The Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread

Today we start in chapter 12 and with it comes the first important instruction from the Lord, "This month is to be for you, the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. The animals you choose must be year old males without defect, and you make take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the 14th day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and the tops of the door frames of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to  eat the meat roasted over the fire along with bitter herbs, an bread made without yeast. Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water but roast it over a fire - with the head; legs and internal organs. Do not leave any of it til morning; if some is left till morning you must burn it. This is how you are to it it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat in haste it is the Lord's Passover."

There is a lot of instruction on that one paragraph so let's break it down. 

When one does the Lord's Passover they are to: 

1. Each man is to take a lamb for his family (1 per household) if that household cannot eat a whole lamb they are to share with a neighbor

2. They are to pick a male lamb with no defect from either sheep or goat

3. It must be a year old and you will take care of it until the 14th day which it will be slaughtered at twilight

4. The lamb must be roasted (not boiled and there should be no blood left)

5. Some of the blood needs to mark the sides and top of a door frame of the house (this will be important in a moment)

6. The lamb is to be eaten that night with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast.

7. If any meat remains in the morning it is to be burned

8. You are not to be relaxing during the meal and joyous instead this meal should be eaten with your cloak in your belt sandals on your feet and your staff in hand ready to move and food should be eaten in haste

V. 12 is one of my favorites and brings home the point of Passover for me

"On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals and I will bring judgement on all the gods of Egypt, I am the Lord"

And here is why the blood on the door is important

v. 13 "The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will passover you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt."

v. 14 "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord - a lasting ordinance. "

It goes on in this chapter to give further instructions that for 7 days no one is to work except to make food and no yeast should be in the house or eaten during the 7 day festival and if this happens that person should be cut off from Israel. 

Moses goes forth to tell the people what has been instructed they do as they have been told for once and v. 29 shows us "t midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt. 

v. 30 "and there was a loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead."

Moses was summoned to Pharaoh who told him to take his people and "go worship the Lord as you have requested." When the people left they took their dough before the yeast was added and did as instructed by asking the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people and they gave them what they asked for so the y plundered the Egyptians. Just like the Lord said they would. 

So the people lived in Egypt 430 years at the end of the those years the Lord brought them out of slavery. 

v. 42 is awesome "Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelities are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come. 

There are additional restrictions given for Passover at the end of this chapter which is interesting when you compare to how Passover is done today (we will go into that in a minute)

Chapter 13 Consecration of the Firstborn

FUN FACT: The firstborn principle: At the time of the Passover and the exodus of Egypt God introduced an important principle: Every firstborn male, including animals, was to be dedicated to him. Later, the Levites were established as a symbolic firstborn for all the people, with very precise accounting. 

v. 1 "The Lord said to Moses, "Consecrate to me every firstborn male, The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me whether human or animal."

Why you ask? Because of what the Lord did for them when they came out of Egypt. This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his might hand. (when he didn't have to and is giving you the land flowing with milk and honey when you don't deserve it - as a side note)

v. 14 goes into more details as to what to say when your son asks why am I consecrated to the Lord. 

Crossing the Sea 

I love this part because God has a plan and it shows that he has forethought. For example in v. 17 God knew not to take the people through the quicker road that would take them into the Philistine country because it would make them face a war, which would then make them change their minds and return to Egypt (ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW WITH THIS? God got you out of slavery and one war with God on your side and you would change your minds and go back to Egypt after He straight up just killed all the freaking firstborns? yet you don't trust Him enough to get you through a war?!?!?! Yet clearly they don't or the short cut would've been the route they took instead God had to take them on the long way through the stinking desert and the Red Sea in order to get where they needed to go)

I also love that Moses remembered to bring Joseph's bones like the Israelites has sworn they would do. 

I also love v.21 "By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left it place in front of the people.
How freaking awesome is that!

So what do you think of the great Exodus? Next week is the Read Sea parting (this week was long so I will do the Passover Modern version in another post) What has been your favorite part so far?