Exodus 12:33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.
34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:
36 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.
37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.
39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.
40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.
41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.
42 It is a night to be much observed unto 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 in their generations.
When tragedy strikes, it is always good to seek the truth. It is good to seek the Lord. God had been very gracious with the Egyptians. Their leader, the Pharaoh was a wicked man. They chose to follow him. Egypt was not a democracy. A democracy is not a good thing anyway. The leadership of the nation was not chosen by the people. It was decided by the elite. The common people just accepted that leadership and they functioned under that system. Egypt was a pagan nation. God intervened in that by sending Joseph into that land several hundred years prior to our text. The Pharaoh of that time was given a very clear picture of the true God. He saw that the God of Joseph was different from his gods. Yet he never trusted in that God. He accepted Joseph’s counsel and put him in a very powerful place within the nation.
We read that when that Pharaoh died and when Joseph died, that the next Pharaoh did not remember nor acknowledge the blessing that Joseph had been for the nation of Egypt. The next leaders saw Israel as a different people who could not be trusted. God always intended for the Hebrews to be separated from the other nations. They were to be a testimony of the goodness of God to the nations. The children of Israel were never united in the fear of the LORD. There was always a remnant who submitted to the fear of the LORD, but the rest of the nation was much like any other peoples. The Bible is clear that all people are born as lost sinners. No one is born saved. Thus the Hebrews also needed to come to know and believe in the true God.
Over the years, life had become quite difficult for the Hebrews. God was working His plan. The Egyptians were given some four hundred and thirty years to know and serve the true God. They squandered that opportunity. The Hebrews were given that same number of years to be a testimony of God’s goodness as they dwelt among the Egyptians in the land of Goshen. Israel did not use their time in a very profitable way. However, God was always there and He was working things for His glory.
We have noted how God chose Moses to be the human leader of the nation of Israel. Moses needed to understand that the LORD was in charge and that he needed to obey His call upon his life. Moses was given several signs that he needed to reveal to Pharaoh. That particular Pharaoh was full of himself. He had no use for the true God. He thought he had a good thing going in forcing the Hebrews into slavery. He was building his empire. It would soon come crashing down. It is very foolish to fight for superiority against the LORD.
In our text, we find the Egyptians in a state of shock and terror. They had been warned, but they had ignored all the warnings. God is holy and righteous. He gives all the warning needed for man. It is important to listen to the Lord. God is good and He wants all people to know Him.
The Egyptians had developed a fear of the LORD through this last plague. The fear they had developed was a fear that put a wall up between themselves and God. That is not the fear that the LORD wants us to have. We do need to understand that our very breath is in His hands. We do need to understand that He is all powerful. We also need to understand that we can come to Him and we can find forgiveness and true peace in Him. The same God that struck the firstborn dead, is the same God Who wants all to be forgiven and saved.
We read that the Hebrews took their dough before it was leavened. This again was a picture of the need for our hearts to be free from sin. The dough would be a picture of the bread of life which is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is without sin. He can deliver us from the bondage of sin because He is without sin. The people also took their kneading troughs with them.
In verse 35 we read that the children of Israel followed the LORD’s instructions and they borrowed all the things that God required for them. The Egyptians were very eager to give them all they asked for. We read that the Hebrews spoiled the Egyptians. There was no fight on the part of the people. The LORD prepared the hearts of the Egyptians to be willing to part with their precious things. Some of those things would later be used by the LORD in the building of the particular items for the Tabernacle.
The children of Israel began their Exodus from Egypt that very night. There were about six hundred thousand men beside children. This was a large number of people that were leaving Egypt. No doubt Pharaoh would notice this void. However, the children of Israel did not belong to Pharaoh. They belonged to God. He had the right to remove them. Egypt did not want to know the true God and they did not need slave labour for their earthly desires.
In verse 38 we read that a mixed multitude also went up with the children of Israel. This mixed multitude would have been Gentiles, possibly some of the Egyptians. As we follow the nation of Israel into the wilderness, we will find that this mixed multitude were not willing to accept the God of Israel. They would be tools of the devil to stir up trouble for the nation of Israel. The children of Israel were not walking by faith in the true God and thus they were easily swayed by the enemies of the LORD.
A person that does not know the Lord will be influenced by the devil. That does not mean they are not accountable for their actions. It is important to note that no man is an island unto himself. We will either submit to the LORD’s will or a person will be swayed by the flesh and the devil.
In verse 39 we read that the children of Israel baked the unleavened dough and made cakes of that. They left in haste and did not have opportunity to prepare much food. Keep in mind that the LORD had already commanded them that after the Passover, there were to be seven days in which unleavened bread was to be eaten. They were in that time frame at this time.
In verse 40 God rehearsed the history of the nation of Israel in Egypt. They had spent four hundred and thirty years there. In verse 41 we read that the LORD had this all figured out. At just the right time, He removed the children of Israel from the land of Egypt. They did not appreciate the years of slavery, but God knew what He was doing.
In verse 42 we are reminded that this was an important night in the history of the nation of Israel. This night would have a major impact on them as a people. It was a night to remember from generation to generation. They needed to remember how the LORD had miraculously brought them out of a land they would never have been able to leave on their own. They needed His strong hand to bring them out of that bondage. He did that in such a way that they could not help but know this was the LORD’s doing.
God’s deliverance of the nation of Israel is a picture of His salvation for mankind. Those who are saved cannot help but know that it is God alone Who provides salvation. The Catholics try to ignore this fact. They and many other religions want to keep people in bondage. They want people to believe that there needs to be some humanistic effort put into “salvation”. The problem is that that form of “salvation” is no salvation at all. It keeps those who follow it, in bondage. God’s salvation is a gift that He alone can provide. It is important to be reminded of this important gift. That is the purpose of the Lord’s Supper. It is a reminder of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, until He comes.
It is important to trust in the true God today. If you know Him, you are called to testify to His goodness among your neighbours, etc. If you do not know Him, you would do well to listen to some true godly person and come to know God’s peace and blessing in your life today. Death comes quickly and there is no changing anything when that moment comes. The time to know the true God is now.
Pastor Bartel
