We shall
continue the study of Exodus, the second book of the Old Testament.
(1) After nine consecutive plagues, how might you describe the following?
(2) Reflect on verse 3. Of course, it was all God’s doing. But with all these plagues, would the Egyptians and Pharaoh not greet the Israelites and especially Moses like a plague? How come they are “favorably disposed toward the people” and even “highly regarded” Moses?
(3) What lesson can we learn from verse 3?
(4) In what way was the killing of the first born in Egypt a recompense of Pharaoh’s sin?
(5) Do you think God has given Pharaoh enough forewarning? (See Exod. 4:23.)
(6) Pause for a moment to reflect on your own life. Is there a sin or a warning that God has repeatedly reminded you of that has been ignored by you till now? What should you do about it?
(7) Contrast this coming plague which would soon befall Egypt with what God said in v.7. What was the message being conveyed here?
(8) In comparison to the people of the world, how favored are those who belong to God today? How favored are you in the eyes of the Lord?
(9) What have you learned today and how may you apply it in your life?
“Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders many be multiplied in Egypt.” (Exod. 11:9)
I used to read the story of Exodus with only sympathy — sympathy for the Egyptians. Sure, I know that Pharaoh and his officials had to be held responsible for their inhuman treatment of the Hebrews, not only for their slavery of the Hebrews, but also for the killing of innocent children. But, to read of plague after plague, I thought that they were really unfortunate to be so chosen to reveal the mighty hand of God; that was until I set foot on the soil of Egypt. All of a sudden, I realized that of all the peoples on earth, they had been privileged to witness the greatest physical miracles, both in numbers and in magnitude.
Imagine the same miracles being performed before the people of our day! Sure, there will still be many who seek to explain them away in scientific terms, and there will still be people who choose to cling to their own gods and idols, especially when they realize that this God of the universe demands nothing short of total surrender and obedience of His people.
Still, these plagues were meant not primarily as curses, but as a demonstration of both the mighty power and the mercy of God. That was why many of the plagues were preceded by warnings with the hope that Pharaoh and his people might fear the Lord.
While we do not necessarily attribute every natural disaster and disease as God's punishment of this sinful world, they still demonstrate the mighty power of our Creator God. Given the frequency and magnitude of recent natural disasters, they should be enough to humble us before Him unto belief and repentance.
Note: The Jewish calendar was established at this time with its first month called “Abib” which eventually was called “Nisan” after their exile to Babylon. It corresponds to the latter part of March and the first part of April of our modern calendar (which is about the time of today’s assigned reading).
(1) As we read these detailed instructions of the killing of the Passover Lamb, we cannot help but think of our Lord Jesus Christ — The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). Let’s reflect on the significance of some of the details of the Passover feast so commanded by God:
a. A male lamb?
b. Without defect?
c. To be slaughtered?
d. Blood to be put on the sides and tops of the door frame of the house?
e. The eating of bitter herbs?
f. The eating of bread without yeast?
g. Nothing of the lamb should be left till morning—all must be all burnt?
(2) In what manner should the Israelites eat the Passover feast? Why?
(3) Why then do the rabbis insist that the people of Israel eat their Passover feast (presumably since the first century) in a reclined position? How theologically correct are they?
(4) Should they continue to observe their Passover today? Why or why not?
(5) Should Christians join their observance today?
(6) How do Christians remember the sacrifice of the Lamb of God today?
(7) Read v.12 carefully. Why is this a judgment on all the gods of Egypt?
(8) What have you learned today and how may you apply it in your life?
“This is the day you are to commemorate for the generations to come…a lasting ordinance.” (Exod. 12:14)
I know that the issue of whether to continue to observe the Passover by Christians has been a hot issue since the 2nd century. Unlike circumcision, many Jewish Christians continue to celebrate Passover, not based on the mentality of work, but perhaps, out of reverence for traditions and they consider it meaningful to observe, given the knowledge that Christ is the true Passover Lamb.
However, according the Scriptures, Christ has clearly instituted the Lord’s Supper at His last Passover feast replacing the old with the new. I suspect the early debate of Christian leaders like Polycarp was not just on the observance of Passover itself, but on the date on which Easter should be celebrated. Should it be celebrated on a Sunday, the day of Resurrection, or on the 14th of the first Jewish month of Nisan (which was known at the beginning as Abib), the day Passover is celebrated.
While we should not put the observance of one day as more important than another, it is important not to diminish the complete work of salvation accomplished by Christ on the cross. While Polycarp firmly insisted on the 14th of Nisan as what he believed to be biblical, I am afraid some non-Jewish Christians celebrate Passover more with a sense of novelty these days.
(1) What was the purpose of holding two sacred assemblies?
(2) How strict was the order about eating bread without yeast and the removal of yeast?
(3) Why should this be the case? (See Lk. 12:1, 1 Co. 5:7)
(4) What was the message then? What is the message to us today?
(5) What was the importance of putting blood on the doors? What is the significance of blood? (See Lev. 17:11)
(6) As Moses announced the instructions of Passover to the elders of Israel, how did they respond to it? What does it signify?
(7) Consider that horrible night.
a. Imagine observing it as an Israelite. How would you feel?
b. What if you were one of the Egyptians, how would you feel?
c. What if you were Pharaoh, how would you feel?
(8) Since our study coincides, time-wise, somewhat with Good Friday, put yourself in God’s shoes. How would you feel as you heard the wailing of Jesus Christ on the cross?
(9) Why did He have to slay the firstborn of Egypt?
(10) Why did He have to slay His own Son?
(11) What have you learned today and how may you apply it in your life?
Note: Hyssop is likely a hairy plant that is well suited to be used as brushes.
“At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt…and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.” (Exod. 12:29-30)
Throughout the ages, one of the strongest objections or criticisms against the God of the Bible is His treatment of the enemies of His people. As I was preaching on the Book of Joshua, queries were made of the command to totally destroy the enemies who stood in the conquering path of the Israelites—men, women and children included. But the greatest criticism comes from the killing of every firstborn in Egypt, the last plague in Exodus.
Certainly, there is no easy answer to these objections. But one thing we should bear in mind and that is, God does not need our defense, and we should not apologize on His behalf, nor should we try to sweep this valid question under the carpet. However, as valid as these questions are, I believe the starting point should always be about who God is!
Although who God is, in itself, is a vast, vast topic, I can think of three fundamental aspects about Him that are relevant in this respect. They are: He is Holy, He is righteous and He is love!
- God is so holy that no human being can see His face or enter unto His presence. God makes it clear to Moses in Exodus 33:22 and the curtain that separates the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place in the tabernacle is another case in point. This fact is as true as the fact that the closest the earth to the sun is already 91.2 million miles away, and if it were any closer all human life on earth would be eliminated.
- God is so righteous that He will not allow sin to go unpunished (Exodus 34:7). With the current legal systems in most of the “civilized” world, we always bemoan that the punishments levied on criminals are often too lenient, and yet we fail to see the severity of our sin and rebellion against our Creator God.
These two attributes of God should help us realize the futility of “all” human lives—men, women and children! As sinful beings, our eternal destiny is a certainty, if not for His love. Irrespective of how long or short our lives might be, as sinners, we have to face death, eternal death as our wages (Rom. 6:23).
- God is love: As much as there are those who say that they cannot believe in a God who killed His Son, this is the most amazing of all attributes of God, as far as I am concerned. For one, no one can stand before the judgment seat of God and accuse God of killing them or their loved ones, because the sight of His holiness will definitely render us, sinners, speechless. But the sight of the cross at Calvary should leave us with no doubts of His love for all mankind!
I always remember that conversation I had with my dying niece who asked, “Why does God allow this to happen to me?” To this I really had no answer. She was 28 at the time. But I silently prayed in my heart and I felt led by the Holy Spirit to say, “This is why Jesus Christ chose to die such a horrible death on the cross, so that at times like this, we can still believe that He loves us.” She did.
(1) Mull over every word in vv. 31-32:
(2) Reflect also on the following:
(3) Repeatedly the Bible mentions these Israelites as “the Lord's division (i.e. army)”. Why is that and what is its implications?
(4) V. 42 refers to that night as the night that “the Lord kept vigil”. What does it mean?
(5) Did God forbid all foreigners to eat of the Passover Lamb?
(6) Why did God impose such a strict restriction on who could eat it?
(7) What have you learned today and how may you apply it in your life?
“At the end of the 430 years to the very day, all the Lord's divisions left Egypt. Because The Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt...” (Exod. 12:41-42)
At the fulfillment of God’s promise to deliver His people, the Bible makes special mention of the fact that it was “to the very day”. This powerfully reminds us that
- God is absolutely sovereign.
- He is in total control of history.
- He will never forget His promise.
Being people of little faith and as modern men and women “trained” to be impatient, we often lose faith or at least, waver in our faith as our prayers seem to fall on God’s silent ears. But this is a very good reminder to us that even if it takes as long as 430 years, God will come through for His people, and it is done exactly according to His timetable, not a day early, not a day too late—but “to the very day”.
But we should be even more encouraged to know that “The Lord kept vigil that night”. Indeed, if The Lord keeps vigil for us, what can go wrong? Nothing!
Certainly,
that was a very special night — the deliverance of the people from the mighty
hand of Pharaoh. But Psalm 121 tells us
that The Lord always keeps vigil for those who belong to Him always. Let’s take this opportunity to savor this wonderful
thought through the following rendering of Psalm 121 by John Campbell:
Unto the Hills Around Do I Lift Up
1.
Unto the hills around do I lift up my longing eyesO whence for me shall my salvation come, from whence arise?
From God, the Lord, doth come my certain aid,
From God, the Lord, Who heaven and earth hath made.
2.
He will not suffer that thy foot be moved: safe shalt thou be.No careless slumber shall His eyelids close, Who keepeth thee.
Behold, He sleepeth not, He slumbereth ne'er,
Who keepeth Israel in His holy cad.
3.
Jehovah is Himself thy Keeper true, thy changeless Shade;Jehovah thy Defense on thy right hand Himself hath made.
And thee no sun by day shall ever smite;
No moon shall harm thee in the silent night.
4.
From every evil shall He keep thy soul, from every sin;Jehovah shall preserve thy going out, thy coming in.
Above thee watching, He Whom we adore
Shall keep thee henceforth, yea, forevermod.
John Campbell (1845-1914)
(1) What is the meaning of consecrated to the Lord?
(2) Why consecrate the firstborn, whether man or animal? (See Num. 3:13; 8:17)
(3) Beside the firstborn, do not the rest along belong to the Lord? (See Exod. 4:22)
(4) How should the people of God really “consecrate” themselves to the Lord? (See Num. 8:18) How should you really “consecrate” yourself to the Lord?
(5) Since Moses chose to reiterate the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread here, this must be of great significance. Let’s try to reflect on it as follows:
a. This observance coincided with the day they came out of Egypt (Passover’s observance began on the 14th day, Unleavened Bread on the 15th). What is the significance of the timing?
b. It lasted for seven days ending with the holding of a sacred assembly—What was the duration of eating unleavened bread supposed to achieve?
c. It was emphasized that “nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders” (i.e. not just inside the house)—What was the emphasis about?
d. What is the significance of having to observe it generation after generation?
e. What might the message be to you?
(6) What have you learned today and how may you apply it in your life?
“Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders.” (Exod. 13:7)
I am struck by the repeated instructions about the removal of yeast and the extent to which it must be carried out—even within their borders.
As we know, yeast is used a symbol of sin, and the reason why we need to remove and deal with sin is that even the smallest of sins can work like yeast and contaminate the whole dough. However, what is being emphasized here is “not to be seen anywhere”. It reminds us that we need to take sin seriously in every area of our life - work life, church life, family life, social life and personal life.
I find that we often live a double-life as a Christian. As a result, in order to know my people in the church, I love to visit them at their workplace, if possible, because it is the most telling of what kind of a person he or she really is. Even if my visit is pre-scheduled, while some are card-carrying Christians genuinely respected by their colleagues, at times I still find some who swear at their subordinates, and some who behave lewdly toward the opposite sex.
Repeatedly too, the Bible cautions us that “nothing hidden will not be disclosed” (Lk. 8:17; Mk. 4:22 etc.). Therefore, we will be fooling ourselves that we can somehow hide certain sins from public view. For one, we can never hide our sins from God. The truth is, sooner or later, our hidden sin will infest every part of our life, just like yeast. The pity is, often we are the last ones to know that our sin is plain to see by others around us, and we are the last ones to notice.
(1) How should the consecration of the firstborn to the Lord be worked out in reality?
(2) By so redeeming or breaking the (animal’s) neck, what is the message being conveyed?
(3) How then should it apply to us spiritually as “totally” belonging to God?
(4) Both the observance of unleavened bread and the redemption of the firstborn are said to be like “a sign on your hand and a symbol (or band) on your forehead”. Later on, these have been taken literally by orthodox Jews who put key verses of Scriptures into small containers and onto leather bands.
a. Do you think v. 9 and v. 16 should be taken literally? Why or why not?
b. What is the true purpose of these sayings?
c. What do you think is the best way for them to remember the mighty hand of God in the killing of Egypt’s firstborn and the sparing of their firstborn?
d. How best can you remember God’s sacrifice of His own Son in your place in order to accomplish your deliverance?
(5) What is the main message for you today and how may you apply it in your life?
“And this will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with His mighty hand.” (Exod. 13:16)
We should not blame the literal interpretation of this verse as the orthodox Jews put verses in their containers, sew it on their garments and/or write them on their doorframes. It is their effort to be true to the instruction of the Lord here in Exodus 13 and in other places like Deuteronomy 6:8-9.
However, as we know, if this is mere external adherence, it will only stroke our own pious ego and do nothing to lead us to live a life that loves the Lord with all our heart, and with all our soul and with all our strength (Deut. 6:5).
If we read carefully this instruction in Exodus 13 and in Deuteronomy 6, it is always within the context of talking about God's mighty works and His commandments with our children within the home setting.
The emphasis is not on going to the temple and being taught, as important and necessary as it is. The emphasis is on teaching our next generation within the home setting.
These days, we find Christian parents put all their emphasis on finding a church with good youth and children programs so that they can teach their children. It is not that the church should not have good, vibrant and biblical programs for youth and children, but such an emphasis is obviously misplaced. Even within such churches with vibrant youth and children ministries, the “casualty rate” of young people leaving their church and their faith during either their college years or post-graduation years is still very high. While, if you care to notice, those who have solid parental examples and teachings in godliness fare way better in their adult lives in Christ. Why? Because God has meant that the home is the anchor of faith, and thus the anchor of society as well.
(1) Why did God not lead them through a much shorter route by the Philistine country?
(2) If they were to face great enemies right away, would it not be an even better occasion to experience the mighty hand of God in battle?
(3) Why then should they be armed for battle?
(4) This, in fact, is how God chooses to treat new believers in Christ. Can you relate to similar treatments by the Lord in the early part of your Christian life?
(5) The Israelites were leaving in haste, and yet the bones of Joseph were not forgotten by them. What function might the bones of Joseph have played in the last several hundred years of sojourn and especially in slavery?
(6) How similar might the role be of the bread and wine during our Lord’s Supper remembrance?
(7) It may be helpful for you to refer to the map at the back of your Bible (if there is one for the period of Exodus) to understand the route being taken by the Israelites:
a. What was the expressed purpose of the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire?
b. What other purposes do you think they served?
c. How does God guide His children today?
d. Which is a better way of God’s guidance—theirs or ours? Why?
(8) What is the main message for you today and how may you apply it in your life?
“When Pharaoh let he people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter…’” (Exodus 13:17)
John Calvin has some choice words to say about why God chose a longer way for the Israelites to start their journey. I would like to share with you the following passage:
“We know how great was the supineness and cowardice this people, as soon as any difficulty presented itself; and how quick they were to revolt from the divine government, as often as a heavier burden than they liked was imposed upon them. We know how often they repented of having followed God as their leader, and thus, were prepared to throw away by their ingratitude the grace offered to them. When, therefore, they were powerless in the use of arms, and were altogether without experience of military tactics, with what courage would they have engaged with an enemy, if any should have advanced against them within a few days of their coming out? Assuredly they would not have borne up against a single assault, but would have been willing rather to submit themselves to the Egyptians, with humble supplications for forgiveness. Lest, then, any desire of return should steal over their hearts, God was willing to set up a barrier behind them in the difficulty of the journey. Besides, if in their departure from Egypt they had immediately encountered the inhabitants of the land of Canaan in war, greater troubles would have awaited them; for the Egyptians would by no means let them alone, but, being aided by the subsidies and forces of so many peoples, would have endeavored to avenge themselves, and having entered into alliances on every side, would have hemmed in the unhappy Israelites. Wherefore, God provided excellently for them, by leading them through inaccessible paths, and by their very weariness shutting the door against their ever desiring to return to Egypt; while afterwards He gradually restored their confidence, before they came to fight, and had to sustain the attacks of their enemies. I admit, indeed, that God might have otherwise obviated all these evils; but since He is often wont to deal with His people on human principles, He chose to adopt the method which was most suited to their infirmity.”
(Calvin’s Commentary, Vol. II, 233)