Hello and Welcome to today’s exciting Bible study on Exodus 12. In this chapter, we will discuss the Lord’s Passover and the tenth plague. According to biblical scholars, the events of Exodus 12 occurred around 1446 B.C.
As usual, I encourage you to turn to Exodus 12 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Exodus 12. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is only through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. No one else can teach you better than the Holy Spirit Himself. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know.
In the Bible Study on Exodus 11, we read and learned about the Lord’s announcement of the death of the firstborn among the Egyptians. Today, we will learn about the Lord’s passover and the Lord’s instructions about it. We will also read about the last plague – the tenth plague – that the Lord brought upon Egypt which is the death of the firstborn.
Backstory on Exodus 11
The Lord instructed Moses to announce to Pharaoh about the impending death of the firstborn in Egypt, affecting everyone from Pharaoh’s firstborn to the firstborn of his servants and even their animals. Only the Israelites would be safe; not even a dog would harm them. Despite this warning, Pharaoh did not listen, and Moses left Pharaoh’s court in great anger.
Without any further delay, let us study together and learn what is Exodus 12 about, shall we?
Exodus 12 Summary
The Lord declared to Moses and Aaron that the Passover month would be the first of months to the Israelites and it would be the beginning of the year. The Israelites were to select a lamb for each household on the tenth of this month, ensuring it was unblemished and a male of the first year. If a household was too small for a lamb, they could share with a neighbor based on the number of people. They were to keep the lamb until the fourteenth day, at which time the entire community would kill it at twilight.
The blood of the lamb was to be applied to the doorposts and lintels of their homes as a sign. The lamb should be roasted and eaten that night with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and any leftover must be burned. They were to eat it in haste, fully prepared to leave, as it was the Lord’s Passover. The Lord would pass through Egypt that night, striking down the firstborn of both humans and animals while sparing the Israelite households marked with blood, thereby protecting them from destruction.
The Lord furthers tells that the Passover would be forever a memorial to the Israelites and an ordinance. They are instructed to observe a feast known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days, during which they must remove all leaven from their homes and refrain from eating leavened bread. The first and seventh days are designated as holy convocations, where no work is to be done except for necessary food preparation. This observance is tied to their departure from Egypt, marking it as an everlasting ordinance for future generations.
Moses instructs the elders of Israel to select lambs for their families and prepare the Passover lamb. They are to use hyssop to apply the blood from the lamb to the doorposts of their homes, ensuring that when the Lord passes through to strike the Egyptians, He will spare the households marked with blood. It is meant to be a lasting tradition, and when future generations ask about its significance, the Israelites are to explain that it represents the Lord’s protection and deliverance during their time in Egypt. The people follow Moses’s instructions, and worship is expressed in response to these instructions.
At midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, affecting everyone from Pharaoh to the captives in dungeons, as well as the livestock. As a result, Pharaoh, his servants, and all the Egyptians were awakened by a great cry throughout the land, as there was not a single household without a death.
Pharoah called Moses and Aaron and told them to leave with all the Israelites and their livestock to go and serve the Lord and he also asked them (Moses and Aaron) to bless him. The Egyptians were desperate for the Israelites to leave. They feared that they would all die (they were surely in a bad shape after all the plagues and the tenth hit them the hardest). The Israelites hurriedly took unbaked dough with them, as they had to leave in haste. Following Moses’ instructions, they had requested silver, gold, and clothing from the Egyptians, who, readily gave them whatever they wanted because they couldnt wait for them to leave their land. Thus, they plundered the Egyptians.
The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, consisting of around six hundred thousand men, not counting children, along with a mixed multitude and many livestock. They baked unleavened bread from the dough they had brought from Egypt, as they had not had time to prepare food. The Israelites had lived in Egypt for four hundred thirty years, and on that same day, the Lord’s armies left the land. This night is commemorated as a solemn observance for the Lord for bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, a tradition that is practiced throughout their generations even today.
The Lord instructs Moses and Aaron about the Passover, emphasizing that no foreigner may eat it. However, a servant with circumcision can partake in the feast. Sojourners and hired servants are excluded from eating it, and it must be consumed in one house without taking any of the flesh outside or breaking any bones. All of Israel must observe this ordinance.
If a stranger living among them wishes to celebrate the Passover, his males must be circumcised first, allowing him to join as if he were a native. There is to be one law for both the native-born and the foreigners living in Israel. The Israelites followed these instructions, and on that same day, the Lord led them out of Egypt according to their clans.
Exodus 12 Commentary
1. Exodus 12:3-4
Each family was to choose a lamb based on the size of the family. The lamb was individual here. We know that Jesus Christ is the sacrificial lamb for our sins. He is our personal Lord and Savior. He is sovereign and Lord over all and He atoned for the sins of every human being once and for all. However, His relationship with each of us is not common, but personal.
2. Exodus 12:6
A male lamb without blemish was to be killed on the fourteenth day of the month, which is known as Passover. The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel was to carry out this sacrifice at twilight.
The Passover lamb was sacrificed so that death would pass over the households of the Israelites and not strike them. Jesus came to save us from eternal death, granting us everlasting life through Him.
The Passover lamb was to be a male without blemish, and so was Jesus without any sin. The Lord commanded that the lamb be killed on the fourteenth day of the month. This corresponds precisely to the number of generations from Israel’s captivity in Babylon to the birth of Christ.
The entire congregation of Israel was to kill the lamb at twilight. Jesus was crucified by the request of the Israelites on Passover at the same time the Passover lamb was sacrificed in Exodus. In Hebrew, “twilight” refers to the period between the evenings, which spans from noon to 6:00 PM—specifically, the latter half of the daylight hours. The period from noon to 6:00 PM is six hours, further divided into two segments: the minor evening from noon to 3:00 PM, and the major evening from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. These two segments together constitute the “evenings.”
The Passover lamb was sacrificed at 3:00 PM, which is also the time Jesus died, known as the ninth hour. This ninth hour is calculated from 6:00 AM-3 PM during that time period.
3. Exodus 12:10-13, 22
The Israelites ate in haste because it was the Lord’s Passover. The blood would serve as a sign to God, and He would pass over them, ensuring that the plague would not destroy them. Similarly, we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, which signifies to God that we belong to Him.
The Israelites were to use a bunch of hyssop to dip into the blood in the basin and to mark the lintel and the two doorposts. When Jesus was crucified and was thirsty, they filled a sponge with sour wine, placed it on a hyssop branch, and offered it to Him. This hyssop, which was used for dipping into the lamb’s blood for protection in Exodus, was now used to give sour wine to the Eternal Lamb of God, whose innocent blood was shed for our sake. It comes full circle here and we see how everything connects.
The sour wine metaphorically represents human sin, even though Jesus took on our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane. We will explore this further when we reach that chapter, by the grace of God.
4. Exodus 12:37, 39
The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. This Succoth is the place where Jacob set his tents up after parting ways with Esau. (Genesis 33:17). The unleavened bread metaphorically symbolizes non-contamination. Jesus is the bread of life and there is no leaven in Him. Leaven metaphorically describes the things of the world, and false doctrines, and everything that is apart from God.
5. Exodus 12:46
The bones of the lamb in Exodus were not to be broken. Scripture tells us that Jesus’s bones were not broken because when the soldiers came to Him to break His bones, He was already dead. This further confirms that Jesus is the Eternal Lamb of God. It all comes full circle here and every detail of the lamb in Exodus is connected to our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Exodus 12 Lessons
What can we learn from Exodus 12?
1. God is thorough with His instructions
The Lord provided the Israelites with detailed instructions for the Passover. He was specific and direct, ensuring that they would not miss even a single detail. His guidance was clear and is always clear. God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Therefore, you can expect Him to offer clear instructions about your life and what you need to do. When you are confused, know that it is not of God.
2. It is God who gives you the power to get wealth
In the case of the Israelites, we see that they had made no provisions for their future. They could not, even if they wanted to, because they were slaves. However, God intervened and gave them specific instructions on what to do. Following God’s guidance, they asked their Egyptian neighbors for articles of silver and gold. If God had not instructed them to make this request, I doubt the Egyptians would have given them anything. After all, they were not even willing to provide straw for the bricks. Therefore, how much less would they have been inclined to give them silver and gold?
When you have favor with God, you also gain favor with people. It is God who orchestrates the transfer of wealth; it is He who gives us the power to acquire wealth. The ideas and instructions come from Him. We are merely vessels executing His plans. All credit belongs to Him alone, always.
3. God is faithful to perform His word
God is faithful to perform His word. He fulfilled His promise to Abraham when He said that He would deliver His people and bring them out of slavery in Egypt. He foretold everything and acted upon His promises. Once God says something, He cannot take it back. There is no trial and error with God; everything is certain. If there is anyone we can trust completely and rely on, it is Him, for He alone is unchanging.
We cannot trust man. Even we, as individuals, are not the same every day. Some days we are happy, while other days we are not. We are not consistent. But God is eternal and unchanging, and He is always faithful to perform His word. This chapter, along with all the books of the Holy Bible, stands as a testament to His faithfulness and His promise-keeping nature.
Conclusion
This concludes the bible study on Exodus 12. I hope you enjoyed this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey. Feel free to share it with your friends and family. Also, share your thoughts and what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you about Exodus 12. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Until next time!