any useful purpose. You shall eat it in haste. As not knowing at what moment you may be summoned to start on your journey, and as having to see to the burning of the bones after the flesh was eaten, which would take some time. It is the Lord’s Passover. Very emphatic words! “This is no common meal,” they seem to say, “it is not even an ordinary sacrificial repast. The lamb is Jehovah’s. It is his pass-signthe mark of his protection, the precious means of your preservation from death. As such view it; and though ye eat it in haste, eat it with reverence.”
Exo 12:12
For I will pass through, etc. God now proceeds to give the reason for the institution of the new ceremony, and to explain the new term pesach. “I have commanded this rite,” He says, “because I am about to go through the whole land of Egypt as a destroyer, executing judgment; I am about to smite and kill every one of the firstborn both of man and beast. I shall enter into every house, and slay the first-born in it, unless I see upon the house the token of the blood of the lamb. In that ease I shall pass over the house, and you will escape the plague.” It would clear the sense if the opening words of Exo 12:12 were translated”For I shall go through,” instead of “pass through.” The word translated “pass through” has no connection at all with that rendered “pass over.” Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. These words are exegetical of the word “beast,” which immediately precedes. Animal worship was an important part of the religion of the Egyptians. At four great cities, Memphis, Heliopolis, Hermonthis, a sort of suburb of Thebes, and Momemphis in the Western Delta, animals were maintained, which were viewed as actual incarnations of deitythe Apis Bull at Memphis, a bull called Mnevis at Heliopolis, one termed Bacis or Pacts at Hermonthis, and at Momemphis a White Cow. If any of these were at the time animals that had “opened the womb,” death must have fallen upon them. Thus would judgment have been executed, literally, upon Egyptian “gods.” But, besides these, the whole country was filled with sacred animals, regarded as emblematic of certain particular deities, and as belonging to them. Sheep were sacred to Kneph, goats to Khem, cows to Athor, cats to Pasht, dogs and jackals to Anubis, lions to Horus, crocodiles to Set and Sabak, hippopotami to Taouris, cynocephalous apes to Thoth, frogs to Heka. A sudden mortality among the sacred animals would be felt by the Egyptians as a blow struck against the gods to whom they belonged, and as a judgment upon them. It is scarcely necessary to understand literally the expression “all the gods,” and to defend it by the assertion that “not a single deity of Egypt but was represented by some beast.” Such an assertion cannot be proved; and is probably not correct. It has often been remarked, and is generally allowed, that Scripture uses universal expressions, where most, or even many, of a class are meant. I am the Lord. Rather as in Exo 6:8, “Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment, I, Jehovah.”
Exo 12:13
The blood shall be to you for a token, etc. The blood was not to be a token to the Israelites, but to God for them. Translate”and the blood shall be as a token for you upon the houses that you are there.” It shall distinguish the houses in which you dwell from the others. I will pass over you. This is the emphatic clause. God would pass by, or over the house on which the blood was, spare it, slay none of its inmates; and from this action of His, the lamb itself, and the feast whereof it was the principal part, were to be termed “the Passover.” It has been proposed to connect the Hebrew pesach with the Egyptian pesh, “to stretch, or extend (protection)”; but the name “Tiphsach,” borne by the place of passage over the Euphrates (1Ki 4:24), would seem to indicate that “crossing,” or “passing over” is the primary meaning of the root.
Exo 12:14-20
Hitherto the directions given have had reference, primarily and mainly, if not wholly, to the first celebration of the Passover on the night preceding the Exodus. Now, it is announced,
(1) That the observance is to be an annual one; and
(2) That it is to he accompanied with certain additional features in the future. These are
(a) the eating of unleavened bread for seven days after the killing of the Passover;
(b) the putting away of leaven out of the houses;
(c)the holding of meetings for worship on the first day and the last; and
(d) the observance on these days of a sabbatical rest.
Exo 12:14
This day shall be to you for a memorial. Annual festivals, in commemoration of events believed to have happened, were common in the religion of Egypt, and probably not wholly strange to the religious ideas of the Hebrews. (See the “Introduction” to this chapter.) They were now required to make the 14th of Abib such a day, and to observe it continually year after year “throughout their generations.” There is commendable faithfulness in the obedience still rendered to the command at the present day; and it must be confessed that the strong expressionthroughout your generations and as an ordinance for everexcuse to a great extent the reluctance of the Jews to accept Christianity. They have already, however, considerably varied from the terms of the original appointment. May they not one day see that the Passover will still be truly kept by participation in the Easter eucharist, wherein Christians feed upon “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”the antitype, of which the Paschal lamb was the typethe true sustenance of soulsthe centre and source of all real unitythe one “perfect and sufficient sacrifice, and oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world”? The Church requires an Easter communion of all her members, proclaims that on that day, Christ our passover being slain, we are to keep the feast; and thus, so far as in her lies, maintains the festival as “an ordinance for ever,” to be observed through all her generations.
Exo 12:15
Seven days. There is no indication that the week of seven days was admitted by the ancient Egyptians, or even known to them. Apparently, the nation which first adopted it was that of the Babylonians. Abraham may have brought it with him from “Ur of the Chaldees;” and from him it may have passed to Jacob, and so to Moses. That the week was known in the family of Abraham before the giving of the law, appears from Gen 29:27, Gen 29:28. Unleavened bread is typical of purity of heart, leaven being an emblem of corruption (Mat 16:6-12; 1Co 5:7). “Leaven,” says Plutarch, “comes from corruption, and corrupts the dough with which it is mixed; and every fermentation seems to be a putrefaction.” The primary command to celebrate the first passover with unleavened instead of leavened bread (Gen 29:8), must be attributed wholly to this symbolism. But the permanent institution of a “feast of unleavened bread,” to last a week, had a double bearing. Partly, it was designed to deepen and intensify the conviction that corruption and impurity disqualify for religions service; but it was also partly intended as a commemoration of the fact, that in their hasty flight from Egypt the bread which they took with them was unleavened The requirement to “put away leaven out of their houses” is probably intended to teach, that for family worship to he acceptable, the entire household must be pure, and that to effect this result the head of the household must, so far as he can, eject the leaven of sin from his establishment. Whosoever eateth shall be out off from Israel. Expelled, i.e, from the congregation, or excommunicated. If a man wilfully transgresses any plain precept of God, even though it be a positive one, he should he severed from the Church, until he confess his fault, and repent, and do penance for it. Such was the ‘, godly discipline” of the primitive Church; and it were well if the Churches of these modern times had more of it.
Exo 12:16
On the first day there shall be an holy convocation. After the Paschal meal on the evening of the 14th of Abib, there was to be a solemn assembly of the people on the next day for religions worship. The name “convocation;” applied to these gatherings, seems to show that originally the people were summoned to such meetings, as they still are by the muezzin from the minarets of mosques in Mahommedan countries, and by bells from the steeples of churches in Christian ones. And on the seventh day. On the 22nd of Abibthe seventh day after the first holy convocation on the 15th (see Le Exo 23:4-8). Only two of the Jewish festivals were of this durationthe feast of unleavened bread, and the feast of tabernacles (Le 23:39-42). The Christian Church has adopted the usage for Christmas, Easter, Ascension, and Whitsuntide, where the last day of the week is known technically as “the octave.” No manner of work shall be done in them. Festival-days were in all countries days of abstention from the ordinary business of life, which could not conveniently be carried on conjointly with attendance at the services, meetings, processions, etc; wherein the festival consisted. But absolute cessation from all work was nowhere strictly commanded except among the Hebrews, where it appears to have been connected with the belief in God’s absolute rest after the six days of creation. The command here given was solemnly repeated in the law (Le Exo 23:6 – 8).
Exo 12:17
In this self-same day. The 15th of Abibthe first day of the feast of unleavened bread. Have I brought your hosts out. This expression seems to prove that we have in the injunctions of Exo 12:14-20, not the exact words of the revelation on the subject made by God to Moses before the institution of the Passover, but a re-casting of the words after the exodus had taken place. Otherwise, the expression must have been, “I will bring your hosts out.” As an ordinance for ever. Easter eve, the day on which Satan was despoiled by the preaching of Jesus to the spirits in prison (1Pe 3:19), and on which the Church first realises its deliverance from the bondage of sin by the Atonement of Good Friday, is the Christian continuance of the first day of unleavened bread, and so answers to this text, as Good Friday to the similar command in Exo 12:14.
Exo 12:18
In the first month. The word “month” seems to have accidentally dropt out of the Hebrew text. In the evening. The Hebrew day commenced with the evening (Gen 1:5); but the evening here intended is that at the close of the 14th of Abib, which began the 15th. Similarly, the evening of the 21st is here that which commenced the 22nd.
Exo 12:19
This is not a mere “vain repetition” of Exo 12:15. It adds an important extension of the punitive clause”that soul shall be cut off from Israel”from Israelites proper to proselytes. We are thus reminded, at the very time when Israel is about to become a nation and to enter upon its inheritance of exclusive privileges, that no exclusion of the Gentries by reason of race or descent was ever contemplated by God, either at the giving of the law, or at any other time. In Abraham all the families of them were to be blessed (Gen 12:3). It was always open to any Gentiles to join themselves to Israel by becoming “proselytes of justice,” adopting circumcision and the general observance of the law, and joining the Israelite community. The whole law is full of references to persons of this class (Exo 20:10; Exo 23:12; Le Exo 16:29; Exo 17:10; Exo 18:26; Exo 20:2; Exo 24:16; Num 35:15; Deu 5:14; Deu 16:11-14; Deu 24:17, Deu 24:19; Deu 27:19; Deu 29:11, etc.). It must have been largely recruited in the times immediately following the exodus from the “mixed multitude” which accompanied the Israelites out of Egypt (Exo 12:38), and from the Kenites who joined them in the wilderness (Num 10:29-31; Jdg 1:16). Born in the landi.e; an Israelite by birth”the land” is, no doubt, Canaan, which is regarded as the true “Land of Israel” from the time when it was assigned by God to the posterity of Abraham (Gen 15:18).
Exo 12:20
Here again there is no repetition, but an extension. “Ye shall eat nothing leavened,” not only no leavened bread (Exo 12:15), but no leavened cake of any kind. And “in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread,” i.e; wherever ye dwell, whether in Egypt, or in the wilderness, or in Palestine, or in Babylonia, or in Media, this law shall be observed. So the Jews observe it everywhere to this day, though they no longer sacrifice the Paschal lamb.
HOMILETICS
Exo 12:1-2
The advantages of an ecclesiastical calendar.
With their new position as an independent nation, and their new privileges as God’s redeemed people (Exo 6:6), the Israelites received the gift of a new ecclesiastical calendar. Their civil calendar remaining as before, their civil year commencing with Tisri, about the time of the autumnal equinox, and consisting of twelve months of alternately twenty-nine and thirty days, they were now commanded to adopt a new departure for their sacred year, and to reckon its commencement from Abib or Nisan, which began about the time of the vernal equinox, or March 21. This was advantageous to them in several ways.
I. IT SECURED THEM A TIME OF RELIGIOUS RETROSPECT AND CONTEMPLATION, NOT ALREADY OCCUPIED BY WORLDLY CARES. The commencement of a civil year naturally brings with it various civil and worldly cares, which occupy the mind, demand the attention, and distract the thoughts. The worldly position has to be reviewed, accounts made up, stock taken, debts claimed and paid, subscriptions renewed or discontinued, agents communicated with, orders given, arrangements made in some instances for the whole of the coming twelvemonth; and the result is, that the mind of most men is then so occupied, not to say harassed, that it cannot turn itself with any vigour or freshness to the contemplation of things heavenly and spiritual. Of great value then, and importance, is it that religion should have a separate time to itself for a review of the spiritual position, for the taking of stock in a religious sense, the balancing of the account with heaven, the forming of plans for the spiritual life beforehand, since that life has as much need to be carefully provided for as the worldly life. The opening of a year being the natural time for such a review, the new arrangement made naturally suggested it, and provided a quiet time for it.
II. IT GAVE THE IDEAS CONNECTED WITH THE FESTIVAL ABOUT TO BE INSTITUTED A GREATER HOLD ON MEN‘S THOUGHTS THAN MIGHT OTHERWISE HAVE BEEN THE CASE. Everyone recognises the importance of a new beginning. A religion naturally strikes its key-note at the commencement of its round of services. As the coming of Christ into the world is the very essence of Christianity, the ecclesiastical year of Christendom commences with Advent. Thus Christians are taught that the foundation-stone of their religion, the root out of which it all springs, is the Incarnation. For Mosaism the key-note was deliverance from Egypt, and covenant relationship with God as His people by means of sacrifice. Deliverance from Egypt was redemption from servitude, and the commencement of a free national life. Sacrifice was the appointed means of keeping up and renewing the covenant relationship begun in circumcision. In the Passover these two thoughts were blended together, and Israel had to meditate on both. The one thought was necessary to call forth that loving trust in the favour and goodness of God, which lies at the root of all acceptable service; the other was needed to give ease to the conscience, to reassure the trembling sinner, and remove his sense of a guilt that separated him from God, and made his circumcision unavailing. The prominence given to these ideas by the position of the Paschal Festival, impressed them upon the minds of the Israelites as fundamental and vital truths.
III. IT GAVE THE RELIGION GENERALLY A STATUS AND A POSITION OF INDEPENDENCE, WHICH INCREASED MAN‘S RESPECT FOR IT. In all times and countries the suspicion occurs to some, that religion is but a form of statecraft, a politic invention of governors to render government more easy. Anything that marks the co-ordinate authority of Church and State in their separate spheres, and especially the independence of the Church, is valuable, as an obstacle to Erastianism, and an indication of the Church’s inherent right to regulate Church affairs. An ecclesiastical calendar distinct from the civil calendar is no doubt a little matter; but it implies an important principle, and is perhaps not without some influence over the general tone of thought and feeling in a country.
Exo 12:3-20
The Passover Proper.
The Passover may be viewed:
I. AS A COMMEMORATIVE RITE. Instituted with reference to the tenth plague, and as a means by which the first-born of the Israelites might be saved from destruction, but accompanied by ceremonies which were connected with the prospective departure of the whole nation out of Egypt, the Passover feast, as established “by an ordinance for ever,” commemorated two distinct and different things.
(1) The passing over of the houses of the Israelites by Jehovah, when he went through the land in the character of “destroyer” (Exo 12:23), to smite the first-born; and
(2) the hurried departure of the nation out of Egypt in the night, with bread for their journey, which they had not had time to leaven (Exo 12:34). It was thus intended to remind them of two great mercies; the lesser one being the escape of their first-born from sudden death, and the greater one the deliverance of the whole people from the bondage and affliction of Egypt, with the consequence of such deliverance, the establishment of them as a nation under the direct government of God, and under laws which were communicated to them by God himself at Sinai. Man is so apt to forget the benefits which God confers upon him, that it has been found necessary, or at least desirable, in almost all countries, to establish, by authority, days of commemoration, when national deliverances, national triumphs, national recoveries, shall be brought prominently before the mind of the nation, and pressed upon its attention. The Passover must be regarded as one of the most effective of such commemorative ceremonies. It has continued to be celebrated for above three thousand years. It brings vividly to the recollection of the Jew that night of trepidation and excitement, when the lamb was first killed, the blood dashed upon the doorposts, and the sequel waited forthat night, when “about midnight” was heard “a great cry,” and in every house the Egyptians bewailed one deadthat night, in which, after the cry, a murmur arose, and the Egyptians became “urgent” (Exo 12:33), and insisted that the Israelites should quit the land forthwith. It has all the political advantage of a great national celebration; and it exalts the political idea by uniting it with religious enthusiasm.
II. AS A FEAST OF THANKSGIVING. The sacrifices of the Paschal week, with the exception of the Paschal lamb and the daily goat, must be viewed as thank-offerings. They consisted of fourteen bullocks, seven rams, and forty-nine lambs of the first year, provided by. the priests, and offered to God in the name of the nation. They were burnt on the altar as holocausts, accompanied by meat-offerings of flour mingled with oil. At the same time individuals offered their own private thank-offerings. So far, the special object of the thanksgiving was the great deliverance, with which might be conjoined, in thought, God’s further mercies in the history of the nation. On the second day of the feast, however, another subject of thankfulness was introduced. The season of the year was that in which the earliest grain ripened in Palestine; according to a conjecture already made, it was the time when the return of spring had been long celebrated among the Semites by a traditional observance. As “each return of the Passover festival was intended to remind the Israelites of their national regeneration” (Kalisch), it was thought appropriate to bring the festival into connection with the regeneration of nature, and the return of vernal vegetation. On the second day, therefore, a sheaf of the first ripe barley was offered as the first-fruits of the coming harvest, and thanks were rendered to God for his bounty in once more bringing to perfection the fruits of the earth. During the remainder of the week, both subjects occupied the thoughts of the worshippers, who passed the time in innocent festivities, as songs, music, and dancing.
III. AS A SYMBOLICAL CEREMONY. We have not to guess at the symbolical meaning of the Passover, as of so much that is contained in the Jewish law. Scripture distinctly declares it. “Christ, our Passover, is slain,” says St. Paul; “therefore let us keep the feast.” Christ, who was prefigured and foreshown in every sacrifice, was symbolised especially by the Paschal victim. He was “the Lamb of God’ (Joh 1:29), “without spot or blemish” (1Pe 1:19), “holy, harmless, undefiled” (Heb 7:26); offered to keep off “the destroyer,” saving us by His blood from death (Act 20:28); slain that we might feed upon His flesh (Joh 6:51). The Paschal lamb, when prepared for sacrifice, presented, as Justin Martyr informs us, a lively image of the Saviour upon “the accursed tree,” being extended on a cross formed of two wooden spits, one longitudinal, and one transverse, placed at right angles each to the other. “Not a bone of it was to be broken,” that it might the better typify Him whom God preserved from this indignity (Psa 34:20; Joh 19:33). It was to be consumed entirely, as Christ is to be taken entire into the heart of the faithful (Gal 4:19). Scripture also distinctly declares the symbolical meaning of the unleavened bread. “Let us keep the feast,” says St. Paul, “not with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” He who would feed on Christ must first put away from him all corruption and impurity, eject all leaven out of the house wherein his spirit dwells, make himself fit to sit down at that heavenly banquet, by getting rid of all those “evil things which come from within, and defile the man” (Mar 7:23). There may be some doubt, however, as to the symbolism of the “bitter herbs,” which Scripture leaves unexplained. The exegesis, that the bitter herbs symbolised the sufferings of the Israelites in Egypt, if taken as exhausting the meaning, is unsatisfactory. The memory of past sufferings inflicted by others is not a necessary accompaniment of present festal joy, though it may enhance that joy by contrast. The “bitterness” should be something that is always requisite before the soul can find in Christ rest, peace, and enjoymentsomething that must ever accompany that rest, peace, and enjoyment, and, so long as we are in the flesh, remain inseparable from it. Two things of this kind suggest themselvesrepentance and self-denial. The bitter herbs may perhaps symbolise both, pointing on the one hand to the important truth, that real repentance is a continuous act, never ceasing, while we live below, and on the other to the necessity of men’s “taking up their cross daily,” and striving towards perfectness through suffering.
Exo 12:14
The Passover continued in the Eucharist.
It was expressly declared that the Passover was instituted to be observed as a feast “by an ordinance for ever.” Jews are justified in remaining Jews, if they cannot otherwise continue to celebrate it. But they can. The Passover is continued in the Eucharist. Hence St. Paul’s words at Easter time” Christ, our Passover, is crucified for us; therefore let us keep the feast“ (1. Corinthians Exo 5:7, Exo 5:8).
I. THE EUCHARIST IS THE AFTER COMMEMORATION OF THE EVENT, WINCH THE PASSOVER PEFIGURED AND FORESHADOWED. The reality underlying both being the Lord’s death upon the cross as a propitiation for the sins of man, this death was set forth in anticipation by the Paschal sacrifice; it is now “shown forth” after the event, in the Eucharist, “until Christ come” (1Co 11:26). The bread and wine represent the humanity of Christ as truly as the Paschal lamb represented it. The Eucharistic ceremony is “a perpetual memory () of his precious death,” and in some respects a more lively setting forth of that central event of history than ever was the Paschal ceremony.
II. THE EUCHARIST SETS FORTH THE CHRISTIAN‘S DELIVERANCE FROM BONDAGE, AS THE PASSOVER DID THE JEW‘S. The true bondage is the bondage of sin. This is the “Egypt” from which man requires to be delivered. The death of Christ, which the Eucharist “shews forth,” is the one and only remedy for sin, the one and only means Whereby it becomes possible for man to shake off the grievous yoke from his shoulders, and become free. By His meritorious sacrifice the guilt of sin is removed; by His assisting grace, given most abundantly through the Eucharist, the power of sin is destroyed, and its taint gradually purged out of our nature.
III. THE EUCHARIST IS A FEAST OF THANKSGIVING TO THE CHRISTIAN, AS THE PASSOVER FESTIVAL WAS TO THE JEW. The very name of Eucharist, which became the usual name of the Holy Communion as early as the second century, indicates how essential a feature of it thanksgiving was felt to be. “We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thee thanks for thy great glory, O Lord God”this is the general key-note of Eucharistic services. And naturally. For, if the Jew had much to thank God for, the Christian has more. Redemption, justification, assisting grace, sanctification, union with Christclear and distinct promise of everlasting lifeare his, and crowd upon his mind in connection with this sacrament.
IV. THE EUCHARIST, LIKE THE PASSOVER, IS A FEAST UPON A SACRIFICE. In the Passover, as generally in sacrifices, the victim was first offered on behalf of the sacrificersin this case the household, and then the flesh of the victim furnished a solemn sacrificial meal to the members of the household. In the Eucharist, where the true victim is Christ himself, whose sacrifice upon the cross is alone propitiatory, a commemoration of the death of Christ is made, and then there follows a feast of the most sacred kind. Whatever benefits may have flowed from participation in the Paschal festival are far exceeded by those attached to the “Supper of the Lord.” The Jew felt himself by participation in the Passover festival incorporated anew into the community of Israel; the Christian, by worthy participation in the Eucharist, is engrafted anew into Christ.
HOMILIES BY J. ORR
Exo 12:2
The beginning of months.
The exodus from Egypt was the birthday of the nation of Israel. In commemoration of this great event, the day from which the (religious) year began was changed. The month Abib was thenceforth to be “the beginning of months.” The civil year continued to begin with Tisri (cf. Exo 23:16).
I. REDEMPTION, THE TRUE STARTING–POINT OF HUMAN EXISTENCE. The day when salvation comes to a man’s house (Luk 19:9; Act 16:34) is the true “beginning of days” to him.
1. It is the commencement of a new life. “Born again” (Joh 3:3); “passed from death into life’ (Joh 5:24); “a new creature” (2Co 5:17). “The years we spent before we turned to the Lord are not worth counting; the best that can happen to them is to be buried out of sight” (Dr. J. M. Gibson).
2. It is the day of separation from the world. Some think that up to this time the Israelites had used the Egyptian calendar, which began about the time of the summer solstice. “From this time, however, all connection with Egypt was to be broken off, and the commencement of the sacred year was to commemorate the time when Jehovah led them forth to liberty and independence” (Geikie).
3. It is the day which begins the journey to heaven. Redemption is the beginning of the new life: it is, however, but the beginning. The wilderness journey follows it. Conversion is not a resting-place, but a starting-point. It begins, but does not complete, salvation.
II. TIME, A MEMORIALIST OF GOD‘S MIGHTY WORKS. Even on so immaterial a thing as time, God has inscribed a memorial of His three greatest works.
1. Creation. He has built into the structure of the week an imperishable record of the six days’ work.
2. The Exodus. The order of the year in Israel was made to testify to the deliverance from Egypt.
3. The Christian redemption. The advent of Christ has founded an era. The bitterest enemy of the Gospel is compelled to do it, at least, the involuntary homage of dating his years from the Lord’s advent. By his use of the Christian calendar, the infidel testifies unwittingly to the power of the religion which he seeks to overthrow.
III. THE SPHERES OF THE SACRED AND THE CIVIL ARE DISTINCT. One indication of this, even in the polity of Israel, is seen in the fact that the sacred year began in one month, and the civil in another.J.O.
Exo 12:1-29
The Passover.
God’s last and overwhelming blow was about to be struck at Egypt. In anticipation of that blow, and in immediate connection with the exodus, God gave directions for the observance of a Passover.
I. THE PASSOVER IN ITS CONNECTION WITH THE HISTORY. For details of the ritual, see the verses of the chapter.
1. The design of the Passover was to make plain to Israel the ground on which its salvation was bestowedthe ground, viz; of Atonement. “The more recent plagues had fallen on Egypt alone. The children of Israel were saved from them. But though the salvation was obvious, the way of salvation had not yet been indicated. But now that the last and heaviest plague is about to fall, not only will Israel be saved from it, but the ground on which (the whole) salvation is bestowed will be made plain.”
2. The connection of the Passover with the exodus. In this relation it is to be viewed more especially as a purificatory sacrifice. Such a sacrifice was peculiarly appropriate on the night of leaving Egypt, and one would probably have been appointed, even had no such special reason existed for it as the judgment on the first-born.
3. The connection of the Passover with the judgment on the first-born. Israel was God’s Son, His firstborn (Exo 10:22), and is in turn represented by his first-born; and so with Egypt. Because Pharaoh would not let Israel (God’s first-born) go, God had declared his purpose of smiting “all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast” (Exo 12:12); the punishment in this case, as frequently in God’s Providence (cf. Isa 30:16), taking a form analogous to the sin it is designed to chastise. “The first-born represented the family, so that judgment of the first-born stood for judgment upon all, and redemption of the first-born stood for the redemption of all” (Dr. Gibson). Accordingly, not the firstborn merely, but the entire household, as represented in him, was redeemed by the blood of the Passover, and joined in the subsequent feast upon the lamb (Exo 12:8). Note, there was a peculiar fitness in the Passover being instituted at this particular crisis.
(1) The death of the firstborn was a judgment pure and simple; not, like the hail, locusts, etc; an admonitory plague.
(2) It gave a heightened and impressive character to the salvation that redemption by blood, redemption by power, and the emergence of the people from slavery into distinct existence as a people of God, were thus seen going hand in hand. The analogy with the Christian redemption is obvious.
4. The teaching of the Passover. It taught the people
(1) that naturally they were as justly exposed to wrath as the people of Egypt. “Whether viewed in their individual or in their collective capacity, they were themselves of Egyptcollectively, a part of the nation, without any separate and independent existence of their own, vassals of the enemy, and inhabitants of the doomed territoryindividually, also, partakers of the guilt and corruption of Egypt” (Fairbairn). “If the test had been one of character, it is quite certain that the line would not have been run so as to range all Egypt on the one side, and all Israel on the other. No one can suppose that all the real worth and excellence were on the side of the latter, and all the meanness and wickedness on the side of the former. In fact, the children of Israel had shared only too deeply in the sins of Egypt, and, accordingly, if they are to be saved, it must be on some other ground than their own merits” (Gibson).
(2) That the medium of their salvationthe ground on which it was bestowedwas blood of atonement. It is vain to deny that the Passover victim was truly a propitiatory sacrifice. The use made of its blood is proof sufficient of that. The lamb died in room of the first-born. Sprinkled on the door-posts and lintels, its blood sheltered the inmates of the dwelling from the stroke of the destroyer (Exo 12:21-24). “A sinless victim, the household might, as it were, hide behind it, and escape the just punishment of their sins” (Kohler in Geikie). The Passover thus emphatically taught the necessity of atonement for the covering of guilt. No thoughtful Israelite but must have deeply realised the truth, “Without shedding of blood is no remission’ (Heb 9:22).
(3) The solidarity of the nation. The observance of the Passover was to be an act, not of individuals, but of households and groups of households, and in a wider sense, of the nation as a whole. The Israelites were thus taught to feel their unity as before Godtheir oneness in guilt as in redemption.
(a) In guilt. Each was involved in guilt and doom, not only through his own sins, but through the sins of the nation of which he formed a part (cf. Isa 6:5; Mat 23:35).
(b) In redemption. This was beautifully symbolised in the eating of the lamb. The lamb was to be roasted entire, and placed on the table undivided (Exo 12:9). “By avoiding the breaking of the bones (Exo 12:46), the animal was preserved in complete integrity, undisturbed and entire (Psa 34:20) There was no other reason for this than that all who took part in this one animal, i.e. all who ate of it, should look upon themselves as one whole, one community, like those who eat the New Testament Passover, the body of Christ (1Co 5:7), of whom the apostle says (1Co 10:17), ‘We being many are one bread, and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread.'” (Bahr.)
(4) It pointed to an atonement in the future. For, manifestly, there lay in the blood of the lamb no real virtue to take away sin. It declared the necessity of atonement, but could not adequately provide it. The life of a beast was no proper substitute for the life of a first-born son. The Passover, therefore, from its very nature, is to be viewed as a type. It pointed on to Christ, in whom all the types of sacrifices find complete fulfilment.
(5) The various features of the ritual were symbolic. The unleavened bread was indicative of haste (Deu 16:3); the bitter herbs of the affliction of Egypt, etc. These circumstances, like the blamelessness of the victim, the sprinkling of the blood, etc; had also spiritual significance. See below, Homily on Exo 12:21-29. It is to be remarked, in general, that “the earthly relations then existing, and the operations of God in connection with them, were framed on purpose to represent and foreshadow corresponding but immensely superior ones, connected with the work and kingdom of Christ.” (Fairbairn.)
II. THE PASSOVER AS AN ORDINANCE FOR LATER GENERATIONS (Exo 12:14, Exo 12:24 28). In this respect, the Passover is to be viewed
1. As an historical witness to the reality of the events of the exodus. See below; also Homily on Deu 16:1-9. The Passover, like the Lord’s Supper, was an institution which, in the nature of things, could not have been set up later than the event professedly commemorated.
2. As a perpetuation of the original sacrifice. The blood of the lambs was year by year presented to God. This marked that the true sacrifice had not yet been offered (Heb 10:1-3). Now that Christ has died, and has “put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb 9:26; Heb 10:12), there is no room for further sacrifice, and the Lord’s Supper is to be regarded as simply a commemorative ordinance and means of grace. The doctrine of the mass has no foundation in true scriptural analogy.
3. As a means of grace. It was a feast, collecting the Israelites in great numbers at the sanctuary, and reviving in their minds the memory of the great deliverance, in which had been laid the foundation of their national existence. The lamb, slain on their behalf, roasted with fire, and set on the table before their eyes, to be handled and eaten by them, in solemn observance of a Divine command, gave them a vivid sense of the reality of the facts they were commemorating. The Lord’s Supper, in like manner, is a powerful means of impressing mind and heart, an act of communion on the part of Christian believers, and a true source of nourishment (through spiritual participation in Christ) to the soul.
4. The observance of the Passover was connected with oral instruction (verses 26, 27). This was a further guarantee for the handing down of a faithful, ungarbled tradition of the meaning of the ceremony; added to the interest of the service; took advantage of a favourable opportunity to impress the minds of the young; and helped to keep alive in all classes of the community a vivid remembrance of God’s mighty works.
III. THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD (Deu 16:14-21). The ordinance for this feast was probably given at Succoth, on the day succeeding the exodus (see Deu 16:17, and Exo 13:5-8). It is inserted here on account of its internal connection with the Passover. It is to be viewed
1. As a memorial of the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt. The Israelites had evidently intended to leaven their dough on the night of the exodus, but were prevented by the haste (verse 34). “For thou earnest out of the land in haste” (Deu 16:3). This is the historical groundwork of the institution.
2. As a symbol of spiritual truth.
(1) The feast lasted seven days, a complete circle of time.
(2) It was rounded off at the beginning and end by an holy convocation. This marked it as a sacred period.
(3) Sacrifices were offered during its course (Num 13:16-26; Deu 15:2).
(4) The bread eaten was to be unleavened. So strict was the injunction on this point that the Israelite found eating leaven during these seven days was to be “cut off,” i.e; excommunicated. The general idea of the feast was, therefore, to represent what redeemed life in its entirety ought to bea life purged from the leaven of “malice and wickedness,” and devoted to God’s service in “sincerity and truth” (1Co 5:8). “The exodus formed the groundwork of the feast, because it was by this that Israel had been introduced into a new vital element” (Keil). The “walk in newness of life” follows on redemption. We may apply the precept about “cutting off from Israel” to the exclusion of immoral and impure members from the Church.J.O.
HOMILIES BY D. YOUNG
Exo 12:1-28
The institution of the Passover.
Moses has now done with requesting and threatening Pharaoh. He leaves Pharaoh to the terrible smiting hand of Jehovah, and turns, when it is quite time to turn, to his own people. He who would not listen had to be left for those who would listen. It is now manifest that Moses is to be profitably occupied with matters which cannot any longer be delayed. It was needful to give warning concerning the death of the first-born to the Israelites quite as much as to Pharaoh. For some time they had been the passive, the scarcely conscious objects of Divine mercy and power. Painfully conscious they were of the physical hardships which Pharaoh inflicted on them, but they had little or no thought of deprivations and hindrances with respect to higher things. God had been leading them forward by a way they knew not, and now the hour has come for them to know the way and walk in it with understanding, choice, circumspection, and diligence. All at once, from being passive spectators in the background, they came forward to be prime actors in the very front; and God is here telling them through Moses what to do, and how they are to do it. More is to be done than simply wait for God’s coming at midnight: that coming has to be made ready for with great solemnity and minuteness of preparation.
I. NOTICE HOW JEHOVAH HERE BRINGS THE VOLUNTARY ELEMENT INTO THE DELIVERANCE OF HIS PEOPLE AND THEIR CONNECTION WITH HIM. They are to be delivered, only as they are willing to be delivered. They are to signify their willing regard to conform with the will of God. The matter is made almost a personal one; if not brought before every Israelite, it is brought before every head of a household. Hitherto the immunities of the people during the course of the plagues had been secured in a mere external way. The protection belonged to a certain territory, and the Israelites had to exert no attention, take no trouble, in order to secure the protection. God kept the flies, the hail, and the darkness out of Goshen without requiring any mark upon the habitations and property of His people. But now, as the last visitation from God draws nigh, they have to take a part, and a very decided part, in making their exemption effectual. Jehovah comes, treating all who are in Egypt as belonging fully to Egypt, and it is for the Israelites to show by some significant act the deep difference which separates between them and the Egyptians. There had been, up to this time, certain differences between the Egyptian and the Israelite which did not depend upon the Israelite’s choice. The Egyptian was master, and the Israelite slave; assuredly the Israelite had not chosen that. An Egyptian might soon lose all trace of his personal ancestry, but every Israelite could trace his ancestry back to Jacob, to Isaac, to Abraham; and this was a matter he had not chosen. The Egyptian belonged to a nation which had been smitten with nine plagues, but from the later and severer of these the Israelite dwelling in Goshen had been free; yet this freedom had been secured without making it to depend on the Israelite’s own action. But now, as the day of redemption draws near, Jehovah reminds every Israelite that underneath all the differences which, in carrying out His purposes, He may make to exist among men, there is a common humanity. Before Him who comes smiting at midnight there is neither Israelite nor Egyptian, bond nor free; everything depends on the sprinkled blood; and the sprinkled blood depends on whether the Israelite has put it on his door of his own accord. If, that night, the Israelite did not of his own accord make a difference between himself and the Egyptian, then no natural distinction or past immunity was of the slightest avail. Even already it is being shown that circumcision availeth nothing, but a new creature. Israel can only be truly Israel as he is Israel inwardly. The mark upon the door without must come from the perfect heart and willing mind within. The only great abiding differences between man and man are such as we, fully considering our position, concur in making of our own free will True it is that we cannot establish and complete these differences in our own strength; but it is very certain that God will not do thisindeed, by the very limitations of the thing to be done, he cannotexcept as we willingly and with alacrity give him opportunity.
II. In these instructions for the Passover, GOD BRINGS THE FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENT OF PURE FAITH INTO ACTIVE EXERCISE. In Heb 11:28 we are told that by faith Moses kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the first-born should touch them. And this faith extended from Moses to every head of a household in Israel. The whole instructions imply a trustful, disciplined spirit, on the part of those receiving them. Up to this time nothing had been required of them except to stand still and wait while God dealt with Pharaoh. They are left on one side, treated as helpless captives, whom it is vain to ask for what they cannot give. But now they are asked for something, and they have not only to render it willingly, but with the obedience of faith (Rom 16:26). They are asked to slay a number of lambs, the number being determined according to a settled proportion. When the lambs are slain, the blood is to be sprinkled on the doors of each Israelite dwelling, and the flesh, prepared in a peculiar and exact way, is to be eaten by the inhabitants. Well, what should all this have to do with the protection of Israel? How should it advance the captives towards deliverance? If God had told them to get ready swords and spears, and discipline themselves for battle there would have been something intelligible in such instructions, something according to the schemes of human wisdom. But God does not deliver as men would deliver. It pleased him, in the fulness of time and by the foolishness of a slain lamb and sprinkled blood to save Israel. And yet it was not the slain lamb and sprinkled blood that saved by themselves. Moses and Aaron might have slain so many lambs and sprinkled their blood, and yet there would have been no efficacy in them. Their efficacy as protectors was not a natural efficacy. The efficacy lay in this: that the lambs were slain and the blood sprinkled in the obedience of faith. The thing done and the spirit in which it is donetruth and faith-go together in resistless power. There must be truth; faith by itself does nothing; for a man may believe a lie and then where is he? There must be faith; truth by itself does nothing; just as food does nothing unless a man takes it into his stomach. Of course it was quite possible for a sceptical Israelite to say, “What can there be in this sprinkled blood?”and the very fact that such a question was possible shows how God was shutting his people up to pure faith. He asks them to act simply on the word of Moses. That word was now to be a sufficient reason for their conduct. Moses had done enough to show from whom he came. It is interesting to notice how faith stands here, asked for, the first thing, by Moses, even as it was afterwards by Jesus. As the Israelites believed because Moses spoke, so we must believe because Jesus speaks. Jesus speaks truth because it is true; but we must receive it and believe it, not because in our natural reason we can see it as true, but because of the ascertained and well-accredited character of him who speaks it. And we must show our faith by our works, as these Israelites did. It was not required of them to understand how this sprinkled blood operated. They acted as believing that it would operate, and the indisputable fact is that they were saved. It is a great deal more important to have a thing done, than to be able to understand all the ins and outs by which it is done. A man does not refuse to wind up his watch, because he cannot understand its intricate mechanism. His purposes are served, if he understands enough to turn the key. And so our purposes are served, if we have enough practical faith in Jesus to gain actual salvation through him. Exactly how Jesus saves, is a question which we may ask again and again, and vainly ask. Let us not, in asking it, waste time and risk eternity, when by the prompt and full obedience of faith, we may know in our experience, that however obscure the process may be, the result itself is a real and abiding one.
III. Looking back on this passover lamb in the light of the finished work of Jesus, we see HOW AMPLE A TYPE IT IS OF HIM WHO WAS TO COME AFTER AND STAND BETWEEN THE BELIEVING SINNER AND THE AVENGING GOD.
1. The lamb was taken so as to bind families and neighbours together. This reminds us of Him, who gathers round himself, in every place, those who form the true family, the new family; joined together not after the temporary, dissolving order of nature, but after the abiding, ever-consolidating order of grace. Wheresoever two or three are gathered together in the name of Jesus, there the true Lamb of God is present in all those relations of which the passover lamb gave but a foreshadowing. The true families are made by the coalescence of those who, living in one neighbourhood, have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.
2. The passover lamb was without blemish. Consider what is said in this respect of Jesus.
3. It was a male of the first year. So Jesus was taken in the freshness and strength of his manhood (Luk 3:23).
4. The flesh of the lamb was eaten in the company for which it had been slain. It is only when we bear in mind the first passover in Egypt, that we reach the significance of all that was said and done on the night when Jesus sat down for the last passover feast with his disciples. Jesus took the bread and said: “Take, eat; this is my body.” There was to be no more killing of the lamb; the bread, easily made and easily portioned out, took its place. But still the Lord had to say “this is my body.” A body had to be thought of as eaten, and not mere bread. Really, when we look into the matter, we find that the sprinkling of the blood was only part of the protection; the eating was protective also. Assuredly the sprinkling by itself would have counted for nothing, if the eating had been omitted. When the blood was sprinkled, it illustrated faith in him who comes between God and the sinner. When the flesh was eaten, it illustrated faith in him whose life becomes our life. Being unblemished, he makes us unblemished, and being acceptable to God, he makes us acceptable also.
IV. We observe that even before the event to be commemorated was accomplished JEHOVAH MADE CAREFUL PROVISION FOR A MEMORIAL OBSERVANCE. Thus another indication is given to us, as to the completeness and order with which his plans were laid. Directions are given for the present need, and along with them are combined directions by which the record of this great liberating event may be transmitted to the remotest generations. Henceforth, the beginning of the year is to date from the month of these dealings with the first-born. Then there was also the appointment of the feast of unleavened bread. So crushing was the blow of Jehovah, and so precipitate the consequent action of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, that the Israelites were hurried out of the land with their dough before it was leavened. Here then in this domestic operation of preparing the daily bread was an opportunity given of setting forth once a year the complete separation which God had effected between the Israelites and the Egyptians. When for seven days no leaven was put in the bread, the great fact to be called up was this: that the Egyptians had hastened the Israelites out of the land. This memorial act called up at once the great change which God had produced, and in a comparatively short time. But a little while before and the Egyptians were spoiling the Israelites, demanding from them bricks without straw; now the Israelites are spoiling the Egyptians, getting gold and silver and raiment from them in profusion, and with the utmost good-will.
V. ALL THE OTHER PREPARATIONS FOR JEHOVAH‘S VISIT WERE TO BE CROWNED BY MAKING PULL PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE. Jehovah was coming to open the prison-doors and strike off the fetters; and he would have the captives ready to march on the instant. He is the God who makes all things to work together for good to them who are called according to his purpose. To him who is truly and devoutly obeying God, nothing comes but he is able to meet it. The obedient is never taken at a disadvantage; he is never defrauded of a great opportunity. The children of Israel were to eat the lamb in full readiness for the journey; even though it might plausibly be said that it was a making ready before the time. The lesson is, obey God in everything where as here the terms of his requirement are plain to the understanding and imperative to the conscience. Reasons are not for you, who know only in part, but for him to whom the darkness and the light are both alike.Y.
HOMILIES BY J. URQUHART
I. THE DAY OF DELIVERANCE THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA IN THE HISTORY OF GOD‘S PEOPLE (Heb 11:1, Heb 11:2).
1. It Was then only that the history of the nation as the people of God began. Before they had been told of God’s favour towards them; they now knew it. “Now we believe, not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves” (Joh 4:42).
2. God’s final deliverance begins a new era for his people. “Behold! make all things new.”
3. This has its correlative type in Christian experience now. The true life of the servant of God dates from the hour of his deliverance from the bondage of sin. “If any man be in Christ Jesus he is a new creature: old things are passed away: behold all things are become new.” Before Israel lay the experience of God’s care and love, Sinai, the giving of the law, etc. Before us ties the deepening knowledge of his love, and of his will, the priestly service, etc.
II. THE COMMAND TO MAKE IT THE BEGINNING OF MONTHS.
1. The remembrance of God’s grace makes the soul the dwelling-place of humbleness and trust.
2. It is joy and strength for service.
3. It is consecration; in the brightness of that unmerited grace the life is claimed for God; the ear is opened, the heart is touched and changed; we forget things that are behind, and reach forth to things that are before.U.
Exo 12:3-6
The Passover lamb a prophetic picture of Christ and his salvation.
I. FOR WHOM THE SACRIFICE AVAILS.
1. The families of Israel, the household of faith. There is no other bulwark against the visitation of the angel of death, and it shields these only.
2. Those who feed upon him. Saving faith must be a real, appropriating faith. Mere assent to a form of words avails nothing, neither can a mere intellectual Conviction of the truth of Christianity or apprehension of the plan of salvation; it must be the soul’s food.
II. THE CHARACTER OF THE SACRIFICE. A lamb without blemish; gentleness and blamelessness. He who dies for us is accepted, because he is faultless. The sin-bearer must be sinless. This is redemption’s great central mystery. But though the eternal reason of it may not be understood, the wisdom of it is shown in our experience. The power which changes us lies in this, that Christ died not for sins of his own, but solely for ours. “He bore our sins, in his own body on the tree.”
III. HIS STORY.
1. The lamb kept for four days within the house foretold that God’s accepted sacrifice should come forth from the homes of Israel. The four days may symbolise the nearly four years of our Lord’s ministry.
2. The day and hour of the Saviour’s death (Exo 12:6).
3. His death was to be Israel’s act; “the whole assembly” were to slay it.
(1) Our sins nailed him to the tree. He was stain by our iniquities.
(2) Israel’s act in the murder of the holy and just one was the expression of the sin which is in us all. None are free from this awful blood guiltiness, save the repentant and pardoned.U.
Exo 12:7-13
Christ his people’s salvation and strength.
I. THE MEANS OF SAFETY Exo 12:7-13).
1. They took the blood and struck it on the door posts and the lintel. We must appropriate Christ’s atonement. We must say by faith, “he died for me.”
2. They passed within the blood-stained portals. Christ’s blood must stand between us and condemnation, between us and sin. Our safety lies in setting that between oar soul and them. The realising of Christ’s death for our sins is, salvation.
II. THE MEANS OF STRENGTH FOR THE ONWARD WAY. Feeding upon Christ. While Egypt was slumbering Israel was feasting. While the world is busy with its dreams we must feast upon the joy of eternity, and, comprehending with all saints the infinite love of Christ, be filled with all the fulness of God. “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”
III. HOW CHRIST MUST BE PARTAKEN OF.
1. With unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The old leaven of malice and wickedness must be put away, and the feasting on Christ’s love must be accompanied with repentance and self denial. There may be now and again a momentary glimpse of Christ’s love where sin is not parted with, but there can be no communion, no enduring vision.
2. Christ must be taken as God has set him before us, in the simplicity of the Gospel, with nothing of man’s invention, addition, or diminution. The Gospel remedy avails only when taken in the Gospel way (Exo 12:9, Exo 12:10).
3. He must b? partaken of in the union of love. The Passover is a social, a family feast. Those who refuse to seek church-fellowship are despising God’s arrangements for their own salvation, and proving themselves devoid of the spirit which, loving him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him.
4. He must be partaken of with the pilgrim spirit and preparedness (Exo 12:11). They who will be saved by Jesus must take up their cross and follow him.U.
Exo 12:14-20
The Passover feast the type of the Christian life.
I. THE CHRISTIAN‘S LIFE IS AN UNCEASING FESTIVAL.
1. It is unending, deepening joy. Other joys fade, this brightens.
2. It is a growing appropriation of the Lamb of God. Our union with him grows ever closer, fuller. Is this our experience? A nominal Christianity will never save us. Are we feeding on Jesus? Are we in. him and be in us?
II. IT IS THE KEEPING IN REMEMBRANCE OF A PAST DELIVERANCE, AND THE ANTICIPATION OF A GREATER.
1. There was present safety from the destroyer.
2. On the morrow there was to be the passing out from amidst the broken bonds of Egypt to the promised inheritance. The feast pointed backward, the types onward. We have forgiveness through the blood of Jesus, and the expectation of his coming the second time without sin unto salvation. Faith, and love, and hope the threefold glory of Christ’s people.
III. IT Is A LIFE OF HOLINESS. From the beginning to the end of the feast the old leaven was not to be found in the dwellings of Israel. The soul that turns back to sin is cut off (Exo 12:15, Exo 12:18-20). What was a mere accompaniment in the type, is a fruit of life in Christ.
IV. IT IS A FELLOWSHIP OF ALL BELIEVERS. It Was not only a family feast. It began and it closed with an assembly of the whole congregation. There are separate churches still, as there were families then. But the union of all believers must be recognised and rejoiced in.U.
HOMILIES BY H.T. ROBJOHNS
Exo 12:1-28; 43-51
The Passover.
“It is the Lord’s Passover” (Exo 12:11). After Pharaoh’s refusal to see Moses again, Jehovah comes more manifestly into the history, in the last judgment and deliverance of his people. Three great events crowd now into a single night, the Passover, the slaying of the first-born, the march out. Consider now the Passover.
I. ITS NECESSITY.
1. Israel must be separated from Egypt. This idea of separation runs through all Hebrew history from the time of Abraham to this hour. But to a large extent Israel had now become merged into the Egyptian race, catching the plagues of its idolatry and sins. Great separating acts necessarye.g; as in some of the earlier visitations, in the tenth, in the passover, in the exodus, in the Red Sea.
2. To this end Israel must be atoned afresh with God. The tenth plague was a miracle of pure judgment: for Israel to escape the penalty of its sin, an atonement necessary. That atonement was the passover.
II. ITS DESIGNATIONS. They were these: “A passover unto Jehovah: a sacrificial-slaying of pass-over unto Jehovah:” “The sacrifice of the feast of the passover,” Exo 12:11, Exo 12:27; Exo 34:25. Here we have four distinctive ideas.
1. The Objective of the passover was God. “Unto Jehovah.” Like prayer intended to benefit man, but its objective God. Herein lies the distinction between Scriptural and unscriptural ideas of atonement.
2. The pass-over was a Sacrifice. [For the argument, see Kurtz, vol. 2:297, 298, Eng. ed.]
3. The result was a Passing-over. The stained lintel a bridge over which Jehovah was to pass in dread judicial progress through the land.
4. And a more remote result, the ushering in of a Festal Life for Israel. The festival of the passover foreshadowed the coming life of liberty.
III. THE LAMB. After expository development of the leading incidents, the following truths will emerge in relation to the antitype.
1. The objective of the death of Christ is God. The Socinian formula runs: “The death of Christ was not to reconcile God to man, but man to God.” The scriptural doctrine is that the atonement does both: but reconciles man to God, by first atoning God with man.
2. Christ is “without blemish and without spot.“
3. The atoning Christ was deliberately selected, and fore-appointed.
4. Kept in view of the world, that His worth, beauty and destiny might suitably affect men; as the lamb went in and out, for four days, the homes of Israel.
5. Slain.
6. The death was Sacrificial.
7. The result a Passing-over of judicial wrath.
8. But the sacrifice must be appropriated. The blood on the posts of the door a sign of the appropriating faith of the people. Here may be brought out the idea, that the door was the only possible altar at that moment of history. The idea of sacrifice had come down from patriarchal times; but there was no law of sacrifice, for as yet there was no nation to which to give it, and therefore there was no temple, and so no altar. Every family must be atoned for apart; every house was then a temple, and every door an altar.
9. Then, faith in Christ’s atonement begins for us high Festival.
IV. THE MEAL. Show that the meal was much more than a mere supper to prepare for a journey. It had in it spiritual significance, in relation to the Christ.
1. The Atoning Christ is the Food of the Soul (Joh 6:51). This for the very simple reason, that the truth of the atonement is central, supreme, and comprehensive.
2. An uncorrupted Christ. The lamb was roasted, i.e; was pure flesh acted on by fire; not sodden, diluted with water, or any way corrupted.
3. A perfect Christ, no bone broken. So on the cross a Christ divided is not sufficient for the nourishment of the soul, e.g; Christ as an “elect spirit of the race;’ or as one in whom the “God-consciousness ‘ received high development; or as example; Teacher, etc. Christ in his whole nature, character and office.
4. The enjoyment of Christ and of his salvation will depend on the memory of the slavery of sin. “Bitter herbs.”
5. The christian life is to be characterised by simplicity and sincerity. Note that unleavened bread is simply pure meal, all water Parched out by the action of fire. For the significance see the Christian Rabbi, Paul, 1Co 1:6-8.
6. The end of soul nutriment is the Pilgrim-Life. Each with staff in hand that night.
7. To the banquet, to the Exodus, to the Pilgrim-Life, all are welcome, on conditions, 12:43-45. In that case, first circumcision; then coming under the sprinkled blood, were needful. The analogy is clear. Note! at the moment, when the distinction between Israel and Egypt was most marked, then did the catholicity of true Judaism most appear. In Abraham all mankind was to be blessed.R.
HOMILIES BY G.A. GOODHART
Exo 12:3-11
If one died for all then all died.
Pharaoh’s heart still hardened. The crowning judgment needs no intermediary; Jehovah will reveal His own right arm. Exo 11:4. “Who shall live when God doeth this?” He who obeying His word shelters himself beneath His shadow. See:
I. THE PREPARATION.
1. A carefully selected victim. Exo 11:5, deliberately set apart four days beforehand. Pure within; innocence typified by inexperience, “the first year.” Pure without, “no blemish.”
2. A carefully conducted purification. The partaker of the sacrificial feast must endeavour after a purity resembling that of the victim. Leaven, evil, must be purged out that he may offer and receive worthily.
II. THE PASSOVER. A sarifice to save from death, Exo 5:6, Exo 5:7. Notice
(1) Obedience ensured safety. The judgment was to go forth against the first-born; but the lamb slainhis blood duly sprinkledwould be accepted as a substitute. Obedience all that was demanded.
(2) The meaning of the command. Few types are arbitrary; almost always some ground of relation between them and the thing typified, even though we may not see it. Here the pure lamb represents the offerer as he ought to be; it says in his name “I would be pure; I would dedicate myself wholly to thy service; accept me, not for what I am but for what Thou canst make me. Take this lamb for me; make me as this lamb!” Obedience saves, but that which is commanded shadows forth the final result to be achieved by obedience.
2. Sustenance to nerve for duty. Lamb not merely to be killed but eaten. The people saved from the destroyer are to be released also from the oppressor; to commence at once the life of liberty. Strength needed for the march. That which saves is that which supports, if the lamb represents the offerer as he ought to be, feeding upon the lamb will represent feeding by faith upon the ideal thus figured. To become righteous we must hunger and thirst after righteousness, Mat 5:6. Dedication is the starting-point, but the road is persistent obedience, and they only can walk that road who feed upon the ideal first set before them (Php 3:12-14).
III. CHRIST OUR PASSOVER. The type leads naturally to the great antitype.
1. Our sacrifice.
(1) Pure, perfect. Slain for us. By faith accepting his work, peace with God; shelter from the avenging angel. This is what we mean by substitutionChrist died for me. Notice however:
(2) Accepting this sacrifice we must still regard it as representative. Pleading its efficacy, we not merely mean “Forgive me for Christ’s sake,” but also, “I would be like Christ, I would give myself up wholly to Thy will even as he has doneAccept me in him, make me like him!” The doctrine of substitution is only explained by this underlying doctrine of identity, it could not otherwise be a doctrine of salvation.
2. Our sustenance. We too, saved in Christ, have to march on along the road which leads from slavery to freedom. To do this we must feed upon our ideal, “inwardly digest” it. What we ought to be; what we hope to be; what Christ is. Our great advantage over the Jew is that our ideal is realised in a person. To feed upon it is to feed upon Christ. To attain it is to be like Christ, to be one with him.
Application. Christ died for us. True, but Christ dying for us implies that we also die with him. Dedication of a substitute not enough unless self is dedicated in the substitute. Very well wishing to be happy, and the hope of many is little more than this. God, however, means us to be holy, and there is no easy road to holiness. Accept the ideal, accept Christ out and out, we shall find him more than an ideal: he will strengthen and sustain us till we attain it. Forget what the ideal is; forget what dedication means; we may yet find that it is possible for those who are saved from bondage to perish in the wilderness.G.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
B.The divine ordinance of the passover
Exo 12:1-20
1, 2And Jehovah spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In [On] the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers [according to households], a lamb for a house: 4And if the household be too little for the [a] lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating, shall [shall ye] make your count for the lamb. 5Your lamb shall be [ye shall have a lamb] without blemish, a male of the first year [one year old]: ye shall take it out [take it] from the sheep, or from the goats. 6And ye shall keep it up [keep it] until the fourteenth day of the same [this] month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 7And they shall take of the blood, and strike [put] it on the two side-posts and on the upper door-post 8[the lintel] of the houses wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night roast [roasted] with fire, and unleavened bread; and [bread]: with 9bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not [nothing] of it raw, nor sodden at all [boiled] with water, but roast [roasted] with fire; his [its] head with his [its] legs, and with the purtenance [inwards] thereof. 10And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. 11And thus shall ye eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste3: it is the Lords 12passover [a passover unto Jehovah]. For [And] I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am Jehovah. 13And the blood shall be to you for a token [sign] upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you [there shall be no destroying plague upon you], when I smite the land of Egypt. 14And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep [celebrate] it a feast to Jehovah; throughout your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever [celebrate it as a perpetual ordinance]. 15Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even [yea, on] the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses; for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16And in the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation to you [on the first day ye shall have a holy convocation, and on the seventh day a holy convocation]; no manner of work [no work] shall be done in them; save [only] that which every man must eat [is eaten by every man], that only may be done of you. 17And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in [on] this self-same day have I brought your armies [hosts] out of the land of Egypt; therefore shall ye [and ye shall] observe this day in [throughout] your generations by [as] an ordinance foreExo Exo 12:18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. 19Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even [leavened], that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger [sojourner] or born in the land. 20Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
TEXTUAL AND GRAMMATICAL
[Exo 12:11. . Lange translates: in Flucht-bereitschaft, in readiness for flight, condemning De Wettes rendering, Eilfertigkeit, haste, precipitation. But in the only other two passages where the word occurs, Langes translation is hardly admissible. Deu 16:3, Thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste, . It could not be said, Thou camest forth in readiness for flight. So Isa 52:12, Ye shall not go out with haste (), nor go by flight. Here the word also denotes anxious haste. The verb likewise everywhere conveys the notion of hurriedness, or anxiety connected with haste.Tr.].
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Exo 12:1 sqq. Institution of the Passover. As Christendom reckons its years according to the salvation in Christ, so the Israelites were to reckon the months of the year from the first month of their redemption. The first month, in which the redemption took place, Abib (month of green ears) or Nisan, was to become the first month of their year. Hereby likewise the feast of the Passover was to be made the foundation of all the Jewish feasts, and the Passover sacrifice the foundation of all the various kinds of offering. The feast, however, becomes a double one. The Passover, as the feast of redemption, lasts, together with the day of preparation, only one night; the least of unleavened bread (including the Passover) seven days. Since the feast of the great day of atonement also coalesces with the feast of tabernacles which follows close upon it, it would seem that the feast of Pentecost also, as the feast of ingathering, requires to be coupled with something. The institution of the feast of the Passover, connected with the announcement of the destruction of the first-born of Egypt, is narrated in Exo 12:1-14; in 1520 the institution of the feast of unleavened bread. The two feasts, however, are so thoroughly blended into one, that the whole feast may be called either the Passover, or the feast of unleavened bread. The festival as a whole signifies separation from the corruption of Egypt, this being a symbol of the corruption of the world. The foundation of the whole consists in the divine act of redemption celebrated by the Passover. The result consists in the act of the Israelites, the removal of the leaven, which denotes community with Egyptian principles (Vid. Comm. on Matthew, pp. 245, 289). We have here, therefore, a typical purification based on a typical redemption.
Exo 12:1-2. In the land of Egypt.It is a mark of the dominion of Jehovah in the midst of His enemies, that He established the Jewish community in the land of Egypt, as also the Christian community in the midst of Judaism, and the Evangelical community under the dominion of the Papacy. To the triumphant assurance in regard to the place corresponds the triumphant assurance in regard to the time: the Passover, as a typical festival of redemption, was celebrated before the typical redemption itself; the Lords Supper before the real redemption; and in the constant repetition of its celebration it points forward to the final redemption which is to take place when the Lord comes. Keil calls attention to this legislation in the land of Egypt, as the first, in distinction from the legislation on Mt. Sinai and the fields of Moab.The beginning of months.It does not definitely follow from this ordinance that the Jews before had a different beginning of the year; but this is probable, inasmuch as the Egyptians had a different one. Vid. Keil, Vol. 11., p. 10. Nisan nearly corresponds to our April.
Exo 12:3. Unto all the congregation of Israel.As heretofore, through the elders.A lamb.A lamb or kid.According to households.The companies were not to be formed arbitrarily, but were to be formed according to families. Vid. Exo 12:21.On the tenth day of this month.Vid. Exo 12:6.
Exo 12:4. Of course more than two families might unite, if some of them were childless. Also perhaps the gaps in smaller families might be filled by members from excessively large ones. Later tradition fixed upon ten as the normal number of participants.
Exo 12:5. Quality of the lamb: without blemish, male, one year old. For divergent opinions, see Keil, Vol. II., p. 11.4 That the lamb, as free from blemish, was designed to represent the moral integrity of the offerer (Keil), is a very doubtful proposition, since moral integrity needs no expiatory blood; it might, with more propriety, be taken to represent theocratic integrity. Also the requirement that the lamb be a male can hardly [as Keil assumes] have exclusive reference to the first-born sons [for whom the lambs were substituted]. The requirement of one year as the age probably is connected with the necessity that the lamb be weaned; furthermore, it was for a meal which was to suffice for an ordinary family. The first-born of beasts which were sacrificed on other occasions than at the Passover needed only to be eight days old. As the lamb was of more value than the kid, it is natural that for this occasion it became more and more predominantly used.
Exo 12:6. Ye shall keep it.Does this mean simply: ye shall keep it in store? Probably it is intimated that the lamb was designed either to represent the persons, or to be held in custody for them. Why did this keeping of the animal last from the 10th to the 14th of Nisan? Which regulation, however, Jonathan and Raschi regarded as applicable only to the passover slain in Egypt (Keil). According to Hofmann, the four days refer to the four generations spent by the Israelites in Egypt. In that case the whole analogy would lie in the number four. If the 10th day of Nisan was near the day of the command, and Moses foresaw that the last plague would not come till after four days, it was natural for him not to leave so important a preparation to the last day; the four days, moreover, were by the ordinance itself devoted entirely to wholesome suspense and preparation; in another form Fagius refers to this when he says: ut occasionem haberent inter se colloquendi et disputandi, etc. Vid. Keil.The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel.Although every head of a family killed his lamb, yet the individual acts were a common act of the people in the view of the author of the rite. Israel was the household enlarged; the separate household was the community in miniature. Hence later the lambs were slain in the court.In the evening (literally between the two evenings). This regulation, which distinguishes two evenings in one day, is explained in three ways: (1) between sunset and dark (Aben-Ezra, the Karaites and Samaritans, Keil and others); (2) just before and just after sunset (Kimchi, Raschi, Hitzig); (3) between the decline of the day and sunset (Josephus, the Mishna, and the practice of the Jews). Without doubt this is the correct explanation; in favor of it may be adduced Exo 16:12; Deu 16:6; Joh 13:2. According to this passage, preparation for the Passover was begun before the sun was fully set. Considerable time was needed for the removal of the leaven and the killing of the lamb. According to the Jewish conception of the day as reckoned from 6 A. M. to 6 P. M., there was in fact a double evening: first, the decline of the day of twelve hours; secondly, the night-time, beginning at 6 P. M., which, according to Gen 1:5 and Mat 28:1, was always evening in the wider sensethe evening of the day of twenty-four hourswhich preceded the morning, the day in the narrower sense.5
Exo 12:7. Take of the blood.The two door-posts, as well as the lintel of the door, denote the whole door; the threshold is excepted because the atoning blood should not be trodden under foot. The door, says Keil, through which one goes into the house, stands for the house itself; as is shown by the frequent expression: in thy gates, for in thy cities, Exo 20:10, etc. It is here assumed that every house or tent had a door properly so called. Expiation was made for the house, and it was consecrated as an altar (Keil). This is a confused conception. It was the household that was atoned for; the building did thus indeed become a sort of sanctuary; but in what sense was it to be an altar? For here all kinds of offerings were united in one central offering: the , or the slaughter of the Egyptian firstborn; the expiatory offering, or the blood sprinkled by the hyssop-branch on the door-posts (Lev 14:49; Num 19:18), which, therefore, as such represent the several parts of the altar; the thank-offering, or the Passover-meal; the burnt-offering, or the burning of the parts left over. Because the door-posts themselves stand for the altar, the smearing of them was afterwards given up, and, instead, the lamb was killed in the court; and this change must have been made as soon as there was a court.
Exo 12:8. On that night.The one following the 14th of Nisan. Why only on the same night? Otherwise it would not have been a festive meal. Why roasted? The fire (itself symbolically significant) concentrates the strength of the meat; by boiling a part of it passes into the water. The unleavened bread has a two-fold significance. When eaten at the Passover, it denotes separation from the leaven of Egypt (Mat 16:6; Mat 16:12; 2Co 5:8); as a feast by itself, the feast of unleavened bread, called bread of affliction, denotes remembrance of the afflictions which were connected with the flight from Egypt (Deu 16:3). This is overlooked, when it is inferred from Exo 12:17 that the ordinance of the feast of unleavened bread was made at a later time (as Keil does, II., p. 20).With bitter herbs., (LXX.), lactuc agrestes (Vulg.), the wild lettuce, the endive, etc. Vid. Keil II., p. 15, Knobel, p. 99. According to Russell, says Knobel, there are endives in Syria from the beginning of the winter months to the end of March; then comes lettuce in April and May. According to Keil, the bitter herbs are not called accompaniments of the meal, but are represented as the principal part of the meal, here and in Num 9:11. For , he says, does not mean along with, together with, but retains its fundamental meaning, upon, over. In this way the following strange symbolic meaning is deduced: The bitter herbs are to call to mind the bitterness of life experienced by Israel in Egypt, and this bitterness is to be overcome by the sweet flesh of the lamb. If only the bitter herbs did not taste pleasant! If only the lamb did not form a meal of thank-offering, and in this meal were not the chief thing! May not the lamb, according to the usual custom, have lain upon a setting of bitter herbs? In the passage before us only the unleavened bread is said to be put upon the bitter herbs. The modification of the arrangement in Num 9:11 is unimportant. It is a strange notion that the bitter herbs and the sweet bread formed the basis of the Passover-meal (Keil). In that case the sweet bread ought to have made the sweet flesh of the lamb superfluous. Moreover, the opposite of sweet is not bitter, but sour. According to Knobel, the bitter herbs correspond to the frankincense which used to accompany many offerings of grain, inasmuch as they had, for the most part, a pleasant odor. But frankincense has a special reference to prayer. If the bitter herbs are to be interpreted as symbolic, we may understand that they supplement the negative significance of the unleavened bread by something positive, as being health-giving, vitalizing, consecratory herbs.
Exo 12:9. Its head with its legs. [From the head to the thighs, is Langes translation.] I.e., as Raschi correctly explains, whole, not cut in pieces, so that the head and legs are not separated from the animal, no bone of him is broken (Exo 12:46), and the inward parts together with the (nobler?) entrails, these of course first cleansed, are roasted in and with the body.6 The unity of the lamb was to remain intact; on which point comp. Bhr, Symbolik des Mosaischen Cultus II., p. 635, Keil, and others.7 The symbolic significance of the lamb thus tended towards the notion of personality and inviolability, that on which rested also the fact and continuance of the unity of the family which partook of it.
Exo 12:10. Let nothing of it remain. But what nevertheless does remain till morning is to be burnt with fire (Keil). But was any of it allowed to remain till morning? Vid. my hypothesis, Life of Christ, Vol. IV., p. 262.8
Exo 12:11. And thus. The preparation for the journey is here at once real and symbolic. The readiness to start is expressed by three marks: the loins girded (tucked up); the travelling shoes on the feet; the walking-stick in the hand. That even the O. T. ritual was no rigid ordinance is proved by the remarkable fact that at the time of Christ they ate the passover lying on couches.In haste. [In readiness for flight, Lange.] A meal could hardly have been taken in anxious flight (Keil), or in anxious haste (Knobel).9It is Jehovahs Passover. Not the Passover unto Jehovah, as Keil takes it, referring to Exo 20:10, Exo 32:5. For the Passover designates Jehovahs own going through, going by, passing over (sparing), as symbolically represented and appropriated by the Passover festival. The feast, it is true, is celebrated to Jehovah; but it celebrates Jehovahs act, and in the place where the rite is first instituted, it cannot appear as already instituted.10 The LXX say: . The Vulg. est enim Phase (id est transitus) domini. On the meaning of vid. the lexicons, and Keil II., p. 17. The pesach is primarily the divine act of passing over; next the lamb with the killing of which this exemption is connected; finally, the whole eight days festival, including that of unleavened bread (Deu 16:1-6), as, on the other hand, the latter feast also included that of the Passover. That this first Passover was really a sacrificial feast, Keil proves, in opposition to Hofmann, II., p. 17. Comp. Hofmanns Schriftbeweis II., p. 271.11
Exo 12:12-13. Explanation of the Passover. And I. The counterpart and prototype of the Passover festival are historic facts. First, Jehovah, as judge, passes through all Egypt. Secondly, He visits upon the young life in the land a plague whose miraculousness consists especially in the fact that the first-born fall, the infliction beginning with the house of Pharaoh. The result is that all the gods of Egypt are judged by Jehovah. What does that mean? Keil says: the gods of Egypt were spiritual powers, . Pseudo-Jonathan: idols. Knobel compares Num 33:4, and says: We are to think especially of the death of the first-born beasts, since the Egyptians worshipped beasts as gods, (!) etc. The essential thing in the subjective notion of gods are the religious conceptions and traditions of the heathen, in so far as they, as real powers, inhere in national ideals and sympathies. Legends in point, vid. in Knobel, p. 100. Thirdly, Jehovah spares the first-born of the Israelites.The blood shall be to you for a sign. The expression is of psychological importance, even for the notion of atonement. It does not read: it shall be to me for a sign. The Israelites were to have in the blood the sacramental sign that by the offering of blood the guilt of Israel in connection with Egypt was expiated, in that Jehovah had seen the same blood. This looking on the blood which warded off the pestilence reminds us of the looking up to the brazen serpent, and of the believers contemplation of the perfect atonement on the cross. Keil says, In the meal the sacrificium becomes a sacramentum.
Exo 12:14. The solemn sanction of the Passover.As an ordinance for ever. The institution of the Passover continues still in its completed form in the new institution of the Lords Supper.
Exo 12:15. The solemn institution of the seven days feast of unleavened bread. It was contemporaneous with the Passover; not afterwards appended to it, for this is not implied by Exo 12:17. (See above on Exo 12:8). The real motive was the uniform removal of the Egyptian leaven, a symbol of entire separation from everything Egyptian. Hence the clearing away of the leaven had to be done on the first day, even before the incoming of the 15th of Nisan, on the evening of the 14th. Vid. Exo 12:18. Hence also every one who during this time ate anything leavened was to be punished with death. He showed symbolically that he wished to side with Egypt, not with Israel. The explanation, The unleavened bread is the symbol of the new life, cleansed from the leaven of sin, (Keil), is founded on the fundamentally false assumption, revived again especially by Hengstenberg, that the leaven is in itself a symbol of the sinful life. If this were the case, the Israelites would have had to eat unleavened bread all the time, and certainly would not have been commanded on the day of Pentecost to put leavened bread on the altar (Lev 23:17). The leaven is symbol only of transmission and fellowship, hence, in some cases, of the old or of the corrupt life. Leaven of the Egyptian character, says Keil himself, II., p. 21.
Exo 12:16. On the first day. This is the day following the holy night, the second half of the 15th of Nisan. Like the seventh day it is appointed a festival, but to be observed less rigidly than the Sabbath. According to Lev 23:7, the only employments forbidden are the regular labors of ones vocation or service, and food may be prepared according to the necessities of the day; this was not allowed on the Sabbath.
Exo 12:17. For on this self-same day. Strictly speaking then, the days of unleavened bread began with the beginning of the 15th of Nisan, and in commemoration of the exodus itself, whereas the Passover was devoted to the commemoration of the preceding dreadful night of judgment and deliverance, the real adoption or birth of Gods people Israel.
Exo 12:18. On the fourteenth day of the month. This is the feast of unleavened bread in the wider sense, including the Passover. The Passover, according to the very idea of it, could not be celebrated with leavened bread, i.e., in connection with any thing Egyptian, for it represented a separation, in principle, from what was Egyptian.
Exo 12:19. Also the foreigner, who wishes to live among the Israelites, must submit to this ordinance, even though he has continued to be a foreigner, i.e., has not been circumcised. The one born in the land is the Israelite himself, so called either in anticipation of his destined place of settlement, or in the wider sense of nationality. Keil approves Leclercs interpretation: quia oriundi erant ex Isaaco et Jacobo, [because they were to take their origin from Isaac and Jacob.]
Exo 12:20. Eat nothing leavened. Again and again is this most sacred symbolic ceremony enjoined, for it symbolizes the consecration of Gods people, a consecration based on their redemption.
Footnotes:
[3][Exo 12:11. . Lange translates: in Flucht-bereitschaft, in readiness for flight, condemning De Wettes rendering, Eilfertigkeit, haste, precipitation. But in the only other two passages where the word occurs, Langes translation is hardly admissible. Deu 16:3, Thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste, . It could not be said, Thou camest forth in readiness for flight. So Isa 52:12, Ye shall not go out with haste (), nor go by flight. Here the word also denotes anxious haste. The verb likewise everywhere conveys the notion of hurriedness, or anxiety connected with haste.Tr.].
[4][The age of the lamb is expressed in Hebrew by the phrase: son of a year. The Rabbinical interpretation is that this means a year old or less, and in practice it has been applied to lambs from the age of eight days to that of one year. Apparently our translators had that interpretation in mind in rendering: of the first year. But notwithstanding the wide currency of this view (adopted even by Rosenmller, Baumgarten, Murphy and other modern commeutators), it seems to be almost stupidly incorrect, as Knobel very clearly shows. Murphy says: The phrase son of a year means of any age from a month to a full year, and refers to Gen 7:6; Gen 7:11. But why from a month? Why not eight days as well? Why not one day, or one second, from the time of birth? Isaac, we are told in Gen 21:4, was circumcised when he was the son of eight days. How old was he? In Lev 27:6 we read: If it be from the son of a month unto the son of five years, where the A. V. reads correctly a month old, and five years old. It would be a singular way of fixing two limits, if both expressions are so indeterminate as the Rabbinical interpretation would make them. If the son of a year may be as young as eight days, and the son of a month may be twenty-nine days old, what is the use of the phrase son of a month at all? Or what is the sense of using the latter phrase as the early limit? Why not say simply: If it be the son of five years? which, according to the Rabbinical interpretation, ought to cover the whole period.Tr.]
[5][Ginsburg in Alexanders Kittos Cyclopdia, Art. Passover, has shown that the second of the three views about the two evenings was not held by Kimchi and Raschi (otherwise called Jarchi), but that they agreed with the great mass of Jewish commentators in adopting the third view. The phrase itself is so vague that from it alone the meaning cannot with certainty be gathered. Most modern Christian commentators, it should be said, adopt the first view. Deu 16:6, where the time for sacrificing the Passover is fixed at the going down of the sun, is quoted as favoring that view, while Lange quotes it on the other side. Whatever may have been the exact meaning of the phrase originally, it is probable that the very early Jewish practice corresponded with the Rabbinical interpretation. The transactions recorded in 1 Kings 18 indicate this. There we read (Exo 12:26) that the prophets of Baal called on Baal from morning till noon, and afterwards (Exo 12:29) from mid-day until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice (more exactly, until towards the time). According to Exo 29:39 the evening sacrifice also was offered between the two evenings. If the meaning were from mid-day till sunset, there would seem to be no reason why it should not have been so expressed. Besides, it is intrinsically improbable that the howlings of the false prophets continued through the whole day. Especially is it difficult, if not impossible, to find time enough in the evening of that day for the events which are narrated to have followed, viz. Elijahs prayer, the consumption of the burnt-offering, the slaying of the false prophets, the return from the Kishon, the prayer for rain, the servants going seven times to look, Elijahs going to Jezreel.Tr.]
[6][This sentence is marked as a quotation by Lange, but the source, as very often in the German original, is not indicated; and in this case I have not been able to trace it out.Tr.].
[7][Bhr, l. c. says on this point: This had no other object than that all who received a part of that one intact Iamb, i.e., who ate of it, should regard themselves as a unit and a whole, as a community, just like those who eat the New Testament Passover, the body of Christ (1Co 5:7), of which the Apostle, in 1Co 10:17, says, For we being many are one bread and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread.Tr.].
[8][The hypothesis is that the remains of the paschal lamb, if there were any, were burnt up the same night, and therefore were not allowed to remain till the next day. But this seems to conflict with the plain language of the verse.Tr.].
[9][Why not in anxious haste? A man can surely eat in haste as well as do anything else in haste. That there was to be a readiness for flight is sufficiently indicated by the precept concerning the girdles, sandals, and staves. Vid. under Textual and Grammatical.Tr.].
[10][We have let the A. V. reading stand: nevertheless it is by no means so clear that Keil is not right. He certainly is supported not only by many of the best versions and commentators, but by the Hebrew, which literally rendered can read only, It is a Passover to Jehovah, or It is a Passover of Jehovah. The latter differs from Langes translation as making Passover indefinite, whereas Jehovahs Passover is equivalent to the Passover of Jehovah. Furthermore, the subject of the sentence naturally, if not necessarily, refers to the lamb; but the lamb cannot be called Jehovahs passing over. The last point made in opposition to Keil is not just, inasmuch as Keil does not render (as Lange makes him) the Passover unto Jehovah, but distinctly leaves the noun indefinite, so that there is no implication that it was an already existent institution.Tr.].
[11][Hofmann takes in Exo 12:27 in the general sense of slaughter, instead of the ceremonial sense of sacrifice, and argues that, as the lamb was killed in order to be eaten, it was in no proper sense an offering to Jehovah, although the killing and eating of it was divinely commanded. He distinguishes also between the original ordinance and the later celebration of it. Keil, on the contrary, lays stress on the fact that and everywhere, except Pro 17:1, and 1Sa 28:24, denote sacrifice in the narrow ceremonial sense, and that the Passover in Num 9:7 is called , offering. Knobel likewise says, Without doubt the Passover was a sort of offering. But he contends that it was not (as Keil and others hold) a sin-offering, for the reasons: (1) that the O. T. gives no indication of such a character; (2) that the mode of observing the rite differed from that belonging to the sin-offering, particularly in that the lamb was eaten, whereas none of the animal constituting the sin-offering was eaten; and (3) that it was a joyous festival, whereas everything connected with the sin-offering was solemn. He classes it, therefore, rather with the burnt-offering. But the latter was not eaten, and had (though not exclusively, yet partially) an explatory character. Vid. Lev 1:4.Tr.].
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
CONTENTS
This Chapter becomes exceedingly interesting to the Christian Reader, in that it contains an account of the institution of the Jewish passover. And whoever considers what Paul the apostle hath said of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom he expressly calls our Passover, will be very earnest to observe every minute circumstance recorded of the Jewish passover, whose great and leading object was to point to Christ. Here, therefore, I would again particularly desire the Reader to keep in view the motto which was placed over the writings of Moses in our first entrance upon them: I mean what the Lord Jesus himself said, Moses wrote of me. And in this Chapter I would beg the Reader to search, as for hidden treasure, through every part of it, until he hath found Jesus. The most prominent parts of this Chapter are the institution of the passover: the feast of unleavened bread: the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt: the distress and terror of the Egyptians at the event: the pressing importunity of Pharaoh and his people for the departure of Israel, the Israelites baring Egypt by night, being urged to it by the Egyptians: and an account of a mixed multitude going up out of Egypt with them.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
New mercies call for new memorandums, Deu 16:1 , Abib, that is the spring of the year. From this time the Israelites began their year. It should seem that before this period they reckoned their new year after gathering in the fruits of harvest, perhaps about what we call September.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 12:8
Christianity, considered as a moral system, is made up of two elements, beauty and severity; whenever either is indulged to the loss or disparagement of the other, evil ensues…. Even the Jews, to whom this earth was especially given, and who might be supposed to be at liberty without offence to satiate themselves in its gifts, were not allowed to enjoy it without restraint. Even the Paschal Lamb, their great typical feast, was eaten ‘with bitter herbs’.
Newman, Sermons on Subjects of the Day, pp. 120-121.
References. XII. 8. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xlvii. No. 2727. XII. 13. Ibid. vol. v. No. 228; ibid. vol. xxi. No. 1251; see also Twelve Sermons on the Atonement, p. 25. XII. 14. H. J. Wilmot-Buxton, Sunday Lessons for Daily Life, p. 317. XII. 21-22. J. McNeill, Regent Square Pulpit, vol. ii. p. 33. XII. 21-27. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxxiii. No. 1988; see also Twelve Sermons to Young Men, p. 252.
Exo 12:26
‘What then,’ asks the author of Let Youth But Know (p. 50), ‘is the fundamental task of a liberal education? What should be its constant endeavour? Surely to awaken and to keep ever alert the faculty of wonder in the human soul. To take life as a matter of course whether painful or pleasurable that is the true spiritual death. From the body of that death it is the task of education to deliver us.’
The Meaning of the Observance of Easter
Exo 12:26-27
Take the first things commemorated by the Jewish Passover, and see how they are fulfilled in the Christian’s Easter.
I. The Passover told, first, of the deliverance from the misery of Egyptian bondage; and Easter tells of man’s deliverance from a bondage worse than that of Egypt the bondage of sin.
II. The Passover commemorated the means by which the Israelites were delivered the death of the first-born, the substituted blood of the lamb. And this is what Good Friday and Easter preaches to the Christian the love of God, Who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all the power of Christ’s resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, by which we are freed from the bonds of our sins, and are raised with Him.
III. The Jews were reminded by the Passover that the Agent of their deliverance was none other than Jehovah Himself, Who overthrew their enemies and brought them safely through the Red Sea. And we are reminded that the Agent of our sanctification is the Holy Ghost, by whose special grace preventing us all good desires are poured into our hearts, and by whose operation in the sacraments both actual and sanctifying grace are conveyed to our souls.
IV. We observe that in the feast of the Passover was fulfilled God’s command, ‘This day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever’.
The Passover, like other Jewish rites, has been abrogated; or, rather, has been taken up into and fulfilled in its highest sense in the sacrifice of the altar, whereby, according to our Lord’s holy institution, we ‘continue a perpetual memory of that His precious death until His coming again’.
A. G. Mortimer, The Church’s Lessons for the Christian Year, part ii. p. 336.
References. XII. 26. Henry Alford, Quebec Chapel Sermons, vol. i. p. 17. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxxviii. No. 2268. XII. 26, 27. R. E. Hutton, The Crown of Christ, vol. ii. p. 343. A. Murray, The Children for Christ, p. 84.
Exo 12:29-30
Speaking in favour of peace with Russia, John Bright once employed this passage most effectively in the House of Commons. ‘I do not suppose,’ he said, ‘that your troops are to be beaten in actual conflict with the foe, or that they will be driven into the sea; but I am certain that many homes in England in which there now exists a fond hope that the distant one may return many such homes may be rendered desolate when the next mail shall arrive. The Angel of Death has been abroad throughout the land; you may almost hear the beating of bis wings. There is no one, as when the first-born were slain of old, to sprinkle with blood the lintel and the two side-posts of our doors, that he may spare and pass on; he takes his victims from the castle of the noble, the mansion of the wealthy, and the cottage of the poor and lowly, and it is on behalf of all these classes that I make this solemn appeal.’
References. XII. 29. T. A. Gurney, The Living Lord and the Opened Grave, p. 57. XII. 30. A. Ainger, Christian World Pulpit, vol. lix. 1901, p. 91.
Exo 12:34
No one doctrine can be named which starts complete at first, and gains nothing afterwards from the investigations of faith and the attacks of heresy. The Church went forth from the old world in haste, as the Israelites from Egypt ‘with their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders’.
Newman, Development of Christian Doctrine (chap. II. 1).
Exo 12:35
Writing, in his Letters (p. 42), of one practical problem which emerged at the time of the slave emancipation in America, Dr. John Ker observes: ‘While the slave owes nothing to the system except to runaway from it, there may have been, and I believe were, masters who held up the chains they could not break, and made the system, in fact, not slavery, and a runaway slave might owe such a master something in honour. The Israelites borrowed asked jewels from the Egyptians their kept back wages, I suppose but then we live under a more generous economy.’
Exo 12:38
Aberrations there must ever be, whatever the doctrine is, while the human heart is sensitive, capricious, and wayward. A mixed multitude went out of Egypt with the Israelites. There will ever be a number of persons professing the opinions of a movement party, who talk loudly and strangely, do odd or fierce things, display themselves unnecessarily, and disgust other people; persons too young to be wise, too generous to be cautious, too warm to be sober, or too intellectual to be humble. Such persons will be very apt to attach themselves to particular persons, to use particular names, to say things merely because others do, and to act in a party-spirited way.
Newman, Apologia pro Vita Sua, p. 99.
The Message of the Book of Exodus
Exo 12:41
The story of Exodus is the story of a Divine deliverance.
I. This story of deliverance is in its first stage a story of an awakening. When God came to Israel in Egypt he found her in bondage. She was the slave of Pharaoh, fulfilling his purpose and doing his work. But Pharaoh had no right to Israel’s services Israel belonged to God. What she needed was awakening to a sense of her true dignity and her high destiny. Now this awakening God brought about in a twofold way:
1. By increasing the severity of the oppression until it became unbearable. Then the children of Israel sighed by reason of their bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
2. And then, just as this national conscience was awaking, God sent Moses to nurse it into vigorous life.
II. The awakening past, the story begins.
A story of struggle. When Israel awoke to desire deliverance and to work for it, there began one of the greatest struggles in the world’s history. Israel never knew how strong the arm of Pharaoh was until she tried to shake herself loose from it just as no man knows what a grip sin has on him until he strives to Be free from it; but the moment Israel awoke it began. God then fought for Israel, as He always fights for the soul who is seeking to be His.
So the story of struggle becomes a story of deliverance. In this story of deliverance two things are specially emphasized: (1) that from beginning to end the deliverance was the work of God ; (2) that this deliverance was a deliverance through blood-shedding. All the might of the first nine plagues did not avail. It required the knife that shed the blood of the Paschal Lamb to sever the cords that kept the Israelites slaves.
III. Having recorded the Deliverance, the book takes a step forward and becomes a story of Guidance and Instruction. With this story the greater part of the book is filled. From the Red Sea Israel is led to Sinai. Instruction is the necessary sequence of deliverance. So Israel is brought to Sinai to receive it. There God gives a law, obedience to which will furnish the fullest expression for a godly life.
But after the laws for the regulation of life have been given there follow laws for the regulation of worship. It is important then for us to note this: While our whole life is to be a life of worship, recognition of this must not prevent our engaging in special acts of worship. But when we worship God, God desires that in our worship we should accept His guidance. Therefore after the laws for the regulation of life come the directions for the making of the Tabernacle. And then the current of the book is for the time changed to remind us that, in the life of the saved, there is always the possibility of backsliding. The book of Exodus would be distinctly less valuable, and its picture of the spiritual life distinctly less complete, had it not contained the story of the Golden Calf.
The last six chapters of the book are devoted to a record of how Moses, in implicit obedience to the orders he had received, made the Tabernacle.
And how does the story close? ‘So Moses finished the work… and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.’ That was the supreme reward of Israel’s obedience. By her obedience she became a people among whom God dwelt. The Lord her God was in the midst of her, blessing her, saving her, guiding her in all her journeys, until he led her right into the promised land.
G. H. C. Macgregor, Messages of the Old Testament, p. 17.
Reference. XII. 41. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. ii. No. 55.
Exo 12:42
The lesson taught to Pharaoh and to Israel on that awful, that joyous night of deliverance, is still a living lesson; not one jot of its force is abated. God neither slumbers nor sleeps. He watches ever. Not one slip passes unrecorded in the heavenly volume…. This is the first lesson taught by our watch-night the lesson of the sleepless justice of God, which brings home at last the sin to the guilty, and which remembers pitifully, lovingly, every suffering soul that sin has wronged.
Morris Joseph, The Ideal in Judaism, p. 65.
References. XII. 42. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xix. No. 1092. XII. 48. W. Binnie, Sermons, p. 72. XIII. 1, 13-15. A. Murray, The Children for Christ, p. 92. XIII. 8. C. S. Robinson, Simon Peter, p. 63. XIII. 9. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Exodus, etc., p. 46.
Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson
The Preservation of the Israelites
Exo 12:1-20
During the plague of hail, when the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast, when the fire ran along upon the ground and the hail was so grievous that there had been none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation, “Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail” “The Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.” After the plague of hail came the plague of darkness. It was a darkness that night be felt. “There was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days,” during which period the people “saw not one another, neither rose any from his place.” In the midst of this darkness “all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings” “The Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.” After the plague of darkness came a still more terrible midnight, the midnight in which the firstborn of Egypt were destroyed. But in view of that infinite darkness the Lord changed the beginning of the year. He changes the beginnings of time now. He will not have your history reckoned from your fleshly birthday, but from the day when you were born again. On the tenth day of the new year every man in Israel took a lamb, “a lamb for an house,” a lamb without blemish, either a sheep or a goat. So a touch of grace is in this technical regulation. On the fourteenth day four days having elapsed, during which the lamb would be examined to see if there were spot or blemish in his flesh the lamb was killed in the evening, and each family took of the blood and struck it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of the houses wherein the lamb was eaten. The sign was blood: the blood was a token upon the houses, “and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” So in hail there was dryness; in darkness there was light; in destruction there was preservation “The Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.” To explain the detail is not in human power, but to me the detail is a small mystery compared with the greater problem that these trifling acts of mitigation still left the people themselves in the cruel bondage of Egypt. They were dry in the midst of the hail, but they were not the less in bondage; they had lights in their houses, but their houses themselves were prisons; they were not killed in sudden judgment the very suddenness of which is mercy; but they died the slow and sevenfold death of studied cruelty. If I had read all this in an ancient book written by an author unknown, I should have been staggered by its romance, and strongly disposed towards unbelief. But it is not written in an ancient book; it is not a romance by an anonymous author; it is not a weird poem written by a poet who plucked his feather from the pinion of a flying eagle and madly dipped it in some sea of sulphur. It is a picture of our own life; it is stiff prose, hard as facts, true to the lines which give definiteness to every day. We may give up every one of the descriptive words and leave in its splendid integrity the internal doctrine. The fear is that the critic should never get beyond the door of the words, simply because he is a critic only within a narrow compass. The great and solemn question to be put by every reader is this: What is the purpose of the description? What is the moral truth which the description is intended to picture and convey? Having seized the spiritual teaching, all that is external and decorative may be traced to national habits of expression perhaps to Oriental exaggeration. Our business does not end with the language, but with the inner truth which that language was intended vividly to represent. In the light of this canon of interpretation let me repeat that this whole incident, turning upon the differences which it represents between men, is part of our own history, and the whole drama is passing before our own eyes, yes, through the very centre of our own houses and dwelling-places. See if this be not so.
Is it an experience quite unknown that the most terrific and overwhelming flood should be kept back from some part of our life and hope? Is it a universal deluge? The flood was very tempestuous; it seemed to break upon the poor life from every point; but now that we have had time to look at the whole case, what is the reality? Was nothing left untouched? Was there not some little ark sailing quietly on the great water? Is there any man who can say, “The flood utterly destroyed me; nothing was left, no token of mercy, no sign of the Divine providence, no expression of heavenly care; the ruin was total, absolute, overwhelming and irreparable”? Can we not say, “The ruin was very great, but, thank God, the sweet child was left: in Goshen’s land we had that gracious comfort”? Or can we not say, “Amidst it all our health was wonderfully preserved”? or “Reason never staggered”? or “In the midst of all there was a strange peace, deeper than any measured sea in the very centre of the heart”? Can we not say, “In the midst of all there was a sanctuary, there was a stairway leading straight up into the heavens”? Once discover that fact, and see how natural it is to express it in poetic form. Cold prose is not fit for this holy service. We will speak of it rapturously, poetically: with exaggeration to the man who does not understand the experience. We will say that a chamber was found for us in the steeps of the mountain whilst the valleys were engulphed by the roaring flood. We will say that in the sunlit cloud of heaven we rested whilst the thunder-rains flashed and foamed far under our uplifted feet; and in our rapture we may feel as if heaven itself had warmly curtained us whilst the earth was drowned in seas of rain. The imagery is not the point; the mere verbal expression has next to nothing to do with the reality of the case, except that it must ever be an effort to express the inexpressible. Our boldest metaphors, our fiercest eloquence must be but a dim symbol indicative of the infinite, the unutterable, the profound and eternal. The temptation is to wrestle with the words, to raise a controversy where no battle is needed, and where battle indeed is wholly out of place. The one inquiry which should urge itself upon the mind is: What is the reality? What is it that occasions the poetry? Why this use of brilliant colour? and we shall find in reply to that inquiry that the reason is that God, though terrible in judgment, has yet given us dryness in the midst of the storm, a quiet resting-place amid the tumult of the seas; a hiding chamber, a sanctuary stronger than rock, amidst all the transient and mutable all that could be upset and filled with the spirit of ruin.
Then again is it an experience quite unknown that, amidst darkest darkness, there has yet remained to Christian hearts some ray of tender light a lustrous edging of a cloud vast as the span of heaven? The experience is familiar; we can all testify to it, that in the very blackest night we have at least supposed we could see some star battling its way to us as if bearing messages of hope. Who has been stripped utterly? What Job is there who has been so impoverished as to have taken away from his soul the desire to pray? That being left, all is left, a clear, dry way up to the throne, and nothing is lost. In the consciousness that full and bold access can be had to the Father poverty is wealth; loss is gain; weakness is immortal strength. Never have I met a man that has not had upon him some little token that God had not absolutely forsaken him: some of his old friends were living: his memory was unusually quick in bringing up incidents of the gone time which warmed him like prophecies: stress and agony had forced to his lips some new and surprising eloquence of prayer. In some cases the sufferer has said, “I would not have been without that affliction, now that I see the whole case, before I was afflicted I went astray; I have seen in darkness what I never could see in the common daylight; I bless God for the night, for if the sun had always glared upon me I had not known that ‘the floor of heaven is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold.'” Once let the mind seize that fact, and instantly there will be a light in the habitations above the brightness of the sun, a glory humbling the pomp of summer, a splendour which angels might wish to see, a miracle wrought in light. Then the heart will invent words. The heart is not to be silenced by the taunt of exaggeration. The mean man who never felt the throb of a noble passion shall not be invested with power to put down the rapture of souls that are aflame with thankfulness. There is a danger in this, however. There are some men who never warm. They are not children of the sun, no music can thrill them, no colour can bring tears to their eyes, a sunset is upon them a wasted miracle. The boldness of the Bible is seen in that it is never afraid to put the case in exactly opposite light and with exactly opposite bearing. Sometimes all the advantage is upon the side of the ungodly. The Psalmist was not afraid to say respecting those who made themselves their own gods, “They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.”
So the Bible does not shrink from changing the ground entirely and representing the exactly reverse picture of that which is presented in the Book of Exodus in relation to the children of Israel. How is this? because the Book is true, true at the core, true in its purpose and meaning, bearing upon it all the colours of all the ages through which it has passed; but the root is the same, drawing its nutriment and its force from the very heart of the Divine power.
As to the sprinkled blood, have we no feeling of its relation and sublimity? Do we part company with the historian here, saying we have no corresponding experience? We do touch the historic spirit in the matter of protection from the overwhelming flood, and of having some gleam of light in the midst of surrounding darkness; but when the lamb is provided a language is spoken which has no interpretation to our souls, here we fall out of the music, having no answering harmony in our own experience.
Was not a Lamb slain for us also? Here silence is better than speech. We worship him who by his own blood entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. We are redeemed not with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; he hath redeemed us to God by his own blood. Why here we seem to have still larger confirmatory experience. This is our hope in the day of judgment. Not that we have been moral, clever, free from public charge; but that the sprinkled blood is upon the poorest of our forfeited lives. When the angels shall come to execute the Divine judgment what is our hope? That we were not so immoral as some other man? If that is all, there is no blood in the mean, frivolous speech. That we have kept ourselves from the cognisance of the magistrate and the penalty of the national law? By such protestations and felicitations we may but aggravate the guilt which is at once our burden and our curse. What then is our hope? The Lamb the Lamb slain the Lamb of the precious blood. Can we explain it? Thank God, no. We cannot explain the sin, how then can we explain the remedy? We feel it, and we know it by feeling. The highest knowledge comes to us not along the narrow way of the intellect, but through the broad thoroughfares of the responsive and sympathetic heart. We keep ourselves outside the sanctuary because we will only have the intellect satisfied with all its vain questionings, and curious analyses and propositions, whereas it is the heart that must enter. The intellect as a clever, boastful, self-idolatrous faculty must be left outside, and only the heart come within the sanctuary of the Divine forgiveness and the Divine complacency, the broken heart, the contrite heart, the heart that has no speech in self-defence, but that yields itself into the hands of the loving Saviour to be treated by his grace, not daring to encounter his judgment.
We are not ashamed of this word blood. We are not to be driven away from it because some minds have debased the term, having taken out of it all its highest symbolism and noblest suggestion. We speak not of blood merely as it is commonly understood, but of blood as the life, the love, the heart, the whole quality of Deity a mystery in words having no answer in speech. Is the blood upon the house of my life? Is the blood upon the doorpost of my dwelling-place? Have I put up against the Divine judgment some hand of self-protection? Verily, it will be swallowed up in the great visitation. In that time nothing will stand but the blood which God himself has chosen as a token and a memorial. “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth from all sin.” There is a fountain opened in the house of David for sin and for uncleanness. Do not attempt to bar iron window, to close iron door, to protect yourself against the judgments of God. All we can do will be overwhelmed in the Divine visitation. We must allow God to find his own answer to his own judgments.
That is the attitude which God will respect. A looking in any other direction will be regarded as an aggravation of our offence; but a hopeful, tender, trustful looking towards the Cross will keep back the thunder, and God will spare us when he makes inquisition for blood.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
VI
THE TEN PLAGUES, OR THE GREAT DUEL
Exodus 5:18-13:36
The present chapter will be upon the great duel (as Dr. Sampey is pleased to call it) between Moses and Pharaoh, or in other words, the ten plagues. I have mapped out, as usual, some important questions.
What is the scope of the lesson? From Exo 5:15-12:37 . What is the theme of the lesson? The ten plagues, or God’s answer to Pharaoh’s question: “Who is the Lord?” What is the central text? Exo 12:12 : “Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment.” What was the purpose of these plagues? Generally, as expressed in Exo 9:16 : “That my name may be declared throughout all the earth,” i.e., to show that Jehovah was the one and only God. The second object was to show to Israel that Jehovah was a covenant keeping God. The first object touched outsiders. As it touched Moses it was to show that God would fully accredit him as the leader. How was Moses accredited? By the power to work miracles. Let the reader understand, if you never knew it before, that Moses is the first man mentioned in the Bible who worked a miracle, though God had worked some miracles directly before this. But Moses was God’s first agent to work miracles, duly commissioned to bear a message to other men.
On the general subject of miracles, I wish to offer the remark, that there are three great groups of miracles, viz.: The Plagues of Egypt, the miracles wrought by Elijah and Elisha, and the miracles wrought by Christ and the apostles. And from the time of Moses, every now and then to the time of Christ, some prophet was enabled to work a miracle. These are the groups. But what is a miracle? When we come to the New Testament we find four words employed, all expressed in Greek. One word expresses the effect of the miracle on the beholder, a “wonder.” Another expresses the purpose, a “sign.” Another expresses the energy, or “power,” while still another expresses the “work”‘, i.e., “wonders, signs, powers, works.”
As we have come to miracles for the first time, it would be a good thing for every reader to read the introductory part of Trench, or some other author Trench is the best. We come back to our question, What is a miracle? Take this for a definition: (1) “An extraordinary event.” That is the first idea. If it is an ordinary event you cannot call it wonderful. It is not a miracle that the sun should rise in the east. It would be a miracle for it to be seen rising in the west. (2) This extraordinary event is discernible to the senses. (3) It apparently violates natural laws and probabilities. I say, “apparently,” because we do not know that it actually does. (4) It is inexplicable by natural laws alone. (5) It is produced by the agency of God, and is sometimes produced immediately. (6) For religious purposes; usually to accredit a messenger or attest God’s revelation to him.
I am going to call your attention to some definitions that are either imperfect or altogether wrong. Thomas Aquinas, a learned doctor of the Middle Ages, says that miracles are events wrought by divine power apart from the order generally observed in nature. That is simply an imperfect definition; good as far as it goes. Hume and Spinoza, a Jew, say, “A miracle is a violation of a natural law; therefore,” says Spinoza, “impossible”; “therefore,” says Hume, “incredible.” It is not necessarily a violation of natural laws: for instance, if I turn a knife loose, the law of gravitation would make it fall, but if a wind should come in between, stronger than the law, of gravitation, and this natural law should hold the knife up, it would not be a violation of the natural law; simply one
natural law overcoming another. Therefore, it is wrong to say that a miracle is a violation of natural law. Jean Paul, a noted critical skeptic, says, “Miracles of earth are the laws of heaven.” Renan says: “Miracles are the inexplicable.” Schleiermacher says, “Miracles are relative, that is, the worker of them only anticipates later knowledge.” Dr. Paulus says, “The account of miracles is historical, but the history must signify simply the natural means.” Wolsey says, “The text that tells us about miracles is authentic, but the miracles are allegories, not facts.” Now, I have given you what I conceive to be a correct definition of a miracle and some definitions that are either imperfect or altogether faulty.
When may miracles be naturally expected? When God makes new revelations; as, in the three epochs of miracles.
To what classes of people are miracles incredible? Atheists, pantheists, and deists. Deists recognize a God of physical order. Pantheists make no distinction between spirit and matter. Atheists deny God altogether.
What are counterfeit miracles? We are going to strike some soon, and we have to put an explanation on them. In 2Th 2 they are said to be “lying wonders,” or deeds. They are called “lying” not because they are lies, but because their object is to teach a lie, or accredit a lie. Unquestionably, Satan has the power to do supernatural things, so far as we understand the laws of nature, and when the antichrist comes he is to be endowed with power to work miracles that will deceive everybody in the world but the elect. It is not worth while, therefore, to take the position that the devil and his agents cannot, by permission of God, work miracles. When may we naturally expect counterfeit miracles? When the real miracles are produced the counterfeit will appear as an offset. Whenever a religious imposture of any kind is attempted, or any false doctrine is preached, they will claim that they can attest it. For example, on the streets of our cities are those, whatever you call them, who claim that Mar 16 is fulfilled in our midst today. What then, does the counterfeit miracle prove? The reality and necessity of the true. Thieves do not counterfeit the money of a “busted” bank. How may you usually detect counterfeit miracles? This is important: (1) By the immoral character of the producer. That is not altogether satisfactory, but it is presumptive evidence. (2) If the doctrine it supports or teaches is contradictory to truth already revealed and established. (3) The evil motive or the end in view. God would not work a lot of miracles just for show. When Herod said to Christ, “Work me a miracle,” Christ refused. Miracles are not to gratify curiosity. (4) Its eternal characteristic of emptiness or extravagance. (5) Its lack of substantial evidence. In the spirit-rapping miracles they need too many conditions put out the light, join hands, etc. It is one of the rules of composition as old as the classics, never to introduce a god unless there be a necessity for a god; and when one is introduced, let what he says and does correspond to the dignity and nature of a god. If that is a rule of composition in dealing with miracles it shows that God, as being wise, would not intervene foolishly.
Now, is a miracle a greater manifestation of God’s power than is ordinarily displayed by the Lord? No. He shows just as much power in producing an almond tree from a germ, and that almond tree in the course of nature producing buds and blossoms, by regulating the order of things, as he does to turn rods to serpents. But while the power is no greater, the impression is more vivid, and that is the object of a miracle.
There are, certainly, distinctions in miracles, and you will need to know the distinction when you discuss the miracles wrought by Moses more than any other set of miracles in the Bible. There are two kinds of miracles, the absolute and the providential, or circumstantial, e.g., the conversion of water into blood is an absolute miracle; the bringing of frogs out of the water is a providential or circumstantial miracle. Keep that distinction in your mind. The plague of darkness and the death of the firstborn are also absolute miracles. The providential or circumstantial miracles get their miraculous nature from their intensity, their connection with the word of Moses, the trial of Pharaoh and the Egyptian gods, with the deliverance of Israel, and their being so timely as to strengthen the faith of God’s people, and to overcome the skepticism of God’s enemies.
I will give a further idea about a providential miracle. Suppose I were to say that on a certain day at one o’clock the sun would be veiled. If that is the time for an eclipse there is nothing miraculous in it. But suppose a dense cloud should shut off the light of the sun, there is a miraculous element because there is no way of calculating clouds as you would calculate eclipses. Now, the orderly workings of nature, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth his handiwork,” reveal the glory of God to a mind in harmony with God, and they hide the glory from the eyes of an alienated man who will not see God in the sun, moon, and stars. They will turn away from the glory of God in these regular events and worship the creature more than the creator.
Does a miracle considered by itself prove the truth of the doctrine or the divine mission’ of him who produces it? Not absolutely. The Egyptians imitated the first two miracles. Other things must be considered. The doctrine must commend itself to the conscience as being good. All revelation presupposes in a man power to recognize the truth, arising from the fact that man is made in the image of God, and has a conscience, and that “Jesus Christ lighteth every man coming into the world.” The powers of darkness are permitted to perform wonders of a startling nature. The character of the performer, the end in view, the doctrine to be attested in itself, BS related to previously revealed truth, must all be considered. In Deu 13:1-5 , the people are expressly warned against the acceptance of any sign or wonder, wrought by any prophet or dreamer, used to attest a falsehood. In Mat 24:24 , the Saviour expressly forewarns that antichrists and false prophets shall come with lying signs and wonders, and Paul says so in several passages.
How are miracles helpful, since the simple, unlearned are exposed to the danger of accepting the false and rejecting the true? This difficulty is more apparent than real. The unlearned and poor are exposed to no more danger than the intellectual. Those who love previously revealed truth and have no pleasure in unrighteousness are able to discriminate, whether they are wise folks or simple folks. The trouble of investigation is no greater here than in any other moral problem. Therefore, the apostle John says, “Beloved, try every spirit.” A man comes to you and says he is baptized of the Holy Spirit. John says, “Try him, because there are many false prophets,” and “Every spirit that refuses to confess that God was manifested in the flesh,” turn him down at once. Once Waco was swept away by the Spiritualists. I preached a series of sermons on Spiritualism. Once in making calls I came upon some strangers, and happened to meet a Spiritualist lady who came up to me and said, “I am so glad to meet you. We belong to the same crowd. We are both a spiritual people. Let me see your hand.” I held it out and she commenced talking on it. She says, “I believe the Bible as much as you do.” I said, “No, you don’t. I can make you abuse the Bible in two minutes.” “Well, I would like to see you try.” I read that passage in Isaiah where a woe is pronounced upon those who are necromancers and magicians. “Yes, and I despise any such statements,” she said. “Of course,” I replied; “that is what I expected you to say.”
The conflict in Egypt was between Jehovah on the one hand and the gods of Egypt, representing the powers of darkness, on the other. Note these scriptures: Exo 12:12 ; Exo 15:11 ; Num 33:4 . The devil is the author of idolatry in all its forms The battle was between God and the devil, the latter
working through Pharaoh and his hosts, and God working through Moses.
Water turned into blood. I want to look at the first miracle A question that every reader should note is: State in order the ten miracles. First, the conversion of the waters of the Nile into blood. Egypt is the child of the Nile. If you were up in a balloon and looked down upon that land you would see a long green ribbon, the Nile Valley and its fertile banks. Therefore they worship the Nile. There has been a great deal written to show that at certain seasons of the year the waters of the Nile are filled with insect life of the animalcule order, so infinitesimal in form as to be invisible, even with a microscope, yet so multitudinous in number that they make the water look like blood. It would be perfectly natural if it only came that way. I will tell you why I do not think it came that way. This miracle applied to the water which had already been drawn up) and was in the water buckets in their homes. That makes it a genuine miracle.
The second miracle was the miracle of the frogs. I quote something about that miracle from the Epic of Moses , by Dr. W. G. Wilkinson:
Then Aaron, at his brother’s bidding, raised His rod and with it smote the river. Straight .Forth from the water at that pregnant stroke Innumerably teeming issued frogs, Prodigious progeny I in number such As if each vesicle of blood in all The volume of the flood that rolled between The banks of Nile and overfilled his bound And overflowed, had quickened to a frog, And the midsummer tide poured endless down, Not water and not blood, but now instead One mass of monstrous and colluctant life! The streams irriguous over all the realm, A vast reticulation of canals Drawn from the river like the river, these Also were smitten with that potent rod, And they were choked with tangled struggling frogs. Each several frog was full of lusty youth, And each, according to his nature, wished More room wherein to stretch himself, and leap, Amphibious, if he might not swim. So all Made for the shore and occupied the land. Rank following rank, in serried order, they Resistless by their multitude and urged, Each rank advancing, by each rank behind An insupportable invasion, fed With reinforcement inexhaustible From the great river rolling down in frogs I Spread everywhere and blotted out the earth. As when the shouldering billows of the sea, Drawn by the tide and by the tempest driven, Importunately press against the shore Intent to find each inlet to the land, So now this infestation foul explored The coasts of Egypt seeking place and space.
With impudent intrusion, leap by leap Advancing, those amphibious cohorts pushed Into the houses of the people, found Entrance into the chambers where they slept, And took possession of their very beds. The kneading-troughs wherein their bread was made, The subterranean ovens where were baked The loaves, the Egyptians with despair beheld Become the haunts of this loathed tenantry. The palace, nay, the person, of the king Was not exempt. His stately halls he saw Furnished to overflowing with strange guests Unbidden whose quaint manners lacked the grace Of well-instructed courtliness; who moved About the rooms with unconventional ease And freedom, in incalculable starts Of movement and direction that surprised. They leaped upon the couches and divans; They settled on the tops of statutes; pumped Their breathing organs on each jutting edge Of frieze or cornice round about the walls; In thronging councils on the tables sat; From unimaginable perches leered. The summit of procacity, they made The sacred person of the king himself, He sitting or reclining as might chance, The target of their saltatory aim, And place of poise and pause for purposed rest.
Nor yet has been set forth the worst; the plague Was also a dire plague of noise. The night Incessantly resounded with the croaks, In replication multitudinous, Of frogs on every side, whether in mass Crowded together in the open field, Or single and recluse within the house. The dismal ululation, every night And all night long, assaulted every ear; Nor did the blatant clamour so forsake The day, that from some unfrequented place Might not be heard a loud, lugubrious, Reiterant chorus from batrachian throats. Epic of Moses I think that is one of the finest descriptions I ever read. They worshiped frogs. Now they were surfeited with their gods. I have space only to refer to the next plague of lice. I give Dr. Wilkinson’s description of it: They were like immigrants and pioneers Looking for habitations in new lands; They camped and colonized upon a man And made him quarry for their meat and drink. They ranged about his person, still in search Of better, even better, settlement; Each man was to each insect parasite A new-found continent to be explored. Which was the closer torment, those small fangs Infixed, and steady suction from the blood, Or the continuous crawl of tiny feet Banging the conscious and resentful skin In choice of where to sink a shaft for food Which of these two distresses sorer was, Were question; save that evermore The one that moment pressing sorer seemed.
Epic of Moses
What was the power of that plague? The Egyptians more than any other people that ever lived upon the earth believed in ceremonial cleanliness, particularly for their priesthood. They were not only spotless white, but defilement by an unclean thing was to them like a dip into hell itself.
QUESTIONS
1. What the scope of the next great topic in Exodus?
2. The theme?
3. The central text?
4. Purpose of the plagues?
5. How was Moses accredited?
6. What three great groups of miracles in the Bible?
7. In the New Testament what four words describe miracles? Give both Greek and English words, showing signification of each.
8. What, then, is a miracle?
9. Cite some faulty definitions.
10 When may they be naturally expected?
11. What are counterfeit or lying miracles, and may they be real miracles in the sense of being wrought by superhuman power, and whose in such case is the power, and what the purpose of its exercise?
12. To what classes of people are miracles incredible, and why?
13. Cite Satan’s first miracle, its purpose and result. Answer: (1) Accrediting the serpent with the power of speech; (2) To get Eve to receive him as an angel of light; (3) That Eve did thus receive him, and was beguiled.
14. On this point what says the Mew Testament about the last manifestation of the antichrist?
15. When may counterfeit miracles be expected?
16. Admitting many impostures to be explained naturally, could such impostures as idolatries, Mohammedanism, Mormonism, Spiritualism, witchcraft, necromancy, etc., obtain permanent hold on the minds of many peoples without some superhuman power?
17. What do counterfeit miracles prove?
18. How may they be detected?
19. What says a great poet about the priority of introducing a god into a story, who was he and where may the classic be found? Answer: (1) See chapter; (2) Horace; (3) In Horace’s Ars Poetica .
20. Distinguish between the ordinary powers of God working in nature and a miracle, e.g., the budding of Aaron’s rod and the budding of an almond tree.
21. What two kinds of miracles? Cite one of each kind from the ten plagues.
22. Of which kind are most of the ten plagues?
23. Does a miracle in itself prove the truth of the doctrine it is wrought to attest? If not, what things are to be considered?
24. Cite both Old Testament and New Testament proof that some doctrines attested by miracles are to be rejected.
25. If Satan works some miracles, and if the doctrines attested by some miracles are to be rejected, how are miracles helpful, especially to the ignorant, without powers of discrimination?
26. Who were the real antagonists in this great Egyptian duel?
27. Give substance and result of the first interview between Pharaoh and Moses?
28. Name in their order of occurrence the ten plagues.
29. First Plague: State the significance of this plague.
30. How have some sought to account for it naturally, and your reasons for the inadequacy of this explanation?
31. Second Plague: Recite Dr. Wilkinson’s fine description of the plague in his Epic of Moses.
32. The significance of the plague?
33. Third Plague: His description of the third plague and its significance.
VII
THE TEN PLAGUES, OR THE GREAT DUEL (Continued)
Every plague was intended to strike in some way at some deity worship in Egypt. I begin this chapter by quoting from Dr. Wilkinson’s Epic of Moses language which he puts in the mouth of Pharaoh’s daughter, the reputed mother of Moses, who is trying to persuade the king to let the people go: We blindly worship as a god the Nile; The true God turns his water into blood. Therein the fishes and the crocodiles, Fondly held sacred, welter till they die. Then the god Heki is invoked in vain To save us from the frogs supposed his care. The fly-god is condemned to mockery, Unable to deliver us from flies. Epic of Moses
We have discussed three of the plagues, and in Exo 8:20-32 , we consider the plague of flies. Flies, or rather beetles, were also sacred. In multitudes of forms their images were worn as ornaments, amulets, and charms. But at a word from Moses these annoying pests swarmed by millions until every sacred image was made hateful by the living realities.
The plague of Murrain, Exo 9:1-7 . Cattle were sacred animals with the Egyptians. Cows were sacred to Isis. Their chief god, Apis, was a bull, stalled in a place, fed on perfumed oats, served on golden plates to the sound of music. But at a word from Moses the murrain seized the stock. Apis himself died. Think of a god dying with the murrain I
Boils, Exo 9:8-12 . Egyptian priests were physicians. Religious ceremonies were medicines. But when Moses sprinkled ashes toward heaven grievous and incurable boils broke out on
the bodies of the Egyptians. King, priests, and magicians were specially afflicted; could not even stand before Moses.
Hail, Exo 9:13-35 . The control of rain and hail was vested in feminine deities Isis, Sate, and Neith. But at Moses’ word rain and hail out of season and in horrible intensity swept over Egypt, beating down their barley and the miserable remnant of their stock, and beating down exposed men, women, and children. In vain they might cry, “O Isis, O Sate, O Neith, help us! We perish; call off this blinding, choking rain! Rebuke this hurtling, pitiless storm of hail I” But the Sphinx was not more deaf and silent than Egypt’s goddesses.
Locusts, Exo 10:1-20 . The Egyptians worshiped many deities whose charge was to mature and protect vegetables. But at Moses’ word locusts came in interminable clouds, with strident swishing wings and devouring teeth. Before them a garden, behind them a desert. See in prophetic imagery the description of their terrible power, Joe 2:2 ; Rev 9:2-11 .
Darkness, Exodus 10-11:3. Ra, the male correlative of Isis, was the Egyptian god of light. A triune god, Amun Ra, the father of divine life, Kheeper Ra, of animal life, Kneph Ra, of human life. But at Moses’ word came seventy-two consecutive hours of solid, palpable darkness. In that inky plutonian blackness where was Ra? He could not flush the horizon with dawn, nor silver the Sphinx with moonbeams, nor even twinkle as a little star. Even the pyramids were invisible. That ocean of supernatural darkness was peopled by but one inhabitant, one unspoken, one throbbing conviction: “Jehovah, he is God.”
Death of the First-born, Exo 11:4-8 ; Exo 12:29-35 . This crowning and convincing miracle struck down at one time every god in Egypt, as lightning gores a black cloud or rives an oak, or a cyclone prostrates a forest. See the effect of this last miracle. The victory was complete. Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise up, and get you forth, from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve Jehovah, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men. And against the children of Israel not a dog moved his tongue against man or beast; so the Lord put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel” (Exo 11:7 ; Exo 12:31-35 ).
Give the names of the magicians who withstood Moses and Aaron and what New Testament lesson is derived from their resistance? Paul warns Timothy of perilous times in the last days, in which men having the form of godliness but denying the power thereof were ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth, and thus concludes, “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth; men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further; for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.” That is the time which I have so frequently emphasized when Paul’s man of sin shall appear and be like Jannes and Jambres, who withstood Moses and Aaron.
Give in their order the methods of Pharaoh’s oppositions to God’s people: (1) Persecution; (2) Imitation of their miracles; (3) Propositions of compromise. State what miracles they imitated. They changed their rods to serpents and imitated to some extent the first two plagues. But the rod of Aaron swallowed up theirs and they could not remove any plague nor imitate the last eight. State the several propositions of compromise; show the danger of each, and give the reply of Moses. I am more anxious that you should remember these compromises than the plagues.
COMPROMISES PROPOSED “Sacrifice in the land of Egypt,” i.e., do not separate from us, Exo 8:25 . This stratagem was to place Jehovah on a mere level with the gods of Egypt, thus recognizing the equality of the two religions. Moses showed the impracticableness of this, since the Hebrews sacrificed to their God animals numbered among the Egyptian divinities, which would be to them an abomination.
“I will let you go only not very far away” (Exo 8:28 ), that is, if you will separate let it be only a little separation. If you will draw a line of demarcation, let it be a dim one. Or, if you will so put it that your religion is light and ours darkness, do not make the distinction so sharp and invidious; be content with twilight, neither night nor day. This compromise catches many simple ones today. Cf. 2Pe 2:18-22 .
“I will let you men go, but leave with us your wives and children” (Exo 10:11 ). This compromise when translated simply means, “You may separate from us, but leave your hearts behind.” It is an old dodge of the devil. Serve whom ye will, but let us educate your children. Before the flood the stratagem succeeded: “Be sons of God if you will, but let your wives be daughters of men.” The mothers will carry the children with them. In modern days it says, “Let grown people go to church if they must, but do not worry the children with Sunday schools.”
“Go ye, serve the Lord; let your little ones go with you; only let your flocks and herds be stayed”; i.e., acknowledge God’s authority over your persons; but not over your property. This compromise suits all the stingy, avaricious professors who try to serve both God and mammon; their proverb is: “Religion is religion, but business is business.” Which means that God shall not rule over the maxims and methods of trade, nor in their counting houses, nor over their purses, nor over the six workdays, but simply be their God on Sunday at church. Well did Moses reply, “Our cattle shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind.”
These compromises mean anything in the world rather than a man should put himself and his wife and his children and his property, his everything on earth, on the altar of God. Was it proper for the representatives of the Christian religion to unite in the Chicago World’s Fair Parliament of Religions, including this very Egyptian religion rebuked by the ten plagues? All these religions came together and published a book setting forth the world’s religions comparatively.
My answer is that it was a disgraceful and treasonable surrender of all the advantages gained by Moses, Elijah, Jesus Christ, and Paul. “If Baal be God, follow him; but if Jehovah be God, follow him.” If neither be God, follow neither. Jesus Christ refused a welcome among the gods of Greece and Rome. The Romans would have been very glad to make Jesus a deity. But he would have no niche in the Pantheon. That Chicago meeting was also a Pantheon. The doctrine of Christ expresses: “Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers; for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be to you a Father, and ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2Co 6:14-18 ). “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God; and I would not that ye should have communion with demons. We cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons; ye cannot partake of the table of the Lord, and the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?” (1Co 10:20-22 ).
The supreme fight made in Egypt was to show that Jehovah alone is God. He was not fighting for a place among the deities of the world, but he was claiming absolute supremacy. When we come to the giving of the law we find: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” and “you shall make no graven image, even of me, to bow down to worship it.” It took from the days of Moses to the days of the Babylonian captivity to establish in the Jewish mind the unity of God. All the time they were lapsing into idolatry. The prophets fought over the same battles that Moses fought. But when God was through with those people they were forever settled in this conviction, viz.: There is no other God but Jehovah. From that day till this no man has been able to find a Jewish idolater. Now then it takes from the birth of Christ to the beginning of the millennium to establish in the Jewish mind that Jesus of Nazareth is that Jehovah. Some Jews accept it of course, but the majority of them do not. When the Jews are converted that introduces the millennium, as Peter said to those who had crucified the Lord of glory, “Repent ye: in order that he may send back Jesus whom the heavens must retain until the time of the restitution of all things.”
One matter has been deferred for separate discussion until this time. I will be sure to call for twenty passages on the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. Paul has an explanation of them in Rom 9:17-23 , and our good Methodist commentator, Adam Clarke, devotes a great deal of space in his commentary to weakening what Paul said. There are two kinds of hardening: (1) According to a natural law when a good influence is not acted upon, it has less force next time, and ultimately no force. A certain lady wanted to get up each morning at exactly six o’clock, so she bought an alarm clock, and the first morning when the alarm turned loose it nearly made her jump out of bed. So she got up and dressed on time. But after awhile when she heard the alarm she would not go to sleep, but she just lay there a little while. (Sometimes you see a boy stop still in putting on his left sock and sit there before the fire). The next time this lady heard the alarm clock the result was that it did not sound so horrible, and she kept lingering until finally she went to sleep. Later the alarm would no longer awaken her. There is a very tender, susceptible hardening of a young person under religious impressions that brings a tear to the eye. How easy it is to follow that first impression, but you put it off and say no, and after awhile the sound of warning becomes to you like the beat of the little drummer’s drumstick when Napoleon was crossing the Alps. The little fellow slipped and fell into a crevasse filled with snow, but the brave boy kept beating his drum and they could hear it fainter and fainter, until it was an echo and then it died away.
(2) The other kind of hardening is what is called judicial hardening, where God deals with a man and he resists, adopting this or that substitute until God says, “Now you have shut your eyes to the truth; I will make you judicially blind and send you a delusion that you may believe a lie and be damned.” Paul says, “Blindness in part hath happened unto Israel because they turned away from Jesus; because they would not hear his voice, nor the voice of their own prophets; because they persecuted those who believed in Jesus. There is a veil over their eyes when they read the scripture which cannot be taken away until they turn to the Lord and say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
Now the last thought: When the first three plagues were sent they fell on all Egypt alike. After that, in order to intensify the miracle and make it more evidently a miracle, in the rest of the plagues God put a difference between Egypt and Goshen, where the Israelites lived. The line of demarcation was drawn in the fourth plague. In the fifth plague it fell on Egypt, not Goshen; the most stupendous distinction was when the darkness came, just as if an ocean of palpable blackness had in it an oasis of the most brilliant light, and that darkness stood up like a wall at the border line between Egypt and Goshen, bringing out that sharp difference that God put between Egypt and Israel.
I will close with the last reference to the difference in the night of that darkness, a difference of blood sprinkled upon the portals of every Jewish house. The houses might be just alike, but no Egyptian house had the blood upon its portals. Wherever the angel of death saw the blood he passed over the house and the mother held her babe safe in her arms. But in Egypt all the first-born died.
When I was a young preacher and a little fervid, I was preaching a sermon to sinners on the necessity of having the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than the blood of Abel, and in my fancy I drew this picture: A father, gathering all his family around him, says: “The angel of death is going to pass over tonight. Wife and Children, death is coming tonight; death is coming tonight.” “Well, Husband,” says the wife, “is there no way of escaping death?” “There is this: if we take a lamb and sprinkle its blood on the portals, the angel will see that blood and we will escape.” Then the children said, “Oh, Father, go and get the lamb; and be sure to get the right kind. Don’t make a mistake. Carry out every detail; let it be without blemish; kill exactly at the time God said; catch the blood in a basin, dip the bush in the blood and sprinkle the blood on the door that the angel of death may not enter our house.” Then I applied that to the unconverted, showing the necessity of getting under the shadow of the blood of the Lamb. I was a young preacher then, but I do not know that, being old, I have improved on the thought.
QUESTIONS
1. Name the ten plagues in the order of their occurrence.
2. Show in each case the blow against some one or more gods of Egypt.
3. What is the most plausible explanation of the first six in their relation to each other?
4. How explain the hail and locusts?
5. What modern poet in matchless English and in true interpretation gives an account of these plagues?
6. How does he state the natural explanation?
7. How does he express the several strokes at Egypt’s gods?
8. What of the differentiating circumstances of these plagues?
9. State the progress of the case as it affected the magicians.
10. State the progress of the case as it affected the people.
11. State the progress of the case as it affected Pharaoh himself.
12. Give in order Pharaoh’s methods of opposition.
13. State in order Pharaoh’s proposed compromises and the replies of Moses.
14. State some of the evils of religious compromise.
15. What about the World’s Fair Parliament of Religions?
l6. What about the Inter-Denominational Laymen’s Movement? And the money of the rich for colleges?
17. Show how each miracle after the third was intensified by putting a difference between Egypt and Israel, as in the case of the last plague, and illustrate.
18. Explain the two kinds of hardening, and cite the twenty uses of the word in Pharaoh’s case.
19. How does Paul use Exo 9:16 , in Rom 9 and how do you reply to Adam Clarke’s explanation of it?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
VIII
THE INSTITUTION OF THE PASSOVER
Exodus 12-13
In considering the plagues we did not consider this Passover. We take up first, the word. In Hebrew this means “to step over,” “to pass over”; hence, to spare, to have mercy on. Next, the nature of the Passover. It was essentially a sacrifice. It is called a sacrifice in our text and in the New Testament it says that Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. A very few Protestants have taken the position that the Passover was not a sacrifice, but their position is entirely untenable. It was in every sense of the word a sacrifice, and not merely a sacrifice, but a substitutionary sacrifice. The paschal lamb in each house was to die in the place of the first-born, just as Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. It is intensely substitutionary. And we now come to the institution of the ordinance. It was instituted in Egypt just before the last plague. As we go on in the Old Testament we will see some distinction between the Egyptian Passover and the later Passover of the Jews. Of course, there would be some distinction between a passover celebrated in a marching state and a passover when they were settled in the land. But after they were settled we find some additions to the Passover, even in the time of our Lord. It is not my purpose now to notice particularly these differences, but simply to affirm that there were distinctions between the originally established Passover and that of subsequent days.
The next thing is the distinction between the sacrifice of the Passover and the Feast of the Passover. We look first at the sacrifice. The first thing we want to determine is the time. In chapter 13 it says, “This day you go forth in the month of Abib ” and in other passages it is called the month Nisan. The two names correspond. The time of the year was in the goring when the firstfruits of the harvest were gathered. This month now becomes an era. In Exo 12:2 , it is said, “This month shall be the beginning of months unto you; it shall be the first month of the year to you.” That means the ecclesiastical year. They had a civil year, which commenced in the fall, but their ecclesiastical year commenced with that Passover. Still speaking about the time, on the tenth day of that month the Passover lamb was to be selected. On the fourteenth day of the same it was to be slain. More exactly, quite a number of passages say that it was slain in the evening. In Deu 16 it is said, “as the sun goes down.” In the New Testament we find that custom had changed, according to the teaching of the rabbis, who held that it meant “at the turn of the day”; so the passover lamb was slain about the ninth hour, which would be at three o’clock in the afternoon. The time was then spring, Abib or Nisan, answering to our March or April, the lamb selected on the tenth day, to be slain on the fourteenth, at the going down of the sun.
We now look at the sacrifice itself. It had to be a lambkin or kid, generally a lamb; just a year old and without a blemish. Who does the selecting? In the Egyptian Passover this was done by the head of every family; the priesthood was not yet established. There is, as yet, no central place of worship. We learn another distinction: If a family was too small to eat a whole lamb, then two or more families were united until they had enough to eat a lamb. When the lamb was slain what was done with the blood, representing the life? It was caught in a basin and sprinkled with a bunch of hyssop on the two sides of the door and the lintel, the piece across the top of the door. It was not sprinkled at the bottom because the blood was sacred and not to be stepped on, and the sprinkling of the blood made the house sacred for everybody who was in it when the blood was put there, and all who stayed inside. If one went out, it lost the virtue as far as he was concerned. That is the sacred part of it. What did the sacrifice part mean? That there was no natural distinction between the first-born of Israel and the first-born of Egypt. But by a distinction of grace, that blood becomes a substitutionary atonement for those sheltered in that house. Thus “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” Who was to kill the lamb? The whole congregation of Israel participated in the killing. Later, we see a distinction based on the settlement and upon the establishment of the priesthood.
We now come to the feast. What was done with the body of the lamb? It was not boiled, not fried, but roasted. Then all that household assembled together. Here arises a question as to the restrictions on the persons who were to eat. It is expressly declared that a stranger who just happened to be staying there could not eat of it, but a slave that belonged to the family could partake of it. No foreigner could partake of it, nor could a hired servant; and an uncircumcised man was imperiously ordered not to partake of it, and a fearful penalty was attached to it. When that little family was gathered and this lamb was roasted, it was to be eaten by the whole family, but in eating it no bone was to be broken; and when they got through only the skeleton remained. They were to eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. So far as the Egyptian Passover is concerned, nothing is said of wine, but in Christ’s time we see wine used. That first Passover, though, was in great haste.
Notice how they were to eat, viz.: with sandals on their feet. The sandals were taken off while in the house, but here they were to have them on since they were ready for starting, with a long robe girt around them and staff in hand. They were to go right from the feast on the march and they were to eat in a hurry. The bitter herbs signified the affliction from which they were escaping. A kind of sauce was made from these herbs. In the New Testament when Christ was eating the Passover it says that he dipped his sop into the dish. That, is the sauce. The unleavened bread referred to purity, leaven means corruption. As Paul explains when he discusses the matter in I Corinthians, “the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Notice that a part of this institution referred to a later time as set forth in these two chapters, because this feast was to be both a memorial and a sign, and as a memorial it was to be perpetuated. They were to observe it throughout all generations. The feast as provided on this occasion was to last seven days, from the fourteenth to the twenty-first. The first day, or the fourteenth, was devoted to searching the house that there should be no leaven found in the house.
It was a curious sight to watch the Jews prepare that way for the feast. The furniture was moved out, a lamp was lighted, and they would go around, holding it up to shine into all the cracks of the house; they would look into all the vessels to see if just a speck of leaven, or yeast, of any kind was in the house. To this Paul referred when he said, “Purge out the old leaven, and let us eat the feast of unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” This was to be a memorial feast because this night they were to be delivered from Egypt; so they were sacred to God. It was a sign that as a nation they were being delivered from the power of Egypt forever. In connection with the Passover, therefore, is the sanctification of the first-born, the first-born male of man or animal was to be God’s. If it was an unclean animal, it was still to be God’s but it was to be redeemed with money and the money was to go into the treasury of God. The sanctification of the first-born must always be considered in connection with the Passover.
Another thing to be considered in connection with it was the agricultural feature. Not much reference is made to that here, but in the later books of the Pentateuch we come to it. It was a day in which certain offerings were to be made, particularly of the firstfruits. There was a special offering for each day of the seven days in which that feast was kept. So you must keep distinct in your mind the Passover as a sacrifice, the Passover as a feast, as a memorial, as a sign, the Passover in connection with the sanctification of the firstborn, and in relation to the agricultural features of it.
Another important thing: It was accompanied with instructions, Exo 12:26 : “And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of Jehovah’s passover, who passed over the house of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses.” The second part of the instruction is in Exo 13:14 , where the first-born comes in: “When thy son asketh, What is this? Why do ye set yourselves apart the first-born on this occasion? your answer shall be: By the strength of his hand Jehovah brought us out of Egypt from the house of bondage, and it came to pass when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, Jehovah slew his first-born; therefore I sacrifice to Jehovah all that openeth the womb, being males; but all of the first-born of my sons I redeem.” The first-born was to be priest of the family, but when the nation was organized at Sinai, they took one of the twelve tribes and consecrated the entire tribe to the priesthood. The first-born of each family was thus, as it were, redeemed. When you are asked why the tribe of Levi belonged to God, your answer will be, because it took the place of the first-born in each family. The tribe of Levi is not to own any land but to be sustained by the Lords house and the Lord’s people. Notice, next, that the Passover was to be kept by faith. In Heb 11 we have this language: “By faith Moses kept the passover, and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the first-born should not touch them.” When they slew that lamb and sprinkled his blood on the doorposts they were constantly to rely in their hearts on that blood to protect them. It was an act of faith in the blood.
The first time I ever witnessed the observance of the Lord’s supper I was a little boy, and I noticed that some of the bread was left over. A little Negro was with me, and he said “Let’s ask them for them scraps.” I said, “Maybe they won’t let us have them.” So when the deacons passed out (after the congregation was dismissed) with that plate of scraps the little Negro came up and said, “Massah, give ‘umn to me,” and the deacon said, “No, you can’t have them.” “Well what are you going to do with them?” asked the Negro. “Going to burn them up,” replied the deacon. It made a deep impression on my mind. That which was left over had to be destroyed, and they got that idea from the Passover. If they were unable to eat all of the lamb they must burn it that very night. It stood in a peculiar relation as no other food ever did, and was not to be used for secular purposes of any kind.
Another restriction was this: Suppose that there was a family gathered in a house that night. Maybe in the next house were some people who were not strictly entitled to come in and sit with that family. Now, could they take any of that lamb out of the house and give it to anybody out of the house? The law is very explicit. “You shall not take it out of the house.”
When a Baptist preacher, pastor of the First Church at Houston, Texas, allowed himself to be over-persuaded through his sympathetic good nature to go and administer the Lord’s Supper to a dying person, I told him that he had committed a great sin. He asked, “Why?” I replied: “You have violated every law of God that touches the Lord’s Supper, as you look at the analogy of the Passover and also the teaching of the Lord’s Supper. You took the Lord’s bread out of the Lord’s house. You gave it to an individual who was not entitled to it. It was not eaten in a congregation and did not express the unity of a congregation. You gave it to an unbaptized man; you gave it superstitiously, and anything given thus is not given according to the law. Whenever you let people cause you to do this you rob God. If it was your own and you had complete control of it you could give it to them. But it was not yours. You had no more right to carry off that bread than you had to rob a bank.”
You see the bearing of that question upon communion. There can be no such thing as the individual observance of the Lord’s Supper; the unity idea is expressed throughout. One Lord, not a broken bone, no severance of its parts, none of it to be sent out of the house. A joint feast for everybody in the crowd, and the crowd specified, a fence put up, no stranger, no foreigner, no uncircumcised man. So when you come to the Lord’s Supper no unbaptized man should be there. To me it is a sign of incredible weakness that a man, through a little sentimentality, should be ashamed to observe the Lord’s Supper in the way God demanded it to be observed, and to me it is a sign of great presumption that one should think that he has a right to specify who should come to God’s Table. We can be generous with anything that is ours, but when we come to God’s ordinance we are not authorized in varying a hair’s breadth.
When we come to study the history of the Passover, certain Passover observances loom up. First, this one; then the one described in Numbers where it was kept in the wilderness; one in the Holy Land at Gilgal; the one that Hezekiah observed; the one that Josiah observed; and then the last Passover of our Lord, when its great antitype came. Remember these historic Passovers.
I have one thought more. An ordinance shows forth something. When it is properly observed it is always a very striking thing, and intended to attract attention; to evoke questions, particularly upon the part of young people. Take a group of children of any tribe on earth, white, black, red, or brown, and let them see a Lord’s Supper or a baptism for the first time, and the question will pop out of their mouths, “Why? What do you mean?” A little fellow running around the lot, seeing the father looking over the sheep, would say, “Here, papa, take this one. Here’s a big one.” “No not that, son, I want a lamb; not that one, either; I want a little lamb.” The child gets a little one. “No not that one, but one without blemishes.” The father gets up before day and kills the lamb at a certain time of the day, roasting it in a certain way, and burning what is left. All that is intended to fix upon their minds the fact that they were a redeemed people peculiar to God. What is peculiar cannot belong to another.
The reader should look out every passage in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy which touches the Passover. And I want to commend a book by Joseph Frey, a converted Jew who devoted his life to proving from the Old Testament that Jesus was the Christ. Read Frey on The Scripture Types, especially the chapter on the Passover.
QUESTIONS
1. Where do we find the original account of the institution of the Passover?
2. What great event its occasion?
3. What is the ground of the difference between the Egyptians and the Israelites?
4. What claim of Jehovah did this sparing, on the one hand, and slaying on the other, vindicate?
5. What is the central text?
6. What is the New Testament analogue?
7. What is the design?
8. What is the time?
9. How did this affect the Jewish calendar?
10. What applications of the word “Passover”?
11. What of the qualifications of the lamb?
12. What of the place?
13. Who slays the lamb?
14. How is the blood applied?
15. Unity of observing the feast?
16. How prepared?
17. How eaten?
18. Who eats it?
19. How often?
20. What special provision is given for those who cannot observe it at the proper time because away or ceremonially unclean?
21. What of the penalty for nonobservance?
22. A token of what was the sprinkled blood?
23. State a number of historical observances of the Passover.
24. What New Testament scriptures evidently bring out this analogy?
25. Give and illustrate the important lesson set forth in the chapter in commenting on Exo 12:2 .
26. We have seen circumcision made a prerequisite to participation in the Passover feast. Is there a similar relation between the analogous
New Testament ordinances Baptism and the Lord’s Supper?
27. Circumcision foreshadows what?
28. The Passover Sacrifice, what?
29. The Passover feast, what?
30. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, what?
31. What is the signification of the burning up of the remains of the Passover feast?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Exo 12:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
Ver. 1. And the Lord spake ] Befeore the slaughter of the firstborn, yea, before that plague was threatened. See Mr Torshel’s design for harmonising the Bible.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exodus
THE PASSOVER: AN EXPIATION AND A FEAST, A MEMORIAL AND A PROPHECY
Exo 12:1 – – Exo 12:14
The Passover ritual, as appointed here, divides itself into two main parts-the sprinkling of the sacrificial blood on the door-posts and lintels, and the feast on the sacrifice. These can best be dealt with separately. They were separated in the later form of the ritual; for, when there was a central sanctuary, the lambs were slain there, and the blood sprinkled, as in other expiatory sacrifices, on the altar, while the domestic feast remained unaltered. The former was more especially meant to preserve the Israelites from the destruction of their first-born; the latter as a permanent memorial of their deliverance. But both have perpetual fitness as prophetic of varying aspects of the Christian redemption.
I. The ritual of the protecting blood.
The domestic character of the rite is its first marked feature. Of course, there were neither temple nor priests then; but that does not wholly account for the provision that every household, unless too few in number to consume a whole lamb, should have its own sacrifice, slain by its head. The first purpose of the rite, to provide for the safety of each house by the sprinkled blood, partly explains it; but the deepest reason is, no doubt, the witness which was thereby borne to the universal priesthood of the nation. The patriarchal order made each man the priest of his house. This rite, which lay at the foundation of Israel’s nationality, proclaimed that a restricted priestly class was a later expedient. The primitive formation crops out here, as witness that, even where hid beneath later deposits, it underlies them all.
We have called the Passover a sacrifice. That has been disputed, but unreasonably. No doubt, it was a peculiar kind of sacrifice, unlike those of the later ritual in many respects, and scarcely capable of being classified among them. But it is important to keep its strictly sacrificial character in view; for it is essential to its meaning and to its typical aspect. The proofs of its sacrificial nature are abundant. The instructions as to the selection of the lamb; the method of disposing of the blood, which was sprinkled with hyssop-a peculiarly sacrificial usage; the treatment of the remainder after the feast; the very feast itself,-all testify that it was a sacrifice in the most accurate use of the word. The designation of it as ‘a passover to the Lord,’ and in set terms as a ‘sacrifice,’ in Exo 12:27 and elsewhere, to say nothing of its later form when it became a regular Temple sacrifice, or of Paul’s distinct language in 1Co 5:7 , or of Peter’s quotation of the very words of Exo 12:5 , applied to Christ, ‘ a lamb without blemish,’ all point in the same direction.
But if a sacrifice, what kind of sacrifice was it? Clearly, the first purpose was that the blood might be sprinkled on the door-posts and lintels, and so the house be safe when the destroying angel passed through the land. Such is the explanation given in Exo 12:13 , which is the divine declaration of its meaning. This is the centre of the rite; from it the name was derived. Whether readers accept the doctrines of substitution and expiation or not, it ought to be impossible for an honest reader of these verses to deny that these doctrines or thoughts are there. They may be only the barbarous notions of a half-savage age and people. But, whatever they are, there they are. The lamb without blemish carefully chosen and kept for four days, till it had become as it were part of the household, and then solemnly slain by the head of the family, was their representative. When they sprinkled its blood on the posts, they confessed that they stood in peril of the destroying angel by reason of their impurity, and they presented the blood as their expiation. In so far, their act was an act of confession, deprecation, and faith. It accepted the divinely appointed means of safety. The consequence was exemption from the fatal stroke, which fell on all homes from the palace to the slaves’ hovel, where that red streak was not found. If any son of Abraham had despised the provision for safety, he would have been partaker of the plague.
All this refers only to exemption from outward punishment, and we are not obliged to attribute to these terrified bondmen any higher thoughts. But clearly their obedience to the command implied a measure of belief in the divine voice; and the command embodied, though in application to a transient judgment, the broad principles of sacrificial substitution, of expiation by blood, and of safety by the individual application of that shed blood.
In other words, the Passover is a Gospel before the Gospel. We are sometimes told that in its sacrificial ideas Christianity is still dressing itself in ‘Hebrew old clothes.’ We believe, on the contrary, that the whole sacrificial system of Judaism had for its highest purpose to shadow forth the coming redemption. Christ is not spoken of as ‘our Passover,’ because the Mosaic ritual had happened to have that ceremonial; but the Mosaic ritual had that ceremonial mainly because Christ is our Passover, and, by His blood shed on the Cross and sprinkled on our consciences, does in spiritual reality that which the Jewish Passover only did in outward form. All other questions about the Old Testament, however interesting and hotly contested, are of secondary importance compared with this. Is its chief purpose to prophesy of Christ, His atoning death, His kingdom and church, or is it not? The New Testament has no doubt of the answer. The Evangelist John finds in the singular swiftness of our Lord’s death, which secured the exemption of His sacred body from the violence inflicted on His fellow-sufferers, a fulfilment of the paschal injunction that not a bone should be broken; and so, by one passing allusion, shows that he recognised Christ as the true Passover. John the Baptist’s rapturous exclamation, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’ blends allusions to the Passover, the daily sacrifice, and Isaiah’s great prophecy. The day of the Crucifixion, regarded as fixed by divine Providence, may be taken as God’s own finger pointing to the Lamb whom He has provided. Paul’s language already referred to attests the same truth. And even the last lofty visions of the Apocalypse, where the old man in Patmos so touchingly recurs to the earliest words which brought him to Jesus, echo the same conviction, and disclose, amidst the glories of the throne, ‘a Lamb as it had been slain.’
II. The festal meal on the sacrifice.
The manner of preparing the feast and the manner of partaking of it are both significant. The former provided that the lamb should be roasted, not boiled, apparently in order to secure its being kept whole; and the same purpose suggested the other prescriptions that it was to be served up entire, and with bones unbroken. The reason for this seems to be that thus the unity of the partakers was more plainly shown. All ate of one undivided whole, and were thus, in a real sense, one. So the Apostle deduces the unity of the Church from the oneness of the bread of which they in the Christian Passover partake.
It was to be eaten with the accompaniments of bitter herbs, usually explained as memorials of the bondage, which had made the lives bitter, and the remembrance of which would sweeten their deliverance, even as the pungent condiments brought out the savour of the food. The further accompaniment of unleavened bread seems to have the same signification as the appointment that they were to eat with their garments gathered round their loins, their feet shod, and staves in hand. All these were partly necessities in their urgent hurry, and partly a dramatic representation for later days of the very scene of the first Passover. A strange feast indeed, held while the beat of the pinions of the destroying angel could almost be heard, devoured in hot haste by anxious men standing ready for a perilous journey, the end whereof none knew! The gladness would be strangely dashed with terror and foreboding. Truly, though they feasted on a sacrifice, they had bitter herbs with it, and, standing, swallowed their portions, expecting every moment to be summoned to the march.
The Passover as a feast is a prophecy of the great Sacrifice, by virtue of whose sprinkled blood we all may be sheltered from the sweep of the divine judgment, and on which we all have to feed if there is to be any life in us. Our propitiation is our food. ‘Christ for us’ must become ‘Christ in us,’ received and appropriated by our faith as the strength of our lives. The Christian life is meant to be a joyful feast on the Sacrifice, and communion with God based upon it. We feast on Christ when the mind feeds on Him as truth, when the heart is filled and satisfied with His love, when the conscience clings to Him as its peace, when the will esteems the ‘words of His mouth more than’ its ‘necessary food,’ when all desires, hopes, and inward powers draw their supplies from Him, and find their object in His sweet sufficiency.
Nor will the accompaniments of the first Passover be wanting. Here we feast in the night; the dawn will bring freedom and escape. Here we eat the glad Bread of God, not unseasoned with bitter herbs of sorrow and memories of the bondage, whose chains are dropping from our uplifted hands. Here we should partake of that hidden nourishment, in such manner that it hinders not our readiness for outward service. It is not yet time to sit at His table, but to stand with loins girt, and feet shod, and hands grasping the pilgrim staff. Here we are to eat for strength, and to blend with our secret hours of meditation the holy activities of the pilgrim life.
That feast was, further, appointed with a view to its future use as a memorial. It was held before the deliverance which it commemorated had been accomplished. A new era was to be reckoned from it. The month of the Exodus was thenceforward to be the first of the year. The memorial purpose of the rite has been accomplished. All over the world it is still observed, so many hundred years after its institution, being thus, probably, the oldest religious ceremonial in existence. Once more aliens in many lands, the Jewish race still, year by year, celebrate that deliverance, so tragically unlike their homeless present, and with indomitable hope, at each successive celebration, repeat the expectation, so long cherished in vain, ‘This year, here; next year, in the land of Israel. This year, slaves; next year, freemen.’ There can be few stronger attestations of historical events than the keeping of days commemorating them, if traced back to the event they commemorate. So this Passover, like Guy Fawkes’ Day in England, or Thanksgiving Day in America, remains for a witness even now.
What an incomprehensible stretch of authority Christ put forth, if He were no more than a teacher, when He brushed aside the Passover, and put in its place the Lord’s Supper, as commemorating His own death! Thereby He said, ‘Forget that past deliverance; instead, remember Me.’ Surely this was either audacity approaching insanity, or divine consciousness that He Himself was the true Paschal Lamb, whose blood shields the world from judgment, and on whom the world may feast and be satisfied. Christ’s deliberate intention to represent His death as expiation, and to fix the reverential, grateful gaze of all future ages on His Cross, cannot be eliminated from His founding of that memorial rite in substitution for the God-appointed ceremonial, so hoary with age and sacred in its significance. Like the Passover, the Lord’s Supper was established before the deliverance was accomplished. It remains a witness at once of the historical fact of the death of Jesus, and of the meaning and power which Jesus Himself bade us to see in that death. For us, redeemed by His blood, the past should be filled with His sacrifice. For us, fed on Himself, all the present should be communion with Him, based upon His death for us. For us, freed bondmen, the memorial of deliverance begun by His Cross should be the prophecy of deliverance to be completed at the side of His throne, and the hasty meal, eaten with bitter herbs, the adumbration of the feast when all the pilgrims shall sit with Him at His table in His kingdom. Past, present, and future should all be to us saturated with Jesus Christ. Memory should furnish hope with colours, canvas, and subjects for her fair pictures, and both be fixed on ‘Christ our Passover, sacrificed for us.’
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
the LORD (Hebrew. Jehovah. spake. See note on Exo 6:10, and compare note on Exo 3:7.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Chapter 12
The Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you ( Exo 12:1-2 ).
Now in a few weeks the Jews are gonna be celebrating New Year’s, Rosh Hashana. How come they’re celebrating New Year’s now, if this month April was to be the first month of the year? Well, they have a religious calendar. Their religious year begins in April. Then they have just the regular year by which they count years, and that comes sometime here in the latter part of September as a general rule, the Jewish New Year.
So they have sort of a secular calendar and a religious calendar. The religious calendar, they do begin the religious year in April, that is the first of April, so that the month of October in the religious calendar is the seventh month. Because seven is such a symbolic number, and such a significant number in symbolism, the many feasts take place in the seventh month. Especially the feast of Succoth, or the feast of Tabernacles which takes place here in the tenth month, or seventh month of the Jewish calendar, tenth month in our calendar.
So we see that God is ordaining now that this is to be the beginning of months for you. You’re to-this is, God is going to bring them into a new relationship with Himself, and they’re gonna start counting their life from this point, this new relationship that God is bringing them into.
So I have-sometimes people come up who are fifty years old and they say, “I’m celebrating my second birthday this week.” They’re talking about their new birth, their new relationship with God. This is the new beginning for them, beginning in Christ. And their life seems to start all over and take on a new beginning when you really come into this relationship with the Lord. So coming into this new relationship with God, it’s to be the beginning, start counting from here. Whatever happened in the past doesn’t count anymore.
Paul talks about his past as refuse. All of the glory and all of the accomplishments that he had experienced in his ambitions and in his life, up to Christ, he counted that but loss. He counted it but refuse that he might know Christ. Life really begins with Jesus Christ. It’s the beginning of life; it’s the beginning of counting. Anything else before Christ really doesn’t count. It’s all wood, hay, and stubble of no count. Life really begins when you begin your life with Jesus Christ.
So God is saying, “Hey, this is the beginning, start counting from here because you’re gonna come into a new relationship with God.” Here’s where things are going to start.
So speak unto the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house: And if the household is too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour that is next to his house and let them take it according to the number of souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. And your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it upon the two side posts and upon the upper door posts of the houses, wherein they shall eat it ( Exo 12:3-7 ).
Notice the blood was to be stricken on the side posts and on the upper door posts, not on the threshold, because the blood of this lamb is actually symbolic of the blood of Jesus Christ, which is never to be trampled under foot. However, by some it is who are going to face the wrath of God. “Of how much sorer punishment”, we are told in Hebrews, “suppose ye, shall he to be thought worthy, who hath counted the blood of his covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath trodden under foot the Son of God”( Heb 10:29-30 ).
So the blood of Christ is never to be trodden under foot, thus the blood was to be put upon the side posts, and the upper door posts of the house, but not on the threshold.
And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast it with fire, and with unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs shall they eat it. Don’t eat it raw, nor boiled with water, but roast it with the fire, the head with the legs, and the pertinence thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until morning; and that which remains of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. And ye shall eat it with your clothes on, fully dressed, your shoes on your feet, your staff in your hand; you’ll eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover ( Exo 12:8-11 ).
Now they were to really sort of stuff themselves when they ate this lamb. “I mean eat the whole thing, eat until you can’t eat anymore. It’s gonna be awhile before you’re gonna be eating meat again.” They’re gonna make their flight and they’re going to need all of the reserve, and strength, and energy that they can store up. So they’re really to eat the whole thing, “as much as you possibly can. If you can’t eat it all, then burn the rest with the fire, don’t let anything remain.”
As they are to eat it, they are to eat it prepared to go. Now as a general rule their eating was just sort of a lounging. They didn’t sit at the table like we sit at the table to eat, but they would just sort of lie around on pillows on the floor, very casual when they ate.
You so often, you know, you see the picture of Jesus at the Last Supper and the nice table and everything. No, they didn’t eat like that. They were lying around on the floor on pillows and so forth. It was an extremely casual kind of eating habits that they had. The food out there, and they would just take the food and just sort of lie back and chew on the bones and enjoy. Good way to eat. We’ve become so formalized that we don’t really know how to. We’re oftentimes stiff and formal when we eat, rather than relaxed. When you relax like that, your food digests so much better. It’s just a better way to go at it. But customs are customs, so I guess we’re gonna have to be customized.
Now the lamb that was to be chosen had to be of the first year, had to be without blemish, it had to be separated from the flock for four days to make sure that it was without blemish. The lamb was to be slain on the evening of the fourteenth day, the blood applied to the door posts. This is going to be the Lord’s Passover.
For [The Lord said] I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all of the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord ( Exo 12:12 ).
Now here God is declaring that the purpose of these plagues has been that He might execute against all of the gods of Egypt, His judgment. They had worshiped the flies, they had worshiped the frogs, they had worshiped the Nile River, and God exercised His judgment against their gods. So, He is magnifying Himself. As the Pharaoh said, “Who is Jehovah? I don’t know Him.” He surely learned.
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are: [The Lord declared,] when I see the blood, I will pass over you ( Exo 12:13 ),
So the blood was to be a protection, it was to be a seal for that house. A token by which when God sees the blood there on the doorposts, He would pass over that house and the firstborn would not die. However, in whatever house there was not the blood there over the doorposts, and on the side posts of the house, the firstborn in that house would be slain. The only protection and the only salvation was through the blood; no other hope, no other way, no other salvation, except through the blood applied by faith, because it had to be a step of faith on the part of the people.
You can’t really intellectualize on how blood on a doorpost can keep your firstborn child alive. It doesn’t really make sense from an intellectual standpoint. Thus, it had to be a step of faith on their part. Moses said, “This is what God says to do”, and they had to obey the word of God by faith. They weren’t sure that it was going to work. They weren’t even sure that the deaths would be visited, except that Moses said it would be upon the firstborn in the land. So there had to be that obedience of faith, putting the blood on the doorposts; but as Moses said, so it was. And the only hope of salvation was through the blood.
So today God has declared that the only hope of life, the only hope of salvation is through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no other way. There is no other hope. You say, “Chuck that’s too narrow. I cannot believe in a God that would be so narrow.” That’s too bad. Jesus said, “Strait is the gate, narrow is the way that leads to eternal life, and few there be that find it”( Mat 7:14 ). You say, “But I can’t understand it.”
I didn’t say I did; I believe it. I believe God’s Word. I accept God’s Word as truth. I don’t argue with God nor with the Word of God, nor do I seek to strive with God. For who am I to contend with God? Who am I to argue with God over what’s fair, or what’s right, or what’s wrong? Am I saying that my standards of fairness are, are above God’s? Am I saying that I know better than God? Dare I challenge God?
Paul said, “Remember you’re just like a bit of clay in the potter’s hands, and what right has the clay to say to the potter, hey, why are you making me this kind of a pitcher?” ( Rom 9:21 ). I don’t want to be that. I wanted to have a different shape. Hey, you are what you are. We have no right to challenge God or the ways of God, or why’s of God. But if we have good sense, we’ll just submit to God, whether we understand it or not.
The obedience of faith is so important. God has declared, “There is salvation in no other”( Act 4:12 ). When Peter was examined concerning the miracles done to the lame man and was standing before the counsel, “Men and brethren if I be examined this day because of the good deeds done unto this impudent man, be it known unto you that by the name of Jesus Christ that this man’s standing before you whole. He was a stone that was set of not of you builders, neither is there salvation in any other for there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved”( Act 4:9-10 ).
The Bible says, “Woe unto him who strives with his Maker”( Isa 45:9 ). There are some people who are just foolish enough to fight with God, to try to challenge God or to resist God. One of the most ridiculous things you can ever do is fight with God. How could you ever win? Unfortunately some people do. Because, you see, God is seeking to draw you to life. God is seeking to draw you to Himself. God is seeking to draw you into the highest life, life on the spiritual plane. You’re fighting God; to fight God is really to fight your own good. To resist God is to resist the good that God wants to do within your life. “Woe unto him who strives with his Maker.”
So it is not mine to question or challenge. It’s mine to simply trust and believe, because you can be sure that God will do what He said He is going to do. If you follow His instructions, you’ll be saved. If you don’t follow His instructions, you’ll be lost.
Now the children of Israel could’ve argued with Moses. They could’ve challenged the thing that Moses was telling them. “Ah, I don’t see any sense in doing that.” You really can’t see any sense in doing it, except God said to do it. When God says to do something, whether I understand it or not, the very wisest thing for me is to go ahead and do it, because I’ll find out later on that what God said was right. If I have submitted to it, I’m in good shape. If I have resisted it and fought it, then I’m in trouble.
So Moses laid it out, and God declared, “When I see the blood I will pass over you.” God is saying that to us tonight, as far as death is concerned and life is concerned. When He sees the blood of Jesus Christ applied to your heart, He passes over you. You’ve passed from death unto life. “He that liveth and believeth on Me”, Jesus said, “will never die”( Joh 11:26 ). You’ve passed from death unto life.
You say, “Chuck again, it doesn’t stand to reason because out here in the cemetery there are so many graves”. If you look at the tombstones you’ll read “Resting in Jesus”, “Trusting in the Lord”, and you read the statements of faith of that individual. They lived and believed in Jesus and are now dead. Oh no they’re not. You’re mistaken to think that they are. They’re only dead as far as our relating to them is concerned, but they’re very much alive, alive in the presence of the Lord.
Paul said, “I find myself with mixed emotions, I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better, nevertheless for your sakes it’s important that I stick around awhile longer”( Php 1:23 ).
He said, “I knew a man in Christ about fourteen years, or a little over fourteen years ago, and whether in the body or out of the body I really don’t know, but I know I was caught up to the third heaven, and there I heard things that it would be a crime if I tried to describe them in human language. Because words haven’t been made that can describe the experiences that I had”( 2Co 12:3-4 ). Now “whether in the body or out of the body” is in reality; whether dead or alive I really don’t know.
Again Paul writes to the Corinthians, “We know that when this earthly tent is dissolved, this body that we then have a building of God, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. So then we who are in this body do often groan earnestly desiring to be free from the restrictions of this body, from the limitations of this body, from the pain and the suffering of this body. Not that I would be an unembodied spirit, but my desire is to be clothed upon with the body which is from heaven, for we know that as long as we’re at home in this body, we are absent from the Lord. But we would choose rather to be absent from this body, and to be present with the Lord”( 2Co 5:1-8 ).
For those who live and believe in Jesus, they do not die, they move out of the old tent that is worn out, into a beautiful new house, a building of God, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
I’m so anxious to see my new model; one that’s probably designed for my personality. One that will be fully capable of expressing me completely and fully as I really am. It’s gonna be so interesting to find out all of the capacity of that new body that God has built for me, that new model directly from God. He who lives and believes in Jesus Christ never dies. You do move. Thank God we move. I’d hate to stick around in this old body much longer. I hate the deterioration. I hate the catabolic forces. I hate the diminishing return. I look forward to being with the Lord, being in that new form, that new body, the body that pleases God.
Paul tells us that, “When you plant a seed into the ground, the seed doesn’t come forth into new life until it first of all dies, and then the body that comes out of the ground isn’t the body that you planted”( 1Co 15:38 ). Now a lot of people that want it to be related to this old body, they want it to be somehow related to their new body. It is in a sense, just like a dead bulb is related to the new plant or dead seed is related to the new plant. There is a relationship, sure. A gladiola bulb remains a gladiola then it’s a flower, but there’s a vast difference between the bulb and the flower. There will be a vast difference between this old, ugly bulb and the blossomed flower in the kingdom of God. So don’t go looking for a bald head when you get up there to find me. Somebody has to use glasses to read; you’ll never recognize them.
“A building of God not made with hands.” The body that comes out is not the body that you planted. All you planted was a bare grain, and God gives it a body that pleases Him, so is the resurrection from the dead. We are planted in corruption; we are raised in incorruption. We are planted in weakness; we are raised in power. We are planted in dishonor; we are raised in glory. We’re planted as a natural body; we are raised as a spiritual body.
God said, “When I see the blood I will pass over you.” That is the death that has been sentenced upon man. He’s gonna pass over me. I’ll not die, but I will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, into the glorious likeness of Jesus Christ. Whom, having not seen, yet I love. Even though I don’t see Him yet, in my heart I rejoice with a joy unspeakable, and full of glory because even though I am now a son of God, I don’t know for sure yet what I’m gonna be, all of the full capacities and everything else. But I know that when He appears, I’m gonna be like Him. For I’m gonna see Him as He is, conformed into His image.
Oh, how glorious is the hope of every child of God, who by faith follows the command of God, and who has received the sacrifice of God, God’s lamb Jesus Christ, and has received the covering of Jesus Christ, and his sins have been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
So in Exodus we have God laying out the Passover lamb, which is a type of the Lamb of God. For Jesus it was the night in which He had the Passover supper with His disciples, that He took the Passover elements and said, “Hey this is Me, this is Me don’t you understand? It’s Me. I’m the Passover Lamb. This cup is a new covenant; it’s in My blood.”
No longer the lamb in Egypt and the blood of the lamb in Egypt. No longer does this feast carry you clear back to Egypt. This feast now carries you back to the cross of Jesus Christ. And as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you show the Lord’s death, not the death of the lamb in Egypt, but the death of the Lamb of God. You do show the Lord’s death until He comes. So the feast was inaugurated, but it was inaugurated to remind, yes, but also to look forward to the fulfillment of what that lamb in Egypt typified, the Lamb of God slain for our sins.
And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; and you shall keep it a feast by the ordinance for ever. Seven days you are to eat the unleavened bread; even the first day you’ll put away leaven out of your houses ( Exo 12:14-15 ):
Now what is leaven? It’s yeast. What is yeast? Decomposition, the breaking down of substance; thus, leaven has become throughout the scripture a type of sin because of its decomposition, its breaking down, its effect of just permeating the whole by a process of deterioration or breaking down. It becomes a very fit picture of sin. Any sin tolerated or allowed has a way of just expanding until it takes over and controls your life. But it brings into your life that element of decomposition, the breaking down, filling the whole life. So leaven is, and it’s to be excluded, they were to eat the unleavened bread, a memorial. “Seven days you’ll eat unleavened bread; and the first day you’ll put away leaven out of your houses.”
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life”, and thus the bread of the Passover, the middle wafer was representing Jesus Christ. In the Passover meal they have three wafers of unleavened bread in this little napkin thing. They take the middle wafer and they break it, and then they hide it, and the children have to go and find it. Now why they do this, they really don’t know. But Jesus said, “I am the bread of life”, He said, “this bread is my body broken for you”. They break it, even as He was in the grave for three days. They hide it, and then they discover it and there’s great rejoicing when it’s discovered, a great celebration, “They found the broken bread.” It’s brought out.
What a day it’s going to be when Israel discovers the bread of life, Jesus Christ. For if the cutting off of Israel brought salvation to the Gentiles, what will it be when they are restored; but the kingdom, the kingdom age, the entering into the kingdom age. So their being cut off brought salvation to the Gentiles, but God is going to restore them again. And when He does it’s gonna be life for the world, the kingdom age being brought in. So the inauguration of this Passover feast.
The Lord said in verse sixteen,
And in the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, except that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day I have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. And in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, you will eat the unleavened bread, until the twenty first day of the month at evening. Seven days there will be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eats that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your houses shall ye eat unleavened bread. Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, [little scrub bush] and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning ( Exo 12:16-22 ).
Now as long as you were in the house where the blood was applied, you were safe. If you went out of the house then you were no longer safe. The only place of safety is in Jesus Christ. He said, “Abide in Me, and let My words abide in you. And if any man abide not in Me, he is cut off like a branch withers and dies, and men gather them and throw them into the fire. Abide in Me”( Joh 15:4 , Joh 15:7 ). He emphasized the importance of abiding in Him.
I really am not concerned about the past experiences you may have had in Jesus Christ. I am concerned with your present relationship. For any past experience that you may have had with God, no matter how dynamic, has no value unless it has translated into your present experience. “Abide in Me.”
“So let them stay in the house till morning.”
For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood on the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer ( Exo 12:23 )
So with the Lord there was to pass with Him this destroyer. He is called by many the death angel. The scripture just calls him the destroyer. “He will not allow the destroyer”,
To come in unto your houses to smite you ( Exo 12:23 ).
Now it is interesting to me that Satan is called the destroyer in the book of Revelation. I do believe that Satan is bent upon destroying people. I do believe that God does put limitations upon what Satan can do. I believe that Satan operates only within certain boundaries that have been prescribed for him by God.
We often make a mistake of thinking that Satan is the opposite of God. He is not at all an opposite of God. In no way is he an opposite of God. Satan would more apt to be an opposite of Michael or Gabriel, angels of God. That is not an opposite of God. He opposes God, but is not the opposite of God. Because his power is so limited, his authority is so limited, he only works within the limits that God describes and defines for him. I believe that if it weren’t for God’s protecting hand, Satan would’ve already wiped all of us out. He’s bent on our destruction. I believe that God restrains him.
Now the destroyer passing through the land, God allowed him to smite the firstborn. Where the blood was upon the house, God passed over that house and did not allow the destroyer to enter in to destroy.
And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. It shall come to pass, when you come to the land which the Lord will give to you, according as he has promised, that ye shall keep this service. [or this celebration, this feast, this festival] And it shall come to pass when your children shall say to you, What do you mean by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed their heads and worshiped. And the children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did ( Exo 12:24-28 ).
So the purpose of the feast was a memorial, a reminder of what God had done, but also it was to create a question in the mind of the children. God is always creating questions in the minds of children. You ever notice how many questions they ask? The purpose of God creating questions in the minds of children is that they might learn. God deliberately creates questions in their minds to give you an opportunity to teach them the things of God, to make them conscious and aware of God, and the presence of God.
“Where do trees come from? Why are roses red? How can a fly fly? How big is God?” The questions that God creates in the mind of a child that give you the opportunity of unfolding to that mind the understanding of the infinite God, to bring that child into a knowledge and a loving relationship with Him. God is always creating questions, deliberately, setting things up to create questions in the mind of a child to give you the opportunity to teach. So, “When your children shall say, What is the meaning of this service?”, then you have the opportunity of sharing with them what God has done, the power of God that was demonstrated.
And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all of the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; the firstborn of the cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all of his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and he said, Rise up, get out of here from the people, both you and the children of Israel; go, serve the Lord, as you have said. And take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, be gone ( Exo 12:29-32 );
Now you remember earlier he had offered compromises, “Go but leave your children here. Go but leave your flocks here. Go but don’t go very-go in the land, worship God in the land.” Now he is-he’s just not offering, “Get out of here. Get out and get into the wilderness. Take your flocks, take your children, just go.”
Then he says,
pray for me. [Interesting, no matter how pagan a person is, they sure appreciate prayer when they’re in trouble.] And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We’ll all be dead. And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians [instead of borrowed] jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and raiment: And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they gave [rather than lent] such things to them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians. And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, and there were about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children ( Exo 12:32-37 ).
Now if six hundred thousand men used in a generic sense, it would mean that there were six hundred thousand adults, and then besides children which would give you a possible million, five hundred thousand people making the exodus at this point. If it was six hundred thousand men, men, plus then the six hundred thousand wives plus their children, you have over two million that are making then the exodus. There’s no way for us to know for sure the full number. Because we don’t know if “the men” just is a term that is referred to the adults above twenty-one years old, or refers to men as such and then besides children. Why doesn’t it say besides women and children? So that’s something for you to not get worried about. A big group either way you look at it.
And there went a mixed multitude with them; and their flocks, and their herds, and very much cattle ( Exo 12:38 ).
Now this mixed multitude, it seems they’re always hanging on with the people of God, but a mixed multitude are always a weakening element among the people of God. This mixed multitude later on got them into trouble. In Numbers we read where, “The mixed multitude began to lust after the things of Egypt, began to complain unto Moses”( Num 11:4 ). A mixed multitude is always an unhealthy thing within the body, but it is always there. Whenever God is doing a marvelous work and gathering His people together, and there comes a real excitement over the things of God, a genuine revival of the Spirit; there are always just a certain number who just come along for the ride, who have not made a true commitment of their own lives. They are part of a mixed multitude. They’re not really totally God’s people; they’re mixed. They find an excitement, they find it’s fun to be around, they find that it’s an interesting thing, but there is not a true heart commitment unto God. The mixed multitude always a danger.
And they baked the unleavened cakes out of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of the land, nor could they wait, neither had they prepared for themselves any victuals. Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. [God had prophesied this to Abraham back in Genesis that they would be in the land for four hundred years.] It came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt ( Exo 12:39-41 ).
Now that’s interesting to me that God said that it happened on the very same day. In other words, it was four hundred and thirty years to a day. I emphasize that because of the Thursday night study this week, when we find God talking about another period of four hundred and eighty-three years when God says “Four hundred and eighty three-years”, He wants to be exact, and He comes exactly to the day. So it was exactly to the day, four hundred and thirty years from the time that Jacob went down, exactly to the day four hundred and thirty years they came out, right to the day. And as I say, I emphasize that and you’ll find out why on Thursday night.
It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: it is the night of the Lord to be observed of all of the children of Israel in their generations. [or throughout their generations]. And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof: But every man’s servant ( Exo 12:42-44 )
Now no stranger is to eat of the Passover. You remember Paul warned against unbelievers partaking of communion. “For he that eateth unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his own body”( 1Co 11:29 ). He warns that about the unbelievers partaking of communion. It’s not for strangers. The communion service is not for the public, the general public. It’s for the body of Christ; it’s for the family of God. That’s why we have communion on Thursday nights rather than Sunday mornings. Sunday morning we have more of a mixed multitude. Thursday night’s more of the family. That’s why we have the communion on the Thursday evening service because it’s more of a family service, not so much of a mixed multitude, because a stranger wasn’t to eat.
In the Jews’ celebration of their Passover, a stranger wasn’t to eat of it. In fact, he goes on to say that,
every man’s servant that is bought for many, when you have circumcised him, then he can eat. But a foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat. In one house it shall be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall you break a bone of it. [They weren’t to break the bones of the lamb, for Jesus, of course, was to be the sacrificial Lamb. And that is why they didn’t break His legs as they did the other prisoners to hasten His death, because of a sacrificial Lamb. Not a bone of Him could be broken.] And all the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will 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 one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof ( Exo 12:42-48 ).
Now if a person wanted to proselytize into the Jewish faith, there were three things that were necessary. Number one, baptism; number two, circumcision; and number three, the partaking of Passover. And until you had gone through these three things, you were not really considered a Jew. But if you wanted to proselytize into their faith, and into their nation, these are the things that were required. So here we find two of the three spoken of in this particular scripture.
One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourns among you. Thus did all the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. And it came to pass the same day, that the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies ( Exo 12:49-51 ). “
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Exo 12:1-2. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
God thinks a great deal of the redemption of his people. When he redeemed them out of their Egyptian bondage, he took care that the mighty deed should be worthily commemorated. Thenceforth, the Jewish year was to begin with the celebration of the national deliverance; and now, when any of us are converted to God, and so are set free from the slavery of sin, we should reckon that then we really begin to live. All the previous part of our life has been wasted; but when we are brought truly to know God, through faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, then have we realized, indeed, what life is. The month of our conversion should be to us the beginning of months, the first month of the year to us.
Exo 12:3-4. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: and if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
The worship of God must be rendered in an orderly manner, with due thoughtfulness and preparation. This paschal supper was not to be celebrated in any fashion that the people might choose; but they were to take time to have the lamb properly examined, that it might be found perfect in every respect, and that everything might be set in order so that the feast should be observed with due reverence and solemnity. Let us take care that we act thus in all our devotions; let us never rush to prayer or hasten to praise; but let us pause awhile, and think what we are about to do, lest we offer the sacrifice of fools, and so cause the Lord to bid us take back that which we have brought to put upon his altar without due thoughtfulness.
Exo 12:5. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
It was to be a type of Christ, and, therefore, it must be the best that they had. It must be in the prime of its strength, otherwise it would not be a fit emblem of the strong Son of God whose mighty love moved him to give himself to death for us.
Exo 12:6-10. And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with .fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
Everything was to be done exactly according to Gods order; the alteration of the slightest detail would have spoiled it all. I wish that all Christians would remember this rule with regard to the ordinances of Gods house. They are not for us to make, or for us to alter, but for us to keep.
Exo 12:11. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORDS passover.
They were thus to exercise an act of faith. Why were they to eat in haste, but that they expected soon to be gone? They were to stand like travelers who are starting upon a journey, believing that God was about to set them free. Oh, that we would always exercise faith in all our devotions, for without faith it must ever be impossible to please God.
Exo 12:12-13. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you,
What a grand gospel statement that is! When the sinner sees the blood, it is for his comfort; but it is Gods sight of the blood that is, after all, the grand thing; and when is it that he does not see it?
Exo 12:13-20. And the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
Thus we see God instituting a commemoration of the deliverance of his people out of Egypt. How much more ought you and I, with joyful gladness, to remember the deliverance of our soul from the slavery of sin and Satan! Let us never forget it. I should like to refresh the memories of bygone times with you who know the Lord; the Lord help you now, with deepest gratitude, to recollect the day when first you saw your Saviour, and the yoke was taken from your neck, and the burden from your shoulder, glory be to the delivering Lord!
Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible
While the subjects necessarily intermingle at this point, we turn from the contemplation of the judgments of Jehovah in dealing with Pharaoh to that of deliverance in His dealings with Israel. As these people were now to pass into national constitution, the calendar was altered. A rite was established which was called an ordinance, a feast, a sacrifice. Thus at the very beginning the nation was reminded that it was rooted in the fact of deliverance wrought by God through sacrifice.
The story of the actual exodus is told. It was indeed, as the sacred historian writes, “a night to be much observed.” It was a night in which a people passed from slavery to liberty, from under the lash of oppression to the place of power under authority, from degradation to realization of national life. With them passed out a mixed multitude which constituted an element of danger, as tracing their history through subsequent books will show.
That exodus and the Passover feast were prophetic. Long ages were required fully to unfold the meaning, but in fullness of time its symbolism became manifest and Paul was able to write, “Our Passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ . . . wherefore let us keep the feast.”
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
the Passover Lamb and its Sprinkled Blood
Exo 12:1-14
Henceforth, for Israel, there was to be a new beginning of the year. We should date our birthdays not from the cradle, but from the Cross. The Paschal Lamb was an evident foreshadowing of Christ. See 1Co 5:7.
(1). He was without blemish. Searched by friend and foe, no fault was found in Him.
(2). He was in His prime, when He laid down His life.
(3). Set apart at the opening of His ministry, it took three years to consummate His purpose.
(4). His blood-that phrase being equivalent to His sacrificial death-speaks of the satisfaction of the just claims of inviolable law, where His flesh is meat indeed.
(5). Roasting with fire, unleavened bread and bitter herbs denote the intensity of His sufferings, and the chastened spirit with which we draw nigh.
And does not the pilgrims attitude bespeak the attitude of the Church, which, at any moment, may be summoned to go forth at the trumpet sounding? 1Co 15:52.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Exo 12:2
We have here a new event, a new starting-point-a new epoch, and therefore a new era. That event was an emancipation, a redemption, an exodus. There were centuries behind of exile and servitude; of that experience which has been so characteristic of Israel, a sojourning which was no naturalisation, a dwelling amongst, without becoming of, another nation; estrangement therefore, isolation, solitude, even in populous cities, and amidst teeming multitudes. Now, all this is behind them. They are to quit the homeless home. Egypt behind, Sinai before, Canaan beyond; this is the exact account of the position of Israel when the words of the text were spoken. Redemption was the starting-point of the new; from it all that follows shall take a new character, a new life.
I. The idea of a new start is naturally attractive to all of us. We are fatigued, we are wearied, we are dissatisfied, and justly so, with the time past of our lives. We long for a gift of amnesty and oblivion.
II. There are senses in which this is impossible. The continuity of life cannot be broken. There is a continuity, a unity, an identity, which annihilation only could destroy.
III. “The beginning of months” is made so by an exodus. Redemption is the groundwork of the new life. If there is in any of us a real desire for change, we must plant our feet firmly on redemption.
IV. When we get out of Egypt, we must remember that there is still Sinai in front, with its thunderings and voices. We have to be schooled and disciplined by processes not joyous but grievous. These processes cannot be hurried, they must take time. Here we must expect everything that is changeful, and unresting, and unreposeful, within as without. But He who has promised will perform. He who has redeemed will save. He who took charge will also bring through.
C. J. Vaughan, Words of Hope, p. 65.
References: Exo 12:1-20.-Parker, vol. ii., p. 66. Exo 12:2.-Parker, vol. ii., p. 313; A. Mursell, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xix., p. 88. Exo 12:3, Exo 12:4.-Spurgeon, My Sermon Notes, p. 30. Exo 12:5, Exo 12:6.-G. Calthrop, Church Sermons, vol. i., p. 347. Exo 12:7, Exo 12:8.-Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. xxii., p. 204. Exo 12:11.-M. Nicholson, Redeeming the Time, p. 305. Exo 12:11-14.-J. R. Macduff, Communion Memories, p. 125.
Exo 12:13
Our interest in the Passover, as in most of the other institutions of the Levitical economy, consists in its relationship to higher institutions, and to a more hallowed provision; it consists in the prefiguration by them of our Surety and Saviour, who is at once the Surety and Saviour of universal man. There are three points in the analogy to be considered.
I. We, like the children of Israel aforetime, are in circumstances of sorrow. (1) They were in bondage. We also have been brought under bondage to sin, and our yoke is harder than theirs, for ours is heart-slavery, the iron has entered into our soul. (2) The Israelites were in circumstances of peril.
The Lord was about to execute in their sight His strange work of judgment. The transgressions of our race, the sins which we commit, expose us to consequences far more imminent, and far more terrible.
II. For us, as for the children of Israel of old, there is a remedy provided. The great doctrine of Atonement is here brought before us. As by the blood of the victim sprinkled upon the door-posts, seen by the destroying angel, wrath was averted from them and deliverance secured, so by the blood of Jesus, seen by Divine justice sprinkled upon our hearts, wrath is warded off from us, and everlasting salvation is secured. The cross is the meeting-place of God’s mercy for the sinner.
III. As there is such a remedy there can be no other. For us as for them there is but one way of escape. “There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.”
W. Morley Punshon, Penny Pulpit, No. 312.
References: Exo 12:13.-Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. v., No. 228, also vol. xxi., No. 1251; Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. xiv., p. 22.
Exo 12:22-23
The night of the Passover was “a night much to be remembered.” Wherever a Jew exists it is to this night he points, as the proudest epoch in his people’s history. The feast of the Passover is full of typical meaning. Notice, first, that this was a little judgment day. The children of Israel were to be delivered by a direct visitation of God. There are three great truths brought out in this narrative.
I. The universality of condemnation. God was going to save the Israelites, but before He saved them He must condemn them. He sent Moses with a message couched in the language of symbol, which clearly showed that the Israelites were guilty no less than the Egyptians. The lamb was to be the representative of the firstborn son, who must die for the sins of his family. The Israelite and the Egyptian are brought under one common charge of guilt, and there they all stand, “condemned already.”
II. The great truth of substitution. God sends Moses to His people and bids them choose “for every family a lamb.” The lamb was instead of the firstborn. Christ is the “Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.”
III. The third truth taught is appropriation. The Israelite would not have been safe if he had merely killed the lamb; he had to sprinkle its blood on the lintel and on the two sideposts. When we repose our confidence in the Person of Christ, we have taken the bunch of hyssop and dipped it in the blood, and from that moment we are safe.
W. Hay Aitken, Mission Sermons, 1st series, p. 100.
References: Exo 12:23-H. Macmillan, The Olive Leaf, p. 330. Exo 12:26.-C.Wordsworth. Occasional Sermons, 7th series, p. 25; H. Alford, Quebec Chapel Sermons, vol. i., p. 17; G. Brooks, Five Hundred Outlines of Sermons, p. 281. Exo 12:26, Exo 12:27.-R.D.B. Rawnsley, Sermons in Country Churches, 3rd series, p. 250. Exo 12:29-31.-W. Landels, Christian World Pulpit, vol. iii., p. 164. Exo 12:31.-Parker, vol. ii., p. 314. Exo 12:38.-Ibid.
Exo 12:30-41
(with Mat 2:15)
I. We cannot treat the Exodus as an isolated fact in history. Egypt is the type of the cunning, careless, wanton world, out of which in all ages God is calling His sons. The Exodus remained a living fact in history. The infant Jesus went down into Egypt, as the infant Israel went down, not to repeat the Exodus, but to illume afresh its fading lines. (1) The children of Israel were an elect race, because they were of the seed of Abraham: that constituted their distinctity. You are of the race of the second Adam, of the same flesh and blood as Jesus; and all who wear a human form and understand a human voice, God calls forth from Egypt; His voice calls to His sons, “Come forth to freedom, life, and heaven.” (2) You, like the Israelites, are called forth to the desert, the fiery pillar, the manna, the spiritual rock; and while you aim at Canaan, His will, His heart, are on your side.
II. Note the moral features of the Exodus. (1) There was a life in Egypt which had become insupportable to a man. That bondage is the picture of a soul round which the devil’s toils are closing. (2) The Israelites saw the stroke of heaven fall on all that adorns, enriches, and nourishes a worldly life. (3) They had a Divine leader, a man commissioned and inspired by God. We have the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, who in the house and the work in which Moses wrought as a servant, represents God as the Son. (4) We discern a condition of utter dependence on the strength and faithfulness of God. They and we were delivered by a Divine work. (5) Notice, lastly, the freedom of the delivered Israelites; a broad, deep sea flowing between them and the land of bondage, and the tyrants dead upon the shore. Such is the glorious sense of liberty, of wealth, of life, when the deep sea of Divine forgiving love sweeps over the past and obliterates its shame.
J. Baldwin Brown, The Soul’s Exodus and Pilgrimage, p. 28.
Exo 12:42
I. Scholars have said that the old Greeks were the fathers of freedom; and there have been other people in the world’s history who have made glorious and successful struggles to throw off their tyrants and be free.
But liberty is of a far older and nobler house. Liberty was born on the first Easter night, when God Himself stooped from heaven to set the oppressed free. Then was freedom born. Not in the counsels, of men, however wise, or in the battles of men, however brave, but in the counsels of God and the battle of God. Freedom was born not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of the will of God, from whom all good things come, and of Christ, who is the life and the light of men and of nations, and of all worlds, past, present, and to come.
II. The history of the Jews is the history of the whole Church and of every nation in Christendom. The Jews had to wander forty years in the wilderness, and Christendom has had to wander too, in strange and blood-stained paths, for eighteen hundred years and more. For as the Israelites were not worthy to enter at once into rest, no more have the nation of Christ’s Church been worthy. As the new generation sprang up in the wilderness, trained under Moses’ stern law, to the fear of God, so for eighteen hundred years have the generations of Christendom, by the training of the Church and the light of the Gospel, been growing in wisdom and knowledge, growing in morality and humanity, in that true discipline and loyalty which are the yokefellows of freedom and independence.
C. Kingsley, The Gospel of the Pentateuch, p. 149.
References: Exo 12:42.-C. Kingsley, National Sermons, p. 337. 12-14.-J. Monro Gibson, The Mosaic Era, p. 47. Exo 13:1-7.-Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. iv., p. 37. Exo 13:10.-Parker, vol. ii., p. 315; Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xix., No. 1092; H. Grey, A Parting Memorial, p. 54. Exo 13:13.-S. Cox, Expositions, 2nd series, p. 381; Parker, vol. ii., p. 74.
Fuente: The Sermon Bible
5. Redemption by Blood, the Passover and the Law of the Firstborn
CHAPTER 12 The Passover Instituted and Kept, the Death of the Firstborn and the Exodus
1. The Passover instituted and the feast of unleavened bread (Exo 12:1-20)
2. The command given to the people and obeyed (Exo 12:21-28)
3. The death of the firstborn in Egypt (Exo 12:29-30)
4. The departure of the children of Israel (Exo 12:31-36)
5. From Rameses to Succoth (Exo 12:37-39)
6. The fulfillment of the 430 years (Exo 12:40-42)
7. The ordinance of the Passover (Exo 12:43-51)
This is the birth chapter of Israel as a nation. The birth pangs are about over and the deliverance is at hand. The first thing announced is the change of the year (Exo 12:1-2). A new beginning is made with the deliverance out of the house of bondage; the past is left behind and blotted out. This is typical of the new birth of the individual. The month which marks this new beginning is Abib, the green ear month, because the corn was then in the ear. After the captivity it was called Nissan (Neh 2:1; Est 3:7). It is our April.
Exo 12:1-14 give the instructions concerning the Passover, and Exo 12:15-20 those concerning the feast of unleavened bread. The Passover Lamb is a most blessed type of the Lord Jesus Christ in His work. He is the Lamb of God and our Passover (Joh 1:29; 1Co 5:6-7; 1Pe 1:18-19). The chapter is extremely rich in typical foreshadowing and spiritual truth. The spotless character of our Lord is indicated in that the lamb had to be without blemish. Taken out, separated, and a male; all has a meaning. For four days the lamb had to be set aside before it was to be killed. This was done to discover if there would be a flaw, some defect in it, which would unfit the lamb for the sacrifice. Here we are reminded of the four Gospel records in which the holy, spotless life of Him is told out who gave His life for a ransom. The lamb was to be killed by the whole congregation, even as it was with Christ. It was to be killed between the evenings. That is between noon and the night, the afternoon; that is when Christ died. And what more could we say of the roasting with fire and other instructions, which all foreshadow the death and suffering of the Lamb of God? We call attention to the fact that Satan did not want to have the Lord Jesus put to death on the Passover feast. Satan knew He was the true Lamb, and he tried to prevent His death at the predicted time (Mat 26:5; Mar 14:2). But the Lamb of God, the true Passover, died at the very time appointed, thus fulfilling the Scriptures. The shedding of the blood and its application is the prominent thing in the Passover. The word pesach means to pass through, and to pass over. God passed through Egypt in judgment; it was also liable to fall upon the people Israel . They were guilty before God and had deserved the same judgment which was about to fall upon Egypt . But Jehovah provided a sacrifice and in the shed blood a shelter and complete deliverance. The blood secured all they needed as a sinful people and as it was sprinkled in obedience to Jehovahs command perfect peace and rest was obtained. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. The blood was the token for Jehovah. They were not to see the blood, but He in passing through saw the blood. Faith in what Jehovah had said and what had been done gave peace to all in the dwellings. The blood of Christ is thus blessedly foreshadowed. Peace has been made in the blood of the cross. Upon the Lamb of God, the holy Substitute, the sentence of death was executed and now whenever God sees the blood there He passes by, no more condemnation, but perfect justification. Wherever there is faith in the blood, there is the enjoyment of perfect peace. The blood of the Lamb and the assuring word of Jehovah, When I see the blood I will pass over you, were the solid foundations of Israel s shelter and peace in that awful night of death and judgment. And they are our solid foundations too. We quote helpful words from another.
While outside the house the blood of atonement spoke to God, to whom it was addressed; inside He provided that which was to satisfy them, and enable them for that path with Him upon which they were now so shortly to go forth. The lamb is theirs to feed upon, and God is bent upon their enjoying this provision of His love. The lamb, too, must all of it be eaten. If the household were too little for the lamb (we read nothing of the lamb being too little for the house), then, says the Lord, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it. God would have Christ apprehended by us. He would have our souls sustained, and He would have Christ honored. We are to eat–to appropriate to ourselves what Christ is; and what we appropriate becomes, in fact, part and parcel of ourselves. This laying hold of Christ by faith makes Christ to be sustenance indeed to us, and Himself to be reproduced in us.
Death God ordains as the food of life; and it is as sheltered and saved from death that we can feed upon death. It is not merely vanquished and set aside; it is in the cross the sweet and wonderful display of divine power and love in our behalf, accomplished in the mystery of human weakness. Death is become the food of life, and the life is life eternal. (Numerical Bible, Vol. 1, p. 172.)
The eating of the Passover lamb (Exo 12:9-11) is full of meaning. It is the type of feeding upon Christ, occupation with His blessed Person. And that is what we need to keep our feet in the way of peace.
The feast of unleavened bread is mentioned next. Leaven means corruption; it is the type of sin. The lesson of holiness, which God looks for in His redeemed people, is here before us. The old leaven must be purged out. The leaven of malice and wickedness must be put away (1Co 5:6-8). We are delivered from the power of indwelling sin. Saved by grace our calling is to holiness. Spiritually to keep the feast of unleavened bread means to live in the energy of the new nature and that is the walk in the Spirit. The bitter herbs mentioned in Exo 12:8 with the unleavened bread speak of self-denial and self-judgment. The terrible judgment fell that fourteenth day, or between the fourteenth and fifteenth day of Abib. All Jehovah had announced in judgment was literally carried out. There was not a house where there was not one dead. So God will yet put all His predicted judgments for this age into execution and a hardened world will find out the truth of His word.
Then the Exodus took place, and they left with the riches of the Egyptians. The whole experience of Israel in Egypt and their deliverance is typical of their coming final and glorious deliverance.
From Rameses (city of the sun) the city of earthly splendor, they went to Succoth, which means booths. There pilgrim character is now brought out. The wilderness begins. Redemption by blood makes us pilgrims and strangers, for we are no longer of the world, though we are in it. The mixed multitude came along. They were Egyptians stirred up by the mighty judgment events, which had taken place (Num 11:4; Neh 13:3). They became a snare to the Israelites.
A word on Exo 12:40 and Exo 12:41 will terminate these brief annotations of this remarkable chapter. The 430 years sojourning does not mean that it was 430 years since Jacob and his sons had come to Egypt . The selfsame day means the fifteenth day of the seventh month; it was the day on which Abraham left Ur to go forth in obedience to the divine command.
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
Reciprocal: Gen 20:7 – a prophet Exo 11:2 – borrow Exo 12:18 – General Exo 14:1 – the Lord spake Exo 40:2 – the first month Num 9:2 – keep Eze 45:21 – ye shall
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
When Pharaoh heard Moses speak the words, commencing with “Thus saith the Lord” as recorded in Exo 11:1-10 he was listening to the voice of God for the last time, though doubtless he did not know it. The preliminary judgments had run their course. The time for talking was over. Decisive action was now to start. Chapter 12 begins with the Lord speaking to Moses, but all, that He now has to say concerns the people, whom He had chosen as His own.
There was now to take place an event of an epoch-making character. This is indicated in verse Exo 12:2. By it the Jewish calendar was to be entirely recast. They had, and still have, their reckoning on a secular basis, since their New Year 5712 fell on October 1st, last. Now, however, their reckoning, in the Divine estimation, was to begin in the month of the Passover, which comes, as we know, in our spring.
Here we reach a point when the typical value of all that happened to them becomes very conspicuous. Reading verse Exo 12:2 we have to remind ourselves that the appropriation of the death of Christ lies at the very beginning of everything for us. If we have not started there we have made no real beginning at all. What was typically represented in the Passover lies at the basis of all God’s dealings with us.
In verses Exo 12:3-5, our attention is centred upon the many lambs that had to be selected by the Israelites. Their number was to be determined by the number of households, except that, when those included in a household were unusually few, two houses were to be combined. Thus early do we see that a house formed a unit in the Divine reckoning, and the principle of “Thou and thy house,” is emphasized.
It was a stringent condition that the lambs selected were to be without blemish, and this was not to be determined in a hurried way, since though chosen on the tenth day they were not to be slain until the fourteenth, and hence their unblemished state carefully ascertained. The lamb was to be a faint foreshadowing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who passed through every possible test, thus displaying His perfection before He died. It is worthy of note that though the fact is made quite clear that there were many lambs, yet after verse Exo 12:3 the word is always in the singular. It is “the lamb,” or “your lamb,” or, “it.” So we have before us the lamb that typifies, “the Lamb of God.”
On the fourteenth day between the evenings the lamb was slain, and its blood applied to the two side posts and the lintel, outside the house where they dwelt, and inside the house its flesh was to be eaten by the family. The blood marks on the door were the external witness that death had already taken place within. The eating of the flesh within the house typified the realization and appropriation of the death of the lamb by those who were sheltered by its blood.
The way in which this was to be done, as recorded in verse Exo 12:8 is very significant. It was to be roast with fire, and accompanied with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. All three details are important.
First, roast with fire, and not sodden with water. To boil is to apply the heat indirectly through the medium of water. To roast is to subject the body of the lamb to the direct fierceness of the flame, which is ever figurative of the searching judgment of God. If we are sheltered from judgment by the precious blood of Christ we are ever to digest inwardly as applying to ourselves, the fierceness of that judgment, which He endured in order to accomplish our deliverance.
Second, the bread which they were to eat with it must be unleavened. This is not the first mention in Scripture of unleavened bread for we had it mentioned in Gen 19:3, where it formed part of the food offered to and accepted by angels; but consistently leaven is used as a figure of sin, and its fermenting properties make it a very apt type. If we enjoy the benefits that reach us as the result of Christ bearing the judgment of our sins, then the sins for which He died, and the sin to which He died, are not to be countenanced by us. How plainly the antitype is seen in 1Co 5:7, 1Co 5:8.
Third, the bitter herbs typify that inward work of self-judgment, which must ever accompany the benefits we receive. Sin and its judgment, from which we are delivered is a very bitter thing, and it is the plan of God that we should be made to realize it deeply. And let us once more emphasize that eating implies, an inward appropriation.
Let us further notice that the lamb was to be roasted whole – “his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.” There was to be no mutilation of the carcase as it was exposed to the fire. And further in the eating of it no bone was to be broken – see verse Exo 12:46 of our chapter. The force of this we see when we read Joh 19:36, “A bone of Him shall not be broken.” Moreover what could not be eaten was to be burnt with fire. Nothing was to be put to unholy use or left to some chance happening. Even about the type there was a sacredness that was to be observed.
And further again, they were to realize that these solemn acts to be performed were not only designed for their safety but also had a great end in view. They were going to be sheltered from the impending judgment in order that they might be delivered from the grip of Pharaoh and from the bondage of Egypt. Hence they were to eat it in the manner prescribed in verse Exo 12:11. They were not to eat it reclining, as though it was an ordinary meal, but standing with staff in hand, girded for the journey and in haste, as just about to depart. The import of this we must never forget. God has sheltered us from His judgment in order that He may deliver us from Satan and from the world-system, of which he is the god and prince, and bring us to Himself. This is plainly stated in Gal 1:4.
The word “passover” occurs for the first time in Scripture at the end of verse Exo 12:11. We are told that the Hebrew word thus translated means to pass over protectively, rather like a bird stretching its wings over its young, and not merely the negative idea of omitting to notice when it is a question of judgment. On that fateful night Jehovah was going to smite the firstborn and execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, but, wherever the token of death was seen on the house, over it His wings of protection should be spread and the plague should not enter to destroy.
In this we may see another delightful Gospel type. In virtue of the blood of Christ the believer is clear of the judgment. But it is not merely that, righteousness having been satisfied, the believer can be exempted from judgment when the stroke falls upon the world, but rather that the very righteousness of God instead of being a sword to smite him has become a shield to protect him. This fact, when we really lay hold of it, exerts a very establishing effect upon our souls.
It is also important for us to remember that the blood of the lamb was outside for the eye of God. The word was, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Once the blood was there, God would not fail to see it. They had not to see the blood, but rather, knowing it was there, to rest content with the definite word of God that, since it was there, He would pass over them. The blood was for the eye of God: His word was for the ears and hearts of those within.
Verses Exo 12:14-17, contain further words of the Lord, showing that what He now was instituting was not something to be observed on that particular night only, and then to be treated as having served its purpose and to be dismissed from their thoughts. It was rather to be perpetuated as a yearly feast, so that they might never forget that their links with Egypt had been broken by God, in order that they might be brought to Himself as His own special possession. The Passover was to be followed by the feast of unleavened bread, extending over the next seven days. It was to be marked by the absence of leaven. It was to begin and end with “an holy convocation,” in which no manner of work was to be done. If “no manner of work,” then even the sort of work which would have been considered the most meritorious was excluded. Man’s work was to be shut out, and only God’s work was to be considered.
The word, “memorial” occurs in verse Exo 12:14, and this describes the bearing of the Passover feast among the Jews. It guaranteed the objective reality of the basis of their deliverance from Egypt, and kept them in yearly remembrance of it. They may often have failed to observe it properly, or even observe it at all; but such was its intention. The observance of the Lord’s Supper by the saints of today has, amongst other things, a similar intention, as we see in the words of the Apostle – “As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come” (1Co 11:26). We are to show forth, or memorialize, His death, thus establishing its objective reality for all who have eyes to see.
The Passover feast was a matter of a few hours at the most, whereas the feast of unleavened bread covered seven days. This had a typical bearing. The Passover was a prophecy, as well as a memorial commemorating a past event. The prophecy was fulfilled in the death of Christ which, though of eternal importance, took place within a few hours. But the seven days of the unleavened bread feast set forth a whole cycle of time, as signified in 1Co 5:8. For each believer today it covers the whole period of his life of responsibility. As long as we are in this world of sin, we are to keep clear of the “leaven,” as those that are, “dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God” (Rom 6:11).
In verses Exo 12:21-24, we have the record of how Moses conveyed these instructions to the people, and one or two additional features are mentioned. The blood was to be applied with hyssop, a small plant that grew freely on walls. Several times in Leviticus cedar wood and hyssop are mentioned together. Now the cedar is an emblem of majesty, and by way of contrast hyssop is an emblem of what is humble and insignificant. It was fitting that the hand that applied the blood should be covered with humility. It is when we are brought down into the dust of repentance that we are covered by the blood of Christ.
And further, those covered by the blood had to remain in the house until the morning. While judgment was falling upon the Egyptian world the firstborn were to remain safely housed beneath the blood. When the morning appeared their deliverance from Egypt became an accomplished fact. We pass through the night of this world to the brightness of the morning that is coming. Thanks be to God, the efficacy of the blood of Christ abides throughout the night. No fresh application of it is needed.
Verses Exo 12:24-27, show how Moses impressed upon the people that the Passover ritual was to be carefully observed, so that future generations might be kept in remembrance of God’s work of judgment and deliverance. For the moment the people received the words, and worshipped the God who was intervening on their behalf. Verse Exo 12:28 tells us that they rendered obedience to all the instructions that God had given. Obedience is always the way of blessing.
At midnight the Lord did exactly as He had said, and the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast, died by the stroke of the destroyer. Egyptian custom demanded much wailing when death occurred, so there must indeed have been a great cry in the darkness of that night. We may take it as a forecast of that “weeping and gnashing of teeth” in the “outer darkness,” of which the Lord spoke three times in Matthew’s Gospel.
Under this tremendous and unprecedented stroke the resistance of Pharaoh collapsed, and he conceded all that had been demanded by Moses. The Egyptian people also were urgent that the children of Israel should depart. They realized that they were all under the death sentence. There was not one house in which there was not one dead. Death indeed had been universal. In the houses of the Egyptians it was the death of the firstborn. In the houses of the Israelites it was the death of the lamb.
The fear of God now lay heavily on the minds of the Egyptians and they were disposed to give to the people all that they asked. Hence they were laden with plenty of raiment and also with “jewels,” or “utensils” of gold and silver. Their departure in such haste also helped to the fulfilling of the instructions as regards the leaven. There was no time to leaven their bread, so that any forgetfulness in this matter was avoided. Under these circumstances they could not but eat unleavened bread for the next seven days.
These facts here recorded show how it was that the people had such an abundance of materials and of gold and silver when the time came in the wilderness to construct the tabernacle according to the word of the Lord.
Fuente: F. B. Hole’s Old and New Testaments Commentary
The Blood of the Cross in Exodus
Exo 12:1-13
INTRODUCTORY WORDS
Today we will consider the Cross as it is set forth in the Book of Exodus. Of course, we cannot go into detail, but we will endeavor to make the study illuminating. When the rays of the sun have been focused through a prism they become very hot, so our effort will be to focus the rays of God’s Word upon this one theme: the Blood.
By way of introduction we will consider Moses as the type of Christ.
1. Moses was a child of faith. We read in Heb 11:23, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child.” Jesus Christ was a Child of faith. The Old Testament saints lived through many centuries in the full anticipation of the coming Son of God.
2. Moses, as a child, was hid by his parents. This was done because they feared the wrath of the Pharaoh who had charged the people saying, “Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river.” This occurred when Herod sought the young Child to kill Him, but God by an angel gave word unto Joseph, saying, “Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt.”
3. Moses was spared while multitudes of others were slain. The massacre of the baby boys during the reign of Pharaoh brought great sorrow to many a Jewish home.
In the days of the birth of Christ there was weeping. “Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.”
4. Moses was Divinely succored. He was placed as a little baby into an ark of bulrushes, and laid in the flags by the river’s bank. Thus it was that God shielded Moses from the wrath of the king. As he lay there in the ark his sister, Miriam, stood afar off to see what would happen to him. When Jesus was born, and Satan stood ready to devour Him, God watched over Him.
The Bible says, He was brought up before Him “as a root out of a dry ground.” The eyes of God watched over Moses, and the eyes of God watched over the infant, Christ
5. Moses was Divinely sent. When Moses came to years the Lord appeared unto him and said, “I will send thee unto Pharaoh.” Thus did the Lord, also, send Christ unto a wicked and rebellious generation and world. Moses was sent as a deliverer. Jesus Christ was, also, sent as a Deliverer.
6. Moses, in his first effort in behalf of Israel, was repulsed. It was thus he fled from Egypt, and went unto the land of Midian. When Jesus Christ first came to His people, Israel, He was repulsed by them, and crucified. “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.”
7. Moses was accepted upon his return. For forty years Moses was content to dwell in Midian. Then he was sent back to Egypt. This second time the Children of Israel received him. When Jesus Christ comes the second time His people, Israel, will receive Him, and He will become their Deliverer.
8. Moses was head of the house. As Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt the Bible says he was “faithful in all his house.” Jesus Christ, also, will have a house, and He will rule and reign over His people. We have only made a few suggestions concerning the similarities between Moses and his Lord. We would not for a moment have anyone think that these similarities, or, if you wish, analogies, place Moses on an equal standing with Christ, the One. whom he prefigured. We remember on the Mount of Transfiguration when Peter suggested the making of three tabernacles: one for Moses, one for Elias, and another one for Christ, that God immediately spoke from the blue saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.” When we remember that Moses typified his Lord in such a remarkable way, we are prepared to believe that the story of Jesus Christ and His Cross will also be found in the same Book as that which records the many comparisons between Moses and his Lord.
I. THE ARK OF BULRUSHES (Exo 2:3)
Perhaps, as we think of the ark which housed the infant Moses, as he lay therein, it has no suggestions of the Cross. However, it does in truth plainly set forth the Cross.
1. The ark was a place of security and protection. This little ark made of bulrushes reminds us of another ark, even the one which was made by Noah under the command of God. Of Noah’s ark we read definitely, “The ark * *, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us.” Somehow we have always known that baptism carries us to the Cross, and also to the resurrection. The ark carries us to the same place because it is a like figure.
This miniature ark in which Moses lay likewise suggests the Cross. It was a place of security. The Bible tells us that a man shall be a covert from the storm. We are all familiar with the hymn, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in Thee.”
2. The ark was daubed with slime and pitch. The very words suggest the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an established fact that the word “pitch” is the same as that used to make Noah’s ark secure and which was also used for the ark of bulrushes, is a word that carries with it in its derivation the word “atonement.” It is the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and His shed Blood that makes us safe as we hide within Him.
3. The ark of bulrushes was placed in the water. Exo 2:10 tells us that the baby was called “Moses” because Pharaoh’s daughter “drew him out of the water.” All of this is the story of Christ’s resurrection. Psa 69:1-36 speaks of the waters engulfing Christ, but out of those waters He came forth in victory.
II. THE SLAIN LAMB (Exo 12:13)
We now come to a most familiar chapter of the Bible. It is the story of the slain lamb, the sprinkled blood, and the passing over of the angel. Several things are prominent.
1. The lamb is a striking type of the Lord Jesus. The lamb was to be a male of the first year, and it was to be without blemish. The Prophet writing of Jesus Christ said that He went as a lamb to the slaughter. When John saw Christ come to the Jordan for baptism he cried, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” The Apostle Paul said, “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.”
2. The blood of the lamb was typical of the Blood of Christ. It was on the fourteenth day of the month that the lamb was killed in Israel. It was on that very day that Jesus Christ died upon the Cross. The lamb was slain at the going down of the sun. Jesus Christ uttered His last cry from the Cross and yielded up the ghost at the going down of the sun.
3. The blood sprinkled upon the two sideposts and the upper doorpost was a type of the Blood of Christ applied to our hearts by faith. It was not the blood of the slain lamb which sheltered the Children of Israel, but it was that blood sprinkled upon the tipper doorpost and the side doorposts. It is not the death of Christ that saves us, but it is the Blood of Christ applied by faith. If we receive not the Atonement we will be lost.
4. The blood token to Israel typified the Blood token to us. God said that when He saw the blood He would pass over them, and they would not be smitten. Then He added, “The blood shall be to you for a token.” Thus, also, is the Blood of Jesus Christ our token from the Father, and if we are under the Blood we are in safety.
III. THE BREAD FROM HEAVEN (Exo 16:15)
We all remember the story of how Israel hungered, and how God sent them quails for meat. In the morning when the dew had gone up, “behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing,” and the Children of Israel said, “It is manna.”
“And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.” This bread is a beautiful type of the body of Christ.
On one occasion the Lord said to Satan, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” That quotation had to do with the deeper meaning of the manna.
The Jews plainly told that “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from Heaven to eat.” Then Jesus added, “My Father giveth you the True Bread from Heaven. For the Bread of God is He which cometh down from Heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” Then the Lord plainly said, “I am the Bread of Life.” “Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the Bread which cometh down from Heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.” Here is a word, however, that maketh the typology of the manna plain and certain: “I am the Living Bread * * the Bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
IV. THE SMITTEN ROCK (Exo 17:6)
The Children of Israel were thirsty. They were traveling through the Wilderness of Sin, and there was no water. Then it was that the people murmured against Moses. Moses in turn cried unto the Lord, and the Lord said, “Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.”
It is not difficult for us to find in this the foregleams of the smiting of Christ. “One of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.”
The Apostle Paul wrote, saying, “And * * they drank of that Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
We can almost see the thirsty crowd as Christ stood before them and said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.” The very last call of the Bible says, “Whosoever will, let him take the Water of Life freely.” Thus it was that the water which came out of the rock for the people who were thirsty prefigured and typified the Blood which came from the side of the Saviour of which the thirsty may drink and live. We feel like joining with the Prophet in crying, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.”
V. THE BURNT OFFERING OF JETHRO (Exo 18:12)
We now pass into the 18th chapter of Exodus, and we find that Jethro, the priest of Midian, who was Moses father-in-law, has come over into the wilderness to visit his son-in-law, his daughter, and grandsons. This must have been an epochal occasion. We read that during the visit of Jethro there was a great gathering together and a feast in honor of Jethro in which Moses, Aaron, and the seventy elders of Israel were the hosts. However, we are discussing strictly the matter of the Cross of Christ as seen in Exodus. There are three things, therefore, to observe.
1. The names which Moses gave to his sons. The name of the first son was Gershom; for Moses said: “I have been an alien in a strange land.” The name of the second son was “Eliezer; for, The God of my father, said [Moses,] was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.” The name of this second son looked back to the sprinkling of the blood through which Moses came out of Egypt in a wonderful deliverance. This, name, however, also had a forward look anticipating the deliverance which we have in Jesus Christ: a deliverance sealed by the Blood of our Saviour.
2. Jethro’s great joy. In Exo 18:9 it is written, “And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.” Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.”
Once more our mind is centered upon “deliverance,” and the joy for the deliverance. There is always joy and rejoicing to anyone who is saved from Satan’s yoke and from bondage to the world; to anyone who is brought into a covenant relationship with God.
3. Jethro’s burnt offering. Here is a striking incident. Jethro who was the priest of Midian, was so happy over the deliverance of Moses, of his daughter, of his grandsons, and of all Israel, that he offered a burnt offering and sacrifice to God. Then it was that Aaron came and all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law. This burnt offering and sacrifice by Jethro, and under the suzerainty of Moses and Aaron, showed the basis upon which deliverance was made, and also the basis upon which God could be praised and glorified.
Jethro evidently knew from Moses the meaning of his burnt offering, and of the sacrifice which was made. Would that men everywhere would praise the Lord; praise Him with their hand upon the Sacrifice of the Cross.
VI. GOD’S COMMAND CONCERNING THE BURNT OFFERING (Exo 20:24-26)
As we come into the 19th chapter of Exodus we find the Children of Israel boasted, saying, “All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.” In this attitude of the people they unanimously took themselves out from God’s Grace, and put themselves under the Law.
It was then that the Lord commanded Moses to gather the people together at Mount Sinai. As they gathered on the third day, the mount was altogether smoking (Exo 20:18) because the Lord descended upon it in fire, and the smoke thereof descended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
The Law is holy, just and good, but it is without mercy. The thunderings of Sinai bespoke the judgments which hang over the giving of the Law. The writer of the Hebrews, in describing the scene we have just mentioned, spoke of “the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire.” He spoke of “blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words.” Then he added: “And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.”
We, who linger around the Cross, have not come to the mount of Sinai, where the Law was given, but we “are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the City of the Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, * * and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the Blood of sprinkling.”
In the Book of Exodus we have this story of the quakings, and of the fear of the people under the Law, but there is immediately following the giving of the Law, and the signs which accompanied it, this wonderful statement: “An altar of earth thou shalt make unto Me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record My Name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.” Here is the place where we get no thunderings, wrath, fire, and smoke, but we get the blessings of the Living God.
The place of fear is the place of the law. The place of confidence and trust, and of forgiveness is the place of the burnt offering and peace offering. There is no peace apart from the Blood of Christ.
VII. THE HEBREW SERVANT (Exo 21:2)
There are many references to the blood in Exodus, yet we are forced to mention only seven. In our selection we could not pass over the Divine laws relative to an Hebrew servant as found in Exo 21:1-36.
These laws are so marvelously prophetic of Jesus Christ, the Divine Servant, the Servant-Savior, that we wish to emphasize them.
1. The Hebrew servant was to serve six years. In the seventh year he was to go free without the payment of any price. The peoples of the earth are to be under bondage and servitude for six thousand years; the seventh thousandth year is the Millennium. Then deliverance from the bondage to sin will come.
2. The Hebrew servant has had the privilege of remaining in bondage as a willing bondslave. Exo 21:5 says, “If the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.”
We bring the spiritual analogy to Christ. Jesus Christ is continually spoken of in the Word as the “Servant” of God. In Isa 42:1-25 is the expression, “Behold My Servant, whom I uphold; Mine Elect, in whom My soul delighteth.” This verse is universally acknowledged as referring to Jesus Christ.
The servant in Exo 21:1-36, said, “I love my master.” But he, also, said, “I love * * my wife, and my children.” Who then can be the wife and the children of our Saviour? None other than the Church and the saints for whom He died. He loved the Father, and His ears were bored. He loved the Church, and gave Himself for the Church.
AN ILLUSTRATION
A mother said to her little boy, after the chapter describing the Passover had been read in church, “You might have gone out before that, for you could not understand it.” “Oh, yes, I did,” said the little lad. “It was a beautiful story-I loved hearing it It was about the blood of the lamb, and they were all safe.”-The Quiver.
Christ’s Blood. In Ireland a teacher once asked a little boy if there was anything God could not do, and the little fellow said: “Yes, He cannot see my sins through the Blood of Jesus Christ.-D. L. Moody.
Fuente: Neighbour’s Wells of Living Water
Subdivision 3. (Exo 12:1-51; Exo 13:1-22; Exo 14:1-31; Exo 15:1-21.)
God with them manifest in full and realized salvation.
The third subdivision is the history of God’s final interference in behalf of His people, in which not alone is Pharaoh’s power subdued, but much more -God is manifested, and they are brought into His presence. God with them and for them, which means also that they are to be for Him, -essence, as it is, of all sanctification -this is most evidently its central meaning.
It is a perfect blessing, as realized in its seven sections, which it is well to glance at in their connection with each other before we take them up in detail. The passover and the passage of the sea are the two stages in this deliverance, which answer, I believe, essentially, to the first two parts of the epistle to the Romans (Rom 1:1-32; Rom 2:1-29; Rom 3:1-31; Rom 4:1-25; Rom 5:1-11, and Rom 5:12-21; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 7:1-25; Rom 8:1-39); the first, justification by the blood of Christ; the second, death to sin in the death of Christ. Both parts must be known for full deliverance. The type before us will best illustrate their meaning.
In the first section (Exo 12:1-20), peace with God in righteousness through the blood of Christ is the plain significance of the passover. All begins with this (Exo 12:1-6), which is the basis both of communion (Exo 12:7-14) and holiness (Exo 12:15-20).
In the second (Exo 12:21-51), we find, therefore, deliverance from captivity: faith sets its seal to the word of God (Exo 12:21-28), sees the judgment of man in all that comes of him (in the death of the first-born, Exo 12:29-30), and is thus separated from the world and to the Lord (Exo 12:31-36), the walk with God now beginning (Exo 12:37-42); finally, the obligations of the passover are made known (Exo 12:43-51).
Thirdly (Exo 13:1-16), the sanctification of the first-born, corresponding to the judgment upon the first-born before, shows how redemption is to God, in the devotion of all the powers of the redeemed.
Next (vv. Exo 13:17-22), the features of the walk with God are made known to us in the consciousness of weakness (Exo 13:17-18), the bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus (Exo 13:19-20), and the Lord’s presence with us (Exo 13:21-22).
These four sections, it is evident, are in close connection and complete, the septenary series here being, as with most other sevens, a 4 and 3. The four are the passover series, the three following give us the second stage of deliverance -the passage through the sea.
Thus the fifth section shows us (Exo 14:1-14) once more the weak with the Strong, -the enemy showing himself once more, but Jehovah revealing Himself as the shelter and salvation of His people.
The sixth (vv.Ex. 14:15-31) brings the actual victory, decisive and final. Israel is outside of Egypt, the enemy perished.
In the seventh (Exo 15:1-21), we close with the song of the delivered people. The spiritual meaning of these latter sections we shall best understand as we enter into the details.
1. The first section, then, relates the institution of the passover; clearly a new beginning, for the year is changed to make it so. The last of the plagues of Egypt is in this way clearly separated from all that has preceded it, as, on the other hand, we have seen the former ones as constituting a complete series, the last three giving us completely the attitude of God toward the unbelieving world. The death of the first-born in its aspect toward Israel themselves differs entirely from that of the former plagues. As to these, they had been sheltered by the hand of God, not a question raised as to their own relation to Him; but now, though sheltered, their shelter must be realized as a refuge -a refuge to which they must flee as those in danger; themselves justly liable to that which falls on the Egyptians. Here, then, is a total change in God’s ways with them, and a change of the deepest significance. Till they own what they are and what they deserve, there can be, spite of all that has been done for them, no deliverance. They must meet death -that which is the wages of sin, pass through it, as it were, leave it behind them, the question settled, and (as all questions settled with God,) never again to be unsettled -never to come up again, before they can be freed from Egyptian bondage, or their feet leave Egyptian soil; -nay, before they can begin to go out, -before they can take a single step in this direction. Their true passover -all following being but the commemoration of it -they must keep in Egypt, and this is particularly noticed in the first place: “And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron in the land of Egypt.”
All this for us is deeply instructive. There is no progress with us possible until we have come to this. There may be, no doubt, plenty of exercise and experience of a certain sort before it, and plenty of effort at self-help; but that only makes more solemn the fact, as here, that withal no step is made in the path with God, nor the path reached, until the shelter of the cross is known. The peace which Christ has made for us we can realize, and we must have peace with God in order to walk with Him. Here, then, is the true beginning for our souls.
(1) First, the year is changed; the preceding months are blotted out, as it were, and God begins time afresh for them with the paschal month. Grace it is that gives this new beginning, and grace can do nothing kinder than blot out the past. And so with our history, until that is known which is the antitype of the passover here. It will have its use, no doubt, as a lesson; all is not, in that sense, lost: will any thing in the world’s history even be really so? All will have its moral in the fast-hastening day of revelation, and instead of being forgotten, will abide in profit for us forever. But when God says, “I will remember no more,” it has a very different meaning. He can no more forget than He can repent; yet, relatively, both terms can be used of Him. He does not remember our sins when He treats us, and is to us, as if these had never happened -when we can find nothing whatever in His conduct toward us which indicates His remembrance of them; when they are not merely not a cloud in our heaven any longer, but not even a mote in the sunshine of His perfect love.
Yet the vail that love can draw over the past may be, as in this case, so surpassingly glorious that the glow of it may enable us as well to look back as to look forward. And if God set aside the past with a new beginning, He does, in fact, all the more direct our eyes to the vail with which He has covered the past. It is the work of Christ which has covered our past which has begun for us all things anew; and the vail of the past is here the glory of the present and the future.
But the year does not begin exactly with the passover itself: that is the fourteenth day of the year, and not the first: and not till the tenth day is the lamb taken. How full of meaning is this fourteenth day, -a number compounded of 2, the number of testimony, and that which speaks of divine and perfect workmanship -7! For is not here the perfect work which is the great subject of God’s testimony?
The ten days which pass before the lamb is taken are, as we know, significant as the measure of human responsibility: they answer to that time in our Lord’s life before He takes up openly His work among men, as to which the Gospels are as silent as the type here. Yet the type is not silent as to the character of that time, but explains it as that in which He was fulfilling, as man, His own responsibility; coming forth then, at the end of it, to receive the Father’s attestation to His perfection, and the seal of the Spirit, when He takes up His work for men. He is then shown the unblemished Lamb, and the “four days” of the type begin to be fulfilled with Him, to which the four gospels answer, the time of His testing; for us, the glorious exhibition of what He was and is, as Messiah, Minister, Son of Man, and Son of God. At the end of the four days, the lamb is slain. The different sides of the sacrificial work we shall not find here; for that, we must go on to Leviticus. Here, what is dwelt on is what we must first of all realize, -the effect for us.
(2) We go on, then, to see that effect, -perfect shelter from the judgment which is even now pronounced -not executed -upon the world. The blood before the eye of God shows that judgment anticipated, and put away as thus anticipated, by sacrificial substitution. As so often noticed, God’s eye is upon the blood, and so cannot be upon the people. Whether
they are good or bad, whether feelings or experiences are right or wrong in any of them, is not the point: God sees but the blood. Had judgment entered a house so sheltered, not only would the blood have been dishonored, but the truth and righteousness of God would have been wrecked forever. These stood on the side of the worst and guiltiest of these who had fled for refuge to the hope set before them. And so with us. The glory of the gospel it is that the righteousness of God itself is put upon the side of every one who welcomes it in faith.
While outside the house the blood of atonement spoke to God, to whom it was addressed, inside He provided that which was to satisfy them, and enable them for that path with Him upon which they were now so shortly to go forth. The lamb is theirs to feed upon, and God is bent upon their enjoying this provision of His love. The lamb too must all of it be eaten. If the household were too little for the lamb, (we read nothing of the lamb being too little for the house,) then, says the Lord, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it. God would have Christ apprehended by us. He would have our souls sustained, and He would have Christ honored. We are to eat -to appropriate to ourselves what Christ is; and what we appropriate becomes, in fact, part and parcel of ourselves. This laying hold of Christ by faith makes Christ to be sustenance indeed to us, and Himself to be reproduced in us.
Death God ordains as the food of life; and it is as sheltered and saved from death that we can feed upon death. It is not merely vanquished and set aside: it is in the cross the sweet and wonderful display of divine power and love in our behalf, accomplished in the mystery of human weakness. Death is become the food of life, and the life is life eternal.
As to the mode of eating the lamb, notice three things which destroy the dangerous dreams that are about with regard to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. First of all, it was not to be “raw,” or “underdone.” Fire must do its work, and thoroughly too, upon that which was to be the representative of Christ as in redemption we know Him. Not death alone would do: the Lord in atonement not merely laid down life, but was “made sin,” -yea, “made a curse for us.” The chastisement of our peace was thus upon Him in that awful place; death without this would be no food for us: not the lamb raw.
But again also, “not done at all in water, but roast with fire.” The water would hinder the direct action of the fire; and this is the type of the Word, or as “living water,” of the Holy Ghost, who acts by it. The Lord’s life was always in the power of the Spirit, -always pure absolutely, according to the measure of the Word itself. But would not the water, then, hinder the action of the fire? Could He be made sin who knew none? That is just what Scripture affirms to have been the truth. The holiness of His life, the perfection of His obedience, did not prevent or soften the agony of the cross. It was the just due of sin which He took, glorifying God in thus affirming His righteousness who ordained the penalty. An “equivalent penalty” would not avail, much less a commuted one: these would but set aside the sentence, to His dishonor. No: the lamb must not be done in water, but roast with fire.
Thirdly, “its head, with its legs, and with its inwards.” The head, no doubt, expresses the thoughts and counsels with which His walk (the legs) keeps perfect company. The inwards are those affections of His heart which were the motive-power impelling Him upon the path He trod. In all, the fire brought forth nothing but sweet savor; for man, it prepared the food of his true life: all is absolutely perfect; and all is ours to appropriate.
Occupation with the person of Christ is thus impressed upon us: we need this. Not the knowledge of salvation alone will suffice us: it is the One who saves whom we need. Indeed, without occupation with Christ, the very knowledge of peace and salvation may only too easily be found associated with a worldliness most intense. Christ for our hearts alone keeps and sanctifies them.
The pilgrim dress is therefore to be the garb of those who partake of the passover. It is to be eaten in haste, as by men escaping from that the pressure of which they have too well known, and longing to be away. And the dress is the traveling-dress: it is not the “best robe,” which gives us quite another thought; but the traveling-dress, which God grant we may ever wear. And here we begin, just as for the conflict in Eph 6:1-24, with the “loins girded.”
The long robes of the east, as all are aware, required the girdle, that they might be no hindrance in the way of such a march as Israel had now before them. If loose, they would get entangled with the feet, and overthrow the wearer; and the dust of the road would get upon them and defile them. The truth it is that is to be our girdle, keeping us from loose and negligent contact with ever-ready defilement from the world, and the entanglement to our feet which lax habits prove. We must arise and depart, for this is not our rest.
Then we have, “your sandals on your feet:” and these shoes never wore out through all their journeyings in the iron desert in which for forty years they wandered. They anticipated in this, as we must, the roughness of the road, and the peace of Christ must be our defense, a faith that recognizes God in every thing, and that delights in and makes His will our will. The staff in our hand is that of His promises upon which we may lean without possibility of disappointment. Thus we are provided.
(3) We come now to the feast of unleavened bread. Here, of course, is pressed upon us the holiness which all this implies. Literally, it is “compressed bread,” -bread of which the particles have not been separated by the action of ferment or leaven. For “leaven” itself there are two words, the one meaning properly “a leaving,” or remainder, because it was, in fact, a lump of dough left from a former time while the other means simply “leaven,” or ferment.” The “old leaven” of which the apostle speaks to the Corinthians (1Co 5:1-13) is connected with the first thought. The introduction of the “old” into that which is new is what the enemy would ever use to transform and corrupt this. It may be the spirit of Judaism, the old covenant, introduced into the new; it may be, what is of the flesh into the new life which is of God. It may come in as superstition and formalism (the leaven of the Pharisees), or as more open Sadducean rationalism and unbelief, or as simple pandering to the world, -“the leaven of Herod” (see Mat 16:1-28). In any case it is corruption -leaven; in any case it implies real departure from God. If we leave Him and His thoughts, what can we do but take up with our own? And this is a thing not merely negative and passive: it is by the law of its nature what all evil is -a ferment, a revolt, an antagonism to all that is of God.
The unleavened bread the apostle interprets as “sincerity and truth” -of course, Godward. It is the spirit of integrity with Him -whole-hearted surrender to His blessed will. It is the spirit which says, “Search me, O God, and know my thoughts.” The deliberate keeping back from Him of that which is His due is rebellion against Him.
The association of the unleavened bread (where first mentioned) with “bitter herbs” is easy therefore, but solemn. The discovery of self is bitter, -the ruin of the old creation, -that the Lamb should have had to die for my sins. How utterly inconsistent this with the allowance of evil! A chastened spirit becomes us in presence of the cross. Not yet -not here -can we let our hearts out, in a world where the cross has stood.
Yet it is a “feast of unleavened bread” that we are called to -truly a feast. The rest for the soul is never obtained without taking Christ’s yoke (Mat 11:29). In the perfect surrender to God which repentance implies and faith necessitates, the joy of the Lord that enters into the soul is the assurance of an infinite joy to come. And this feast is to fill the “seven days” of our life after; -six here, and then the eternal Sabbath to which no night comes. All these things, as the contents of this section show us are implied in redemption known, -the new beginning of a life eternal.
2. In the second section, we have the history of the deliverance from Egypt, not completed however at once, as we shall find, although at first it might be thought so. Yet their fetters are once for all broken, and He who has begun will complete His work. We have here
(1) First, on the part of Israel, their obedience to the prescribed conditions. In sprinkling the blood, they own the sentence of death upon themselves, and the hyssop used in doing so, as the type of what is lowly, in contrast with the cedar (1Ki 4:33), speaks very plainly of the condition of heart which must naturally go with this. The knowledge of this grace of God toward them the people are to communicate to their children.
(2) Then the judgment falls. The death of the first-born is the judgment upon all that comes of the natural man, the first-born, like the first-fruits being a sample of all the rest, and indeed, as Jacob says, “the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.” “That which is born of the flesh is flesh” is our Lord’s account of it. Man must be born again.
The judgment of the world brings necessary separation from it. The witness of its condemnation before God, if maintained, will soon make the world itself enforce a separation. The people of God go forth, however, enriched, for “all things are yours,” says the apostle, “whether the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours” (1Co 3:21-22); and in the time of their visitation the world itself will own this.
(4) And now the journey begins. Strikingly the first stage, -all that is mentioned yet, -is from Rameses to Succoth, -from the king’s city, built for the glory of his name, to the place of the “booths,” or tents, characteristic of the wilderness. But at the very start a hint of the future is already given in the “mixed multitude” which go up with them. Wherever a movement of God takes place, men are wrought upon by other motives than those by which the Spirit of God stirs the renewed heart, and a mass attach themselves to those who are led forth. The Pharisees and Sadducees come to John’s baptism; the flesh and the world will go on pilgrimage: and here is the seed of much after-trouble (see Num 11:4). Even in the individual believer also how soon may other motives mix themselves with what is of the work of God, at first all seeming to unite to carry us forward in the path of faith, and only by and by showing their true character.
Another circumstance emphasizes the warning. It may be true, as Keil suggests, that the command to eat unleavened bread for seven days had not yet been given to the people, but it is none the less typically full of solemn meaning that historically the way in which they came actually to fulfill the ordinance as to it for the first time was that “they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry.” Had the Egyptians pressed less urgently upon them, they would undoubtedly have put the leaven into the bread! How easy to realize the application of this! Have not the times when the world has pressed most heavily upon the Church been commonly the times when the feast of unleavened bread has been most truly kept? When the world has forced believers out of it, then indeed brightness and devotedness have been more seen. Alas! when the storm relaxed, how soon the leaven again was introduced!
(5) Now follow the regulations as to the passover, the main point in which is manifestly this, that the circumcised alone are to partake of it. A stranger was no longer this if he were circumcised: and this is clear enough in meaning when we remember what circumcision implied (see Gen 17:1-27), as it enables also to understand the distinct specification of the “hired servant” among those rejected. The covenant of grace refuses to be mixed with the thought of wage-work. The feast of redemption is for those who, as those impotent for good, shelter beneath the shadow of the Almighty: “when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
3. In the third section, the sanctification of the first-born to God is insisted on, again illustrating the connection between redemption and holiness. For it was the first-born that had been redeemed from the judgment that fell upon the Egyptians, and here the Lord claims for Himself what had been redeemed. This is simply what holiness is: it is setting apart to God; practical sanctification the consecration, in the power of the Holy Ghost, of the heart and life to Him. As in the judgment of Egypt -of the world, -the first-born represent all that comes of man naturally, so here it is all that comes of man -his whole practical life -and in the cattle all that belongs to him. The institution of the feast of unleavened bread is repeated here, and brought into the midst of the ordinance of the first-born, to link the sanctification of heart with the sanctification of life. Thus the lesson is complete, and it is evident as every where that the spiritual meaning governs all.
(1) First, in this section, then, Jehovah’s claim is asserted. Certainly all that He has created must belong to Him; but it is only redemption that really gives Him what is His. Here, then, all that He has redeemed must be entirely His: disastrous it would be to keep any thing back from Him. Only what is thus rendered to Him becomes indeed our own, for “in Him we live and move and have our being.” Independence of the source of life is death, and thus life cannot be enjoyed apart from this sweet and profitable devotedness.
(2) If this is to be carried out, however, the feast of unleavened bread must be our introduction to it. The heart must be taken captive if the life is to be surrendered. Service must be the fruit of love, for love is the constraining spirit of service. But our love is, again, the fruit of His love: “We love Him because He first loved us.” And thus the connection with the opening sentence: “Remember this day in which ye came out of Egypt . . . by strength of hand hath Jehovah brought you out from this, -and nothing leavened shall be eaten.” Let us remark here, that certainly a known salvation, not a doubtful one, was the basis of this feast for Israel. What reinforcement of the obligation when they should have reached the good land promised -type of that heavenly land which we are called upon now to enter and to make our own! The feast was, too, for them a sign upon the hand, which it consecrated to God, a memorial between the eyes -manifest to all as unblushing confession of separation, and thus the mouth too would be called upon to give its testimony of obedience.
(3) Now the sanctification of the first-born follows, who through all their generations afterward (if males) are to be redeemed. In the epistle to the Romans, in which so many types of the first part of Exodus find their fulfillment, immediately after the full liberty of the redeemed man is reached, we hear of sanctification in the sixth chapter. In the epistle to the Hebrews, we find how by the blood of atonement itself we are sanctified to God: “By the which will we are sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once.” (Heb 10:10.)
Thus we are devoted to God by the very fact of salvation, we and all that we have. And here another instructive lesson is given us. “And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck.” How vain to read these typical institutions merely as ordinances in the letter and no more! Why, of all beasts, the special introduction of the ass here, and of the ass only, to be redeemed with the self-same lamb wherewith man himself must be redeemed? Does it not show clearly, when our eye is upon that to which all these ordinances point, that man is himself identified with this “ass,” that must be redeemed or slain? And so God characterizes Ishmael, a first-born too, sign and fruit of nature’s strength in Abraham, not merely, as in the common version, “a wild,” but “a wild-ass man.” We must not think here, however, of the ungainly drudge, as we see him generally, but of the eastern animal, -fleet, beautiful, uncontrollable in spirit and energy, -of whose tame congener even it is said, in a way so opposite to all our notions, “a whip for the horse, and a bridle for the ass.”
Thus nature shows itself in Ishmael, the father of the Bedouin Arab of our day, and, for our instruction, the child of Hagar also, or the law, -that law which, after so many centuries of patient training under it, developed but the race which, like the wild ass, refused the “easy yoke” of Him who came to teach man, in Himself, the lesson of obedience -“meek and lowly of heart.”
As the seed of Abraham, Ishmael has further instruction for us. For the man of faith, if he take up law to produce fruit, will find assuredly that even faith can make nothing of it: the law is “the strength of sin,” and not of holiness. Thus the firstling of an ass speaks to us. Blessed be God, for us the lamb has yielded up its life; and the sanctification which the law could not produce is found for us in the blood of atonement. Let us remember, as we are charged here, with mouth as well as life, -with life as well as mouth, -to give God the glory of our redemption.
4. In the next section, a brief account of the life to which this introduces us is added. We have as yet only seen it (1. 2; 2. 4.) in its pilgrim character and its connection with redemption. Now we have more distinctly, though yet in brief, its features.
(1) And first, we find, very strangely as it may seem, the Lord being with them, as we are just now so fully assured, the confession of weakness, implied in their not taking what would seem the nearest road -in one sense was -to Canaan, expressly because in it they might “see war”! By and by, in that land to which they are journeying, they are to be led in a career of conquest over nations mightier than themselves. As yet, it is weakness which God recognizes in them, not strength; and He chooses their way accordingly.
Three points are to be marked here. First, that the way is of God’s choice, not theirs. This is surely an absolutely needful lesson at the start. Do not all our breaks-down by the way result from this, that we have chosen for ourselves, not let God choose for us? To be in His way is to be where He is with us; and if He be for us, who can be against us?
Then, His way for us is always one in which we are made to realize weakness. Our prayer can never be, “Lead us into temptation,” and therefore we are never to act as if this were our prayer. In all cases where escape is possible without disloyalty, we are to flee rather than face it. “Flee also youthful lusts.” “Abstain (hold off) from fleshly lusts.” Flee, as Joseph fled; and there was, perhaps, no bolder man.
Again, at the stage of progress we have reached as yet, the power we need is not yet realized. The Philistines may have a way into Canaan by the short natural road; Israel must reach it by a different one, as we shall presently see. The way of the sea is the only one for all God’s people: we shall have to look at this fully in a little while.
(2) They carry with them Joseph’s bones, -at the meaning of which we have glanced at the end of Genesis. “Bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus” is the practical testimony linked with and making manifest the “life of Jesus.” (2Co 4:10.)
(3) Thus far, the human side of this walk; the divine side we see in the pillar of cloud and of fire which goes with them, the symbol and pledge of the divine presence. Always in contrast with mere natural surroundings, by day a cloud, by night its glory flashing into fire, it renders them independent of circumstances -able to go by day or by night. The Keeper of Israel is with them in unslumbering vigilance and unslackening care. He leads; they follow. In the wilderness, where there is no way, He marks the way. How wonderful a resource, how inexhaustible the riches, that these poor desert-wanderers possess in Him who if they be pilgrims will be a pilgrim too. Yet this too is but the type of that more wondrous glory which, though hidden, goes with us now!
5. The fifth section, true to its character, puts now the weakness of the people before us in contrast with the strength of the Almighty, tested by the presence of the enemy, who again shows himself as the prelude to his final overthrow. The spiritual meaning for us of this last attempt of the king of Egypt upon Israel we shall better consider, as we need fully to consider, in the next section. The features of the present one are clear enough.
(1) First, we are shown, beyond doubt, that all that comes comes from God’s hand, and in the design of His goodness toward them. Egypt is not yet humbled as it needs to be. God leads the people in such a way that to Pharaoh it looks, and would naturally look, like human blundering, rather than divine wisdom. He is thus hardened to his destruction.
(2) The whole force of Egypt is, in consequence, put in requisition; their whole strength is put forth for one decisive blow. Pharaoh comes upon the people in a position from which there is no escape, hedged in between the mountains and the sea. Every thing seems to combine for their destruction.
(3) Israel are as heartless as they seem defenseless: there is not even the courage of despair. The slaves would rather go back to the slavery than face the conflict that impends. In this extremity, Jehovah is seen to be the sole resource. The question becomes no longer between Israel and Pharaoh, but between Pharaoh and the Almighty, who has indeed taken upon Himself the responsibility of His people’s salvation.
But “all these things happened unto them for types,” says the apostle, and the importance of what is contained in this one demands for it a fuller consideration than can generally be given.
6. At the sea, the question is no more (as in the passover), between the people and God: it is entirely between them and their enemies. The question with God, once settled, was fully and forever settled. That raised again now was the old first question, (but which they had learned could not be answered first,) of servitude to Pharaoh, or of liberty. This question God Himself now takes up on their behalf, and they find God with them in a more manifest way than ever yet. Already, from the time of the passover, God was with them; but how truly for them the Red Sea first makes known.
If we look at the doctrinal part of the epistle to the Romans, as found in the first eight chapters, we shall see that the first part of it -to the middle of the fifth -occupies us with the blood of Christ, and its effect for us. This is seen as that through which the righteousness of God itself, which that blood-shedding declares, provides a place of safe and assured shelter for us. We are “justified by His blood;” and this reaches on in its effects to the final judgment of the world, and assures us that “much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him.” Judgment is rolled away forever; and with our standing in present grace, and glory as our confident expectation, we are enabled to glory even in tribulation also, conscious that it, with all else, is working, under God’s hand, in necessary blessing for us.
This is therefore essentially the passover truth: sheltered from judgment, eating the lamb, and equipped for the journey. But now, in the next part of the epistle, from Rom 5:12 onward, the question of practice at once comes in “What then? shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” “Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?” And then, when the discovery of the hopeless evil of the flesh is made, one question more: “Oh wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
All through this part, the question is as to the dominion of sin, and we are delivered by death, and by being brought into a new place beyond it: “that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin;” “but now, being made free from sin, and become servants to God,” “the law of the Spirit, of life in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Who can but think of Israel’s bondage in Egypt here, and of the divine method of deliverance? Bondage to Pharaoh! but does not that cease on the night of the passover? In a most important sense it surely does. There is a breaking of chains, and a real start. God is now with them, and can never allow His claim to them to be canceled, and the enemy to retain possession of His people. But when we pass from God’s point of view to that of the people themselves, with whatever “high hand” they start, we soon find them dropping out of all their confidence, and trembling again before their old tyrant in fear and distress that the actual presence of God with them cannot remove. Shut up between the desert and the sea, with Pharaoh’s chariots and horsemen in full pursuit, their cry is the cry of unbelieving despair. The controversy between them and their old enemy had to be taken up afresh by God in their behalf, now to be ended indeed. God interferes -God fights for them. And they do naught but “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.”
And so with a soul who has found the safe shelter of the blood of Christ, and seen the judgment of God roll over, smiting but the chains from off his hands, the question of deliverance from sin’s law is really settled. But it does not follow that he will at once come into the realization of this. Alas! the first teaching of holiness has to be this, that in me, (even as a believer,) -that is, in my flesh, good does not dwell; and in order to strength, we have to learn the lesson of thorough and continual weakness.
At first, indeed, when salvation is new, and one has seen the shadow of death turned into morning through faith in a risen Saviour, whose death has made atonement for his sins, it may seem as if sin could no more put shackles on the enfranchised soul. Knowledge of the flesh and self as yet there is not, and with some it is but slowly attained. But full deliverance is not known until this has been realized nevertheless, -the Red Sea is not reached, Egypt is not left behind, they have not crossed its border. For the sea is its border, and through it only is God’s way for His people, though it may seem there as if God had deserted them. For who could penetrate the wisdom that refused a path near, and not apparently difficult, to lead them by one bristling with most formidable difficulties? And how many misjudge in like manner His purpose, who, having begun to lead them in the way of holiness, in fulfillment of the desires which He has awakened in them, leads them, in fact, there where they have to cry and cry again, that they cannot do the things that they would? -progress beyond which seems quite impossible. How many, indeed, stop here, and strangely imagine they must after all serve Pharaoh with the best grace they can: to get out of Egypt, -to escape from under sin’s law, they deem impossible! At peace with God through the blood of Christ, they yet think that as to the sin within them there is, and can be, no effectual deliverance! The mind is indeed changed, -with the mind they serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. They do not see that God is leading them beyond, -that after all, this is but the border of Egypt that they have reached -and that there where all progress seems to have stopped forever, God is at hand to give them so mighty a deliverance from the hand of their enemy that their hearts shall sing aloud of it forever.
The Red Sea is the border of Egypt; and if Egypt be in type the world, and we ask men how they pass out of the world, they will answer with one voice, “By death, and by death alone.” Now that is not true in the sense in which they say it. Scripture does not lead us to say, “We must all die,” but rather, with the apostle, “We shall not all sleep.” Those who are Christ’s, and “remain unto the coming of the Lord,” will be changed without seeing death. And yet it is true that for this we must have passed out of the world before, so as not to have part in it, and that this passing out is by death also, but a death which Another has taken for us. Still we must look at the Red Sea as the type of death. Jordan, the limit of the wilderness, and which the people pass through dry-shod, as they pass through the sea, is similarly understood by all, and helps to confirm this meaning by its evident parallelism.
This “way of the sea” is God’s ordained way for His people, -a way we pass by faith, to enter upon our pilgrim-path with God. By faith they passed through the sea as by dry land,” says the apostle (Heb 11:29). This dry-shod path which the rod of Moses clears for their passage, but which is no less cleared by “a strong east wind all the night” -we ought to be able without difficulty to interpret. The rod of Moses is the rod of power in the shepherd’s hand: and has not our Shepherd cleft for us a path through death? And the strong east wind of adversity, -notice in Pharaoh’s dream (Gen 41:6) how the ears of corn are blasted with the east wind, -blowing through all the awful night of his distress, was it not that which did in fact clear the way for us through those waters of death through which by faith we pass out of Egypt, -out of the whole sphere of Pharaoh’s rule, or the condition to which the “law of sin” applies?
But we must trace this experimentally, for it is with experience we have now to do. We are following the track of a people whose history is the type of an actual and real deliverance from a bondage infinitely worse than theirs; and as the bondage is a fact of experience, so the deliverance is also this. Let us get before us, then, this soul just started in the path with God, full of the precious reality of escaped judgment. His bonds are fallen off, -he is free. The joy of salvation is too much in his heart for the world and the things of the world to have power there. But how short a time may pass before all begins to change! The entrancement of His joy is less absolute than it was; the world through which he is passing begins to have more reality and power. Child of God as he is, he finds he has still a nature which is not all new nature. The flesh is there, and sin is in the flesh; its “mind” is still “enmity against God,” its lusts go out after the things presented to it by the world; and here begins a struggle of which those who know it know the painfulness. The old enemy is reviving and gathering strength; the old chains are being again riveted. Israel’s despairing cry by the sea finds its answer in the groan over a body of death which lies upon the soul, a burdensome, loathsome weight, which it is past its power to deal with, whether to improve or cast aside. “Oh wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
It is “between Migdol and the sea” that Pharaoh comes upon them. Migdol should have an important place in the type, then: can we interpret it? The word signifies a “tower,” such as might be a military post, the natural enough accompaniment of a border region. Jealous eyes no doubt watched the escaping hosts from thence. Egypt was not now friendly, and from a place of strength the people of the land would not fear to show hostility. Any way it was a tower in an enemy’s country, not a place of help or refuge, but the stronghold of a power now armed against them to the teeth.
Surely the New Testament gives this significance. If we turn to the seventh of Romans, which is the key to the situation here, we shall find, if I mistake not, Migdol looming large upon the scene, and threatening enough to the soul seeking escape from sin’s law. We need not, must not, hesitate to follow Scripture, however strangely it must sound to some to be told that “the strength of sin is the law” (1Co 15:56), and that we must be “delivered from the law,” not merely to be justified, but to “serve in newness of spirit” (Rom 7:6).
Men will have it, because the law is spiritual, that it must be power for spirituality -power against sin. Scripture is decisive that “sin, taking occasion by the commandment,” works in one under the law “all manner of concupiscence.” (v. Rom 7:8.) Nay, says he who testifies of it, “without the law sin was dead; for I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” (v. Rom 7:9.) Surely this is just the position between Migdol and the sea, where Pharaoh overtook the camp of Israel.
That the law cannot justify is comparatively simple; that it hinders fruit-bearing is hard to realize. And yet it is as sure as that Migdol was in the enemy’s country, and that Israel must leave it in order to escape the pursuit of Pharaoh and his hosts. Under the shadow of Migdol the tyrant of Egypt overtook his former slaves; under the law, the self-occupation which it produces and necessitates ends simply with the discovery of an impracticable body of sin and death from which I, wretched man, see no deliverance. Legality is inconsistent with holiness: self-occupation is not that by which I can produce fruit for God. I cannot bring about the spiritual state I long for, which would satisfy me; and God will give me no help at achieving self-complacency! I desire the consciousness of holiness: His own law gives me the consciousness of sin. Whence, then, can deliverance come?
Now let us look at the type again. First of all, let us mark, God does not lead Israel up against Pharaoh. Their own arm is not strengthened by His to bring salvation to them, they have instead to “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.” God does not call us to fight against the flesh and subdue it. He neither points nor leads in that direction at all. “What other way?” many a heart in Israel might ask. Ah, God’s thoughts are not as our thoughts, nor His ways as our ways. See now how the sea divides, and a channel is made through it, while its uplifted waters become a wall on the right hand and on the left! Christ’s precious death is for us -is ours, so that we are dead by it, dead with Him, and as dead men are no longer “in the flesh.” Not merely our sins are gone; WE are gone; we have died: Christ’s death has ended our history before God; in Him who has passed through death we have passed through it, untouched, dry-shod; our standing is in Him beyond death.
This is of course true of every child of God: it is not a matter of attainment, and we cannot too earnestly insist upon this, and yet there is an attainment of it too. What is ours already we are called to apprehend as ours, and thus it is that we find the passage of the sea not on the passover night, but several stages beyond this. To enjoy the blessedness of the place, we must in fact reach it experimentally.
We have not to die to sin: we are dead, and to reckon ourselves dead. Dead with Christ, we are in Christ beyond death. The self I was taking up to cultivate and improve, God has set aside forever in the cross. Thus the waters are a wall to me, but the death of my enemies. “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin may be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Self-occupation is ended for those who have learned thus the meaning of the cross, and that in Christ is their true self: that it is as “we all with open face behold the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit.” (2Co 3:18.)
Faith is thus the principle of sanctification, as it is that of the new nature. “The law is not of faith:” it implies strength in us; faith finds it in Another. God honors it, and works by it, because it honors Christ. I am not dead to sin in experience; I do not feel myself so: I reckon it (Rom 6:11). I cannot feel the cross of Christ; by faith I know its effect for me. Faith is, turning from myself to Another: it is the giving up of self-occupation and complacency. Thus by faith
I pass the sea to take my new position outside flesh and nature; and when I look back, find that my enemies are buried in the waters. Privileged to turn away from self, the conflict and the distress are over. In Christ is my place, in Him I find a satisfying and a heavenly object, lifting me out of the whole sphere of things in which the lust of the flesh finds what it seeks. Faith, love, hope, twine around Him their tendrils, and flourish there. Here the new nature expands and develops and bears fruit -fruit which is for her Master, not for her own taste and enjoyment. The fruits of the Spirit need to be ripened in the Sun. The least degree of occupation with Christ is GLORY.
7. Now, then, we come to the “song;” and how important it is that the soul should have a song! “Abounding therein with thanksgiving,” says the apostle. If our hearts are not in the enjoyment of the deliverance, the deliverance can scarcely be in realization. There is power in joy: “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Happiness in Christ is an absolute necessity for holiness. The joy is worship -heaven begun.
(1) Jehovah is really God -their God. This is the first strain of the song, and so it must be. What a joy to have known God -to have found God! What a horrible solitude is a world without God! what a glorious God does salvation discover to us! Henceforth God is to be supreme: to be God, He must be that; and joy in Him is necessarily the spirit of obedience.
(2) Then the deliverance: it was all His own! we only looked and saw. Think of the old man destroyed! Think of death’s piled-up waters! We are under the hand of Him whom all things serve.
(3) Nor is this merely power; nor is it the caprice of love, or of vengeance. Holiness is as manifest as power; nay, it is His peculiar glory, -the atmosphere of His presence, -the sanctuary in which He dwells, the satisfaction for our hearts who are called to behold Him there: for His redeemed He is guiding to His holy habitation. For us, this is heaven; but the tabernacle of God shall be with men also in the new earth.
(4) Now they look on to the prostration of all their enemies; nay, the blow already fallen has prostrated them: in the past and the present the future is involved, and God’s people cannot be too confident in their anticipations. The glorious challenge of the apostle (Rom 8:31-39) is the Christian’s counterpart to what is here.
(5) The land is seen as the end of the way. God’s hands have established the place of His sanctuary, and there the same hands will plant the people. The apostle Peter gives us the corresponding truth when he tells us that “God hath begotten us again . . . to an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away; reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” (1Pe 1:3-5.) A reserved inheritance for a preserved people: God’s way leading to God’s end; the Almighty revealing Himself such to those whom He carries through to their predestined place; -thus the song closes here.
(6) Then the victory itself is again recounted, stripped of poetical embellishment, grandest in its naked simplicity, type of a greater victory in which for eternity our hearts shall rejoice: evil is under the hand of God absolutely as all else is; goodness alone has might, as in the cross. He who is supreme is worthy to be supreme. This is a grand lesson which we learn in the world, but learn for heaven and eternity.
(7) The women’s voices, with their musical accompaniment, take up the refrain. It is the seal of completeness. Sin had come in through the woman; now her heart is lifted up in praise, which testifies in itself of victory over it. The mute inanimate things also become responsive in these timbrels in her hand. The joy is full and universal in the redeemed creation.
Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary
Exo 12:1-2. The Lord spake unto Moses Or had spoken before what is related in the foregoing chapter, if not also before the three days darkness: but the mention of it was put off to this place, that the history of the plagues might not be interrupted. This month shall be to you the beginning of months That is, the first and principal month of the year. It was called Abib, (Exo 13:4; Exo 23:15,) which signifies an ear of corn, because then the corn was eared. It answers nearly to our March. Before this time, the Jews, like most other nations, began their year about the autumnal equinox, in the month Tisri, answering to our September, after their harvest and vintage. But in commemoration of this, their signal deliverance out of Egypt, their computation, at least as to their feasts and sacred things, was from the month Abib. And therefore, what was before their first month, now became their seventh. The beginning of their civil year, however, appears still to have been reckoned as before. We may suppose that while Moses was bringing the ten plagues upon the Egyptians, he was directing the Israelites to prepare for their departure at an hours warning. Probably he had, by degrees, brought them near together from their dispersions, for they are here called the congregation of Israel; and to them, as a congregation, orders are here sent.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exo 12:2. The first month of the year. This is called Abib, Exo 13:4; and Nisan, Est 3:7. It was before the seventh month, hence the earth is supposed to have been created in September; but now in commemoration of their deliverance from Egypt, the ecclesiastical table which regulated the festivals, was ordered to begin with Abib. Many nations have reckoned their existence from some important era in their history: and in this view it was highly proper for the christian church to reckon time from the year of grace, or the birth of our blessed Lord.
Exo 12:3. In the tenth day. Jesus Christ our passover entered Jerusalem on this very day. Joh 12:12-13. A kid was admissible when a lamb could not be procured.
Exo 12:12. The gods of Egypt. The Jews affirm that the temples of the Egyptians were demolished on the night of their passover. But Elohim sometimes signifies princes and nobles, and the words might refer to their destruction.
Exo 12:15. That soul shall be cut off. Aben Ezra gives three glosses of this word, so frequent in the law. The first and highest application of the sentence is against him who shall omit circumcision, and neglect the passover, that he shall be cut off from the world to come. The second is, that he shall die an untimely death. The third is, that he shall die childless, and his name be cut off from the house of Israel.Leaven is mystically understood of a depraved heart; yet fermented bread is easier of digestion than parched corn, and cakes made of flour.
Exo 12:37. About six hundred thousand. The women also would make 600,000; and the children probably 1,300,000 or 1,400,000. The rabbins commonly agree that they were above two millions, and not exceeding two millions and a half. What a confirmation of Gods faithful word to Abraham, that his seed should be as the stars for multitude.
Exo 12:38. A mixed multitude went up also with them. Most of these are supposed to have been slaves, who embraced this opportunity of emancipation.
ECCLESIASTICAL TABLE OF HEBREW TIME.
March Abib or Nisan Neh 2:1. Est 3:7
April Abib Exo 13:4. Deu 16:18
April Jiar or Zif 1Ki 6:37
May Jiar or Zif
May Sivan Est 8:9
June Sivan
June Thanus
July Thanus
July Ab
August Ab
August Elul Neh 6:15
September Elul
September Ethnaim, Tisri or Thisri.
The civil year now began. Exo 23:16. Leviticus 25.
October Ethnaim 1Ki 8:2
October Marchevan or Bul
November Marchevan
November Chisleu Zec 7:1
December Chisleu
December Tebeth Est 2:16
January Tebeth
January Sebat Zec 1:7
February Sebat
February Adar Est 9:15
March Adar Ends the year, Mark 16
REFLECTIONS.
In the most solemn and holy ritual of the paschal lamb, we have a striking type and figure of Jesus Christ. He is the Lamb without spot or blemish, having sanctified his humanity in its assumption, and having been preserved in the world holy and undefiled.On the tenth day of this month he entered Jerusalem, and set himself apart as the lamb of God, to take away the sin of the world. His whole body and soul, if we may so speak, were exposed to the fire of divine justice, and to the rage of those who knew him not. Hence said the prophet, when contemplating his passion in the visions of future times, My heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, my tongue cleaveth to my jaws. Psa 22:14-15. He was crucified in haste; for the rulers sat up the whole of the night, and allowed themselves no repose till they saw him nailed to the cross.The blood of the paschal lamb was to be sprinkled upon the sideposts, and on the upper part of the doorposts, not on the threshold, lest an unhallowed foot should trample upon it; and this solemn, this bloody sign, was to save the sinful Israelites from the destruction which awaited the firstborn and strength of Egypt. Here the glory of the atonement appears. Here the mystical significancy of the blood of the cross, the wood sprinkled with blood appears. Israel was not to be saved by a carnal Messiah reigning in Jerusalem, but by the lamb slain in figure from the foundation of the world. Tremble then, oh my sinful soul, at the decree to destroy the wicked. Haste, haste, to sprinkle thy conscience with this blood of salvation, and to place all thy household under the protection of the bloody sign; so shall the divine justice, which spared not the beloved Son, spare thee from death in the day of destruction.
The paschal lamb was also a brand national and domestic festival of the most delicious kind; and here we have shadowed forth the bread and wine, the milk and honey, the grace and glory, with which the gospel feasts the faithful soul and the church of God. Oh what bread is like that which cometh down from heaven; what food like that of the body of Christ which was broken for us; what benefits like those he has purchased by his passion and death! The love of God is better than life itself; and except we eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of man, we have no life in us. Sprinkled with this blood, and strengthened with this food, Israel rejoiced while Egypt wept: Israel lived while their enemies died. The paschal house was protected with the sign of salvation, and filled with songs of praise, while the houses of their unbelieving oppressors were full of wailings, and all the terrors of an avenging God.
Other circumstances in the paschal feast are here marked, and of great importance. It was to be eaten with the utmost personal purity, and with unleavened bread. Learn then, oh my soul, in approaching God and his ordinances, to cleanse thy hands from sin, and thy heart from the leaven of malice and hypocrisy. The sprinkling of the blood of Christ is never to be a cloak for sin, but ever accompanied with sanctifying grace. It was to be eaten with bitter herbs. In heaven the feast will be pure, unmixed with sorrow and affliction. The presence of the bridegroom will chase away all gloom and dejection from the mind; but while on earth we have to mourn for sin, and all its dreadful consequences. Here also we have to drink of the cup which our Saviour drank, for the servant is not above his Lord. In these bodies and in this abode, we shall groan beneath the calamities of life. It was to be eaten in families, and associations of families sufficient to consume the whole. Here is likewise shadowed forth the spiritual communion and intercourse, which the scattered families and congregations of the faithful have with their glorious head and chief; being partakers of the same grace, they should ever be distinguished by family affection and brotherly love. No part of the passover was to remain until the morning; no fragment of the Lords feast was allowed to corrupt. Here the resurrection of our blessed Lord and eternal life are set before us; here we regale the soul, taste immortal pleasures, and the earnest of eternal joy. Lastly, it was to be eaten in the attitude of our pilgrimage, and in haste. Let us never forget, that the earth is not our home: we are strangers and sojourners in this vale of tears. Heaven is our promised rest. Let us haste thither, for the day is at hand, and the destroying angel is gone forth.
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exodus 12
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.” (Ex. 11: 1) One more heavy blow must fall upon this hard-hearted monarch and his land, ere he will be compelled to let go the favoured objects of Jehovah’s sovereign grace.
How utterly vain it is for man to harden and exalt himself against God; for, truly, He can grind to powder the hardest heart, and bring down to the dust the haughtiest spirit. “Those that walk in pride he is able to abase.” (Dan. 4: 37) Man may fancy himself to be something; he may lift up his head, in pomp and vain glory, as though he were his own master. Vain man how little he knows of his real condition and character He is but the tool of Satan, taken up and used by him, in his malignant efforts to counteract the purposes of God. The most splendid intellect, the most commanding genius, the most indomitable energy, if not under the direct control of the Spirit of God, are but so many instruments in Satan’s hand to carry forward his dark designs. No man is his own master; he is either governed by Christ or governed by Satan. The king of Egypt might fancy himself to be a free agent, yet was he but a tool in the hands of another. Satan was behind the throne; and, as the result of Pharaoh’s having set himself to resist the purposes of God, he was judicially handed over to the blinding and hardening influence of his self-chosen master.
This will explain to us an expression occurring very frequently throughout the earlier chapters of this book. “The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart.” There is no need, whatever, for any one to seek to avoid the full, plain sense of this most solemn statement. If man resists the light of divine testimony, he is shut up to judicial blindness and hardness of heart. God leaves him to himself, and then Satan comes in and carries him headlong to perdition. There was abundant light for Pharaoh, to show him the extravagant folly of his course in seeking to detain those whom God had commanded him to let go. But the real disposition of his heart was to act against God, and therefore God left him to himself, and made him a monument for the display of His glory “through all the earth.” There is no difficulty in this to any, save those whose desire is to argue against God – “to rush upon the thick bosses of the shield of the Almighty” – to ruin their own immortal souls.
God gives people, at times, according to the real bent of their hearts’ desire. “. . . . . . because of this, God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thess. 2: 11, 12) If men will not have the truth when it is put before them, they shall, assuredly, have a lie. If they will not have Christ, they shall have Satan; if they will not have heaven, they shall have hell.* Will the infidel mind find fault with this? Ere it does so, let it prove that all who are thus judicially dealt with have fully answered their responsibilities. Let it, for instance, prove, in Pharaoh’s case, that he acted, in any measure, up to the light he possessed. The same is to be proved in every case. Unquestionably, the task of proving rests on those who are disposed to quarrel with God’s mode of dealing with the rejecters of His truth. The simple-hearted child of God will justify Him, in view of the most inscrutable dispensations; and even if he cannot meet and satisfactorily solve the difficult questions of a sceptical mind, he can rest perfectly satisfied with this word, “shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” There is far more wisdom in this method of settling an apparent difficulty, than in the most elaborate argument; for it is perfectly certain that: the heart which is in a condition to reply against God,” will not be convinced by the arguments of man.
{*There is a vast difference between the divine method of dealing with the heathen (Rom. 1) and with the rejecters of the gospel. (2 Thess. 1, 2) In reference to the former, we read, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind:” but with respect to the latter the word is “because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved, . . . God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be damned.” The heathen refuse the testimony of creation, and are, therefore, left to themselves. The rejecters of the gospel refuse the full blaze of light which shines from the cross, and, therefore, “a strong delusion” will, ere long, be sent from God upon them. This is deeply solemn for an age like this, in the which there is so much light and so much profession.}
However, it is God’s prerogative to answer all the proud reasonings, and bring down the lofty imaginations of the human mind. He can write the sentence of death upon nature, in its fairest forms. “It is appointed unto men once to die.” This cannot be avoided. Man may seek to hide his humiliation in various ways to cover his retreat through the valley of death, in the most heroic manner possible; to call the last humiliating stage of his career by the most honourable titles he can devise; to gild the bed of death with a false light; to adorn the funeral procession and the grave with the appearance of pomp, pageantry, and glory; to arise above the mouldering ashes a splendid monument, on which are engraven the records of human shame. all these things he may do; but death is death after all, and he cannot keep it off for a moment, or make it ought else than what it is, namely, “the ravages of sin.”
The foregoing thoughts are suggested by the opening verse of Ex. 11. “One plague more!” Solemn word! It signed the death-warrant of Egypt’s firstborn – “the chief of all their strength.” “And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt; and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.” (Ex. 11: 4-6) This was to be the final plague – death in every house. “But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast; that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.” It is the Lord alone who can “put a difference” between those who are His and those who are not. It is not our province to-say to any one, “stand by thyself, I am holier than thou:” this is the language of a Pharisee. “But when God puts a difference!” we are bound to enquire what that difference is; and, in the case before us, we see it to be a simple question of life or death. This is God’s grand “difference.” He draws a line of demarcation, and on one side of this line is “life,” on the other “death.” Many of Egypt’s firstborn might have been as fair and attractive as those of Israel, and much more so; but Israel had life and light, founded upon God’s counsels of redeeming love, established, as we shall see presently, by the blood of the lamb. This was Israel’s happy position; while, on the other hand, throughout the length and breadth of the land of Egypt, from the monarch on the throne to the menial behind the mill, nothing was to be seen but death; nothing to be heard but the cry of bitter anguish, elicited by the heavy stroke of Jehovah’s rod. God can bring down the haughty spirit of man. He can make the wrath of man to praise Him, and restrain the remainder. “And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves-unto me, saying, Get thee out and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out.” God will accomplish His own ends. His schemes of mercy must be carried out at all cost, and confusion of face must be the portion of all who stand in the way. “O! give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for His mercy endureth for ever…… To him that smote Egypt in their first-born: for his mercy endureth for ever: and brought out Israel from among them; for his mercy endureth for ever: with a strong hand, and with a stretched-out arm; for his mercy endureth for ever.” (Psalm 136)
“And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.” (Ex. 12: 1, 2) There is, here, a very interesting change in the order of time. The common or civil year was rolling on in its ordinary course, when Jehovah interrupted it in reference to His people, and thus, in principle, taught them that they were to begin a new era in company with Him. Their previous history was, henceforth, to be regarded as a blank. Redemption was to constitute the first step in real life.
This teaches a plain truth. A man’s life is really of no account until he begins to walk with God, in the knowledge of full salvation and settled peace, through the precious blood of the Lamb. Previous to this he is, in the judgement of God, and in the language of scripture, “dead in trespasses and sins;” “alienated from the life of God.” His whole history is a complete blank, even though, in man’s account, it may have been one uninterrupted scene of bustling activity. All that which engages the attention of the man of this world, the honours, the riches, the pleasures, the attractions, of life, so called – all, when examined in the light of the judgement of God, when weighed in the balances of the sanctuary, must be accounted as a dismal blank, a worthless void, utterly unworthy of a place in the records of the Holy Ghost. “He that believeth not the Son shall not see life.” (John 3: 36) Men speak of “seeing life,” when they launch forth into society, travel hither and thither, and see all that is to be seen; but they forget that the only true, the only real, the only divine way to “see life,” is to “believe on the Son of God.”
How little do men think of this! They imagine that “real life” is at an end when a man becomes a Christian, in truth and reality, not merely in name and outward profession; whereas God’s word teaches us that it is only then we can see life and taste true happiness. “He that hath the Son hath life.” (1 John 5: 12) And, again, “Happy is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” (Ps. 32: 1) We can get life and happiness only in Christ. Apart from Him, all is death and misery, in Heaven’s judgement, whatever the outward appearance may be. It is when the thick veil of unbelief is removed from the heart, and we are enabled to behold, with the eye of faith, the bleeding Lamb, bearing our heavy burden of guilt upon the cursed tree, that we enter upon the path of life, and partake of the cup of divine happiness – a life which begins at the cross, and flows onward into an eternity of glory – a happiness which, each day, becomes deeper and purer, more connected with God and founded on Christ, until we reach its proper sphere, in the presence of God and the Lamb. To seek life and happiness in any other way, is vainer work by far than seeking to make bricks without straw.
True, the enemy of souls spreads a gilding over this passing scene, in order that men may imagine it to be all gold. He sets up many a puppet-show to elicit the hollow laugh from a thoughtless multitude, who will not remember that it is Satan who is in the box, and that his object is to keep them from Christ, and drag them down into eternal perdition. There is nothing real, nothing solid, nothing satisfying, but in Christ. Outside of Him, “all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” In Him alone true and eternal joys are to be found; and we only begin to live when we begin to live in, live on, live with, and live for Him. “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. “The time spent in the brick-kilns and by the flesh-pots must be ignored. It is, henceforth, to be of no account save that the remembrance thereof should, ever and anon, serve to quicken and deepen their sense of what divine grace had accomplished on their behalf.
“Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house . . . Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year; ye shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats: and ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. “Here we have the redemption of the people founded upon the blood of the lamb, in pursuance of God’s eternal purpose. This imparts to it all its divine stability. Redemption was no after-thought with God. Before the world was, or Satan, or sin – before ever the voice of God was heard breaking the silence of eternity, and calling worlds into existence, He had His deep counsels of love; and these counsels could never find a sufficiently solid basis in creation. All the blessings, the privileges, and the dignities of creation were founded upon a creature’s obedience, and the moment that failed, all was gone. But, then, Satan’s attempt to mar creation only opened the way for the manifestation of God’s deeper purposes of redemption.
This beautiful truth is typically presented to us in the circumstance of the lamb’s being “kept up” from the “tenth” to “the fourteenth day.” That this lamb pointed to Christ is unquestionable. 1 Cor 5: 7, settles the application of this interesting type beyond all question; “for even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” We have, in the first epistle of Peter, an allusion to the keeping up of the lamb: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation, received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.(Ex. 1: 18-20)
All God’s purposes, from everlasting, had reference to Christ; and no effort of the enemy could possibly interfere with those counsels: yea, his efforts only tended to the display of the unfathomable wisdom and immovable stability thereof. If the “Lamb without blemish and without spot” was “foreordained before the foundation of the world,” then, assuredly, redemption must have been in the mind of God before the foundation of the world. The Blessed One had not to pause in order to devise some plan to remedy the terrible evil which the enemy had introduced into His fair creation. No, He had only to bring forth, from the unexplored treasury of His precious counsels, the truth concerning the spotless Lamb, who was foreordained from everlasting, and to be “manifest in these last times for us.”
There was no need for the blood of the Lamb in creation, as it came fresh from the hand of the Creator, exhibiting in every stage, and every department of it, the beauteous impress of His hand – “the infallible proofs” of “His eternal power and Godhead.” (Rom. 1) But when, “by one man,” sin was introduced into the world, then came out the higher, richer, fuller, deeper thought of redemption by the blood of the Lamb. This glorious truth first broke through the thick clouds which surrounded our first parents, as they retreated from the garden of Eden; its glimmerings appear in the types and shadows of the Mosaic economy; it burst upon the world in full brightness, when “the dayspring from on high” appeared in the Person of “God manifest in the flesh;” and its rich and rare results will be realised when the white-robed, palm-bearing multitude shall cluster round the throne of God and the Lamb, and the whole creation shall rest beneath the peaceful sceptre of the Son of David.
Now, the lamb taken on the tenth day, and kept up until the fourteenth day, shows us Christ foreordained of God, from eternity, but manifest for us, in time. God’s eternal purpose in Christ becomes the foundation of the believer’s peace. Nothing short of this would do. We are carried back far beyond creation, beyond the bounds of time, beyond the entrance in of sin, and everything that could possibly affect the ground-work of our peace. The expression, “fore-ordained before the foundation of the world,” conducts us back into the unfathomed depths of eternity, and shows us God forming His own counsels of redeeming love, and basing them all upon the atoning blood of His own precious, spotless Lamb. Christ was ever the primary thought in the divine mind; and, hence, the moment He began to speak or act, He took occasion to shadow forth that One who occupied the highest place in His counsels and affections; and, as we pass along the current of inspiration, we find that every ceremony, every rite, every ordinance, and every sacrifice pointed forward to “the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world,” and not one more strikingly than the Passover. The paschal lamb, with all the attendant circumstances, forms one of the most profoundly interesting and deeply instructive types of Scripture.
In the interpretation of Exodus 12 we have to do with one assembly and one sacrifice. “The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.” (Ver. 6) It is not so much a number of families with several lambs – a thing quite true in itself – as one assembly and one lamb. Each house was but the local expression of the whole assembly gathered round the lamb. The antitype of this we have in the whole Church of God, gathered by the Holy Ghost, in the name of Jesus, of which each separate assembly, wherever convened, should be the local expression.
“And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts, and on the upper door posts of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.” (Ver. 7-9) We have to contemplate the paschal lamb in two aspects, namely, as the ground of peace and the centre of unity. The blood on the lintel secured Israel’s peace. “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (Ver. 13) There was nothing more required, in order to enjoy settled peace, in reference to the destroying angel, than the application of the blood of sprinkling. Death had to do its work in every house throughout the land of Egypt. “It is appointed unto men once to die. But God, in His great mercy, found an unblemished substitute for Israel on which the sentence of death was executed. Thus God’s claims and Israel’s need were met by one and the same thing, namely, the blood of the lamb. That blood outside proved that all was perfectly, because divinely, settled; and therefore perfect peace reigned within. A shade of doubt in the bosom of an Israelite, would have been a dishonour offered to the divinely-appointed ground of peace-the blood of atonement.
True it is that each one within the blood-sprinkled door would, necessarily, feel that were he to receive his due reward, the sword of the destroyer should, most assuredly, find its object in him; but then the lamb was treated in his stead. This was the solid foundation of his peace. The judgement that was due to him fell upon a divinely- appointed victim; and believing this, he could feed in peace within. A single doubt would have made Jehovah a liar; for He had said, “when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” This was enough. It was no question of personal worthiness. Self had nothing whatever to do in the matter. All under the cover of the blood were safe. They were not merely in a saveable state, they were saved. They were not hoping or praying to be saved, they knew it as an assured fact, on the authority of that word which shall endure throughout all generations. Moreover, they were not partly saved and partly exposed to judgement; they were wholly saved. The blood of the lamb and the word of the Lord formed the foundation of Israel’s peace on that terrible night in which Egypt’s firstborn were laid low. If an hair of an Israelite’s head could be touched, it would have proved Jehovah’s word void, and the blood of the lamb valueless.
It is most needful to be simple and clear as to what constitutes the ground of a sinner’s peace, in the presence of God. So many things are mixed up with the finished work of Christ, that souls are plunged into darkness and uncertainty, as to their acceptance. They do not see the absolutely-settled character of redemption through the blood of Christ, in its application to themselves. They seem not to be aware that full forgiveness of sins rests upon the simple fact that a full atonement has been offered – a fact attested in the view of all created intelligence, by the resurrection of the sinner’s Surety from the dead. They know that there is no other way of being saved but by the blood of the cross – but the devils know this, yet it avails them nought. What is so much needed is to know that we are saved. The Israelite not merely knew that there was safety in the blood; he knew that he was safe. And why safe? Was it because of anything that he had done, or felt, or thought? By no means, but because God had said, “when I see the blood I will pass over you.” He rested upon God’s testimony. He believed what God said, because God said it. “He set to his seal that God was true.”
And, observe, my reader, it was not upon his own thoughts, feelings, or experiences, respecting the blood, that the Israelite rested. This would have been a poor sandy foundation to rest upon. His thoughts and feelings might be deep or they might be shallow; but deep or shallow, they had nothing to do with the ground of his peace. It was not said, “when you see the blood, and value it as you ought, I will pass over you.” This would have been sufficient to plunge him in dark despair about himself, inasmuch as it was quite impossible that the human mind could ever sufficiently appreciate the precious blood of the Lamb. What gave peace was the fact that Jehovah’s eye rested upon the blood, and that He knew its worth. This tranquillised the heart. The blood was outside, and the Israelite inside, so that he could not possibly see it; but God saw it, and that was quite enough.
The application of this to the question of a sinner’s peace is very plain. The Lord Jesus Christ, having shed His precious blood, as a perfect atonement for sin, has taken it into the presence of God, and sprinkled it there; and God’s testimony assures the believing sinner, that everything is settled on his behalf – settled not by his estimate of the blood, but by the blood itself which God estimates so highly, that because of it, without a single jot or tittle added thereto, He can righteously forgive all sin, and accept the sinner as perfectly righteous in Christ. How can any one ever enjoy settled peace, if his peace depends upon his estimate of the blood? Impossible. The loftiest estimate which the human mind can form of the blood must fall infinitely short of its divine preciousness; and, therefore, if our peace were to depend upon our valuing it as we ought, we could no more enjoy settled peace than if we were seeking it by “works of law.” There must either be a sufficient ground of peace in the blood alone, or we can never have peace. To mix up our estimate with it, is to upset the entire fabric of Christianity, just as effectually as if we were to conduct the sinner to the foot of mount Sinai, and put him under a covenant of works. Either Christ’s atoning sacrifice is sufficient or it is not. If it is sufficient, why those doubts and fears? The words of our lips profess that the work is finished; but the doubts and fears of the heart declare that it is not. Every one who doubts his full and everlasting forgiveness, denies, so far as he is concerned, the completeness of the sacrifice of Christ.
But there are very many who would shrink from the idea of deliberately and avowedly calling in question the efficacy of the blood of Christ, who, nevertheless, have not settled peace. Such persons profess to be quite assured of the sufficiency of the blood, if only they were sure of an interest therein – if only they had the right kind of faith. There are many precious souls in this unhappy condition. They are occupied with their interest and their faith, instead of with Christ’s blood, and God’s word. In other words, they are looking in at self, instead of out at Christ. This is not faith; and, as a consequence, they have not peace. An Israelite within the blood-stained lintel could teach such souls a most seasonable lesson. He was not saved by his interest in, or his thoughts about, the blood, but simply by the blood. No doubt, he had a blessed interest in it; and he would have his thoughts, likewise; but, then, God did not say, “When I see your interest in the blood, I will pass over you.” Oh! no; THE BLOOD, in all its solitary dignity and divine efficacy, was set before Israel; and had they attempted to place even a morsel of unleavened bread beside the blood, as a ground of security: they would have made Jehovah a liar, and denied the sufficiency of His remedy.
We are ever prone to look at something in or connected with ourselves as necessary, in order to make up, with the blood of Christ, the groundwork of our peace. There is a sad lack of clearness and soundness on this vital point, as is evident from the doubts and fears with which so many of the people of God are afflicted. We are apt to regard the fruits of the Spirit in us, rather than the work of Christ for us, as the foundation of peace. We shall see, presently, the place which the work of the Holy Spirit occupies in Christianity; but it is never set forth in Scripture as being that on which our peace reposes. The Holy Ghost did not make peace, but Christ did. The Holy Ghost is not said to be our peace, but Christ is. God did not send preaching peace by the Holy Ghost, but by Jesus Christ. (Compare Acts 10: 36; Eph. 2: 14, 17; Col. 1: 20) My reader cannot be too simple in his apprehension of this important distinction. It is the blood of Christ which gives peace, imparts perfect justification, divine righteousness, purges the conscience, brings us into the holiest of all, justifies God in receiving the believing sinner, and constitutes our title to all the joys, the dignities, and the glories of heaven. (See Rom. 3: 24-28; Rom. 5: 9; Eph. 2: 13-18; Col. 1: 20-22; Heb. 9: 14; Heb. 10: 19; 1 Peter 1: 19; 1 Peter 2: 24; 1 John 1: 7; Rev. 7: 14-17)
It will not, I fondly hope, be supposed that, in seeking to put “the precious blood of Christ” in its divinely-appointed place, I would write a single line which might seem to detract from the value of the Spirit’s operations. God forbid. The Holy Ghost reveals Christ; makes us to know, enjoy, and feed upon Christ; He bears witness to Christ; He takes of the things of Christ and shows them unto us. He is the power of communion, the seal, the witness, the earnest, the unction. In short, His blessed operations are absolutely essential. Without Him, we can neither see, hear, know, feel, experience, enjoy, nor exhibit ought of Christ. This is plain. The doctrine of the Spirit’s operations is clearly laid down in the word, and is understood and admitted by every true and rightly instructed Christian.
Yet, notwithstanding all this, the work of the Spirit is not the ground of peace; for, if it were, we could not have settled peace until Christ’s coming, inasmuch as the work of the Spirit, in the Church, will not, properly speaking, be complete till then. He still carries on His work in the believer. “He maketh intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Rom 8) He labours to bring us up to the predestinated standard, namely, perfect conformity, in all things, to the image of “the Son.” He is the sole Author of every right desire, every holy aspiration, every pure affection, every divine experience, every sound conviction; but, clearly, His work in us will not be complete until we have left this present scene and taken our place with Christ in the glory. Just as, in the case of Abraham’s servant, his work was not complete, in the matter of Rebecca, until he had presented her to Isaac.
Not so the work of Christ FOR us. That is absolutely and eternally complete. He could say, “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” (John 17: 4) And, again, “It is finished.” (John 19: 30) The Holy Ghost cannot yet say He has finished His work. As the true Vicar of Christ upon earth, He still labours amid the varied hostile influences which surround the sphere of His operations. He works in the hearts of the people of God to bring them up, practically and experimentally, to the divinely-appointed standard. But He never teaches a soul to lean on His work for peace in the presence of God. His office is to speak of Jesus. “He,” says Christ, “shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you.” (John 16: 13, 14) If, then, it is only by the Spirit’s teaching that any one can understand the true ground of peace, it is obvious that He can only present Christ’s work as the foundation on which the soul must rest for ever; yea, it is in virtue of that work that He takes up His abode and carries on His marvellous operations in the believer. He is not our title, though He reveals that title and enables us to understand and enjoy it.
Hence, therefore, the paschal lamb, as the ground of Israel’s peace, is a marked and beautiful type of Christ as the ground of the believer’s peace. There was nothing to be added to the blood on the lintel; neither is there anything to be added to the blood on the mercy-seat. The “unleavened bread” and “bitter herbs” were necessary, but not as forming, either in whole or in part, the ground of peace. They were for the inside of the house and formed the characteristics of the communion there; but THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB WAS THE FOUNDATION OF EVERYTHING. It saved them from death and introduced them into a scene of life, light, and peace.’ It formed the link between God and His redeemed people. As a people linked with God, on the ground of accomplished redemption, it was their high privilege to meet certain responsibilities; but these responsibilities did not form the link, but merely flowed out of it.
And I would further remind my reader that the obedient life of Christ is not set forth in Scripture as the procuring cause of our forgiveness. It was His death upon the cross that opened those everlasting floodgates of love which else should have remained pent up for ever. If he had remained to this very hour, going through the cities of Israel, “doing good,” the veil of the temple would continue unrent, to bar the worshipper’s approach to God. It was His death that rent that mysterious curtain “from top to bottom.” It is “by His stripes,” not by His obedient life, that “we are healed;” and those “stripes” He endured on the cross, and nowhere else. His own words, during the progress of His blessed life, are quite sufficient to settle this point. “I have a, baptism to be baptised with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished.” (Luke 12: 50) To what does this refer but to His death upon the cross, which was the accomplishment of His baptism and the opening up of a righteous vent through which His love might freely flow out to the guilty sons of Adam? Again, He says, “except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone.” (John 12: 24) He was that precious “corn of wheat:” and He should have remained for ever “alone,” even though incarnate, had He not, by His death upon the accursed tree, removed out of the way everything that could have hindered the union of his people with Him in resurrection. “If it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”
My reader cannot too carefully ponder this subject. It is one of immense weight and importance. He has to remember two points in reference to this entire question, namely, that there could be no union with Christ, save in resurrection; and that Christ only suffered for sins on the cross. We are not to suppose that incarnation was, by any means, Christ taking us into union with Himself. This could not be. How could sinful flesh be thus united? The body of sin had to be destroyed by death. Sin had to be put away, according to the divine requirement; all the power of the enemy had to be abolished. How was all this to be done? Only by the precious, spotless Lamb of God submitting to the death of the cross. “It became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” (Heb. 2: 10) “Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.” (Luke 13: 32) The expressions “perfect” and “perfected” in the above passages do not refer to Christ in His own Person abstractedly, for He was perfect from all eternity, as Son of God; and as to His humanity, He was absolutely perfect likewise. But then, as “the captain of salvation” – as “bringing many sons unto glory” – as “bringing forth much fruit” – -as associating redeemed people with Himself, He had to reach “the third day” in order to be “perfected.” He went down alone into the “horrible pit, and miry clay;” but, directly He plants His “foot on the rock” of resurrection, He associates with Himself the “many sons.” (Ps 40: l-3) He fought the fight alone; but, as the mighty Conqueror, He scatters around Him, in rich profusion, the spoils of victory, that we might gather them up and enjoy them for ever.
Moreover, we are not to regard the cross of Christ as a mere circumstance in a life of sin-bearing. It was the grand and only scene of sin-bearing. “His own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.” (1 Peter 2: 14) He did not bear them anywhere else. He did not bear them in the manger, nor in the wilderness, nor in the garden; but ONLY “ON THE TREE.” He never had ought to say to sin, save on the cross; and there He bowed His blessed head, and yielded up His precious life, under the accumulated weight of His people’s sins. Neither did He ever suffer at the hand of God save on the cross; and there Jehovah hid His face from Him because He was “made sin.” (2 Cor. 5)
The above train of thought, and the various passages of scripture referred to, may, perhaps, enable my reader to enter more fully into the divine power of the words, “When I see The blood I will pass over you.” The lamb needed to be without blemish, no doubt, for what else could meet the holy eye of Jehovah? But, had the blood not been shed, there could have been no passing over, for “without shedding of blood is no remission.” (Heb. 9: 22) This subject will, the Lord permitting, come more fully and appropriately before us in the types of Leviticus. It demands the prayerful attention of every one who loves our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.
We shall now consider the second aspect of the Passover, as the centre round which the assembly was gathered, in peaceful, holy, happy fellowship. Israel, saved by the blood, was one thing; and Israel, feeding on the lamb, was quite another. They were saved only by the blood; but the object round which they were gathered was, manifestly, the roasted lamb. This is not, by any means, a distinction without a difference. The blood of the Lamb forms the foundation both of our connection with God, and our connection with one another. It is as those who are washed in that blood, that we are introduced to God and to one another. Apart from the perfect atonement of Christ, there could obviously be no fellowship either with God or His assembly. Still we must remember that it is to a living Christ in heaven that believers are gathered by the Holy Ghost. It is with a living Head we are connected – to “a living stone” we have come. He is our centre. Having found peace, through His blood, we own Him as our grand gathering point and connecting link. “Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them.” (Matt. 18: 20) The Holy Ghost is the only Gatherer; Christ Himself is the only object to which we are gathered; and our assembly, when thus convened, is to be characterised by holiness, so that the Lord our God may dwell among us. The Holy Ghost can only gather to Christ. He cannot gather to a system, a name, a doctrine, or an ordinance. He gathers to a Person, and that Person is a glorified Christ in heaven. This must stamp a peculiar character on God’s assembly. Men may associate, on any ground, round any centre, or for any object they please; but, when the Holy Ghost associates, it is on the ground of accomplished redemption, around the Person of Christ, in order to form a holy dwelling place for God. (1 Cor. 3: 16, 17; 1 Cor. 6: 19; Eph. 2: 21, 22; 1 Peter 2: 4, 5)
We shall now look in detail at the principles brought before us in the paschal feast. The assembly of Israel, as under the cover of the blood, was to be ordered by Jehovah in a manner worthy of Himself. In the matter of safety from judgement, as we have already seen, nothing was needed but the blood; but in the fellowship which flowed out of this safety, other things were needed which could not be neglected with impunity.
And first, then, we read, “They shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.” (Ver. 8, 9) The lamb, round which the congregation was assembled, and on which it feasted, was a roasted lamb-a lamb which had undergone the action of fire. In this we see “Christ our Passover” presenting Himself to the action of the fire of divine holiness and judgement which found in Him a perfect material. He could say, “Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.” (Ps. 17: 3) All in Him was perfect. The fire tried Him and there was no dross. “His head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.” That is to say, the seat of His understanding; His outward, walk with all that pertained thereto – all was submitted to the action of the fire, and all was entirely perfect. The process of roasting was therefore deeply significant, as is every circumstance in the ordinances of God. Nothing should be passed over, because all is pregnant with meaning.
Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water.” Had it been eaten thus, there would have been no expression of the great truth which it was the divine purpose to shadow forth; namely, that our paschal Lamb was to endure, on the cross, the fire of Jehovah’s righteous wrath – a truth of infinite preciousness to the soul. We are not merely under the eternal shelter of the blood of the Lamb, but we feed, by faith, upon the Person of the Lamb. Many of us come short here. We are apt to rest satisfied with being saved by what Christ has done for us, without cultivating holy communion with Himself. His loving heart could never be satisfied with this. He has brought us nigh to Himself, that we might enjoy Him, that we might feed on Him, and delight in Him. He presents Himself to us as the One who has endured, to the uttermost, the intense fire of the wrath of God, that He may, in this wondrous character, be the food of our ransomed souls.
But how was this lamb to be eaten? “With unleavened bread and bitter herbs.” Leaven is, invariably, used, throughout scripture, as emblematical of evil. Neither in the Old nor in the New Testament is it ever used to set forth anything pure, holy, or good. Thus, in this chapter, “the feast of unleavened bread” is the type of that practical separation from evil which is the proper result of being washed from our sins in the blood of the Lamb, and the proper accompaniment of communion with His sufferings. Nought but perfectly unleavened bread could at all comport with a roasted lamb. A single particle of that which was the marked type of evil, would have destroyed the moral character of the entire ordinance. How could we connect any species of evil with our fellowship with a suffering Christ? Impossible. All who enter by the power of the Holy Ghost, into the meaning of the cross will, assuredly, by the same power, put away leaven from all their borders. “For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Cor. 5: 7, 8) The feast spoken of in this passage is that which, in the life and conduct of the Church, corresponds with the feast of unleavened bread. This latter lasted “seven days;” and the Church collectively, and the believer individually, are called to walk in practical holiness, during the seven days, or entire period, of their course here below; and this, moreover, as the direct result of being washed in the blood, and having communion with the sufferings of Christ.
The Israelite did not put away leaven in order to be saved, but because he was saved; and if he failed to put away leaven, it did not raise the question of security through the blood, but simply of fellowship with the assembly. “Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.” (Ver. 19) The cutting off of an Israelite from the congregation answers precisely to the suspension of a Christian’s fellowship, if he be indulging in that which is contrary to the holiness of the divine presence. God cannot tolerate evil. A single unholy thought will interrupt the soul’s communion; and until the soil contracted by any such thought is got rid of by confession, founded on the advocacy of Christ, the communion cannot possibly be restored. (See 1 John 1: 9-10) The true-hearted Christian rejoices in this. He can ever “give thanks at the remembrance of God’s holiness.” He would not, if he could, lower the standard a single hair’s breadth. It is his exceeding joy to walk in company with one who will not go on, for a moment, with a single jot or tittle of leaven.”
Blessed be God, we know that nothing can ever snap asunder the link which binds the true believer to Him. We are “saved in the Lord,” not with a temporary or conditional, but “with an everlasting salvation.” But then salvation and communion are not the same thing. Many are saved, who do not know it; and many, also, who do not enjoy it. It is quite impossible that I can enjoy a blood-stained lintel if I have leavened borders. This is an axiom in the divine life. May it be written on our hearts! Practical holiness, though not the basis of our salvation, is intimately connected with our enjoyment thereof. An Israelite was not saved by unleavened bread, but by the blood; and yet leaven would have cut him off from communion. And as to the Christian, he is not saved by his practical holiness, but by the blood; but if he indulges in evil, in thought, word, or deed, he will have no true enjoyment of salvation, and no true communion with the Person of the Lamb.
This, I cannot doubt, is the secret of much of the spiritual barrenness and lack of settled peace which one finds amongst the children of God. They are not cultivating holiness; they are not keeping “the feast of unleavened bread.” The blood is on the lintel, but the leaven within their borders keeps them from enjoying the security which the blood provides. The allowance of evil destroys our fellowship, though it does not break the link which binds our souls eternally to God. Those who belong to God’s assembly must be holy. They have not only been delivered from the guilt and consequences of sin, but- also from the practice of it, the power of it, and the love of it. The very fact of being delivered by the blood of the paschal lamb, rendered Israel responsible to put away leaven from all their quarters. They could not say, in the frightful language of the antinomian, “now that we are delivered, we may conduct ourselves as we please.” By no means. If they were saved by grace, they were saved to holiness. The soul that can take occasion, from the freedom of divine grace, and the completeness of the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, to “continue in sin,” proves very distinctly that he understands neither the one nor the other.
Grace not only saves the soul with an everlasting salvation, but also imparts a nature which delights in everything that belongs to God, because it is divine. We are made partakers of the divine nature, which cannot sin, because it is born of God. To walk in the energy of this nature is, in reality, to keep” the feast of unleavened bread. There is no “old leaven” nor “leaven of malice and wickedness” in the new nature, because it is of God, and God is holy, and “God is love.” Hence it is evident that we do not put away evil from us in order to better our old nature, which is irremediable; nor yet to obtain the new nature, but because we have it. We have life, and, in the power of that life, we put away evil. It is only when we are delivered from the guilt of sin that we can understand or exhibit the true power of holiness. To attempt it in any other way is hopeless labour. The feast of unleavened bread can only be kept beneath the perfect shelter of the blood.
We may perceive equal significancy and moral propriety in that which was to accompany the unleavened bread, namely, the “bitter herbs.” We cannot enjoy communion with the sufferings of Christ, without remembering what it was which rendered those sufferings needful, and this remembrance must necessarily produce a chastened and subdued tone of spirit, which is aptly expressed by the bitter herbs in the paschal feast. If the roasted lamb expressed Christ’s endurance of the wrath of God in His own Person, on the cross, the bitter herbs express the believer’s recognition of the truth that He “suffered for us.” “The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.” (Is 53: 5) It is well, owing to the excessive levity of our hearts, to understand the deep meaning of the bitter herbs. Who can read such Psalms as the 6, 22, 38, 49, 88, and 109, and not enter, in some measure, into the meaning of the unleavened bread with bitter herbs? Practical holiness of life with deep subduedness of soul must flow from real communion with Christ’s suffering, for it is quite impossible that moral evil and levity of spirit can exist in view of those sufferings.
But, it may be asked, is there not a deep joy for the soul in the consciousness that Christ has borne our sins; that He has fully drained, on our behalf, the cup of God’s righteous wrath? Unquestionably. This is the solid foundation of all our joy. But can we ever forget that it was for “our sins” He suffered? Can we ever lose sight of the soul-subduing truth that the blessed Lamb of God bowed His head beneath the weight of our transgressions. Surely not. We must eat our lamb with bitter herbs, which, be it remembered, do not set forth the tears of a worthless and shallow sentimentality, but the deep and real experiences of a soul that enters, with spiritual intelligence and power, into the meaning and into the practical effect of the cross.
In contemplating the cross, we find in it that which cancels all our guilt. This imparts sweet peace and joy. But we find in it also the complete setting aside of nature, the crucifixion of “the flesh,” the death of “the old man.” (See Rom. 6: 6; Gal. 2: 20; Gal. 6: 14; Col 2: 11 This, in its practical results, will involve much that is “bitter” to nature. It will call for self-denial, the mortification of our members which are on the earth, (Col. 3: 5) the reckoning of self to be dead indeed unto sin. (Rom. 6) All these things may seem terrible to look at; but when one gets inside the bloodstained door-post he thinks quite differently. The very herbs which, to an Egyptian’s taste, would, no doubt, have seemed so bitter, formed an integral part of Israel’s redemption feast. Those who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, who know the joy of fellowship with Him, esteem it a “feast” to put away evil and to keep nature in the place of death.
“And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.” (Ver. 10) In this command, we are taught that the communion of the congregation was, in no wise, to be separated from the sacrifice on which that communion was founded. The heart must ever cherish the vivid remembrance that all true fellowship is inseparably connected with accomplished redemption. To think of having communion with God, on any other ground is to imagine that He could have fellowship with our evil; and to think of fellowship with man, on any other ground, is but to form an unholy club, from which nothing could issue but confusion and iniquity. In a word, all must be founded upon, and inseparably linked with, the blood. This is the simple meaning of eating the paschal lamb the same night on which the blood was shed. The fellowship must not be separated from its foundation.
What a beauteous picture, then, we have in the blood-sheltered assembly of Israel, feeding peacefully on the roasted lamb, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs! No fear of judgement, no fear of the wrath of Jehovah, no fear of the terrible hurricane of righteous vengeance which was sweeping vehemently over the land of Egypt, at the midnight hour. All was profound peace within the blood-stained lintel. They had no need to fear anything from without; and nothing within could trouble them, save leaven, which would have proved a death-blow to all their peace and blessedness. What a picture for the Church! What a picture for the Christian! May we gaze upon it with an enlightened eye and a teachable spirit!
However, we are not yet done with this most instructive ordinance. We have been looking at Israel’s position, and Israel’s food, let us now look at Israel’s habit.
“And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.” (Ver. 11) They were to eat it as a people prepared to leave behind them the land of death and darkness, wrath and judgement, to move onward toward the land of promise – their destined inheritance. The blood which had preserved them from the fate of Egypt’s firstborn was also the foundation of their deliverance from Egypt’s bondage; and they were now to set out and walk with God toward the land that flowed with milk and honey. True, they had not yet crossed the Red Sea; they had not yet gone the “three days’ journey.” Still they were, in principle, a redeemed people, a separated people, a pilgrim people, an expectant people, a dependent people; and their entire habit was to be in keeping with their present position and future destiny. The girded loins bespoke intense separation from all around them, together with a readiness to serve. The shod feet declared their preparedness to leave that scene; while the staff was the expressive emblem of a pilgrim people, in the attitude of leaning on something outside themselves. Precious characteristics! Would that they were more exhibited by every member of God’s redeemed family.
Beloved Christian reader, let us “meditate on these things.” We have tasted, through grace, the cleansing efficacy of the blood of Jesus; as such it is our privilege to feed upon His adorable Person and delight ourselves in His “unsearchable riches;” to have fellowship in His sufferings and be made conformable to His death. Oh! let us, therefore, be seen with the unleavened bread and bitter herbs, the girded loins, the shoes and staff. In a word, let us be marked as a holy people, a crucified people, a watchful and diligent people – a people manifestly “on our way to God” – on our way to glory – “bound for the kingdom.” May God grant us to enter into the depth and power of all these things; so that they may not be mere theories in our intellects mere principles of scriptural knowledge and interpretation; but living, divine realities, known by experience, and exhibited in the life, to the glory of God.
We shall close this section by glancing, for a moment, at verses 43-49. Here we are taught that while it was the place and privilege of every true Israelite to eat the Passover, yet no uncircumcised stranger should participate therein. “There shall no stranger eat thereof ….all the congregation of Israel shall keep it.” Circumcision was necessary ere the Passover could be eaten. In other words, the sentence of death must be written upon nature ere we can intelligently feed upon Christ, either as the ground of peace or the centre of unity. Circumcision has its antitype in the cross. The male alone was circumcised. The female was represented in the male. So, in the cross, Christ represented His Church, and, hence, the Church is crucified with Christ; nevertheless, she lives by the life of Christ, known and exhibited on earth, through the power of the Holy Ghost. “And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the Passover unto the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.” “They that are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Rom. 8: 8)
The ordinance of circumcision formed the grand boundary line between the Israel of God and all the nations that were upon the face of the earth; and the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ forms the boundary between the church and the world. It matters not, in the smallest degree, what advantages of person or position a man possessed, he could have no part with Israel until he submitted to that flesh-cutting operation. A circumcised beggar was nearer to God than an uncircumcised king. So, also, now, there can be no participation in the joys of God’s redeemed, save by the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; and that cross sweeps away all pretensions, levels all distinctions, and unites all in one holy congregation of blood-washed worshippers. The cross forms a boundary so lofty, and a defence so impenetrable, that not a single atom of earth or of nature can cross over or pass through to mingle itself with “the new creation.” All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself.” (2 Cor 5: 18)
But, not only was Israel’s separation from all strangers strictly maintained, in the institution of the Passover; Israel’s unity was also as clearly enforced. “In one house shall it be eaten: thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house. neither shall ye break a bone thereof.” (Ver. 46) Here is as fair and beauteous a type as we could have of the “one body and one Spirit. The Church of God is one. God sees it as such, maintains it as such, and will manifest it as such, in the view of angels, men, and devils, notwithstanding all that has been done to interfere with that hallowed unity. Blessed be God, the unity of His Church is as much in His keeping as is her justification, acceptance, and eternal security. “He keepeth all his bones; not one of them is broken.” (Ps. 34: 20) And, again, “a bone of him shall not be broken.” (John 19: 36) Despite the rudeness and hard-heartedness of Rome’s soldiery, and despite all the hostile influences which have been set to work, from age to age, the body of Christ is one and its divine unity can never be broken. “THERE IS ONE BODY AND ONE SPIRIT;” and that, moreover, down here, on this very earth. Happy are they who have got faith to recognise this precious truth, and faithfulness to carry it out, in these last days; notwithstanding the almost insuperable difficulties which attend upon their profession and their practice! I believe God will own and honour such.
The Lord deliver us from that spirit of unbelief which would lead us to judge by the sight of our eyes, instead of by the light of His changeless Word!
Fuente: Mackintosh’s Notes on the Pentateuch
Exo 7:14 to Exo 12:36. The Ten Plagues.How deeply this series of events imprinted itself on the mind and heart of the nation is shown by the fulness with which the three sources report them.
J124578910
E178910
P123610
1, river turned to blood; 2, frogs; 3, fice (gnats); 4, flies; 5, murrain; 6, boils; 7, hail; 8, locusts; 9, darkness; 10, death of firstborn.
A sound historical judgment will conclude, both from this fact and from the nature of the occurrences mentioned, as well as from the need for some such group of causes to account for the escape of the tribes, that the traditions have a firm foothold in real events. But since not less than four centuries intervened between the events and the earliest of our sources, it is not to be expected that the details of the narratives can all be equally correct. And there are not only literary distinctions between the sources, but differing, and in some points contradictory, representations of matters of fact. The Great European War illustrates the difficulty of weighing even contemporary testimony. But it is important to observe that even such a legend as that a force of Russians was brought through England, though it stated what was incorrect, yet would have conveyed to posterity a true reflection of two fundamental features in the European situation of 1914, viz. that Russia was allied with England, and that powerful reinforcements were needed to meet an enemy across the English Channel. So the general situation in Egypt in 1220 B.C., and the contrasted characters of Pharaoh and Moses, may reasonably be taken as rightly given, while the order, details, and precise nature of the events in which they were concerned may have been more or less distorted by tradition. One of the marks of the shaping power of the reporting process is that each source can still be seen to have had its own uniform skeleton of narration in this section. This phenomenon may be concisely exhibited. It should be contrasted with the form of narratives (such as those in 2 S.) which are more nearly contemporary with the events they relate.
a. JEP: and Yahweh said unto Moses,
b. J: Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, Let my people go that they may serve me. And if thou refuse to let them go, behold I will . . .
E: Stretch forth thy (i.e. Mosess) hand (with thy rod toward . . . that there may be . . .
P: Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and there shall be . . .
c. J: And Yahweh did so, and there came . . . (or and he sent)
E: And Moses stretched forth his hand (or his rod) toward . . . and there was . . .
P: And these did so: and Aaron stretched out his rod, and there was . . .
d. P: And the magicians did so (or, could not do so) with their secret arts . . .
e. J: And Pharaoh called for Moses, and said unto him, Entreat for me, that . . . And Yahweh did so, and removed . . .
f. J: But Pharaoh made his heart heavy.
E: But Yahweh made Pharaohs heart hard.
P: But Yahwehs heart was hardened.
g. J: And he did not let the people go.
E: And he did not let the children of Israel go.
P: and he hearkened not unto them as Yahweh had spoken.
The reader who will mark with letters in the margin of the text the parts assigned to J, E, and P will discern for himself, more fully by the help of the RV references, the points of contrast and resemblance, or he can consult the larger commentaries. In any case he should note that J is fullest and most graphic, and describes the plagues as natural events providentially ordered, Yahweh bringing them after the prophets mere announcement; that E is briefer, has not been so fully preserved by the editor, heightens the miraculous colouring, and makes Moses bring on the plagues with a motion of his wonder-working rod, or a gesture of his hand; and that P makes Aaron the spokesman and wielder of the rod, and introduces the magicians, the supernatural element transcending the historical throughout. Another feature is that in J the Israelites are apart in Goshen, but in E are mixed up with the Egyptians in Egypt. Each source has its own word for plague (Exo 9:14 J, Exo 11:1 E, Exo 12:13 P); and three other words (signs and wonderstwo Heb. words) are also employed. It will appear that the plagues were miraculously intensified forms of the diseases or other natural occurrences to which Egypt is more or less liable (Driver).
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
THE PASSOVER FEAST
(vs.1-28)
The time finally arrives for the Lord to accomplish a work of amazing power in Egypt in the deliverance of a nation numbering over two million, from the bondage of Egypt. Speaking to Moses and Aaron, the Lord tells them that this month was to be to Israel the beginning of months, the first month of their year. A new beginning was to take place at this time, a beginning based on the value of the blood of the lamb of sacrifice (v.2). Clearly this is typical of the new beginning for any person today who recognizes the value of the blood of Christ as cleansing him from his sins. In receiving Christ he becomes “a new creation,” with old things passing away and all things becoming new (2Co 5:17).
On the tenth day of the month every man was to take a lamb, at least a lamb for a house. Yet if the house was too small to use the meat of a lamb, then it might be shared with a neighboring house (vs.2-3). Notice in this three matters of spiritual importance, first, every individual requires the lamb; secondly, every house requires the lamb; and thirdly, the lamb is large enough for others to share. Though many lambs would be sacrificed that night in Israel, yet scripture does not use the plural, “lambs,” but only the singular, “the lamb” or “your lamb” (vs.4-5). For the lamb preeminently speaks of Christ.
The lamb must be, first, “without blemish”, that is, the sacrifice must be pure enough to atone for sins. Only the Lord Jesus is pure enough to bear the sins of those exposed to the judgment of God. Secondly, it must be a male, the stronger of the sexes. The sacrifice must be strong enough. It is impossible that one mere creature, even if he had not sinned, could atone for the sins of countless numbers. But Christ is the eternal Son of God, in person infinite. Therefore He is strong enough to be a perfect sacrifice of God, willing to take the sinner’s place in bearing the judgment of God. Who else but the Lord Jesus is filled with such love?
The lamb was to be kept for four days before being sacrificed (v.6). The four days speak of testing. Thus, the life of the Lord Jesus on earth was a time of proving Him perfectly qualified to be the acceptable sacrifice. The whole assembly was to kill the lamb in the evening. This reminds us that all believers are responsible for the death of Christ, for it was our sins that caused Him His suffering and death. Blood from the lamb was to be put on the two side posts of their doors and on the cross bar above the doors, on the outside (v.7). Inside they were told to eat of the flesh of the lamb roasted with fire, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (v.8). “Roasted with fire” speaks of the Lord Jesus being exposed to the direct heat of the unmitigated judgment of God in bearing our sins. The lamb was killed before it was roasted, but the Lord Jesus was roasted with the dreadful judgment of God BEFORE He died. Leaven is typical of sin, therefore the unleavened bread pictures sin being fully judged and put away by the cross. “Bitter herbs” indicate the response of our hearts in recognizing that it was our own sins for which He was sacrificed. Therefore the roasting speaks of CHRIST JUDGED for us; the unleavened bread, of SIN JUDGED; and the bitter herbs, of SELF JUDGED. How well for us to meditate on these in contemplating the cross of Christ!
Verse 9 emphasizes the lamb was not to be boiled, but roasted with fire; and they were to eat even “its head, with its legs and its entrails.” These three are mentioned also because of their spiritual significance. The head speaks of intelligence, and reminds us concerning the Lord Jesus that He “knew no sin” (2Co 5:21). The legs speak of His walk, of which we are told, He “committed no sin” (1Pe 2:22). The entrails symbolize His inward motives, and of this 1Jn 3:5 tells us, “in him there is no sin.” Thus, the eating of the head, legs and entrails implies our assimilating into our hearts these three vital truths concerning our Lord. How much indeed they should mean to us!
Nothing of the lamb was to remain until the morning. There were to be no “left overs.” If they could not eat it all, they were to burn the remainder with fire (v.10). God is glad to give us all that we can digest of Christ, but if any remains it must be offered by fire to God. If we do not appropriate everything concerning Christ, God does.
Now three points are added as regards the attitude with which Israel was to eat the passover (v.11): (1) with their loins girded, (2) with their sandals on, and (3) with a staff in their hand. They must be fully prepared for a journey. Just so for believers today. Immediately we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and are privileged to feed upon Him, we find ourselves to be no longer “of this world:” We are leaving it in order to journey to a better land, that is a heavenly one. Our citizenship is now in heaven, so that we have renounced any mere earthly citizenship.
1st Peter tells us, “Gird up the loins of your mind.” Israelites with long robes must gird them up in order to have no loose ends trailing to hinder their walk. For us this speaks of having an untrammeled mind. Sandals were for protection against thorns, thistle, sharp rocks, etc., for the pain of sensitive feelings. The staff was for support. In ourselves there is not sufficient strength for the path: we need the support of the grace of God.
Now God announces that He (not an angel) would pass through the land that night (v.12), striking dead all the firstborn in Egypt, both of people and animals, executing solemn judgment on all the idols of Egypt, for they would find their idols helpless to protect them.
However, there was to be one mark of distinction between Israel and Egypt in order that Israel would be protected. For if God judges, His judgment must be absolutely impartial. Israelites were sinners, just as were the Egyptians, and deserved judgment for their sins. But if the blood of the lamb was on their door posts and lintels, this symbolized the fact that the judgment of death had already taken place, so that God said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (v.13). Just so, the believer in the Lord Jesus is already sheltered by the blood of Christ shed on Calvary’s cross. His sin has been judged already and his sins forgiven by virtue of that blood.
THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD INSTITUTED
(vs.14-28)
This day was to be memorialized forever in Israel (v.14) by a yearly feast. The importance of it is emphasized by various designations: (1) “the Lord’s passover” (v.11); (2) “a memorial” (v.14); (3) “a feast” (v.14); (4) “an ordinance” (v.24); (5) “a service” (v.25); and (6) “the sacrifice” (v.27).
The feast was to continue for seven days. During that time there was to be no leaven eaten (v.15). Typically this implies the thorough judgment of sin in the attitude of the people. Any infraction of this called for the death penalty. The first day and the last day were to be marked by “holy convocations,” the people assembled together to give glory to the God of Israel. No work must be done except what was necessary in preparing the feast (v.16).
It is significant that God gave full instructions as regards this Feast of Unleavened Bread on the day when the Passover was to be killed. If this were merely man’s celebration, he would institute it after the occasion of the celebration had taken place. From that day onwards the Passover feast remained a testimony to the reality of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt (v.17). The precise time of this declared in verse 18, from the 14th day to the 21st day of the first month. Again it is insisted that at that time leaven (or yeast) was not to be found in their houses, for the eating of leaven would incur the death penalty.
Moses then gave instructions (no doubt four days before the passover) to the elders of Israel to oversee the picking out of lambs on the part of every family, to have the lamb killed, and to take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood of the lamb and strike it on the lintel and the two side posts of their doors. This being done, no one was to leave the house that night (v.22).
Moses now tells Israel; what was to take place. The Lord would pass through the land to bring judgment on the Egyptians, and pass over those houses where blood was on the lintel and door posts, and the destroyer (death) would not be allowed to touch them(v.23). He tells them at the same time that they are to observe the Passover as an ordinance “forever.” When they came to their land and their children enquired why they kept such a feast, they were to fully inform them of this history of God’s judging the Egyptians and passing over the houses of the Israelites because of the blood of the passover lamb. The children were not to forget that momentous event, just as children today should be constantly reminded of the great sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.
On hearing this the children of Israel believed, and bowed their heads in worship, then did as God has commanded as to the lamb.
PLAGUE NO.10 — DEATH OF EGYPT’S FIRSTBORN
(vs..29-30)
At midnight the dreadful judgment of God fell as He had warned (v.29). In Egypt there was not a house where there was not at least one dead. Every firstborn in Egypt was taken, except of course those in houses were the blood was sprinkled. Evidently the Egyptians were not sleeping soundly that night, for they and Pharaoh and his servants rose up in the night in terrible alarm. Likely they had been fearful of what would happen, though they had refused Moses’ warning. The bitter agony of the land must have been indescribable.
ISRAEL EXPELLED FROM EGYPT
(vs..31-42)
Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. No doubt he did not actually see them (ch10:29), but gave them the urgent message that Israel was to get out of Egypt. This was not only permission given, but a command that would allow no delay. Their flocks and herds were to be included, as Moses had demanded. This tenth plague was enough to shock Pharaoh into action with the fear that something worse could happen. But he curiously adds, “ands bless me also.” Yet he does not include the people of Egypt in this request.
There was no difficulty now for Israel in preparing to leave, for the Egyptians joined in urging them to go immediately. They “took their dough before it was leavened” (v.34). Evidently they intended to leaven it in spite of God’s command that leaven was to be put away. Sometimes God in grace sovereignly stops us from our disobedient purposes
The Israelites had already done what the Lord commanded in asking from the Egyptians articles of silver and gold and of clothing. The Lord Himself had disposed the Egyptians to willingly give them these things. It was not “borrowing,” but asking, for Israel was entitled to this for their long years of service to the Egyptians. Thus they did not by any means go out empty.
The sight of six hundred thousand men besides women and children springing into action to leave the country must have been astounding! there has been nothing else in all history resembling this. The responsibility for leading this company of over two million rested squarely on the shoulders of Moses. Did he feel himself capable for this? Not at all: he felt himself helpless, but he knew that God’s power was sufficient, and God had spoken clearly: He would deliver Israel.
The journey from Rameses to Succoth, a little over 30 miles. Perhaps in starting out on the journey they were fresh and vigorous enough to do this in one day, though it may be doubtful for a crowd that large. “A mixed multitude” went with them, evidently those not actually Israelites, but possibly Egyptians who had married Israelites or in some other way were identified with them.
They apparently stopped long enough at Succoth to bake unleavened cakes of the dough that was previously prepared (v.39). Also at this time it seems the Lord gave Moses and Aaron instructions as to the ordinance of the Passover (vs.43-49) and concerning the sanctifying of all the firstborn to the Lord (ch.13:1-16)
The length of time that Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt is now recorded as 430 years (vs.40-41). Of course this embraced a number of generations, but Israel’s dispersion among the Gentiles since their rejection of Christ has continued now for almost 2000 years! Yet God will bring them back in His appointed time.
The announcement was made at the time that the night of the Passover was to be particularly observed by all the children of Israel throughout their generations But since Israel has been scattered from their land after rejecting Christ, the temple being destroyed, the Passover can no longer be kept in God’s appointed way. It lacks the shedding of the blood of the lamb, which was the very heart of the matter. But from God’s sovereign point of view, this is of great value, for it tells us that the one sacrifice of Christ is the sufficient answer to all that the Passover signified. “Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us” (1Co 5:7).
THE ORDINANCE OF THE PASSOVER
(vs.43-51)
Before Israel journeyed further, while the facts of the Passover were still fresh in the minds of the people, the Lord lays down to Moses and Aaron the essential regulations concerning the Feast of the Passover. This being immediately done emphasizes its importance. These regulations have a distinct bearing on the New Testament observance of the Lord’s supper, which the Lord introduced when He celebrated His last Passover with His disciples. In Luk 22:14-18 they kept the Passover, but He set the Passover aside in verse 18, intimating that He would have no joy (eating the fruit of the vine) in Israel until the kingdom of God should come. Then He introduced the Lord’s supper in verses 19-20. The Passover had been the prime observance of Israel in anticipation of the sacrifice of Christ. Now the Lord’s supper is the prime observance in remembrance of Him and His sacrifice.
The first regulation given is that no stranger should eat of the Passover. A stranger is one not known. The New Testament tells us “Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins: keep yourself pure” (1Ti 5:22). To lay hands on one is to express fellowship with him. If we do not know the person, we must be careful not to do this until we know him. On the other hand, if one comes with a letter of commendation from another assembly with whom we express fellowship, there is no difficulty.
A servant who had been bought for money, after being circumcised, was allowed to eat the Passover. But a hired servant was not permitted. The most important lesson here is that which applies today spiritually. The hired servant serves for wages, so that he is a picture of one who professes to keep the law as a basis of his relationship with God. He is therefore one who is not saved by the grace of God. On the other hand, the slave has been bought for money: he therefore belongs to his master, and is a picture of a believer who is owned by the Lord Jesus. Yet he was to be circumcised before eating the Passover. Php 3:3 explains what circumcision means for us:
“We are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” A true worship worships God by the Spirit and rejoices in Christ Jesus, but the negative side of this is deeply important too, for it is this to which circumcision particularly applies. Circumcision is the cutting off of the flesh, so that the flesh is given no place. One who shows a self-confident attitude is not in any condition to partake of the Lord’s supper. Some say they have “a right” to do so, but no! This is rather a privilege for those who realize they have no rights, for all their confidence is in the living God.
A foreigner or sojourner (one not of Israel, therefore typically not of the church of God) was banned from eating the Passover, Just as was the hired servant (v.45). The foreigner speaks simply of an unbeliever, the hired servant, of one under law, and both are alike in God’s sight.
The Passover was to be eaten “in one house.” This is typical of the house of God today. God sees His house as one: therefore independency has no place. This reminds us of 1Co 10:16-17 : “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.” In breaking bread, we express fellowship with the entire body of Christ, the Church, though it is clear we cannot actually break bread with all the members of that body, and there are various reasons for this. Also, in breaking bread, we must never ignore the order of the house of God.
“Nor shall you break one of its bones” (v.46). The bones are the framework of the body. There must be no violation of the lamb of sacrifice. This speaks of the basic character of the Lord Jesus. If one dares to deny His deity, this is virtually breaking a bone of the lamb, and this is true also if one denies His absolute sinless Manhood or denies that His is the Son of God from eternity. People who are guilty of denials such as this, must be totally excluded from the Lord’s supper, for the Lord’s supper is intended to be an occasion of honoring the Lord Jesus, and it is a gross dishonor to Him if one should hold false doctrine concerning His blessed person and work.
“All the congregation of Israel shall keep it” (v.47). This observance was to express the unity of the nation Israel. Ideally, it was a feast for all, though Num 9:9 shows that there were exceptions in cases of those in a journey or those who were defiled by contact with a dead body, and who could not therefore eat the Passover until they were cleansed from this defilement. Similarly, today one whose associations are defiling is not to be allowed to break bread until he is free from such associations.
A stranger is again mentioned in verse 48, but one who comes to dwell among the Israelites. Thus he would no longer be unknown, and when circumcised he would be permitted to keep the Passover. This would take time, of course, with proper care to see that the honor of the Lord was maintained. Certainly there must be no less care exercised in the assembly of God, as regards receiving to the breaking of bread, for it is the Lord’s supper, and His honor must be paramount.
Finally, verse 49 insists that there was to be no “double standard:” whether one was a native or a stranger coming in, the same principles and the same care must be applied. This is as fully true in reception to the Lord’s supper today.
While this completes “the ordinance of the Passover,” we must in chapter 13 observe also the facts as to the prohibition of leaven for the seven days, and the spiritual significance of this is vitally important too. Meanwhile we are told in verse 50 that all the children of Israel were obedient to the instructions given by; Moses. Then verse 51 emphasizes that on the very day of the Passover the Lord brought Israel out from under the bondage of Egypt, by His wisdom ordering this project for all the hosts of the nation. This could not have been done by human arrangement or energy.
Fuente: Grant’s Commentary on the Bible
1. The consecration of Israel as the covenant nation 12:1-28
"The account of the final proof of Yahweh’s Presence in Egypt has been expanded by a series of instructions related to cultic [ritual worship] requirements designed to commemorate that proof and the freedom it purchased." [Note: Durham, p. 152.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
C. God’s redemption of His people 12:1-13:16
Scholars differ in their opinions as to when Israel actually became a nation. Many have made a strong case for commencing national existence with the institution of the Passover, which this section records. The proper translation of the Hebrew word pasah is really "hover over" rather than "pass over." [Note: Meredith G. Kline, "The Feast of Cover-over," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 37:4 (December 1994):497-510.]
". . . properly understood, the Exodus also is precisely the event and the moment that coincides with the historical expression of God’s election of Israel. The choice of Israel as the special people of Yahweh occurred not at Sinai but in the land of Goshen. The Exodus was the elective event; Sinai was its covenant formalization." [Note: Eugene H. Merrill, "A Theology of the Pentateuch," in A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, p. 31. Cf. Sailhamer, The Pentateuch . . ., p. 259.]
God gave the Israelites a national calendar that set them apart from other nations (Exo 12:2). They also received instructions for two national feasts that they were to perpetuate forever thereafter (Exo 12:14; Exo 12:17; Exo 12:24). Also Moses revealed and explained the event that resulted in their separation from Egypt here.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Directions for the Passover 12:1-14
The Jews called their first month Abib (Exo 12:2). After the Babylonian captivity they renamed it Nisan (Neh 2:1; Est 3:7). It corresponds to our March-April. Abib means "ear-month" referring to the month when the grain was in the ear.
"The reference to the Passover month as the ’lead month,’ ’the first of the year’s months’ is best understood as a double entendre. On the one hand, the statement may be connected with an annual calendar, but on the other hand, it is surely an affirmation of the theological importance of Yahweh’s Passover." [Note: Ibid., p. 153.]
The spring was an appropriate time for the Exodus because it symbolized new life and growth. Israel had two calendars: one religious (this one) and one civil (Exo 23:16). The civil year began exactly six months later in the fall. The Israelites used both calendars until the Babylonian captivity. After that, they used only the civil calendar. [Note: See James F. Strange, "The Jewish Calendar," Biblical Illustrator 13:1 (Fall 1986):28-32. Also see the Appendix of these notes for a chart of the Hebrew calendar.]
". . . the sense of the verse is: you are now beginning to count a new year, now the new year will bring you a change of destiny." [Note: Cassuto, p. 137.]
The Passover was a communal celebration. The Israelites were to observe it with their redeemed brethren, not alone (Exo 12:4). They celebrated the corporate redemption of the nation corporately (cf. Luk 22:17-20; 1Co 11:23-29).
Since the lamb was a substitute sacrifice its required characteristics are significant (Exo 12:5; cf. Joh 1:29; 1Co 5:7; 1Pe 1:19).
"Freedom from blemish and injury not only befitted the sacredness of the purpose to which they were devoted, but was a symbol of the moral integrity of the person represented by the sacrifice. It was to be a male, as taking the place of the male first-born of Israel; and a year old, because it was not till then that it reached the full, fresh vigour of its life." [Note: Keil and Delitzsch, 2:10.]
Some of the ancient rabbis taught that God wanted the Jews to sacrifice the Passover lamb exactly at sunset because of the instructions in Exo 12:6 and Deu 16:6. However "at twilight" literally means "between the two evenings." The more widely held Jewish view was that the first evening began right after noon and the second began when the sun set. [Note: Gispen, p. 117.] In Josephus’ day, which was also Jesus’ day, the Jews slew the Passover lamb in mid-afternoon. [Note: Josephus, 14:4:3.] The Lord Jesus Christ died during this time (i.e., about 3:00 p.m., Mat 27:45-50; Mar 15:34-37; Luk 23:44-46; 1Co 5:7).
The sprinkling of the blood on the sides and top of the doorway into the house was a sign (Exo 12:7; cf. Exo 12:13). It had significance to the Jews. The door represented the house (cf. Exo 20:10; Deu 5:14; Deu 12:17; et al.). The smearing of the blood on the door with hyssop was an act of expiation (cleansing; cf. Lev 14:49-53; Num 19:18-19). This act consecrated the houses of the Israelites as altars. They had no other altars in Egypt. They were not to apply the blood to the other member of the doorframe, the threshold, because someone might tread on it. The symbolic value of the blood made this action inappropriate. The whole ritual signified to the Jews that the blood (life poured out, Lev 17:11) of a sinless, divinely appointed substitute cleansed their sins and resulted in their setting apart (sanctification) to God. The application of the blood as directed was a demonstration of the Israelites’ faith in God’s promise that He would pass over them (Exo 12:13; cf. Heb 11:28).
The method of preparing and eating the lamb was also significant (Exo 12:8-11). God directed that they roast it in the manner common to nomads rather than eating it raw as many of their contemporary pagans ate their sacrificial meat (cf. 1Sa 2:14-15). They were not to boil the lamb either (Exo 12:9). Roasting enabled the host to place the lamb on the table undivided and unchanged in its essential structure and appearance (Exo 12:9). This would have strengthened the impression of the substitute nature of the lamb. It looked like an animal rather than just meat.
The unleavened bread was bread that had not risen (cf. Exo 12:34). The bitter herbs-perhaps endive, chicory, and or other herbs native to Egypt-would later recall to the Israelites who ate them the bitter experiences of life in Egypt. However the sweetness of the lamb overpowered the bitterness of the herbs. The Israelites were not to eat the parts of the meal again as leftovers (Exo 12:10). It was a special sacrificial meal, not just another dinner. Moreover they were to eat it in haste (Exo 12:11) as a memorial of the events of the night when they first ate it, the night when God provided deliverance for His people. [Note: For an explanation of the history and modern observance of the Passover by Jews, the Seder, or "order of service," see Youngblood, pp. 61-64. For an account of a Seder observance held in Dallas on April 2, 1988, see Robert Andrew Barlow, "The Passover Seder," Exegesis and Exposition 3:1 (Fall 1988):63-68.]
"Those consuming the meat were not to be in the relaxed dress of home, but in traveling attire; not at ease around a table, but with walking-stick in hand; not in calm security, but in haste, with anxiety." [Note: Durham, p. 154.]
In slaying the king’s son and many of the first-born animals, God smote the gods of Egypt that these living beings represented (Exo 12:12). This was the final proof of Yahweh’s sovereignty.
"The firstborn of Pharaoh was not only his successor to the throne, but by the act of the gods was a specially born son having divine property. Gods associated with the birth of children would certainly have been involved in a plague of this nature. These included Min, the god of procreation and reproduction, along with Isis who was the symbol of fecundity or the power to produce offspring. Since Hathor was not only a goddess of love but one of seven deities who attended the birth of children, she too would be implicated in the disaster of this plague. From excavations we already have learned of the tremendous importance of the Apis bull, a firstborn animal and other animals of like designation would have had a tremendous theological impact on temple attendants as well as commoners who were capable of witnessing this tragic event. The death cry which was heard throughout Egypt was not only a wail that bemoaned the loss of a son or precious animals, but also the incapability of the many gods of Egypt to respond and protect them from such tragedy." [Note: Davis, p. 141.]
Egyptian religion and culture valued sameness and continuity very highly. The Egyptians even minimized the individual differences between the Pharaohs.
"The death of a king was, in a manner characteristic of the Egyptians, glossed over in so far as it meant a change." [Note: Frankfort, p. 102.]
The Egyptians had to acknowledge the death of Pharaoh’s son, however, as an event that Yahweh had brought to pass.
Note that God said that when He saw the blood He would pass over the Jews (Exo 12:13). He did not say when they saw it. The ground of their security was propitiation. The blood satisfied God. Therefore the Israelites could rest. The reason we can have peace with God is that Jesus Christ’s blood satisfied God. Many Christians have no peace because the blood of the Lamb of God does not satisfy them. They think something more has to supplement His work (i.e., human good works). However, God says the blood of the sacrifice He provided is enough (cf. 1Jn 2:1-2).
One writer believed that the first Passover was the origin of the concept of "the day of the Lord," which is so prominent in the writing prophets. The day of the Lord that they referred to was an instance of divine intervention, similar to what God did at the first Passover, involving judgment and blessing. [Note: Benno Jacob, The Second Book of the Bible: Exodus, p. 315.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
CHAPTER XII.
THE PASSOVER.
Exo 12:1-28.
We have now reached the birthday of the great Hebrew nation, and with it the first national institution, the feast of passover, which is also the first sacrifice of directly Divine institution, the earliest precept of the Hebrew legislation, and the only one given in Egypt.
The Jews had by this time learned to feel that they were a nation, if it were only through the struggle between their champion and the head of the greatest nation in the world. And the first aspect in which the feast of passover presents itself is that of a national commemoration.
This day was to be unto them the beginning of months; and in the change of their calendar to celebrate their emancipation, the device was anticipated by which France endeavoured to glorify the Revolution. All their reckoning was to look back to this signal event. “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it for a feast unto the Lord; throughout your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever” (Exo 12:14). “It shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in thy mouth, for with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year” (Exo 13:9-10).
Now for the first time we read of “the congregation of Israel” (Exo 12:3, Exo 12:6), which was an assembly of the people represented by their elders (as may be seen by comparing the third verse with the twenty-first); and thus we discover that the “heads of houses” have been drawn into a larger unity. The clans are knit together into a nation.
Accordingly, the feast might not be celebrated by any solitary man. Companionship was vital to it. At every table one animal, complete and undissevered, should give to the feast a unity of sentiment; and as many should gather around as were likely to leave none of it uneaten. Neither might any of it be reserved to supply a hasty ration amid the confusion of the predicted march. The feast was to be one complete event, whole and perfect as the unity which it expressed. The very notion of a people is that of “community” in responsibilities, joys, and labours; and the solemn law by virtue of which, at this same hour, one blow will fall upon all Egypt, must now be accepted by Israel. Therefore loneliness at the feast of Passover is by the law, as well as in idea, impossible to any Jew. Every one can see the connection between this festival of unity and another, of which it is written, “We, being many, are one body, one loaf, for we are all partakers of that one loaf.”
Now, the sentiment of nationality may so assert itself, like all exaggerated sentiments, as to assail others equally precious. In this century we have seen a revival of the Spartan theories which sacrificed the family to the state. Socialism and the phalanstere have proposed to do by public organisation, with the force of law, what natural instinct teaches us to leave to domestic influences. It is therefore worthy of notice that, as the chosen nation is carefully traced by revelation back to a holy family, so the national festival did not ignore the family tie, but consecrated it. The feast was to be eaten “according to their fathers’ houses”; if a family were too small, it was to the “neighbour next unto his house” that each should turn for co-operation; and the patriotic celebration was to live on from age to age by the instruction which parents should carefully give their children (Exo 12:3, Exo 12:26, Exo 13:8).
The first ordinance of the Jewish religion was a domestic service. And this arrangement is divinely wise. Never was a nation truly prosperous or permanently strong which did not cherish the sanctities of home. Ancient Rome failed to resist the barbarians, not because her discipline had degenerated, but because evil habits in the home had ruined her population. The same is notoriously true of at least one great nation today. History is the sieve of God, in which He continually severs the chaff from the grain of nations, preserving what is temperate and pure and calm, and therefore valorous and wise.
In studying the institution of the Passover, with its profound typical analogies, we must not overlook the simple and obvious fact that God built His nation upon families, and bade their great national institution draw the members of each home together.
The national character of the feast is shown further because no Egyptian family escaped the blow. Opportunities had been given to them to evade some of the previous plagues. When the hail was announced, “he that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the house”; and this renders the national solidarity, the partnership even of the innocent in the penalties of a people’s guilt, the ‘community’ of a nation, more apparent now. There was not a house where there was not one dead. The mixed multitude which came up with Israel came not because they had shared his exemptions, but because they dared not stay. It was an object-lesson given to Israel, which might have warned all his generations.
And if there is hideous vice in our own land today, or if the contrasts of poverty and wealth are so extreme that humanity is shocked by so much luxury insulting so much squalor,–if in any respect we feel that our own land, considering its supreme advantages, merits the wrath of God for its unworthiness,–then we have to fear and strive, not through public spirit alone, but as knowing that the chastisement of nations falls upon the corporate whole, upon us and upon our children.
But if the feast of the Passover was a commemoration, it also claims to be a sacrifice, and the first sacrifice which was Divinely founded and directed.
This brings us face to face with the great question, What is the doctrine which lies at the heart of the great institution of sacrifice?
We are not free to confine its meaning altogether to that which was visible at the time. This would contradict the whole doctrine of development, the intention of God that Christianity should blossom from the bud of Judaism, and the explicit assertion that the prophets were made aware that the full meaning and the date of what they uttered was reserved for the instruction of a later period (1Pe 1:12).
But neither may we overlook the first palpable significance of any institution. Sacrifices never could have been devised to be a blind and empty pantomime to whole generations, for the benefit of their successors. Still less can one who believes in a genuine revelation to Moses suppose that their primary meaning was a false one, given in order that some truth might afterwards develop out of it.
What, then, might a pious and well-instructed Israelite discern beneath the surface of this institution?
To this question there have been many discordant answers, and the variance is by no means confined to unbelieving critics. Thus, a distinguished living expositor says in connection with the Paschal institution, “We speak not of blood as it is commonly understood, but of blood as the life, the love, the heart,–the whole quality of Deity.” But it must be answered that Deity is the last suggestion which blood would convey to a Jewish mind: distinctly it is creature-life that it expresses; and the New Testament commentators make it plain that no other notion had even then evolved itself: they think of the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ, not of His Deity.[20] Neither of this feast, nor of that which the gospel of Jesus has evolved from it, can we find the solution by forgetting that the elements of the problem are, not deity, but a Body and Blood.
But when we approach the theories of rationalistic thinkers, we find a perfect chaos of rival speculations.
We are told that the Hebrew feasts were really agricultural–“Harvest festivals,” and that the epithet Passover had its origin in the passage of the sun into Aries. But this great festival had a very secondary and subordinate connection with harvest (only the waving of a sheaf upon the second day) while the older calendar which was displaced to do it honour was truly agricultural, as may still be seen by the phrase, “The feast of ingathering at the end of the year, when thou gatherest in thy labours out of the field” (Exo 23:16).
In dealing with unbelief we must look at things from the unbelieving angle of vision. No sceptical theory has any right to invoke for its help a special and differentiating quality in Hebrew thought. Reject the supernatural, and the Jewish religion is only one among a number of similar creations of the mind of man “moving about in worlds unrecognised.” And therefore we must ask, What notions of sacrifice were entertained, all around, when the Hebrew creed was forming itself?
Now, we read that “in the early days … a sacrifice was a meal…. Year after year, the return of vintage, corn-harvest, and sheep-shearing brought together the members of the household to eat and drink in the presence of Jehovah…. When an honoured guest arrives there is slaughtered for him a calf, not without an offering of the blood and fat to the Deity” (Wellhausen, Israel, p. 76). Of the sense of sin and propitiation “the ancient sacrifices present few traces…. An underlying reference of sacrifice to sin, speaking generally, was entirely absent. The ancient sacrifices were wholly of a joyous nature–a merry-making before Jehovah with music” (ibid., p. 81).
We are at once confronted by the question, Where did the Jewish nation come by such a friendly conception of their deity? They had come out of Egypt, where human sacrifices were not rare. They had settled in Palestine, where such idyllic notions must have been as strange as in modern Ashantee. And we are told that human sacrifices (such as that of Isaac and of Jephthah’s daughter) belong to this older period (p. 69). Are they joyous and festive? are they not an endeavour, by the offering up of something precious, to reconcile a Being Who is estranged? With our knowledge of what existed in Israel in the period confessed to be historical, and of the meaning of sacrifices all around in the period supposed to be mythical, and with the admission that human sacrifices must be taken into account, it is startling to be asked to believe that Hebrew sacrifices, with all their solemn import and all their freight of Christian symbolism, were originally no more than a gift to the Deity of a part of some happy banquet.
It is quite plain that no such theory can be reconciled with the story of the first passover. And accordingly this is declared to be non-historical, and to have originated in the time of the later kings. The offering of the firstborn is only “the expression of thankfulness to the Deity for fruitful flocks and herds. If claim is also laid to the human firstborn, this is merely a later generalisation” (Wellhausen, p. 88).[21]
But this claim is by no means the only stumbling-block in the way of the theory, serious a stumbling-block though it be. How came the bright festival to be spoiled by bitter herbs and “bread of affliction”? Is it natural that a merry feast should grow more austere as time elapses? Do we not find it hard enough to prevent the most sacred festivals from reversing the supposed process, and degenerating into revels? And is not this the universal experience, from San Francisco to Bombay? Why was the mandate given to sprinkle the door of every house with blood, if the story originated after the feast had been centralised in Jerusalem, when, in fact, this precept had to be set aside as impracticable, their homes being at a distance? Why, again, were they bidden to slaughter the lamb “between the two evenings” (Exo 12:6)–that is to say, between sunset and the fading out of the light–unless the story was written long before such numbers had to be dealt with that the priests began to slaughter early in the afternoon, and continued until night? Why did the narrative set forth that every man might slaughter for his own house (a custom which still existed in the time of Hezekiah, when the Levites only slaughtered “the passovers” for those who were not ceremonially clean, 2Ch 30:17), if there were no stout and strong historical foundation for the older method?
Stranger still, why was the original command invented, that the lamb should be chosen and separated four days before the feast? There is no trace of any intention that this precept should apply to the first passover alone. It is somewhat unexpected there, interrupting the hurry and movement of the narrative with an interval of quiet expectation, not otherwise hinted at, which we comprehend and value when discovered, rather than anticipate in advance. It is the very last circumstance which the Priestly Code would have invented, when the time which could be conveniently spent upon a pilgrimage was too brief to suffer the custom to be perpetuated. The selection of the lamb upon the tenth day, the slaying of it at home, the striking of the blood upon the door, and the use of hyssop, as in other sacrifices, with which to sprinkle it, whether upon door or altar; the eating of the feast standing, with staff in hand and girded loins; the application only to one day of the precept to eat no leavened bread, and the sharing in the feast by all, without regard to ceremonial defilement,–all these are cardinal differences between the first passover and later ones. Can we be blind to their significance? Even a drastic revision of the story, such as some have fancied, would certainly have expunged every divergence upon points so capital as these. Nor could any evidence of the antiquity of the institution be clearer than its existence in a form, the details of which have had to be so boldly modified under the pressure of the exigencies of the later time.
Taking, then, the narrative as it stands, we place ourselves by an effort of the historical imagination among those to whom Moses gave his instructions, and ask what emotions are excited as we listen.
Certainly no light and joyous feeling that we are going to celebrate a feast, and share our good things with our deity. Nay, but an alarmed surprise. Hitherto, among the admonitory and preliminary plagues of Egypt, Israel had enjoyed a painless and unbought exemption. The murrain had not slain their cattle, nor the locusts devoured their land, nor the darkness obscured their dwellings. Such admonitions they needed not. But now the judgment itself is impending, and they learn that they, like the Egyptians whom they have begun to despise, are in danger from the destroying angel. The first paschal feast was eaten by no man with a light heart. Each listened for the rustling of awful wings, and grew cold, as under the eyes of the death which was, even then, scrutinising his lintels and his doorposts.
And this would set him thinking that even a gracious God, Who had “come down” to save him from his tyrants, discerned in him grave reasons for displeasure, since his acceptance, while others died, was not of course. His own conscience would then quickly tell him what some at least of those reasons were.
But he would also learn that the exemption which he did not possess by right (although a son of Abraham) he might obtain through grace. The goodness of God did not pronounce him safe, but it pointed out to him a way of salvation. He would scarcely observe, so entirely was it a matter of course, that this way must be of God’s appointment and not of his own invention–that if he devised much more costly, elaborate and imposing ceremonies to replace those which Moses taught him, he would perish like any Egyptian who devised nothing, but simply cowered under the shadow of the impending doom.
Nor was the salvation without price. It was not a prayer nor a fast which bought it, but a life. The conviction that a redemption was necessary if God should be at once just and a justifier of the ungodly sprang neither from a later hairsplitting logic, nor from a methodising theological science; it really lay upon the very surface of this and every offering for sin, as distinguished from those offerings which expressed the gratitude of the accepted.
We have not far to search for evidence that the lamb was really regarded as a substitute and ransom. The assertion is part and parcel of the narrative itself. For, in commemoration of this deliverance, every firstborn of Israel, whether of man or beast, was set apart unto the Lord. The words are, “Thou shall cause to PASS OVER unto the Lord all that openeth the womb, and every firstling which thou hast that cometh of a beast; the males shall be the Lord’s” (Exo 13:12). What, then, should be done with the firstborn of a creature unfit for sacrifice? It should be replaced by a clean offering, and then it was said to be redeemed. Substitution or death was the inexorable rule. “Every firstborn of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb, and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck.” The meaning of this injunction is unmistakable. But it applies also to man: “All thy firstborn of man among thy sons thou shalt redeem.” And when their sons should ask “What meaneth this?” they were to explain that when Pharaoh hardened himself against letting them go from Egypt, “the Lord slew all the firstborn in the land; … therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the womb being males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem” (Exo 13:12-15).
Words could not more plainly assert that the lives of the firstborn of Israel were forfeited, that they were bought back by the substitution of another creature, which died instead, and that the transaction answered to the Passover (“thou shalt cause to pass over unto the Lord”). Presently the tribe of Levi was taken “instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel.” But since there were two hundred and seventy-three of such firstborn children over and above the number of the Levites, it became necessary to “redeem” these; and this was actually done by a cash payment of five shekels apiece. Of this payment the same phrase is used: it is “redemption-money”–the money wherewith the odd number of them is redeemed (Num 3:44-51).
The question at present is not whether modern taste approves of all this, or resents it: we are simply inquiring whether an ancient Jew was taught to think of the lamb as offered in his stead.
And now let it be observed that this idea has sunk deep into all the literature of Palestine. The Jews are not so much the beloved of Jehovah as His redeemed–“Thy people whom Thou hast redeemed” (1Ch 17:21). In fresh troubles the prayer is, “Redeem Israel, O Lord” (Psa 25:22), and the same word is often used where we have ignored the allusion and rendered it “Deliver me because of mine enemies … deliver me from the oppression of men” (Psa 69:18, Psa 119:134). And the future troubles are to end in a deliverance of the same kind: “The ransomed of the Lord shall return and come with singing unto Zion” (Isa 35:10, Isa 51:11); and at the last “I will ransom them from the power of the grave” (Hos 13:14). In all these places, the word is the same as in this narrative.
It is not too much to say that if modern theology were not affected by this ancient problem, if we regarded the creed of the Hebrews simply as we look at the mythologies of other peoples, there would be no more doubt that the early Jews believed in propitiatory sacrifice than that Phoenicians did. We should simply admire the purity, the absence of cruel and degrading accessories, with which this most perilous and yet humbling and admonitory doctrine was held in Israel.
The Christian applications of this doctrine must be considered along with the whole question of the typical character of the history. But it is not now premature to add, that even in the Old Testament there is abundant evidence that the types were semi-transparent, and behind them something greater was discerned, so that after it was written “Bring no more vain oblations,” Isaiah could exclaim, “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. When Thou shalt make His soul a trespass-offering He shall see His seed” (Isa 1:13, Isa 53:6-7, Isa 53:10). And the full power of this last verse will only be felt when we remember the statement made elsewhere of the principle which underlay the sacrifices: “the life (or soul) of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life” (or “soul”– Lev 17:11, R.V.) It is even startling to read the two verses together: “Thou shalt make His soul a trespass-offering;” “The blood maketh atonement by reason of the soul … the soul of the flesh is in the blood.”[22]
It is still more impressive to remember that a Servant of Jehovah has actually arisen in Whom this doctrine has assumed a form acceptable to the best and holiest intellects and consciences of ages and civilisations widely remote from that in which it was conceived.
Another doctrine preached by the passover to every Jew was that he must be a worker together with God, must himself use what the Lord pointed out, and his own lintels and doorposts must openly exhibit the fact that he laid claim to the benefit of the institution of the Lord Jehovah’s passover. With what strange feelings, upon the morrow, did the orphaned people of Egypt discover the stain of blood on the forsaken houses of all their emancipated slaves!
The lamb having been offered up to God, a new stage in the symbolism is entered upon. The body of the sacrifice, as well as the blood, is His: “Ye shall eat it in haste, it is the Lord’s passover” (Exo 12:11). Instead of being a feast of theirs, which they share with Him, it is an offering of which, when the blood has been sprinkled on the doors, He permits His people, now accepted and favoured, to partake. They are His guests; and therefore He prescribes all the manner of their eating, the attitude so expressive of haste, and the unleavened “bread of affliction” and bitter herbs, which told that the object of this feast was not the indulgence of the flesh but the edification of the spirit, “a feast unto the Lord.”
And in the strength of this meat they are launched upon their new career, freemen, pilgrims of God, from Egyptian bondage to a Promised Land.
It is now time to examine the chapter in more detail, and gather up such points as the preceding discussion has not reached.
(Exo 12:1.) The opening words, “Jehovah spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,” have all the appearance of opening a separate document, and suggest, with certain other evidence, the notion of a fragment written very shortly after the event, and afterwards incorporated into the present narrative. And they are, in the same degree, favourable to the authenticity of the book.
(Exo 12:2.) The commandment to link their emancipation with a festival, and with the calendar, is the earliest example and the sufficient vindication of sacred festivals, which, even yet, some persons consider to be superstitious and judaical. But it is a strange doctrine that the Passover deserved honour better than Easter does, or that there is anything more servile and unchristian in celebrating the birth of all the hopes of all mankind than in commemorating one’s own birth.
(Exo 12:5.) The selection of a lamb for a sacrifice so quickly became universal, that there is no trace anywhere of the use of a kid in place of it. The alternative is therefore an indication of antiquity, while the qualities required–innocent youth and the absence of blemish, were sure to suggest a typical significance. For, if they were merely to enhance its value, why not choose a costlier animal?
Various meanings have been discovered in the four days during which it was reserved; but perhaps the true object was to give time for deliberation, for the solemnity and import of the institution to fill the minds of the people; time also for preparation, since the night itself was one of extreme haste, and prompt action can only be obtained by leisurely anticipation. We have Scriptural authority for applying it to the Antitype, Who also was foredoomed, “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8).
But now it has to be observed that throughout the poetic literature the people is taught to think of itself as a flock of sheep. “Thou leddest Thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron” (Psa 77:20); “We are Thy people and the sheep of Thy pasture” (Psa 79:13); “All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isa 53:6); “Ye, O My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, are men” (Eze 34:31); “The Lord of hosts hath visited His flock” (Zec 10:3). All such language would make more easy the conception that what replaced the forfeited life was in some sense, figuratively, in the religious idea, a kindred victim. One who offered a lamb as his substitute sang “The Lord is my shepherd.” “I have gone astray like a lost sheep” (Psa 23:1; Psa 119:176).
(Exo 12:3, Exo 12:6.) Very instructive it is that this first sacrifice of Judaism could be offered by all the heads of houses. We have seen that the Levites were presently put into the place of the eldest son, but also that this function was exercised down to the time of Hezekiah by all who were ceremonially clean, whereas the opposite holds good, immediately afterwards, in the great passover of Josiah (2Ch 30:17, 2Ch 35:11).
It is impossible that this incongruity could be devised, for the sake of plausibility, in a narrative which rested on no solid basis. It goes far to establish what has been so anxiously denied–the reality of the centralised worship in the time of Hezekiah. And it also establishes the great doctrine that priesthood was held not by a superior caste, but on behalf of the whole nation, in whom it was theoretically vested, and for whom the priest acted, so that they were “a nation of priests.”
(Exo 12:8.) The use of unleavened bread is distinctly said to be in commemoration of their haste–“for thou camest out of Egypt in haste” (Deu 16:3)–but it does not follow that they were forced by haste to eat their bread unleavened at the first. It was quite as easy to prepare leavened bread as to provide the paschal lamb four days previously.
We may therefore seek for some further explanation, and this we find in the same verse in Deuteronomy, in the expression “bread of affliction.” They were to receive the meat of passover with a reproachful sense of their unworthiness: humbly, with bread of affliction and with bitter herbs.
Moreover, we learn from St. Paul that unleavened bread represents simplicity and truth; and our Lord spoke of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod (Mar 8:15). And this is not only because leaven was supposed to be of the same nature as corruption. We ourselves always mean something unworthy when we speak of mixed motives, possible though it be to act from two motives, both of them high-minded. Now, leaven represents mixture in its most subtle and penetrating form.
The paschal feast did not express any such luxurious and sentimental religionism as finds in the story of the cross an easy joy, or even a delicate and pleasing stimulus for the softer emotions, “a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and playeth well on an instrument.” No, it has vigour and nourishment for those who truly hunger, but its bread is unfermented, and it must be eaten with bitter herbs.
(Exo 12:9.) Many Jewish sacrifices were “sodden,” but this had to be roast with fire. It may have been to represent suffering that this was enjoined. But it comes to us along with a command to consume all the flesh, reserving none and rejecting none. Now, though boiling does not mutilate, it dissipates; a certain amount of tissue is lost, more is relaxed, and its cohesion rendered feeble; and so the duty of its complete reception is accentuated by the words “not sodden at all with water.” Nor should it be a barbarous feast, such as many idolatries encouraged: true religion civilises; “eat not of it at all raw.”
(Exo 12:10.) Nor should any of it be left until the morning. At the first celebration, with a hasty exodus impending, this would have involved exposure to profanation. In later times it might have involved superstitious abuses. And therefore the same rule is laid down which the Church of England has carried on for the same reasons into the Communion feast–that all must be consumed. Nor can we fail to see an ideal fitness in the precept. Of the gift of God we may not select what gratifies our taste or commends itself to our desires; all is good; all must be accepted; a partial reception of His grace is no valid reception at all.
(Exo 12:12.) In describing the coming wrath, we understand the inclusion equally of innocent and guilty men, because it is thus that all national vengeance operates; and we receive the benefits of corporate life at the cost, often heavy, of its penalties. The animal world also has to suffer with us; the whole creation groaneth together now, and all expects together the benefit of our adoption hereafter. But what were the judgments against the idols of Egypt, which this verse predicts, and another (Num 33:4) declares to be accomplished? They doubtless consisted chiefly in the destruction of sacred animals, from the beetle and the frog to the holy ox of Apis–from the cat, the monkey, and the dog, to the lion, the hippopotamus, and the crocodile. In their overthrow a blow was dealt which shook the whole system to its foundation; for how could the same confidence be felt in sacred images when all the sacred beasts had once been slain by a rival invisible Spiritual Being! And more is implied than that they should share the common desolation: the text says plainly, of men and beasts the firstborn must die, but all of these. The difference in the phrase is obvious and indisputable; and in its fulfilment all Egypt saw the act of a hostile and victorious deity.
(Exo 12:13.) “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are.” That it was a token to the destroying angel we see plainly; but why to them? Is it enough to explain the assertion, with some, as meaning, upon their behalf? Rather let us say that the publicity, the exhibition upon their doorposts of the sacrifice offered within, was not to inform and guide the angel, but to edify the people. They should perform an open act of faith. Their houses should be visibly set apart. “With the mouth confession” (of faith) “is made unto salvation,” unto that deliverance from a hundred evasions and equivocations, and as many inward doubts and hesitations, which comes when any decisive act is done, when the die is cast and the Rubicon crossed. A similar effect upon the mind, calming and steadying it, was produced when the Israelite carried out the blood of the lamb, and by sprinkling it upon the doorpost formally claimed his exemption, and returned with the consciousness that between him and the imminent death a visible barrier interposed itself.
Will any one deny that a similar help is offered to us of the later Church in our many opportunities of avowing a fixed and personal belief? Whoever refuses to comply with an unholy custom because he belongs to Christ, whoever joins heartily in worship at the cost of making himself remarkable, whoever nerves himself to kneel at the Holy Table although he feels himself unworthy, that man has broken through many snares; he has gained assurance that his choice of God is a reality: he has shown his flag; and this public avowal is not only a sign to others, but also a token to himself.
But this is only half the doctrine of this action. What he should thus openly avow was his trust (as we have shown) in atoning blood.
And in the day of our peril what shall be our reliance? That our doors are trodden by orthodox visitants only? that the lintels are clean, and the inhabitants temperate and pure? or that the Blood of Christ has cleansed our conscience?
Therefore (Exo 12:22) the blood was sprinkled with hyssop, of which the light and elastic sprays were admirably suited for such use, but which was reserved in the Law for those sacrifices which expiated sin (Lev 14:49; Num 19:18-19). And therefore also none should go forth out of his house until the morning, for we are not to content ourselves with having once invoked the shelter of God: we are to abide under its protection while danger lasts.
And (Exo 12:23) upon the condition of this marking of their doorposts the Lord should pass over their houses. The phrase is noteworthy, because it recurs throughout the narrative, being employed nine times in this chapter; and because the same word is found in Isaiah, again in contrast with the ruin of others, and with an interesting and beautiful expansion of the hovering poised notion which belongs to the word.[23]
Repeated commandments are given to parents to teach the meaning of this institution to their children, (Exo 12:26, Exo 13:8). And there is something almost cynical in the notion of a later mythologist devising this appeal to a tradition which had no existence at all; enrolling, in support of his new institutions, the testimony (which had never been borne) of fathers who had never taught any story of the kind.
On the other hand, there is something idyllic and beautiful in the minute instruction given to the heads of families to teach their children, and in the simple words put into their mouths, “It is because of that which the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt.” It carries us forward to these weary days when children scarcely see the face of one who goes out to labour before they are awake, and returns exhausted when their day is over, and who himself too often needs the most elementary instruction, these heartless days when the teaching of religion devolves, in thousands of families, upon the stranger who instructs, for one hour in the week, a class in Sunday-school. The contrast is not reassuring.
When all these instructions were given to Israel, the people bowed their heads and worshipped. The bones of most of them were doomed to whiten in the wilderness. They perished by serpents and by “the destroyer”; they fell in one day three-and-twenty thousand, because they were discontented and rebellious and unholy. And yet they could adore the gracious Giver of promises and Slayer of foes. They would not obey, but they were quite ready to accept benefits, to experience deliverance, to become the favourites of heaven, to march to Palestine. So are too many fain to be made happy, to find peace, to taste the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, to go to heaven. But they will not take up a cross. They will murmur if the well is bitter, if they have no flesh but only angels’ food, if the goodly land is defended by powerful enemies.
On these terms, they cannot be Christ’s disciples.
It is apparently the mention of a mixed multitude, who came with Israel out of Egypt, which suggests the insertion, in a separate and dislocated paragraph, of the law of the passover concerning strangers (Exo 12:38, Exo 12:43-49).
An alien was not to eat thereof: it belonged especially to the covenant people. But who was a stranger? A slave should be circumcised and eat thereof; for it was one of the benignant provisions of the law that there should not be added, to the many severities of his condition, any religious disabilities. The time would come when all nations should be blessed in the seed of Abraham. In that day the poor would receive a special beatitude; and in the meantime, as the first indication of catholicity beneath the surface of an exclusive ritual, it was announced, foremost among those who should be welcomed within the fold, that a slave should be circumcised and eat the passover.
And if a sojourner desired to eat thereof, he should be mindful of his domestic obligations: all his males should be circumcised along with him, and then his disabilities were at an end. Surely we can see in these provisions the germ of the broader and more generous welcome which Christ offers to the world. Let it be added that this admission of strangers had been already implied at Exo 12:19; while every form of coercion was prohibited by the words “a sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat of it,” in Exo 12:45.
FOOTNOTES:
[20] Though of course the Person Whose Body was thus offered is Divine (Act 20:28), and this gives inestimable value to the offering.
[21] Here the sceptical theorists are widely divided among themselves. Kuenen has discussed this whole theory, and rejected it as “irreconcilable with what the Old Testament itself asserts in justification of this sacrifice.” And he is driven to connect it with the notion of atonement. “Jahveh appears as a severe being who must be propitiated with sacrifices.” He has therefore to introduce the notion of human sacrifice, in order to get rid of the connection with the penal death of the Egyptians, and of the miraculous, which this example would establish. (Religion of Israel, Eng. Trans., i., 239, 240.)
[22] The astonishing significance of this declaration would only be deepened if we accepted the theories now so fashionable, and believed that the later passage in Isaiah was the fruit of a period when the full-blown Priestly Code was in process of development out of “the small body of legislation contained in Leviticus 17-26.” What a strange time for such a spiritual application of sacrificial language!
[23] So that it is used equally of the slow action of the lame, and of the lingering movements of the false prophets when there was none to answer (2Sa 4:4; 1Ki 18:26). “The Lord of Hosts shall come down to fight upon Mount Zion…. As birds flying, so will the Lord of Hosts protect Jerusalem; He will PASS OVER and preserve it” (Isa 31:4-5).