Exodus 12:29-13:16

Exodus 12:29-13:16

As the tenth plague strikes, chaos goes throughout all of Egypt. Every house in Egypt is affected by the plague, and everyone is mourning the deaths of their family and livestock. The nation of Egypt is crippled in one moment. Pharaoh wakes up in the night to the chaos and instantly knows the source of the chaos. Now remember that he had told Moses to never let him see his face again, so Moses had not gone to warn Pharaoh of this coming destruction. Moses had only told the Israelites what was about to happen to warn them. But Pharaoh knew that God was at it again, and he was finally ready to let the Israelites leave, hoping that the source of his problems would leave with them. But what is interesting is after all that he has seen, he still does not get it. He does not understand that he is the problem, the one who was too stubborn to let them go. Yet as they leave, he asks Moses to bless him. It is just a small phrase thrown into his speech that may be overlooked (I know I have overlooked it because this took me by surprise today). How could Pharaoh possibly ask to be blessed after all he had done?

The Israelites were ready for this moment. After Moses had spoken with them, giving them all of God’s instructions, they had gathered all that they might need for the journey. They had money and food from the Egyptians and some bread. Initially, the Israelites were in full obedience to God. They depended on Him and looked to Him for the next step in their journey. At first, it seemed as if all was going to go well for the nation of Israel. This initial picture of obedience is what our lives should look like. Without question, we should obey God’s commands and be ready for whatever He places in our lives.

On a statistical note, notice that there were now 600,000 men in Israel, which does not count the women in children. There could have possibly been close to 2 million Israelites at this point. Also notice that 430 years have passed since the 70 members of Jacob’s family arrived in Egypt. In just 430 years the nation of Israel had grown exponentially, a fulfillment of God’s initial promise to Abraham, that his descendants would be as many as the stars in the sky or the number of grains of sand on the beach.

God once again reminds Israel of the importance of the Passover. He also gives them a few more instructions. I typically thought of the Old Testament as being all about Israel as a kid. I did not notice how God was calling the nations to Himself even then. Here is one instance where it is obvious that God was not just the God of Israel. For one, He was reaching out to the Egyptians, showing them His power. Although he did not allow any foreigner to take the Passover, He also said that if a stranger comes into the nation and is circumcised (the sign of the covenant between Israel and God), then they could partake in the Passover. So in essence, God was not really restricting it to the Israelites, but to His children, which could and would one day include people from all nations.

The beginning of Exodus 13 ties back into the beginning of Exodus 12. Moses once again reminds the Israelites of the importance of keeping and remembering the Passover. He tells them that their children will one day ask what the significance of these customs and ceremonies are, and it is then that they will have to explain what God had done for them in Egypt. As a way to remember the tenth plague, the one that freed them, they were to consecrate their firstborn (man and animal). As seen from the beginning of Exodus 12, it is vital that we do not forget what God has done for us in life. We all have these great moments in life where we were able to see God at work. These are spiritual markers in our life that remind us of God’s faithfulness when we are facing life’s difficulties. Like the Israelites, we should never forget all that God has done and will do in our lives!

Matt