[And He Walks With Me] Exodus 12
1-11 Instead of proceeding immediately to the execution of the tenth plague, the Lord paused to give Israel precise instructions for their participation. The precision suggests that the worship of God is not to be haphazard. The forethought and effort expected of his people reflects that which he put into their deliverance. Despite this precision, it is important to notice these instructions predated either the commandments or the priesthood. What mattered was that they believed his promise to deliver them. While forethought and effort are important so that God always receives their best, people need not have everything figured out before they can worship the Lord. Neither do they need someone to act as an intermediary between them and God. God intends his people to be a nation of priests, and so he grants them direct access to himself from the moment they respond in faith to his promised deliverance.[63]
After months of preparation and plagues, this month is to be the beginning of months for you indicated that Israel’s national life and the individual lives of all Israelites were to be re-ordered around the Passover and the deliverance it represented. Christians would later apply this to the resurrection, shifting their day of worship from the seventh day of the week (i.e., Saturday) to the first day (i.e., Sunday) to commemorate the resurrection every week throughout the year.
The timing of this plague is different. Previous plagues began either immediately after Pharaoh refused to release Israel or the next day. This time, however, there were at least several days between the announcement in 11:4-8 and execution of the plague in 12:29. This allowed the Israelites time to prepare, but it also allowed the Egyptians time to repent. Often, people are eager for God to act immediately on their behalf, and when God delays, they grow frustrated. However, 2 Peter 3:9 explains: The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. God’s timing is always purposeful. Therefore, his people must always seek to make the best use of that time.
The central element of the Passover celebration was to be the meal. The main course was to be an animal of the flock, either a lamb (i.e., sheep) or kid (i.e., goat). Provisions were made so that the animal would be both affordable and not wasteful (4), but it was also to be “the best the worshipers could afford” (5).[64] The balance between accessibility and excellence, stewardship and lavishness is a constant tension throughout the biblical narrative. On the one hand, everyone is welcome to participate in the people of God. On the other, they are also expected to give their best. On the one hand, the people of God are expected to be effective stewards, wasting as little as possible. On the other, they are to be exceedingly generous toward God and others. This tension is embodied in the rules regarding the procurement and slaughter of the Passover lamb. It was to be selected on the tenth day of this month and butchered on the fourteenth day of this month. This animal would be an undue burden on the family’s budget, but keeping it for five days allowed the family to observe the animal and so verify that it was without blemish and ensured that they would develop an emotional connection with the animal. They would, therefore, feel the sacrifice deeply.
Different commentators propose different reasons for the interlude between selecting the animal and slaughtering it. Some propose that the purpose was to verify that the animal met God’s specifications, but it seems to me that there is no provision to select a different animal if the first one proves defective. Some suggest it was a symbolic act of defiance because the Egyptians worshiped a sheep god. A few connect it to Christ, seeing these days as a prophetic parallel to the four days between Palm Sunday and Good Friday. Still others believe it was mostly about developing the personal connection with the animal so that the sacrifice would be deeply personal.
To take some of the blood [of the lamb] and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses was an act of faith. This act would be instrumental in the salvation of Israel’s firstborn children, but it did not occur in a vacuum. It was a response to the stories they had heard of God’s work on behalf of Abraham, Jacob, etc. It was a reaction to God’s promise to deliver the nation from slavery and the nine plagues which had been unleashed so far. And it was obedience to the God’s revelation of how he wanted them to celebrate Passover even before they were actually delivered. Similarly, the decision to believe in Jesus is an act of faith which is instrumental in the salvation of the modern people of God. However, that act of faith does not occur in a vacuum. Long before anyone decides to follow Jesus, God has been working in and around them. Perhaps they heard Bible stories growing up. Perhaps they see how God is transforming a friend. Perhaps the Holy Spirit is stirring their conscience, telling them they should do this or that. All of this is called prevenient grace, meaning the grace that precedes salvation, and the decision to trust Jesus for salvation is a response to it.
13 Blood was a daily part of life for both Israelites and Egyptians. Yet, only when it was applied on the houses did it become a distinguishing mark so that God would see it and pass over you. That is, it would not become effective for their salvation until they acted in faithful obedience. In the same way, the blood of Jesus is constantly available for all people everywhere, but it does not become effective until each person resolves to be faithfully obedient.
15 The penalty for [eating] what is leavened (i.e., what has yeast in it) was to be cut off from Israel. At first glance, this would seem wildly disproportionate to the severity of the offense. However, the extraordinary severity may suggest that, for God, the matter was far more serious than commemorating the haste with which preparations for the exodus were made.[65] In vs 17, it is explained that the seven-day prohibition of yeast was to be a reminder of what God did to effect the exodus, and failing to observe the ban would translate to failing to remember God. Moreover, in both Scripture and rabbinical tradition, yeast represented the insidious nature of sin. It was therefore to be excluded from grain offerings in the temple (Leviticus 2:11), and Jesus warned his disciples to beware the leaven of the Pharisees (Matthew 16:1-12). Indeed, just as a pinch of yeast will affect an entire loaf of bread, the smallest unchecked sin will affect the entire person.
17 The description of Israel as military divisions (CSB), divisions (NIV), or armies (KJV) would seem at first glance to be generous. These were former slaves, abruptly freed. They included children and elderly, and they were bringing with them livestock and everything they owned. Yet, this term is less about combat readiness than it was organization, and as chaotic as this mass evacuation must have been, it must have been a far cry more organized than the hysteria which was sweeping Egypt in the wake of the death of every firstborn.
22 Today, the plant known as hyssop is hyssopus officinalis, a shrub with a woody stem at the base which grows into a number of upright branches with many leaves and producing pink, blue, or white flowers. However, at least some researchers believe the plant referred to here was more likely an herb such as Syrian oregano (aka “bible hyssop”).
26 God understood that, if Israel was to be his people for more than a generation, then they would need a systematized way to share the stories of what he did for them. Passover and the other festivals which would be established later would serve that purpose, providing an annual prompt for kids your children [to] ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ and for parents to then tell the story. This had the double benefit of piquing the child’s curiosity and prompting the parent to share. Ultimately, this is what witnessing for Jesus is supposed to look like, too. It is far less about quoting a series of Bible verses in the right order or having all the answers about who God is, what he does, and why. Rather, it is sharing the story of what Jesus has done. Modern Christians would do well to build into their lives peculiar actions and attitudes so that others, including their children, will ask, “What does this mean?”
28 Then the Israelites went and did… just as the Lord had commanded. The importance of complete and unconditional obedience would become a theme from this point forward. When God’s people were completely obedient, things went well, but when they compromised on even the slightest point, things began to go wrong. Modern followers of Jesus would do well to heed this pattern!
31-32 Finally, Pharaoh’s hard heart is broken. He commands the Israelites to leave Egypt and take all of their stuff with them, and the only thing he asks is, also bless me. These three words indicate just how radical was the shift in his attitude. Previously, he had insisted on maintaining control, assuming that he was the earthly manifestation of some deity. Since blessings were given by people in positions of greater authority and means and Pharaoh insisted on being supreme, he had no need for blessing. Indeed, seeking a blessing from God would undermine his claim to divinity and the Egyptian throne. Now, however, he realized the Israelite God was infinitely superior to his own feeble power, and he acknowledged that reality by requesting a blessing.[66] Do not wait to acknowledge God’s authority and means until he inflicts such severe plagues upon you.
35-36 The Israelites’ favor with the Egyptians was no doubt fueled by the scope and magnitude of the final plague. There wasn’t a house without someone dead (30), and now, all illusions about Egyptian supremacy were gone. Who needed material possessions when they were in such grief? Moreover, it was clear that this new God was acting on behalf of the Israelites; therefore, it stood to reason that giving to the Israelites could assuage his wrath.
37 The Israelites’ route from Rameses to Succoth was curious. Instead of taking the most direct route from Rameses (aka, Goshen) to Palestine, which would have been northeast, they traveled southeast. See 13:17 for an explanation.
37-38 The word rendered by the CSB able-bodied men is hagḇārîm (הַגְּבָרִים – H1397). According to Strong’s Concordance, it means “a valiant man or warrior.”[67] That is, the 600,000 who were counted were men of suitable age and strength to fight in the army. Such an approach to counting people was typical of the patriarchal culture of the Ancient Near East, but it excluded elderly men, women, and children. Consequently, any population estimate is only approximate.
It must be noted that this procession was not comprised exclusively of Israelites. A mixed crowd also went up with them reveals that, from its very inception, the people of God included people who were not of the same racial and ethnic origin. These foreigners were not included in the numbers and relegated to the edge of the encampment, but they were welcomed and protected nonetheless. Indeed, the notion of welcoming and caring for the stranger and foreigner will become a recurring theme throughout the Bible. See 22:21 for an explanation.
40 There is some question as to when the 430 years began. The Septuagint and the ancient Samaritan version of the Old Testament read, The time that the Israelites lived in Egypt and in Canaan was 430 years, indicating that this clock began when Abraham first arrived in Canaan in Genesis 12. This would shorten the time Egypt spent in Egypt to approximately 220 years.[68] However, there is extrabiblical evidence to support the traditional Hebrew record that Israel spent the full 430 years in Egypt. This includes a monument built by Ramesses II commemorating the beginning of the rule of the god Seth over the Delta region. Seth was introduced to the region by the Hyksos, a Semitic people who were friendly toward other Semites, possibly including Joseph and his family. From the rise of the Hyksos to the middle of the reign of Ramesses II was approximately four hundred years. Thus, if Jacob arrived in Egypt about the same time as the Hyksos, and if Ramesses II was pharaoh at the time of the exodus, then the Egyptian sojourn may have lasted the full 430 years. This is part of the reason why dating the exodus is so challenging!
43-49 The very first instruction God gave to Moses and Aaron after the exodus concerned who may participate in the Passover festival. Of course, the whole community of Israel must celebrate it (47). However, they also had to consider who among the mixed crowd that accompanied them out of Egypt could and could not participate. The easiest answer, of course, would be to say that anyone who was not descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob could not participate, but God chose a different route. This passage identifies five distinct groups of people who were not blood descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (1) The word rendered foreigner is nēḵār (נֵכָר – H5236) and carries the idea of strangeness and “heathendom.”[69] (2) Any slave is translated from the Hb word ʿeḇeḏ (עֶבֶד – H5650) and indicates a person who was a permanently bonded servant in an Israelite household[70] and therefore circumcised. (3) A temporary resident (Hb: tôšāḇ (תּוֹשָׁב – H8453)) was currently living with Israel but would eventually move on.[71] (4) A hired worker (Hb: vᵊśāḵîr (וְשָׂכִיר – H7916)) was someone who came only for the day or as long as they were paid and then went home.[72] (5) An alien (Hb: gēr (גֵּר – H1616)) referred to a person who, though not technically a member of Israel, was afforded rights among the people of God.[73] Of these five categories, only slaves (i.e., group 2) and aliens (i.e., group 5) were allowed to participate in the Passover with the natural community of Israel, and the reasoning behind why these were allowed to participate while the others were not is pertinent to a number of modern discussions (e.g., immigration policy, who should be allowed to participate in church ordinances and leadership). This reasoning includes at least three major components. (1) These two groups have permanence. The slave became a permanent part of the household, and the alien was essentially a permanent resident among them. (2) There was the desire to participate. The slave’s will was legally irrelevant, but the alien wants to observe the Lord’s Passover. (3) They were circumcised. Of the three conditions, verse 48 makes clear circumcision was the most significant. Indeed, a slave could be sold, an alien could eventually move on, and the desire to observe the Passover may be a passing curiosity. Circumcision, though, represented “skin in the game,” both literally and figuratively. Men were not circumcised on a whim. The resolve to be circumcised indicated a carefully considered, deliberate, and enduring commitment to be a part of the people of God and abide by his commands. The other three groups may have lived just as long with Israel, but they continued to practice their own religion and culture. They were not hostile to Israel or Israel’s God; they simply had no interest in converting. Consequently, while they were afforded welcome and protection, they were not allowed to participate in the Passover celebration of what God did to deliver Israel from Egypt. Only those who demonstrated that carefully considered, deliberate, enduring commitment by being circumcised would become like a native of the land, with full access to the main event of the Jewish life: the deliverance of God.
50-51 For the importance of complete obedience, see note on 12:28. Observe here the relationship between Israel’s complete obedience and God’s deliverance. The two must not be seen as transactional in the sense that a human can do something God wants and thus obligate him to do what the human wants. Yet, there is a certain reciprocity in that humans who are aligned with God’s character and command are more likely to be in the right place at the right time to benefit from God’s actions.
[63] Barker and Kohlenberger 2004, Exodus 12:3-11
[64] Durham 2018, 153
[65] Durham 2018, Exodus 12:14-20
[66] Carpenter and McCown 1992, Exodus 11:1-13:16
[67] “H1397 – geḇer – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV)”, n.d.
[68] Carpenter and McCown 1992, Exodus 11:1-13:16
[69] “H5236 – nēḵār – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV)”, n.d.
[70] “H5650 – ʿeḇeḏ – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV)”, n.d.
[71] “H8453 – tôšāḇ – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV)”, n.d.
[72] “H7916 – śāḵîr – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV)”, n.d.
[73] “H1616 – gār – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV)”, n.d.