Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Exodus 14:3) “For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are entangled in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ (4) And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honored upon Pharaoh and upon all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.
In the last study, we learned the Lord was not leading the people by a direct route, because He had said when they met opposition by the Philistines, they would have turned and run back. The Lord told Moses to tell the people exactly where to camp which seemed to hem them in on two sides with the Red Sea in front of them. Now we learn there is another greater motive in this decision. When Pharaoh heard that the people were not in a direct path straight out of Egypt, but appeared to be wondering around in the wilderness, he would assume they were lost and confused, and were now hemmed in with no chance of escape should his army come up behind them. Even after all he had seen and had experienced, Pharaoh, in his pride and hard heart, would see a chance to go after the Israelites. The scripture said that God Himself would harden Pharaoh's heart. As has been discussed before (more completely in the post on Exodus 4, especially verse 21), God would never harden the heart of an otherwise innocent human being, but He did not soften the heart of an unrepentant man such as Pharaoh. He allowed him to have and act on his prideful thoughts that he might overcome the children of Israel after all. The purpose for this, as explored in that previous post, and confirmed here, is that by delivering His people from what appeared to be an impossible escape, His glory and honor would be magnified upon the actions of Pharaoh and his army, and the Egyptians would have no doubt that He alone was the Lord. By knowing the true God, the Egyptians, those enemies and persecutors of the children of God, might actually be spiritually saved by seeing and coming to the truth. How simply God could have swept His people right out of Egypt, but by delivering them miraculously time after time after time, He was patiently teaching those who witnessed the miracles and those of us who would read the history of them centuries later, that He alone was and IS the one true Lord. When the last part of the scripture above said, "And they did so", that referred to Exodus 14:2, which was studied in the last post, when God told the people exactly where to camp. They did as He said.
(5) And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”
Pharaoh knew that the people had left, but he might have imagined that they still just intended to go three days' journey into the wilderness to serve their Lord, and would return, as Moses had first asked of Pharaoh. After all that had happened as a result of his refusal, you would think he would know better, but that is part of the hardening of his already proud and obstinate heart. When he knew for certain that the Israelites had fled Egypt with no apparent intention of returning, Pharaoh and his servants questioned why they had ever "let" them go.
(6) And he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. (7) And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.
Pharaoh readied his own chariot for the pursuit, and took "his people" with him. It seems he took more than his servants and his army with him. He took 600 chosen chariots which could have been the ones chosen as his personal army, but then it added that he took all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over all of them. Much discussion was made among the old commentators about just who was meant by all these people. Perhaps Pharaoh took all the people along with their chariots and they were made captains over them, or maybe he just took their chariots for his service and his own men captained the use of the chariots. I tend to believe that since the purpose of this hardening of Pharaoh's heart to pursue the Israelites was to show the Egyptians that God alone was Lord, it was certainly a huge number of the Egyptians who did indeed go. For maximum impact and impression on the people who would witness the next miracle, I believe there was a maximum number of Egyptians who went in pursuit.
(8) And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with a high hand. (9) But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. (10) And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.
The Lord indeed hardened the heart of Pharaoh, as He had said He would, and Pharaoh indeed pursued after the children of Israel, who had gone out with boldness. However, when Pharaoh and the Egyptians caught up with them at their camp and they saw them approaching, they became afraid and cried out to the Lord.
(11) And they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you
taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us,
to bring us up out of Egypt? (12) Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”
The people cried out to the Lord who was their true help, but then they became bitter and sarcastic toward Moses, and blamed him for bringing them out of Egypt into this wilderness where they felt sure they would die. They even told Moses, in effect, "we told you so", by referring to a time in Egypt when they had told him to leave them alone and just let them serve the Egyptians--possibly a reference to the time Moses asked Pharaoh to let the people go and serve their Lord, and Pharaoh then made it harder on the people by taking away their straw.
(13) And Moses said to the people, “Fear you not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will show to you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall see them again no more forever. (14) The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
Moses answered the people's gloom and sarcasm with calm and comfort, telling them not to be afraid, to just be still and watch the Lord act on their behalf. Moses spoke in great faith; either God had told him what He would do, or he knew it by spirit of prophecy from the Holy Spirit, or maybe he had even learned to trust the Lord completely. God said he would harden Pharaoh's heart to come after them; Moses surely understood it was not to now let him overtake them after their miraculous departure from Egypt! Moses told them after today they would not see those Egyptians again. Once again, he told the people to be still, be silent, and the Lord would fight for them.
(15) And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. (16) But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea."
It would seem that although Moses spoke in faith to the people, he was inwardly crying out to the Lord, as the Lord spoke directly to Moses when He asked why cry to Him? I suppose He could have been asking why do "you" the children of Israel as a whole, cry out to Him. Perhaps this was the voice Moses was hearing when he answered the children in great faith that caused him to know the Lord was about to act in a big way on behalf of the Israelites. God told Moses to tell the children to go forward. Go forward! Toward the sea! Don't stand there crying; keep going forward! The Israelites would be asked to go forward in faith before they saw what God would do! God told Moses to then lift up his rod, stretch it out over the sea, and divide it! As simply as that! The children would then walk through the midst of the sea on dry ground.
(17) “And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them; and I will gain honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. (18) And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself upon Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
In my attempt to retype the best translation for my study, I almost fell for the simplicity of the NKJV that didn't omit as many words as the NIV, but still would have missed something important. I once did a study of the different Bible translations and saw just how much the NIV, especially, deleted from the original Bible texts (see here), but I sometimes go with the plainer, easier to understand, language of the NKJV, but here it omitted words that seemed redundant, but to Bible scholar Matthew Henry, they were important purposeful words--"And I, behold, I will..." The NKJV would have us believe it should be just, "And I indeed will..." The NIV considered all the words redundant, and just translated, "And I will..." Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote that this phrase was expressly used to show God's sovereignty--"I, see here, I alone will do this thing..." So much of God's sovereignty, and especially the divinity of Jesus Christ, is missed in the NIV and newer translations of the Bible; I can't say enough about that, and strongly encourage a thorough study on the subject. I have many great links in my past blog post entitled, "Which Version of the Truth Will You Use?"
Returning to the scripture above, God alone would harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they would follow the Israelites into the sea. Seeing the children of Israel run through the sea, they would be fearless and thoughtless about the dangers, and run straight through the sea themselves. With this final miraculous act against and over Pharaoh, completely destroying him so that he could not again rise up against the children of Israel, the Egyptians would ultimately know that the Lord of the Israelites was the one true omnipotent and eternal God.
(19) And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face and stood behind them. (20) And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these; so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
How dramatic this must have been! The Angel of God, who may have well been Jesus Christ Himself, as touched on in the last blog post (especially Exodus 13:21), in the pillar of cloud, moved from His location as leader in front of the Israelites, to go to the rear of the congregation. The Lord in the cloud was now positioned to protect the Israelites from the Egyptians who were behind them. The same cloud was darkness to the Egyptians, but was light to the Israelites by night, so that neither camp came near to the other all that night.
(21) And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
It appears that Moses must have stretched his rod out over the sea that night, and the Lord caused an east wind all that night that divided the waters of the sea and made a path of dry land in the midst.
(22) And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
The children of Israel went through the midst of the sea probably in the very early morning, as will be confirmed a couple of verses later. For all the naysayers who through the years have tried to explain the natural phenomenon that created a way through the Red Sea for the Israelites to cross, the verse above stated that the Israelites specifically went through on dry ground with the waters as walls on either side of them. No natural occurrence could have managed that! Besides, God had already stated that He, behold, He alone would accomplish this.
(23) And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. (24) And it came to pass that in the morning watch the LORD looked upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and troubled the army of the Egyptians. (25) And took off their chariot wheels, that they drove them with difficulty; so that the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.”
Since neither camp came near to the other during the night, it can be assumed this is indeed in the early morning that the Israelites crossed through the Red Sea, and now the Egyptians began to pursue them. In the morning watch, probably the last night watch right before dawn, which I assume is the time when all this activity began, the Lord looked upon the Egyptians now pursuing the Israelites, and "troubled" them. The original word, "hamam", meant "to put into commotion" or "confuse". The Lord created chaos for the Egyptians. He caused the wheels of their chariots to come off, and this must have been so dramatic and impressive, that they knew it was the Lord Himself doing it. They understood that the Lord fought for the Israelites against them and they desired to turn away and flee from them.
(26) And the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come
back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” (27) And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it, and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. (28) And the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
After confusing the Egyptians, probably both to slow them in their pursuit of the Israelites and to keep them in the midst of the sea longer when they tried to retreat, the Lord told Moses to stretch his hand out over the sea so that the waters that stood as walls would now return as they were and would come down upon the Egyptians. Moses did so, and as dawn broke and morning appeared, the sea returned as it had been before, and the Egyptians were caught trying to flee against it, which was, of course, futile, and they were covered by the waters of the Red Sea. All the chariots, which most assuredly included the chariot of Pharaoh himself, all the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh, who had gone into the sea after the Israelites, were drowned. Not a single one of them remained. In keeping with the possibility that the Lord may have used this great miracle to save even some of the Egyptians who would come to know Him as Lord and Savior (as discussed in the post on Exodus 4, especially verse 21), I don't believe the scripture necessarily meant that every last Egyptian was drowned, but only those who had followed the Israelites into the sea. I believe it is possible that some not in the midst of the sea remained to tell of this awesome miracle. Now the sea kept them from pursuing even if they wanted to, but I believe it is possible that there were Egyptians who now knew the true Lord (verse 4) because of what they had just witnessed, and lived to tell about it.
(29) But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. (30) Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. (31) And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians; and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses.
The Lord had drowned every last Egyptian who had gone into the sea after the Israelites, but all the children of Israel had walked upon dry land in the midst of the Red Sea, with walls of water on each side of them. In this way, the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, for up to that point, He had delivered them out of Egypt, yes, but now they had been completely saved from their enemy when the Egyptians were totally destroyed. The Israelites saw the dead Egyptians on the shore, meaning the tides of the sea must have deposited them all on the shore. Many of the old Bible commentaries point to this as the time when the Israelites, by the spoils of the Egyptians, were probably furnished with riches, clothing, and arms, that were later used in their wars on the way to the promised land. Even the historian Josephus wrote that the arms of the Egyptians were cast upon the shore where the Israelites camped, and Moses gathered them up and armed the Hebrews with them. This was how they came to have arms, since it was not likely they came out of Egypt with arms; and it was how they were able to fight battles as they did in the wilderness and when they came into the land of Canaan.
The children of Israel saw what a great work the Lord did in completely delivering them from the Egyptians and destroying their enemy, that they now feared and revered their Lord, and they believed and trusted Him and Moses as His servant, now that they had seen Him so mightily fulfill all His promises that He had made through Moses.
The chronological Bible study I follow set forth by Skip Andrews, now takes me to Hebrews, chapter 11:
(Hebrews 11:27) By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.
Hebrews, chapter 11, told of the great Biblical heroes of faith. Hebrews 11:23 began telling of the life of Moses, and it continued here in verse 27. By faith, Moses left Egypt behind, not fearing the wrath of the king, as he did fear him many years before when he fled to Midian (Exodus 2:15). Moses patiently persevered through all the many appearances before the king, through all the trials and difficulties, to lead the people out of Egypt. He was able to endure because he had great faith in God as if he personally saw Him before him leading him all the way.
(28) Through faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
"Kept" is a weak translation of the original word, "poieo", which literally meant "to make". Through faith in God, Moses instituted the Passover, beginning with the very first Passover when the children of Israel sprinkled blood on their door posts so that the destroying angel who struck all the firstborn in Egypt would pass over their houses.
(29) By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, which the Egyptians attempting to do were drowned.
Finally, by faith in God, Moses led the people right through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, which it actually was, but it was as if there had been no sea blocking their escape, at least not in their path between the walls of sea on either side. When you imagine such a sight, it must have taken tremendous faith in God to walk through those huge walls of water that were a seeming impossibility to the natural mind. They passed through, but when the Egyptians attempted to follow them the same way, they were drowned. Although Moses was the real hero of faith who first led them through the Red Sea, the scripture above said, "By faith, they..." It would seem it would take faith to trust that one could pass through walls of water and not have them pour back down on them and drown them. When the Egyptians attempted to follow just because they had seen the Israelites do it, they were drowned. I don't know that this means it was by faith alone that they were saved, and that all who were allowed passage had saving faith. I believe God planned to save His people Israel, at any rate, but it did prove to the children of Israel that this passage way was made by God alone, confirming that they should place their faith only in the One who could save them. The drowning of the Egyptians by the return of the waters was in accordance with natural laws, and showed the Israelites that they, too, would have been destroyed if God had not made the way for them.
By way of conclusion to this post about the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, I refer back to the last verse in Exodus, chapter 14, where the people "saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians; and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses." Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wrote, that after reading that, we would "have been led to conclude that this people would have gone on their way rejoicing, trusting in God with their whole heart, and never leaning to their own understanding; but alas! we find that as soon as any new difficulty occurred, they murmured against God and their leaders, despised the pleasant land, and gave no credence to his word. Their case is not a solitary one: most of those who are called Christians are not more remarkable for faith and patience. Every reverse will necessarily pain and discompose the people who are seeking their portion in this life. And it is a sure mark of a worldly mind, when we trust the God of Providence and grace no farther than we see the operations of his hand in our immediate supply; and murmur and repine when the hand of his bounty seems closed, and the influences of his Spirit restrained, though our unthankful and unholy carriage has been the cause of this change. Those alone who humble themselves under the mighty hand of God, shall be lifted up in due season. Reader, thou canst never be deceived in trusting thy all, the concerns of thy body and soul, to Him who divided the sea, saved the Hebrews, and destroyed the Egyptians."
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Departure From Egypt
Continuing a chronological Bible study with an order set forth by Skip Andrews:
(Exodus 12:40) Now the sojourning of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years.
In actuality, it was not 430 years that the Israelites had lived in Egypt, but it had been exactly 430 years since God first made His promise to Abraham. The "sojourning" of the people who had most recently been in Egypt was their dwelling in a land that was not theirs until the fulfillment of God's promise. This was confirmed by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 3:17, when he said, "And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect." The Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge by Canne, Browne, Blayney, Scott, and others, expressed it the most succinctly: "from Abraham's entrance into the promised land to the birth of Isaac, was 25 years; Isaac was 60 at the birth of Jacob; Jacob was 130 at his going into Egypt; where he and his children continued 215 years more; making in the whole 430 years."
(41) And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, on that very same day, it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. (42) It is a night to be much observed to the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt; this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel throughout their generations.
Incredibly, according to this scripture, it was 430 years to the day from the time God made His promise to Abraham that He would make him a great nation. I can't prove it, but I will take this scripture at its marvelous word that it would be so intentional of God to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt on the anniversary of His promise to Abraham. It was a night to be much observed and continually remembered throughout their generations as the night the Lord brought the children of Israel out from the land of Egypt.
Now the chronological order takes me to Numbers 33:
(Numbers 33:1) These are the journeys of the children of Israel, who went out of the land of Egypt by their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. (2) And Moses wrote their goings forth of their journeys by the commandment of the LORD; and these are their journeys according to their goings forth. (3) And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. (4) For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, whom the LORD had killed among them; upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments.
This chapter of Numbers was written by Moses at the command of the Lord to be a record of the travels of the children of Israel through the wilderness. These first verses tell how the journeys began; the children of Israel went out of the land of Egypt with their armies, suggesting their great numbers went out in an orderly fashion, under the command of Moses and Aaron. It is said that the Israelites departed from Rameses, which will be confirmed when we return to the original history in Exodus. They left in what was now the first month, Abib, on the fifteenth day, on the day after the first Passover. They left boldly with their heads and hands held high in the sight of all the Egyptians, because the Egyptians were too busy burying their dead, their firstborn, whom the Lord of the Israelites had killed in judgment against their false gods. Throughout all the plagues the Lord sent upon the Egyptians, their gods proved useless against the power of the Lord God of the Israelites.
(Exodus 12:37) And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot, besides children.
We were told repeatedly in scripture that the Israelites dwelled in the land of Goshen. Here is confirmed in the original history that the children of Israel departed from Rameses, which according to Genesis 47:11, was a place in Goshen, or perhaps Goshen itself: "And Joseph placed his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded." They journeyed first from Rameses to Succoth, which meant "booths", and had been named by Jacob in Genesis 33:17: "And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, built himself a house, and made booths for his cattle; therefore the name of the place is called Succoth." Ironically, it was the first place the Israelites camped, possibly in tents or booths. What a vast army it was that left Rameses, 600,000 men, excluding children (and probably excluding women, as well)! If the women and children were counted, it is not unreasonable to assume there could have been as many as two million people who departed Egypt. No wonder Pharaoh fought so hard to keep them enslaved!
(Numbers 33:5) And the children of Israel removed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth.
(Exodus 12:38) And a mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds, very much cattle.
Along with the 600,000 men who left Rameses on foot was a mixed multitude, which sounds like people other than children of Israel who chose to follow God's people. You would hope they followed (and were allowed to follow) because they came to trust in the one true God of the Israelites, but as will be later pointed out, the "mixed multitude" would prove to be a snare to them (Numbers 11:4); so it is likely they left Egypt because their own country had just been laid waste by the plagues. A great deal of livestock also came out of Egypt with the children of Israel.
(39) And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, nor had they prepared for themselves any provision.
Camping in Succoth, they baked unleavened cakes of the dough they had brought out of Egypt. Interesting, the original word translated as "cakes", "uggah" literally meant "ashcake" and conjures up the picture of the people baking their cakes on top of the coals or in a pan on top of hot ashes. Once again we are reminded they had to leave in a hurry and had no prepared provisions; they had only their livestock and their unleavened dough.
(Exodus 12:43) And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: there shall no stranger eat of it."
The Lord delivered to Moses and Aaron rules concerning how the Passover was to be observed. No stranger was to eat of it. The original words translated as "stranger" were "ben" and "nekar", which meant "son" and "foreign"; no son of a foreigner should eat of the Passover.
(44) “But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it. (45) A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat of it."
However, every man's servant who had been bought with money and was therefore his "property", so to speak, once he had been circumcised, he was then allowed to eat of the Passover. That was in keeping with what God had told Abraham back in Genesis 17:13, that any servant born in a man's house and any bought with his money needed to be circumcised, and that made him a true member of the family and entitled to all religious privileges. However, continuing with verse 45, foreigners and hired servants were not allowed to eat of the Passover. A different word was used for "foreigner" than was used for "stranger" in verse 43. A "toshab", or "sojourner", denoted someone passing through for the purpose of travel or merchandise, but not someone who planned to stay. No foreigner passing through, nor a son of a foreigner who had stayed, were allowed to eat of the Passover. Nor could a hired servant, as opposed to one bought with money, eat of it.
(46) “In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones."
Another rule of the Passover was that it was to be eaten within one household and not carried over to another household. That was in keeping with the initial command in Exodus 12:3-4 to take a lamb according to the size of the household and if one lamb was too large for one household, then they were to share with their neighbors. But once two households were brought together under one roof to eat the Passover, it was to be eaten there, and none of it carried outside. No bones of the Passover lamb were to be broken. I can't really see a reason why this was to be the case in this first Passover lamb other than the fact it is an exact picture of the perfect Lamb of God sacrifice whose bones were not to be broken when He was crucified. Adam Clarke in his Commentary on the Bible, suggested it might be because the Passover lamb was to be eaten in haste, and there was no time to cut and separate the bones, or break tender bones to get the marrow. That could be, as other rituals of the Passover point to the haste of that first Passover night, but I do believe the fact that this first lamb was symbolic of the true perfect Passover Lamb of God, that alone provides the best explanation as to why no bones were to be broken.
(47) “All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. (48) 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 of it. (49) One law shall be to him who is homeborn, and to the stranger that sojourns among you."
All the congregation of Israel was to observe the Passover. When a stranger among them wished to keep the Passover, then he and all the males in his household had to be circumcised, and then he would be joined to the congregation of Israel as one born in the land would be, and would have the right to join in the Passover. I found it interesting that Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote, "This was a mortification to the Jews, and taught them that it was their dedication to God, not their descent from Abraham, that entitled them to their privileges. A sincere proselyte was as welcome to the passover as a native Israelite." The law would be the same for the native Israelite and to the stranger who dwelt among the Israelites; the Israelites were circumcised at eight days, and any stranger who wished to keep the Passover would also be circumcised, along with all the males in his household, and all would keep the same rules of the Passover that have been previously discussed.
(50) Thus all the children of Israel did; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. (51) And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.
On this very first Passover of the Lord, the Israelites did as the Lord had commanded through Moses and Aaron. It was the same day the Lord did as He had promised and brought the children of Israel out of Egypt as armies, in large orderly numbers marching with boldness, not in fear running for their lives.
(Exodus 13:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Sanctify to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.”
All the firstborn of man and beast were to be separated and set aside for the Lord; they were the Lord's. Actually, all are the Lord's anyway, but the firstborn specifically had been saved from destruction as all the firstborn of the Egyptians had been killed.
(3) And Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place; there shall no leavened bread be eaten."
After the Lord spoke to Moses, he went to the people and began by reminding them that this was the day the Lord Himself, by His mighty hand that wrought the miraculous plagues, had brought them out of bondage. No leavened bread was to be eaten on this day in its annual remembrance.
(4) "This day you came out, in the month Abib. (5) And it shall be when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month."
The day they came out was in their new first month of Abib, which was about April, or even parts of our March and April. Rather than an exact match to one of our present Gregorian calendar months, Abib represented the beginning of spring, when the tender young ears of corn and wheat began to ripen. "Abib" meant "a young ear of grain" and was actually used to mean "ear(s)" in a couple of other places in the Bible. When the Lord brought them into the land of Canaan, now inhabited by several other nations of people, that wonderfully fertile land plentiful in all things, they were instructed to keep this annual service in that particular month.
(6) “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. (7) Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with you, nor shall there be leaven seen with you in all your quarters."
Moses went on to remind the people about how to keep the annual service of the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord when they came to the land of Canaan. For seven days they were to eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day they would have a feast to the Lord. Not only were they to eat unleavened bread for seven days, but no leavened bread should even be seen among them on their person or in any of their quarters. I have read that the Jews took great care in searching out every corner of their houses to remove any leavened bread before the Passover. The care and strictness of this command made sure that they really thought about what they were doing, and had another purpose indicated in the next verse:
(8) “And you shall show your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the LORD did for me when I came forth out of Egypt.’ (9) And it shall be for a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the LORD’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. (10) You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year."
One very important reason to keep a memorial with certain rules is that in performing the rituals it would provide an opportunity to teach the next generation about why they did the things they did because of what the Lord had done for them. They were to keep the symbols of the first Passover at hand and the facts of it constantly on their minds so that they would be able to speak of it and teach with knowledge about how the Lord mightily brought them out of Egypt. They were to keep the ordinance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread at this same time every year.
(11) “And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, (12) That you shall set apart to the LORD all that open the womb, every firstborn that comes from a beast which you have; the males shall be the LORD’s."
Moses continued with further instructions from the Lord to the people. When the Lord brought them into the land of the Canaanites as He had promised, they were to set apart to the Lord their firstborn. Interestingly, the original word translated as "set apart" was "abar" and it meant "to pass over"! The word has a multitude of applications and implications, but the primary definition is "pass over". I find that fascinating! The word translated as "open" was "peter" or "pitrah", and it specifically meant the first to open. All that open the womb are the first ones to break through or open the womb for the first time. All the firstborn of the Israelites, including the firstborn of their animals, specifically the firstborn males were to be the Lord's. The Lord had passed over their firstborn when He sent the destroyer to kill all the firstborn in Egypt, and now they were to be set apart or passed over to the Lord. All the firstborn were the Lord's, those He took away, and these He passed over and allowed to live, and now these should be dedicated to Him.
(13) "And every firstling of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem."
It was only to be the firstborn of clean animals that was to be set apart for the Lord. Therefore, the firstborn of a donkey was to be redeemed with a lamb in its place. If it was not redeemed, maybe because they didn't have a lamb, it was to be destroyed. The firstborn unclean animal was still the Lord's and was not to be used by the owner, but more than that, it was a perfect picture of those who are not redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God, who are destroyed. The animals who were set apart for the Lord were sacrificed to Him, so obviously He would not have the firstborn sons of the Israelites sacrificed, so they, too, had to be redeemed. I need to point out that instead of "sons", the KJV translated the original word "ben" as "children". Usually, I trust the KJV to be a more accurate translation than the newer NKJV and NIV, etc. (see this post on an explanation why), but in this case the KJV used the word "children". Although the word meant "sons" or "children" either one, its primary definition and the one obviously meant here is "sons".
(14) "And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say to him, ‘By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. (15) And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast; therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’"
Once again, an important aspect of all these instructions was that it provided an opportunity to teach the next generation so that the Israelites would never forget what the Lord had done for them in delivering them from bondage by Pharaoh. Because the Lord had slain all the firstborn of Egypt, but had delivered the Israelites, including all their firstborn, they now gave back to the Lord their firstborn. The animals were given in sacrifice to Lord, but sons were redeemed with lambs.
(16) "And it shall be for a sign on your hand and for frontlets between your eyes; for by strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”
These instructions pertaining to setting aside the firstborn for the Lord, and especially the remembrance of the history that led to it, would be as signs on their hands and conspicuous ornaments on their foreheads, never to be forgotten.
(17) And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near, for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” (18) But God led the people around through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea; and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
Moses had stopped giving God's instructions to the people, and now scripture returned to God's leading of the people out of Egypt. God purposely did not lead them through what apparently would have been the most likely route. If they met the Philistines who likely would have hindered their passage, they probably would have wanted to retreat back to Egypt. God was leading them away from temptation to cut and run. What a beautiful example of God's higher purposes and actions because of His omniscience! How many times do we question "Why me?" when things are a little more difficult than we think they ought to be, when in fact, God may be helping us to avoid a worse situation? Even if it's not to avoid something we would consider worse, we can still be sure it is for our benefit. Perhaps we need the experience and spiritual growth that will come from our situation; we certainly should learn that we can trust God in all circumstances. God instead led His children through the wilderness by the Red Sea; and they went out "harnessed" or "arrayed as soldiers", that is, not secretly, but marching out in an orderly fashion.
(19) And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones away from here with you.” (20) And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, as Joseph had taken an oath recorded in Genesis 50:25, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” The children of Israel journeyed from Succoth, where they had first camped when they left Egypt. They next camped in Etham, at the edge of the wilderness.
(Numbers 33:6) And they departed from Succoth, and pitched in Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness.
Chronologically, the verse in Numbers 33:6 relates to the same time and event as recorded in Exodus 13:20--the children of Israel left their first camp at Succoth and camped at Etham, at the edge of the wilderness.
(Exodus 13:21) And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, to go by day and night. (22) He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
The Lord was now the Israelites' personal guide as He led them through the wilderness. He was a cloud in the day which not only led them in the direction they were to go, but also shielded them from the hot scorching sun. At night He was a pillar of fire which again led them, but also gave them light and warmth at night. The pillars never left the people; they were their constant companions until they reached their promised land. I have been fascinated to learn that the old commentators of the Bible believed that Jesus Christ was the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire in the wilderness. They pointed to the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:9, when he said, "Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents." That scripture referred to an incident that would occur while the children of Israel were in the wilderness. Actually, when you consider the following that Christ was the Word of God, then I suppose every time the Lord spoke, Christ was present:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. - John 1:1-3
(Exodus 14:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea."
After they camped at Etham, the Lord told Moses to tell the children of Israel to turn from their direct path and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the Red Sea. They were to position their camp opposite Baal Zephon. A lot of ancient places are named here, which are difficult for me to understand and place, but God was being very specific in directing the people away from their path toward Horeb, the place previously appointed for serving God. I believe the point is that God was leading them toward the Red Sea with no other way out but through the sea. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote, "...but, instead of going forward, they are ordered to turn short off, on the right hand from Canaan, and to march towards the Red Sea. Where they were, at Etham, there was no sea in their way to obstruct their passage: but God himself orders them into straits, which might give them an assurance that when his purposes were served he would without fail bring them out of those straits." God was positioning His people for another mighty miraculous deliverance.
(Numbers 33:7) And they moved from Etham and turned again to Pi Hahiroth, which is before Baal Zephon; and they camped before Migdol.
Chronologically, this verse in Numbers, chapter 33, confirmed that the people did just as the Lord told Moses to have them do. The word and words used to signify "before" in the preceding verses doesn't always mean specifically "before they reached the place named"; the words can mean "before", "near", "beyond", "facing", any number of words expressing "near", so I have no doubt that this verse in Numbers states that the people did exactly as God had instructed. I am quite certain they were about to be hemmed in on all sides when the enemy came at their backs and there was only the Red Sea before them, but that is for the next study.
(Exodus 12:40) Now the sojourning of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years.
In actuality, it was not 430 years that the Israelites had lived in Egypt, but it had been exactly 430 years since God first made His promise to Abraham. The "sojourning" of the people who had most recently been in Egypt was their dwelling in a land that was not theirs until the fulfillment of God's promise. This was confirmed by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 3:17, when he said, "And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect." The Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge by Canne, Browne, Blayney, Scott, and others, expressed it the most succinctly: "from Abraham's entrance into the promised land to the birth of Isaac, was 25 years; Isaac was 60 at the birth of Jacob; Jacob was 130 at his going into Egypt; where he and his children continued 215 years more; making in the whole 430 years."
(41) And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, on that very same day, it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. (42) It is a night to be much observed to the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt; this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel throughout their generations.
Incredibly, according to this scripture, it was 430 years to the day from the time God made His promise to Abraham that He would make him a great nation. I can't prove it, but I will take this scripture at its marvelous word that it would be so intentional of God to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt on the anniversary of His promise to Abraham. It was a night to be much observed and continually remembered throughout their generations as the night the Lord brought the children of Israel out from the land of Egypt.
Now the chronological order takes me to Numbers 33:
(Numbers 33:1) These are the journeys of the children of Israel, who went out of the land of Egypt by their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. (2) And Moses wrote their goings forth of their journeys by the commandment of the LORD; and these are their journeys according to their goings forth. (3) And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. (4) For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, whom the LORD had killed among them; upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments.
This chapter of Numbers was written by Moses at the command of the Lord to be a record of the travels of the children of Israel through the wilderness. These first verses tell how the journeys began; the children of Israel went out of the land of Egypt with their armies, suggesting their great numbers went out in an orderly fashion, under the command of Moses and Aaron. It is said that the Israelites departed from Rameses, which will be confirmed when we return to the original history in Exodus. They left in what was now the first month, Abib, on the fifteenth day, on the day after the first Passover. They left boldly with their heads and hands held high in the sight of all the Egyptians, because the Egyptians were too busy burying their dead, their firstborn, whom the Lord of the Israelites had killed in judgment against their false gods. Throughout all the plagues the Lord sent upon the Egyptians, their gods proved useless against the power of the Lord God of the Israelites.
(Exodus 12:37) And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot, besides children.
We were told repeatedly in scripture that the Israelites dwelled in the land of Goshen. Here is confirmed in the original history that the children of Israel departed from Rameses, which according to Genesis 47:11, was a place in Goshen, or perhaps Goshen itself: "And Joseph placed his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded." They journeyed first from Rameses to Succoth, which meant "booths", and had been named by Jacob in Genesis 33:17: "And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, built himself a house, and made booths for his cattle; therefore the name of the place is called Succoth." Ironically, it was the first place the Israelites camped, possibly in tents or booths. What a vast army it was that left Rameses, 600,000 men, excluding children (and probably excluding women, as well)! If the women and children were counted, it is not unreasonable to assume there could have been as many as two million people who departed Egypt. No wonder Pharaoh fought so hard to keep them enslaved!
(Numbers 33:5) And the children of Israel removed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth.
(Exodus 12:38) And a mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds, very much cattle.
Along with the 600,000 men who left Rameses on foot was a mixed multitude, which sounds like people other than children of Israel who chose to follow God's people. You would hope they followed (and were allowed to follow) because they came to trust in the one true God of the Israelites, but as will be later pointed out, the "mixed multitude" would prove to be a snare to them (Numbers 11:4); so it is likely they left Egypt because their own country had just been laid waste by the plagues. A great deal of livestock also came out of Egypt with the children of Israel.
(39) And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, nor had they prepared for themselves any provision.
Camping in Succoth, they baked unleavened cakes of the dough they had brought out of Egypt. Interesting, the original word translated as "cakes", "uggah" literally meant "ashcake" and conjures up the picture of the people baking their cakes on top of the coals or in a pan on top of hot ashes. Once again we are reminded they had to leave in a hurry and had no prepared provisions; they had only their livestock and their unleavened dough.
(Exodus 12:43) And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: there shall no stranger eat of it."
The Lord delivered to Moses and Aaron rules concerning how the Passover was to be observed. No stranger was to eat of it. The original words translated as "stranger" were "ben" and "nekar", which meant "son" and "foreign"; no son of a foreigner should eat of the Passover.
(44) “But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it. (45) A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat of it."
However, every man's servant who had been bought with money and was therefore his "property", so to speak, once he had been circumcised, he was then allowed to eat of the Passover. That was in keeping with what God had told Abraham back in Genesis 17:13, that any servant born in a man's house and any bought with his money needed to be circumcised, and that made him a true member of the family and entitled to all religious privileges. However, continuing with verse 45, foreigners and hired servants were not allowed to eat of the Passover. A different word was used for "foreigner" than was used for "stranger" in verse 43. A "toshab", or "sojourner", denoted someone passing through for the purpose of travel or merchandise, but not someone who planned to stay. No foreigner passing through, nor a son of a foreigner who had stayed, were allowed to eat of the Passover. Nor could a hired servant, as opposed to one bought with money, eat of it.
(46) “In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones."
Another rule of the Passover was that it was to be eaten within one household and not carried over to another household. That was in keeping with the initial command in Exodus 12:3-4 to take a lamb according to the size of the household and if one lamb was too large for one household, then they were to share with their neighbors. But once two households were brought together under one roof to eat the Passover, it was to be eaten there, and none of it carried outside. No bones of the Passover lamb were to be broken. I can't really see a reason why this was to be the case in this first Passover lamb other than the fact it is an exact picture of the perfect Lamb of God sacrifice whose bones were not to be broken when He was crucified. Adam Clarke in his Commentary on the Bible, suggested it might be because the Passover lamb was to be eaten in haste, and there was no time to cut and separate the bones, or break tender bones to get the marrow. That could be, as other rituals of the Passover point to the haste of that first Passover night, but I do believe the fact that this first lamb was symbolic of the true perfect Passover Lamb of God, that alone provides the best explanation as to why no bones were to be broken.
(47) “All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. (48) 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 of it. (49) One law shall be to him who is homeborn, and to the stranger that sojourns among you."
All the congregation of Israel was to observe the Passover. When a stranger among them wished to keep the Passover, then he and all the males in his household had to be circumcised, and then he would be joined to the congregation of Israel as one born in the land would be, and would have the right to join in the Passover. I found it interesting that Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote, "This was a mortification to the Jews, and taught them that it was their dedication to God, not their descent from Abraham, that entitled them to their privileges. A sincere proselyte was as welcome to the passover as a native Israelite." The law would be the same for the native Israelite and to the stranger who dwelt among the Israelites; the Israelites were circumcised at eight days, and any stranger who wished to keep the Passover would also be circumcised, along with all the males in his household, and all would keep the same rules of the Passover that have been previously discussed.
(50) Thus all the children of Israel did; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. (51) And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.
On this very first Passover of the Lord, the Israelites did as the Lord had commanded through Moses and Aaron. It was the same day the Lord did as He had promised and brought the children of Israel out of Egypt as armies, in large orderly numbers marching with boldness, not in fear running for their lives.
(Exodus 13:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Sanctify to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.”
All the firstborn of man and beast were to be separated and set aside for the Lord; they were the Lord's. Actually, all are the Lord's anyway, but the firstborn specifically had been saved from destruction as all the firstborn of the Egyptians had been killed.
(3) And Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place; there shall no leavened bread be eaten."
After the Lord spoke to Moses, he went to the people and began by reminding them that this was the day the Lord Himself, by His mighty hand that wrought the miraculous plagues, had brought them out of bondage. No leavened bread was to be eaten on this day in its annual remembrance.
(4) "This day you came out, in the month Abib. (5) And it shall be when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month."
The day they came out was in their new first month of Abib, which was about April, or even parts of our March and April. Rather than an exact match to one of our present Gregorian calendar months, Abib represented the beginning of spring, when the tender young ears of corn and wheat began to ripen. "Abib" meant "a young ear of grain" and was actually used to mean "ear(s)" in a couple of other places in the Bible. When the Lord brought them into the land of Canaan, now inhabited by several other nations of people, that wonderfully fertile land plentiful in all things, they were instructed to keep this annual service in that particular month.
(6) “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. (7) Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with you, nor shall there be leaven seen with you in all your quarters."
Moses went on to remind the people about how to keep the annual service of the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord when they came to the land of Canaan. For seven days they were to eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day they would have a feast to the Lord. Not only were they to eat unleavened bread for seven days, but no leavened bread should even be seen among them on their person or in any of their quarters. I have read that the Jews took great care in searching out every corner of their houses to remove any leavened bread before the Passover. The care and strictness of this command made sure that they really thought about what they were doing, and had another purpose indicated in the next verse:
(8) “And you shall show your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the LORD did for me when I came forth out of Egypt.’ (9) And it shall be for a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the LORD’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. (10) You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year."
One very important reason to keep a memorial with certain rules is that in performing the rituals it would provide an opportunity to teach the next generation about why they did the things they did because of what the Lord had done for them. They were to keep the symbols of the first Passover at hand and the facts of it constantly on their minds so that they would be able to speak of it and teach with knowledge about how the Lord mightily brought them out of Egypt. They were to keep the ordinance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread at this same time every year.
(11) “And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, (12) That you shall set apart to the LORD all that open the womb, every firstborn that comes from a beast which you have; the males shall be the LORD’s."
Moses continued with further instructions from the Lord to the people. When the Lord brought them into the land of the Canaanites as He had promised, they were to set apart to the Lord their firstborn. Interestingly, the original word translated as "set apart" was "abar" and it meant "to pass over"! The word has a multitude of applications and implications, but the primary definition is "pass over". I find that fascinating! The word translated as "open" was "peter" or "pitrah", and it specifically meant the first to open. All that open the womb are the first ones to break through or open the womb for the first time. All the firstborn of the Israelites, including the firstborn of their animals, specifically the firstborn males were to be the Lord's. The Lord had passed over their firstborn when He sent the destroyer to kill all the firstborn in Egypt, and now they were to be set apart or passed over to the Lord. All the firstborn were the Lord's, those He took away, and these He passed over and allowed to live, and now these should be dedicated to Him.
(13) "And every firstling of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem."
It was only to be the firstborn of clean animals that was to be set apart for the Lord. Therefore, the firstborn of a donkey was to be redeemed with a lamb in its place. If it was not redeemed, maybe because they didn't have a lamb, it was to be destroyed. The firstborn unclean animal was still the Lord's and was not to be used by the owner, but more than that, it was a perfect picture of those who are not redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God, who are destroyed. The animals who were set apart for the Lord were sacrificed to Him, so obviously He would not have the firstborn sons of the Israelites sacrificed, so they, too, had to be redeemed. I need to point out that instead of "sons", the KJV translated the original word "ben" as "children". Usually, I trust the KJV to be a more accurate translation than the newer NKJV and NIV, etc. (see this post on an explanation why), but in this case the KJV used the word "children". Although the word meant "sons" or "children" either one, its primary definition and the one obviously meant here is "sons".
(14) "And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say to him, ‘By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. (15) And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast; therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’"
Once again, an important aspect of all these instructions was that it provided an opportunity to teach the next generation so that the Israelites would never forget what the Lord had done for them in delivering them from bondage by Pharaoh. Because the Lord had slain all the firstborn of Egypt, but had delivered the Israelites, including all their firstborn, they now gave back to the Lord their firstborn. The animals were given in sacrifice to Lord, but sons were redeemed with lambs.
(16) "And it shall be for a sign on your hand and for frontlets between your eyes; for by strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”
These instructions pertaining to setting aside the firstborn for the Lord, and especially the remembrance of the history that led to it, would be as signs on their hands and conspicuous ornaments on their foreheads, never to be forgotten.
(17) And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near, for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” (18) But God led the people around through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea; and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
Moses had stopped giving God's instructions to the people, and now scripture returned to God's leading of the people out of Egypt. God purposely did not lead them through what apparently would have been the most likely route. If they met the Philistines who likely would have hindered their passage, they probably would have wanted to retreat back to Egypt. God was leading them away from temptation to cut and run. What a beautiful example of God's higher purposes and actions because of His omniscience! How many times do we question "Why me?" when things are a little more difficult than we think they ought to be, when in fact, God may be helping us to avoid a worse situation? Even if it's not to avoid something we would consider worse, we can still be sure it is for our benefit. Perhaps we need the experience and spiritual growth that will come from our situation; we certainly should learn that we can trust God in all circumstances. God instead led His children through the wilderness by the Red Sea; and they went out "harnessed" or "arrayed as soldiers", that is, not secretly, but marching out in an orderly fashion.
(19) And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones away from here with you.” (20) And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, as Joseph had taken an oath recorded in Genesis 50:25, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” The children of Israel journeyed from Succoth, where they had first camped when they left Egypt. They next camped in Etham, at the edge of the wilderness.
(Numbers 33:6) And they departed from Succoth, and pitched in Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness.
Chronologically, the verse in Numbers 33:6 relates to the same time and event as recorded in Exodus 13:20--the children of Israel left their first camp at Succoth and camped at Etham, at the edge of the wilderness.
(Exodus 13:21) And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, to go by day and night. (22) He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
The Lord was now the Israelites' personal guide as He led them through the wilderness. He was a cloud in the day which not only led them in the direction they were to go, but also shielded them from the hot scorching sun. At night He was a pillar of fire which again led them, but also gave them light and warmth at night. The pillars never left the people; they were their constant companions until they reached their promised land. I have been fascinated to learn that the old commentators of the Bible believed that Jesus Christ was the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire in the wilderness. They pointed to the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:9, when he said, "Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents." That scripture referred to an incident that would occur while the children of Israel were in the wilderness. Actually, when you consider the following that Christ was the Word of God, then I suppose every time the Lord spoke, Christ was present:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. - John 1:1-3
(Exodus 14:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea."
After they camped at Etham, the Lord told Moses to tell the children of Israel to turn from their direct path and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the Red Sea. They were to position their camp opposite Baal Zephon. A lot of ancient places are named here, which are difficult for me to understand and place, but God was being very specific in directing the people away from their path toward Horeb, the place previously appointed for serving God. I believe the point is that God was leading them toward the Red Sea with no other way out but through the sea. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote, "...but, instead of going forward, they are ordered to turn short off, on the right hand from Canaan, and to march towards the Red Sea. Where they were, at Etham, there was no sea in their way to obstruct their passage: but God himself orders them into straits, which might give them an assurance that when his purposes were served he would without fail bring them out of those straits." God was positioning His people for another mighty miraculous deliverance.
(Numbers 33:7) And they moved from Etham and turned again to Pi Hahiroth, which is before Baal Zephon; and they camped before Migdol.
Chronologically, this verse in Numbers, chapter 33, confirmed that the people did just as the Lord told Moses to have them do. The word and words used to signify "before" in the preceding verses doesn't always mean specifically "before they reached the place named"; the words can mean "before", "near", "beyond", "facing", any number of words expressing "near", so I have no doubt that this verse in Numbers states that the people did exactly as God had instructed. I am quite certain they were about to be hemmed in on all sides when the enemy came at their backs and there was only the Red Sea before them, but that is for the next study.
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