The Passover and the Pillar of Cloud Directing the Movements of the Israelites

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 9:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, (2) "Let the children of Israel also keep the Passover at its appointed time."

I am supposedly doing a chronological Bible study, one that was suggested by Skip Andrews found here.  However, this taking place in the first month of the second year after they had come out of Egypt, was actually prior to the numbering that took place in Numbers 1 which was on the first day of the second month (Num. 1:1).  Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, explained it this way:  "It is...recorded here as introductory to the ordinance of Num. 9:6-14 in this chapter respecting the supplementary Passover; the observance of which was one of the last occurrences during the halt at Sinai."  The Lord spoke to Moses telling him the children of Israel were to keep the Passover at its appointed time as follows:

(3) "In the fourteenth day of this month, at evening, you shall keep it at its appointed time; and according to all its ceremonies you shall keep it.”

The fourteenth day of this first month, Abib or Nissan (corresponding to our March or April), at evening, which was when the Hebrew day started, they were to keep the Passover according to all its ceremonies which had been previously described in Exodus 12.

(4) And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, that they should keep the Passover.

Moses told the children of Israel what the Lord had told him about them keeping the Passover at its appointed time.

(5) And they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at evening in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did.

The Israelites kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at evening, just as the Lord had commanded Moses that they do.  As far as keeping all its ceremonies (v. 3 above), some details would necessarily differ from the first Passover, like putting the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts, which was not only impossible since they were living in tents, but also unnecessary since they were not in Egypt and no longer had to be identified and "passed over" during the killing of all the firstborn in Egypt.  However, the people had been instructed to keep that day as a memorial and keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout their generations (Exodus 12:14).

(6) And there were certain men who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the Passover on that day; and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day.

There were certain men who could not keep the Passover on that day because they had been defiled by a dead body.  The people had been told previously in Numbers 5:2 to separate those who had been defiled by the dead from the camp.  Albert Barnes suggested that these men were probably Mishael and Elzaphan, who buried Nadab and Abihu within a week of this Passover.  Moses was the one who had instructed these men to carry their brethren out of the camp (Lev. 10:4), so it was certainly through no fault of their own that they could not keep the Passover.  Therefore they brought their case to Moses and Aaron.

(7) And those men said to him, “We are defiled by the dead body of a man; why are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in its appointed time among the children of Israel?"

The men explained to Moses that they had been defiled by a dead body, and seemed to lament the fact that they would not be able to participate in the Lord's Passover at its appointed time.

(8) And Moses said to them, “Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you."

Moses told the men to wait there while he consulted the Lord about what He would have these men do.

(9) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (10) “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If any man of you or of your posterity is unclean because of a dead body, or is on a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the Passover to the LORD.'"

The Lord told Moses to tell the children of Israel that if any of them at that time and in their future generations became unclean because of a dead body, or found themselves on a journey far away, they would still be able to keep the Passover to the Lord.

(11) "'The fourteenth day of the second month at evening they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.'"

They would be allowed to keep the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month, that is Iyar, corresponding to our April or May.  That gave them an entire month to cleanse themselves if they were defiled or to return home and prepare for the Passover, which was never to be omitted.  The Passover lamb was to be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs as instructed in Exodus 12:8.

(12) "‘They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break any bone of it; according to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it.'"

None of the flesh of the Passover lamb was to be left until morning, but any that was left was to be burnt with fire (Ex. 12:10), nor was any bone of the lamb to be broken (Ex. 12:46).  The people were to observe the same ordinances of the Passover as if they had kept it on its appointed day.

(13) "‘But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and fails to keep the Passover, that same person shall be cut off from among his people; because he did not bring the offering of the LORD at its appointed time, that man shall bear his sin.'"

However, if a person was not defiled and was not on a journey afar off, but just neglected to keep the Passover for whatsoever petty reason, that person was to be cut off from among his people, which meant either excommunication or even death by the immediate hand of God.  Because that man had broken a divine law of God and had shown negligence and ingratitude to his Lord, he would certainly bear his sin in this affront to God.

(14) "'And if a stranger shall sojourn among you and will keep the Passover to the LORD, according to the ordinance of the Passover and according to its manner, so shall he do; you shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger and for him that was born in the land.'"

If a stranger was visiting and wished to participate in the Passover, he could, as long as he had been circumcised, according to earlier instructions in Exodus 12:48:  "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."  If the stranger was circumcised and wished to participate in the Passover, he may, but he must observe the law of the Passover just as a child of Israel must.

(15) And on the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony; and at evening there was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire, until the morning.

On the day that the tabernacle was raised up, which was the first day of the first month in the second year after the people came out of Egypt (Exodus 40:2), the pillar of cloud in which the presence of the Lord manifested itself (Exodus 13:21), covered the tabernacle, more specifically that part that covered the Ark of the Testimony.  Through the night the cloud looked like a pillar of fire.

(16) So it was always; the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.

So it was that the Lord was with them always; the cloud covered the tent of the testimony by day, and the appearance of fire covered it by night.  The King James translators supplied the words "by day"; they were not in the original text.  Even commentators agree the words were necessarily applied.  However, I see the meaning clearly without those words.  Those words make it sound as if the cloud took on two different forms, one as a cloud during the day and one as a pillar of fire during the night.  I see the meaning as the cloud covered it always and that same cloud had the appearance of fire at night.

(17) And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.

We learned in earlier scriptures that the cloud was with them always guiding them on their journey (Exodus 13:21-22), but when the tabernacle had been raised, the cloud covered the tent and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34).  When the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, as that pillar of cloud probably visible to all the camp, then the children of Israel journeyed with the pillar of cloud guiding them.  When the cloud settled back down, there the Israelites pitched their tents.

(18) At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched; as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents.

It's not that the Lord audibly commanded they journey, but by the motion of the cloud, He directed them to move or camp.  As long as the cloud abode over the tabernacle, the people rested in their tents.

(19) And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and did not journey.

Even if the cloud remained over the tabernacle many days, the children of Israel obeyed the Lord's command and did not journey.

(20) And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed.

That was the way it was for the people when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle.  According to the commandment of the Lord through the motion of the cloud, they either abode in their tents or journeyed.

(21) And so it was, when the cloud abode from evening until the morning, and the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed; whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed.

Likewise, that was the way it was for them if the cloud rested over the tabernacle only one night.  Whenever the cloud was taken up, whether day or night, they journeyed.

(22) Or whether it was two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining on it, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not; but when it was taken up, they journeyed.

Even if it was more than a few days, if it was a month or a year that the cloud remained on the tabernacle, the children of Israel resided in their tents and did not journey.  At the time it was taken up, whenever that was, they journeyed.

(23) At the commandment of the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed; they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

Once again, the commandment was made visible to the people by the motion of the cloud, and they obeyed and rested in their tents, or they obeyed and journeyed, according to the commandment of the Lord that had been explained to Moses.

There are many lessons to be learned in this pillar of cloud.  The people never knew when the cloud would move.  They had to be always ready to move, but then again, they could be waiting days, weeks, or months.  Is that not the way it is for us?  We have no idea what the future holds and our best laid plans can be wiped away in an instant:  "Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14).  Also there is a time when we should rest and wait on the Lord:  "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him..." (Psalm 37:7a).  As Matthew Henry stated in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, "There is no time lost while we are waiting God's time. It is as acceptable a piece of submission to the will of God to sit still contentedly when our lot requires it as to work for him when we are called to it."  When we get busy and try to fix things ourselves, we can often screw it up, or at the very least, we won't have God's best for us!  Think of Sarah deciding it must be up to her to "help" God when she gave Abraham her hand maiden Hagar to have a child for him.  God still gave Sarah a child, but there was much strife in her life caused by Hagar and her child, all because Sarah jumped in to "do something" before God's timing. 

Note how many times it was stated that the people obeyed the commandment of the Lord in the cloud.  It must be very important and I believe, for our instruction, as "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).  How important it is for us to be with God at all times!  We must follow the direction of His word and Spirit; "all the motions of our souls must be guided by the divine will" (Matthew Henry).  "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:6).  How wonderful the care God has for His people!  Although we don't visually see His constant presence in a cloud, He gave us His Holy Spirit to guide us:  “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth..." (John 16:13a).  "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD..." (Psalm 37:23a). 

More Life-Giving Laws of God

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Exodus 23:1) “You shall not raise a false report; do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness."

God continued to give what He called "judgments" to Moses to give to the people.  These followed and perhaps more completely explained the Ten Commandments He had already given in the hearing of all the people.  This one sounds like a repeat of the ninth commandment not to bear false witness against your neighbor, but it goes a little further in depth.  The original word translated as "raise" was "nasah" and does mean "raise or lift", and may mean being the first to raise or bring up an issue, but I saw more when I looked in depth at the meaning of the original word.  The scripture goes on to say not to put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous or false or unjust witness.  You are not to start a false report and you are not to be a party to it with the wicked.  In this case of lifting or raising a false report, the meaning might be more completely defined by some of the word's other definitions--"carry, support, advance".  The meaning then becomes "don't spread a false report."  Some of the old commentaries I read believe that putting your hand with the wicked literally meant something like putting your hand on the Bible to swear, although their gestures were probably more like putting the hand under the thigh or raising their hand to heaven.  Regardless of whether it was literal or figurative, or whether the actual meaning intended was to first raise or to support, when you combine it with the ninth commandment not to bear false witness, it's pretty clear that you don't start a false report and you don't join with the wicked to spread it.

(2) “You shall not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shall you speak in a cause to turn aside after many to pervert justice."

The main gist of this is that you don't follow the crowd to do evil, and you don't turn aside from the truth to follow the crowd to speak evil, perverting justice.  The first part of the scripture is pretty clear, don't follow the crowd to do evil; but the second part was a little more difficult to decipher.  Don't speak in a cause, don't testify in a case, to turn aside after many, or to follow the majority, to pervert justice.  Interestingly, the original word translated as "turn aside" above is "natah", and is the same word also translated as "pervert" above.  The complete range of meanings for the word is "turn aside, bend away, stretch out, incline, influence, thrust away, overthrow, pervert".  You don't bend the truth to follow the crowd, and in so doing, pervert justice.  I can't help but think about the recent events in the Ferguson, Missouri, shooting death of a young black man by a white police officer, where "hands up, don't shoot" became the rallying cry, and was not at all representative of what really happened.  The slogan served a cause many wanted to advance, and many turned aside from the truth to follow the crowd and give a completely false witness report of what actually happened to fit the mantra of the crowd.  In that case, it turned out that many were being threatened into giving false testimony, or just not coming forward to tell the truth.  You can certainly see in this event and the ensuing riots the wisdom of God's judgment not to follow the crowd to turn aside from the truth, perverting justice.

(3) "Neither shall you show partiality to a poor man in his cause."

Just as you weren't to follow the crowd with the popular opinion just because it was popular, you were not to show partiality to a poor man just because he was poor.  The same rules of justice were to apply to all, regardless of their position in life.

(4) “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again."

This judgment was surely an example of how to love your enemies.  Not only were the people to love their neighbors as themselves as Jesus summed up half of the Ten Commandments (Mark 12:31), but they were expected to do good to their enemies, as Jesus would expound on later in the New Testament:  "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." (Matthew 5:44)

(5) “If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping him, you shall surely help with him."

In the same spirit of loving and helping your enemies, if a person saw the donkey of his enemy lying down under its burden, unable or unwilling to rise up again, and although he might be inclined in his heart to pass on by and not help his enemy, he was commanded by God to indeed help him with his animal.

(6) “You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his cause."

As you were not to give partiality to a poor man just because he was poor, you were not to look down on him and pervert justice in his cause because he was poor and perhaps not able to buy his way out as his rich opponent might be able to do.

(7) “Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not justify the wicked."

In fact, you were to keep yourself far from a false matter.  Be careful not to kill the innocent and righteous.  How many times in history has it seemed there needed to be a scapegoat; there needed to be someone responsible, so that an incident could be wrapped up and put behind?  God warned not to kill the innocent, for He would not justify the killer.  It sounds to me like even the law and the courts had better be careful not to sentence an innocent man.  It is why we look for reasonable doubt before pronouncing death on an alleged criminal.  It would be better to let a guilty man go free than to let an innocent man die for something he did not do.  Besides God not justifying the wicked who killed an innocent man, I believe the scripture may also mean not to worry about possibly letting a guilty man go because there was not enough proof to convict him, because God would not allow him (the guilty man) to go unpunished.  Vengeance is God's (Romans 12:19).

(8) “And you shall take no gift, for the gift blinds the wise and perverts the words of the righteous."

The word gift is meant to mean a bribe.  It's funny; when I was transcribing this verse, I accidentally wrote "bind" instead of "blind".  Doesn't a bribe indeed bind one to the briber?  The recipient of the bribe then owes the briber something, and thus judgment becomes perverted.  When I go back and think of it as merely a gift, with no supposed strings attached, would that gift not possibly sway the recipient to give more weight to the giver of the gift than he might otherwise be entitled?  Accepting gifts will pervert the words of the righteous, and will therefore pervert judgment, anyway you look at it.

(9) “Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt."

Once again God repeated His commandment not to oppress a stranger because His people, better than anyone, knew what it was like to be an oppressed stranger in a land not their own.  I can't help but think of our illegal immigration problem today.  Our government seems to lean over backward to give over and above to the illegal immigrant rights that should not be legally his.  That's not what this law of God was intended to do.  They were in no way to oppress the foreigner, but he was welcomed as someone who wanted to live in peace among and eventually assimilate into the land of God's people.  It is said that in those Biblical times, the stranger was not allowed to inherit land, "yet they must have justice done them, must peaceably enjoy their own, and be redressed if they were wronged, though they were strangers to the commonwealth of Israel." (Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible).

(10) "And six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, (11) But the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie still, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall deal with your vineyard and with your oliveyard."

Here was the institution of what was called the sabbatical year.  As the seventh day was the sabbath rest, so the seventh year should be a sabbath rest for the land.  First, the land was to rest from plowing and sowing so that it would become more fruitful afterwards.  Then God said it was so that the poor of the land might eat, and what they left, the beasts of the field might eat; this applied to all their fields and vineyards.  My first thought was that the poor could only count on this food once every seven years, but then I remembered that in the seventh year, servants were freed.  Servants were most often poor people who had been sold (often by themselves) into slavery, so as they were released, so was the land from farming, and those poor people were allowed to harvest whatever grew in the seventh year for themselves.  By the fact that God made it a point to say that what was left after the poor gathered what they wanted, was to go to the animals, suggests that God would provide an abundance in this year of rest, to feed both the poor and the animals.  As far as feeding the people whose land could not be sown and harvested during this seventh year, Leviticus 25:21 said that God would command His blessing on the land in the sixth year and it would bring forth produce enough for three years.  This law taught the people to rely on God for their needs, but also made them realize that the land was not really their own, but God's, and He provided for the poor and the beasts of the fields with it.  Besides nourishment, God was also giving rest.  By following the law of the Sabbatical Year, the people were reminded to think about the poor, the slaves, the strangers, and even the animals.

(12) “Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your handmaid and the stranger may be refreshed."

In keeping the sabbatical year, the people were reminded not to neglect the weekly sabbath.  They were allowed to work six days, but the sabbath day was to be a day of rest for them, their animals, and all people, including the sons of their maids, and the strangers among them, so that all might be refreshed.

(13) “And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth."

The original word translated as "circumspect" was "shamar" and it literally meant "to hedge about", meaning to guard, making a hedge of protection around.  In all that God had said to the people, they were to guard their hearts and make no mention of any other gods.

(14) “Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: (15) You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; and none shall appear before Me empty)."

Here God instituted (or reinstituted, as the case may be) three yearly feasts in His honor.  The first was the Feast of Unleavened Bread, or Passover, when they were to eat unleavened bread for seven days, as God had previously commanded them to do in the month of Abib, their first month, in memory of the time God brought them out of Egypt.  At this and the two following feasts, the people were not to appear before the Lord empty-handed.  There is not a great deal of detail in exactly what these offerings must be, as there will be later in Leviticus.  We know that the Passover feast had already been instituted by God.  As far as the offering required at this first feast, I can only assume at this point it was some free-will offering as a token of their respect and gratitude to their Lord.  The offerings for the next two feasts will be greatly detailed later in Leviticus, so either this scripture does not yet detail it for the reader, or perhaps God is just introducing these feasts now and required just the little He asked in the following verse:

(16) "And the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in your labors from the field."

The second feast to be held in God's honor was the Feast of Harvest, or Pentecost, as it would become known.  This occurred at the time the people were beginning their harvests, and to this feast they were to bring the first fruits of their labor which they had sown in their fields.  The Feast of Ingathering, or later known as the Feast of Tabernacles, was to be at the end of the year when the people had gathered in all their crops.  "At the end of the year" can be looked at two ways.  As it was in the fall, it could only be counted as the end of the year by the civil year, and not by the new sacred year that God had instituted in Exodus 12:2, with Abib, or Nisan, being the first month of the year.  Perhaps it could be viewed as the end of the harvest year, or the end of the year as pertaining to their required feasts, for they were required to keep the three feasts in the spring (Passover), summer (Harvest or Pentecost), and fall (Ingathering or Tabernacles), and no feast was required in the winter.

(17) “Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord. (18) You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until morning. (19) The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk."

At these three feasts, all males were to appear before the Lord.  As noted before, these men were not to appear before the Lord empty-handed.  Surely referring to the Passover, they were instructed not to offer leavened bread with the Passover lamb, nor allow any of the lamb to remain until morning.  The first part of verse 19 likely refers to the Pentecost, when they were to offer the first of their first fruits to the Lord.  The reference to boiling a kid in its mother's milk may refer to an ancient heathen custom of boiling a kid in its mother's milk at the end of their harvest and sprinkling that milk on their fields and gardens to make them more fruitful the next year.  God forbade this superstitious and idolatrous practice which may have also been considered cruel, as it took a baby before its time when it was supposed to be left with its mother (Exodus 22:30) and boiled it in its own mother's milk which was designed for its life and nourishment in its first seven days.  Regardless of the exact reason for this prohibition, it is certain that God's people were to be above superstition and such wanton lust.

(20) “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. (21) Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him."

God told Moses to tell the people He had sent an angel to them to help keep them in the way of the Lord and to guide them to the place He had prepared for them.  This was obviously no ordinary created angel messenger of the Lord, for the people were warned to beware of Him and obey Him.  They were warned not to provoke Him because He would not pardon their transgressions.  No ordinary angel had the power to pardon transgressions.  God said His name was in this angel.  Many have speculated that this could only be Jesus Christ, who was with God from the beginning, and I have often thought this way, too, when it was a very special empowered Angel of the Lord mentioned in scripture.  While it may indeed be, could it not rather be the Holy Spirit of God, that third member of the trinity, that Spirit of God and of Jesus Christ, that is One with them?  I would think He would have authority to pardon transgressions.  God said His name was in Him.  Jesus said that He and the Father were one, and that all power was given to Him (Matthew 28:18).  He additionally said in Matthew 9:6 that He, Jesus, had power to forgive sins.  John 16:13 said that when the Holy Spirit came, He would not speak of His own, but only what He heard (obviously from the Father), as He would declare not only truth of things past but also of things to come.  All power was given to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit was One with the Father, speaking only through Him and able to speak whatever the Father told Him, so I think it is feasible this Angel of God could have been either Jesus or the Holy Spirit.  Whoever it was, God made it clear this Angel had His full authority.

(22) “But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. (23) For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off."

The people were promised that if they would obey this Angel of God and do all that God Himself spoke through this Angel, then He would be with them to fight their battles and save them from their enemies.  God's Angel would go before them to bring them into the nations of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and the Jebusites, and cut them off from being a nation, giving the land to His people.

(24) “You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their images."

God's people were warned not to be tempted to do any of the idolatrous things that the people of these lands did.  God not only commanded them not to worship these idols, but commanded them to completely destroy them.

(25) "And you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of you. (26) There shall nothing suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days."

If the people served only their Lord God, He would bless all their provisions and keep them healthy.  "Nothing" would suffer miscarriage or be barren, suggesting both the people and all their livestock, making them greatly increase in all their numbers of both people and livestock.  God would fulfill their full number of days, meaning no one would die prematurely.

(27) “I will send My fear before you, and I will destroy all the people to whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. (28) And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you."

The people of the lands to which God's people would come would be afraid of their coming and would turn their backs as in fleeing.  God would destroy the people of the lands to which they would come.  I don't think it means totally destroy as in killing them all, otherwise there would be no one to drive out.  "Hornets" can be figural as the root means "strike down".  So whether they were struck down or driven out, the Hivites, Canaanites, Hittites, etc., would be destroyed as nations.

(29) “I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field multiply against you. (30) Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land."

The Lord let the people know in advance, that in His mercy, He would not drive all the people of those other lands out all at once because the land would become desolate and the wild beasts would be allowed to grow in number against them.  He said little by little He would drive them out, to give His people time to increase.  Isn't that often the way of the Lord, to give just what we need when we need it?  This would also keep His people on their guard and dependent on God to do the next little bit as they needed it. 

(31) “And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the river; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you."

God named the boundaries of the land He was giving His people.  Most of the old commentaries pointed out that this full amount of land was not completely fulfilled until the days of David and Solomon.  On the west side the land went to the Red Sea; on the east side it went to the sea of the Philistines, which was the Mediterranean Sea; to the south was the desert of Shur or Arabia; and to the north was the river Euphrates.  This was the promised land that the Lord promised to His people as He delivered its inhabitants into their hand as they were driven out from before them in degrees, not all at once.

(32) “You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. (33) They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

God warned the people that as they conquered the people of these lands, they were not to make covenants with them or their false gods.  They were not to make allies of these people, but were to always consider them their enemies, and their gods, false idols to be rejected.  They were not to allow these people to remain in the land, unless of course, I would imagine, they renounced their idolatry and assimilated with God's people.  God understood and passed that bit of wisdom on to His people that if they did ally themselves with these pagan people and compromised their worship to include their false idols, that it would become a snare which would eventually cause their ruin and destruction.

I can't help but think again about America's current struggle with illegal immigration.  We have leaders that tell us our country has always been a nation of immigrants; therefore we should welcome these illegals with open arms.  Indeed, God always warned to be kind to the foreigner, but the foreigners, if they stayed, were expected to renounce their ways and become one with God's people.  Oh, I can hear the arguments now--that we are NOT a nation of Christians under God and that all people should be allowed to worship their gods as they wish and live according to their customs.  While that is true of our country's freedoms (I use that word loosely), weren't immigrants traditionally supposed to renounce their citizenship and become Americans?  That no longer seems the case.  Rather than a country of united Americans, we have all these smaller groups of Americans--black Americans, Native Americans, Mexican Americans, gay Americans etc., fighting against each other.  While it may be true that a secular country with true religious freedom cannot force God onto its citizens, it is surely death to the country that rejects the one true God.  We are watching the sure decline and destruction of our country because it has chosen the ways of death rather than the life in God's ways.

These laws and judgments of God in the past few chapters are common sense laws, just and humane, and mean life, security, and happiness, for those who follow them.  God's laws are not a set of rules from a prude who doesn't want anyone to have any fun!  They are all about life and life more abundantly!  As God said in Deuteronomy 30:19-20a:

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days....”

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.

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.