Exodus 12:12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite 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 to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
In verse 12 the LORD reminded Moses of His plan. He would pass through Egypt on the fourteenth day in the night and smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. He would rebuke them for their idolatry and He would execute judgment upon them. Again He stated “I am the LORD.” That is a fact that all of mankind needs to know. All will know that one day. There are so many religious groups today that take great liberties with the Word of God and think it is not a problem. It is very important to know the fear of the LORD. A holy reverence for the true God is essential to life.
In verse 13 the LORD reminded Moses that the blood would be a token upon the houses where the Hebrews lived. The Hebrew word translated as “token” means “flag, banner, signal”. The Angel would see that blood even at night and would know not to kill the firstborn in those houses. The same LORD that promised to judge the Egyptians, also promised to pass over the houses where the blood was applied. The plague would not be upon them when He smote the firstborn of the Egyptians.
This is a picture again of the gift of salvation that we can have today. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ must be applied to the heart of the sinner. The sinner must turn to God in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. The repentant sinner does not come seeking to barter for salvation. He does not try to make any kind of a deal. He comes with nothing and he seeks God’s mercy and grace. God is merciful and He is gracious and He will pardon the repentant sinner.
In verse 14 the LORD reminded Moses that this day would be a memorial to the nation of Israel throughout their generations. They were to keep this feast as an ordinance for ever. The Bible talks of ordinances. The word translated as “ordinance” means “statute, something prescribed.” It is a command of God. In the New Testament age there are two ordinances that God has prescribed: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These are prescribed for those who are saved. They have no saving grace and they do not enhance God’s gift of salvation. They are both to be followed for those who are saved. They do not apply to those who are lost.
The Catholics have a number of “sacraments”. The Bible does not have any sacraments. A sacrament is something that is manmade and claims to impart God’s grace to the participant. This is fiction and it is a wicked teaching. It offers a false hope and many are gullible enough to believe this lie rather than follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to the truth.
The nation of Israel was to keep this feast for ever. They failed to do that at times and that was not good.
In verse 15 the LORD taught Moses that following the Passover, there were to be seven days of unleavened bread. There was to be no leaven in their houses for the Passover, and none in their houses for the seven days after the Passover. Leaven is used at times in the Bible to depict sin.
Galatians 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
What we consider as a little sin, will spoil the entire testimony of the saved person. It must be confessed and forsaken. The lost person is lost because we are all born as lost sinners. That in itself is enough to condemn the person to hell. Any act of sin is bad. Adam only committed one sin and that made him a sinner. He could never remove that fact. He could be forgiven, but he would be a sinner saved by grace. His descendants would be born as lost sinners and we see in Cain that he acted on his sinful heart. He lied and he showed unjust anger and he demonstrated pride and murdered his brother and then lied further.
The feast of unleavened bread was to follow the Passover and it was a reminder that the nation of Israel was to be a people who walked with the LORD. The LORD warned that the soul that would not obey Him, but would have leaven in their house during that time, would be cut off from the nation. This was not works salvation. This was a matter of obeying God because they were to be a separated nation. The fact that someone would have leaven in their house during this time would indicate that they were only Israelites in name but not in Spirit.
Romans 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
The same holds true for Christians. Not everyone that claims to be a Christian is a Christian. There is a noted difference between a Christian and a non-Christian.
The feast of unleavened bread was marked by a special day on the first day. The “holy convocation” was a “special assembly”. On this special day they were to do no work. They were to make preparation for this day ahead of time. They needed to plan ahead. The only work that was allowed was for what needed to be eaten that day. They were not to go and plough the field or bring in the harvest, etc. God was continuing to teach the Hebrews that they could depend upon Him for the good weather they needed to get things done without working on this holy day. God brings the rain and He withholds the rain. He can give favourable weather for those who honour Him. He can send rain when we are in the midst of harvest. God’s people need to be reminded that they are dependent upon Him for all things. Lost people need to learn this. Rather than talk about mother nature or some other foolishness, lost people need to be reminded there is a God in heaven who is in charge.
In verse 17 the LORD taught why these days were important. The nation of Israel needed to be reminded of the mighty hand of the LORD and the miraculous way in which He brought them out of Egyptian bondage.
The Lord’s Supper is a reminder of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ until He comes. Christians need to be reminded of the great sacrifice that the Lord made so that we can be saved. Carelessness in the Christian life must be called out and dealt with. Obedience to the God Who saved us is important. That is the place of blessing.
Pastor Bartel
