The Very First Passover

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Exodus 12:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, (2) “This month shall be to you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you."

Moses had just left Pharaoh for the last time he would be sent before Him by God to ask that the Israelite people be let go.  Now the Lord spoke to Moses.  Actually, several of the old commentaries suggest that the Lord had spoken to Moses before the plague of three days of darkness, and that it was just being mentioned here so that the history of the plagues would not be interrupted.  I can't yet see why that has to be the case, but Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible", explained it this way, "...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, (Exo 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"; 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."

What came after, as Dr. Gill alluded to, or rather what the Lord spoke to Moses, was that this month would now be considered the first month of the year to them.  We will later read that it was the month of Abib, which corresponds somewhere within our months of March and April.  As it was based on a Jewish lunar calendar, the days of Abib fluctuated, but it was the beginning of spring.  It was interesting to read the old commentaries which tried to explain why God called this to be their new first month, but that they still seemed to retain an old calendar which began about September for other than their religious rites.  I believe, in essence, it was to mark a new beginning for them, and they were to remember it as such.  "This is the first day of the rest of your lives", so to speak.

(3) “Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. (4) And if the household is too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s eating you shall make your count for the lamb.'"

Moses and Aaron were to deliver to the entire congregation of Israel God's instructions pertaining to the passover.  On the tenth of this now the first month of the year, every head of a household was to take a lamb for his household, unless his was too small for a whole lamb, in which case he was to share with his neighbor so that there would be the appropriate portions for each person's needs.

(5) "‘Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year; you shall take it from the sheep or from the goats. (6) 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 in the evening.'"

God continued with specific instructions about the lamb each household was to take.  Actually, they could take from the sheep or the goats, but it was to be a young male animal less than a year old, probably meant to be in place of the firstborn male in each household.  It was to be without any natural imperfection, defect, disease, or deficiency in any parts.  Each household was to take its lamb or kid from the flock on the tenth day and keep it until the fourteenth day of this same month, when the entire congregation of Israel was to kill their lambs in the evening of that fourteenth day.

(7) "'And they shall take of the blood and put it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses in which they shall eat it.'"

God further instructed the Israelites to take some of the blood from the lamb or kid and put it on the side doorposts and on the top cross post of the door of the houses in which they would be eating the animal they had killed.  One of the old commentaries made it a point to note that they were not to put blood on the bottom threshold because this blood of an unblemished lamb was a picture of Christ, and out of a reverent regard for the blood of Christ, men should not tread over the Son of God.  However, none went as far to say that blood on the side posts and blood on the top dripping down to the ground could conjure up the image of a cross, a picture of Christ shedding His blood on the cross.  That is something I heard from a preacher in modern time, and it made a lasting impression on me.

(8) "'And they shall eat the flesh in that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. (9) Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire, its head with its legs and with its inner organs. (10) And you shall let nothing of it remain until the morning, and that which remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.'"

The old commentaries that I read along with my Bible study suggest that "night" is purposely distinguished from "evening" when they were to kill the lamb or kid.  They killed the animals before sunset on the evening of the fourteenth day, but as the Jews reckoned their days from sunset to sunset, eating their lambs "that night" would actually be on the fifteenth day.  So the people were to eat their lambs or kids that night, roasted with fire, and with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, a symbolic reference to their previous bitter sufferings from which God was about to deliver them.  They were not to eat the flesh raw or half-cooked, nor boiled, but roasted with fire.  They were to roast the entire animal.  They were to eat all of it; that is why there was the instruction to share with another household if a whole lamb was too much for a small household to consume.  None of it should be left the next morning, but if it should, then it should be burned with fire, including any parts that could not be eaten.  I imagine it was in reverence to God that something offered to Him not remain to spoil and draw flies, etc., or remain to be used by heathens in superstitious practices.  Also by not saving any for breakfast the next day, God would have them depend on Him for their daily bread, and not to take thought for the next day.

(11) "‘And thus you shall eat it: your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover.'"

Furthermore, the people were to eat their lambs with their garments girded or belted about their loins, with shoes on their feet, and their staffs in their hands.  This would not have been the normal way to eat a meal.  Normally, garments were girded for traveling; shoes would have been removed for eating; and certainly a staff would not be in hand while one was eating.  However, in this case, they had to be ready for a sudden departure.  This would be the Lord's passover, a name He Himself had given it, when He would pass over the houses of the Israelites as explained in the next verses.

(12) "‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will strike 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 a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.'"

The Lord would pass through, in judgment, the land of Egypt, but He would pass over the Israelites in His mercy.  He would pass through to strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, of both man and beast.  However, when He came to a house with the blood on the doorposts as He had instructed, He would pass over that house, and they would not suffer the plague that was to fall on the whole land of Egypt.  It must be noted that God could certainly have exempted His people from this plague with no effort on their part just as He had distinguished between the Egyptians and the Israelites in the plagues before.  However, this time He wanted His children to look specifically to Him for their salvation.  It was a picture of Christ--the perfect lamb without blemish, slain, and His blood applied as protection from judgment.  By killing the firstborn of all men and beasts, God was executing judgment against all the gods and rulers of Egypt.  Whether it be animals considered sacred by them, or even their very princes and rulers, God executed judgment on all of them by killing their firstborn.

(14) "'And this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; you shall keep it as a feast by an ordinance forever.'"

This day was to be remembered and annually observed with a feast to the Lord throughout their generations, by an everlasting statute instituted by God Himself.  Forever!  Does that mean, as a Christian, I should be observing this annual feast?  "Forever" denotes an ordinance with no end in this world, and perhaps not even in the world to come.  This passover was representative of the true Passover Lamb of God whose blood sacrifice covers our sin and who endures forever.

(15) "'Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.'"

Seven days the people were to eat unleavened bread.  This would seem to be instruction on how the people were to observe the feast in the future, for although they did make it a point to eat unleavened bread with their passover lamb, they continued to eat unleavened bread not just for seven days, but continued out of necessity to eat it because that was all they had.  The instruction to remember this day annually with a week of unleavened bread was commemorative of their hasty departure out of Egypt, not having time to leaven the dough in their troughs.  More than that, leaven was even to be removed from their houses.  Leaven was symbolic of sin and deceit and the old ways of the world from which they were being delivered.  Paul in his letter to the Corinthians wrote of a symbolic feast to be kept with unleavened bread:

"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 Corinthians 5:8

Jesus spoke of leaven as false teaching and hypocrisy:

Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” - Matthew 16:6

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." - Luke 12:1b

Back to Exodus 12:15, whoever ate leavened bread during those seven days they were commanded not to eat it, would be cut off from Israel, an excommunication of sorts from the rights and privileges of an Israelite child of God.  All the old leaven of sin must be put away, as "a little leaven leavens the whole lump" (Galatians 5:9).

(16) "'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, but that which everyone must eat, that only may be done of you.'"

During the seven days that the people were to eat only unleavened bread, there was to be a public call to a sacred religious assembly, on the first day and on the seventh day.  On those two days the people were not to do any work other than what was necessary to feed themselves.

(17) "'And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance for ever.'"

This feast of unleavened bread, which was distinct from the Passover feast, was to be observed as an annual memorial because this was the day that God brought their tribes out of Israel.  Though it wasn't actually done yet, it was as good as done, and this was the day to be remembered by the feast throughout their generations by an everlasting ordinance instituted by God.  Once again, I believe Christ fulfilled this.  Certainly, He was not leavened with the leaven of the world, but was the pure unleavened Bread of Life.

(18) "‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. (19) Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses, for whoever eats that which is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or born in the land. (20) You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”

God reiterated that in this, now reckoned as the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, they should eat unleavened bread from that day until the 21st day of that month at evening.  Again it was stated that there should be no leaven even found in their houses.  Whoever ate leavened bread was to be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he was a stranger or even if he was a native Israelite.  Once again, I believe the abstinence from leaven was a symbol that they should lead their lives without the leaven of malice and wickedness and hypocrisy, "but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth".

(21) Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Draw out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb."

Moses then called for all the elders of Israel to pass on God's instructions that He had told Moses to tell them.  They were instructed to take lambs from the fold, according to the need of their families, and to kill the lambs for the passover.  I believe we can be sure that Moses gave them complete instructions on choosing an unblemished lamb or kid, and how to share a lamb if one was too large for one family, etc.; it's just not completely recorded here.

(22) “And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side doorposts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. (23) For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two side doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you."

Moses continued with instructions from God, this time with a little more detail than we heard from God in verse 7.  I don't believe Moses was adding to God's words, but rather he just didn't record every single word.  With the combination of what he wrote that God said and with what he then told the people, I believe we have a pretty complete report of what God told Moses to tell the people.  They were to take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood.  There are varying opinions on exactly what hyssop was, but the consensus is that it was a plant commonly used for religious and medicinal purposes, and that it probably had long stalks with leaves of flowers at the end that were suitable for dipping and then sprinkling.  They were to dip into the blood that was in the basin, which reasonably sounds like a large bowl that received the blood of the lamb when it was slain.  Interestingly, the original word was actually "bason", and while it could mean "basin", it sometimes meant "threshold", which would indicate that the lamb was slain in the threshold of the door and from there the blood was sprinkled on the top and sides of the doorway.  I don't guess we can know for certain, as it was just the blood on the side doorposts and on the lintel across the top of the door that the Lord would look for and "pass over" when He came through to strike the firstborn of the Egyptians.  No one was to go outside their door until morning.  Even if "bason" meant "threshold", and the lamb was slain on the threshold, it would still be that the people did not tread over the symbol of the blood of Christ as suggested before.  Obviously, the destroying angel of the Lord would have known an Israelite from an Egyptian, but the people were to recognize that there was no protection outside from under the blood of the lamb, a perfect picture of Christ and His blood that protects us from eternal death.

(24) “And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. (25) And it shall come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, just as He has promised, that you shall keep this service."

Interestingly, early commentaries, like this of Dr. John Gill, pointed out that "this thing" that was to be an ordinance forever was "not this last thing of sprinkling the blood, which was peculiar to the passover in Egypt; but the whole before observed relating to the feast of the passover, and the feast of unleavened bread, and all the rites appertaining to them, which were to be observed until the coming of Christ."  However, I would suggest that the very thing of the sprinkling of blood from the unblemished lamb was the very thing that would last as an ordinance FOREVER, as the covering from the blood of Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, which endures forever.  However, I would have to agree that "this service" referred to in verse 25, would be the practice of the annual memorial of the Passover meal and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, that the people were to continue after they came to the land that the Lord had promised them since the days of Abraham.

(26) “And it shall come to pass, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ (27) That you 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 struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

The reason for this annual remembrance was that it would be a continual opportunity for generations and generations to come to teach the next generation about the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover when He passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when he struck the firstborn of the Egyptians.  It would be a perfect opportunity to teach their children about the grace and mercy of their Lord who provided a substitute sacrifice of a lamb, instead of the firstborn, and in every house where the lamb was slain the firstborn was saved.  The people bowed their heads and worshiped, signifying the deep sense they had for the Lord's mercy to them, their thankfulness for it, and their readiness to observe the ordinance that was instituted.

(28) And the children of Israel went away and did so as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.

Specifically, the elders of the children of Israel, who were the ones who had been called to Moses, went away and then obviously spread the word as apparently all the children of Israel did as Moses and Aaron told them the Lord had instructed them to do.

(29) And it came to pass that at midnight the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle. (30) And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all 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.

At midnight that night the Lord indeed struck all the firstborn in the land from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat upon his throne to the firstborn of the lowliest person in prison, and likewise the firstborn of the livestock that remained.  Pharaoh arose in the night, he and his servants, and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in the land because there was not a house where there wasn't one dead.  Because of that statement, I don't think we can take "firstborn" in its literal sense the way we think of firstborn, because surely the firstborn child of each family was not still living and in that household, yet every house suffered a loss.  The word also means "chief", so it would seem that a chief person in each household must have died for every single house to have been affected.  Perhaps it was the firstborn in each house at that time.

(31) And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise up, and get out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD as you have said. (32) Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.”

After Pharaoh had told Moses he would see his face no more, even to the point of threatening Moses's death should he see him, now Pharaoh himself called for Moses and Aaron in the night after all the death struck.  He may not have actually called them before his throne but may have sent orders by night that they immediately leave and serve their Lord as they had said.  He told them to take their flocks and herds with them and to "be gone"; it was as the Lord told Moses in Exodus 6:1, that Pharaoh would drive them out of his land.  I found it extraordinary that Pharaoh would have asked to be blessed.  I wondered if he just meant that by their leaving, he would be blessed as there would be no more plagues.  However, most of the old commentaries do write that he asked for prayer from Moses.  Perhaps Pharaoh meant to bless him by sparing his life since he was agreeing to let them go as they wished.  Whatever way he meant it, it is obvious that he had fully submitted at this point and wanted to drive them out of his land.

(33) And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, “We shall all be dead.”

The Egyptians were "urgent".  The NKJV and the NIV translated that they "urged" the people, but the original meaning of the word "chazaq" is much more than "urged".  As a matter of fact, it is the same word that was used to describe Pharaoh's hardened heart.  They were strong and prevailed in pushing the people out in haste, just as the Lord had said.  It was Dr. John Gill who suggested that it might even be "the people" in authority that they were pressing upon to hurry up and drive the Israelites out of their land before they were all dead.  However it was meant, the Egyptians were in an urgent state to be rid of the Israelites quickly before they assumed they would all be dead.

(34) And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.

The Lord had already told the people they were to commemorate this day by eating only unleavened bread and completely removing leaven from their houses.  It does indeed look as if that part was a memorial to their hasty departure out of Egypt, not having time to leaven the dough in their troughs.

(35) And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked from the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing. (36) And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. And they spoiled the Egyptians.

Just as the Lord had told Moses, the children of Israel asked of their neighbors precious jewels and clothing, and they were given favor in the sight of the Egyptians who gave them everything they requested.  It was in that way they were able to plunder the Egyptians.  It was not by war or force that they stripped them of their riches, but the Egyptians' fear of the Lord of the Israelites who might kill them next, had them almost throwing their riches to the Israelites without them ever having to lift a hand against them.

The chronological Bible study that I am following is one suggested by Skip Andrews, and at this point, he chose to skip a few verses and pick up with verse 40, and then skipped back and forth a great deal from Exodus to Numbers.  This is a good place to stop for now at the end of the ten plagues and with this description of the very first Passover.