F E AT U R E S
124 exoDus 12:23
23 When
well. 30 Phar aoh and all his of fi cials and all
the Egyp tians got up dur ing the night, and
there was loud wail ing in Egypt, for there
was not a house with out some one dead.
the Lord goes through the land to
strike down the Egyp tians, he will see the
blood on the top and sides of the door frame
and will pass over that door way, and he will
not per mit the de stroy er to en ter your hous
es and strike you down.
24 “Obey these instruc
in struc tions as a last ing
or di nance for you and your de scen dants.
25 When you en ter
Over 180 smaller
articles r the land that the Lord
will give you as he prom ised, ob serve this
that serve as cer
applications
e mo ny. 26 And when your chil dren ask
‘What does
of the topics you,
discussed
in this cer e mo ny mean to
you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Pass over
the major articles
sac ri fice to the Lord, , who passed over the
hous es of the Is ra el ites
es in Egypt and spared
our homes when he struck down the Egyp
tians.’ ” Then the peo
people
ple bowed down and
wor shiped. 28 The Israelit
Is ra el ites did just what the
Lord com mand
anded
ed Moses
Mo ses and Aar on.
29 At mid night the Lord struck down all
the first born in Egypt, from the first born
of Pharaoh,
Phar aoh, who sat on the throne, to the
first born of the pris
firstborn
prisoner,
on er,
er who was in the dun
geon, and the firstborn
first born of all the live stock as
MOSES
ERA 3
The exodus
31 Dur ing the night Phar aoh sum moned
Mo ses and Aar on and said, “Up! Leave my
peo ple, you and the Is ra el ites! Go, wor ship
the Lord as you have re quest ed. 32 Take your
flocks and herds, as you have said, and go.
And also bless me.”
33 The Egyp tians urged the peo ple to hur ry
and leave the coun try. “For oth er wise,” they
said, “we will all die!” 34 So the peo ple took
their dough be fore the yeast was add ed, and
car ried it on their shoul ders in knead ing
troughs wrapped in cloth ing. 35 The Is ra el
ites did as Mo ses in struct ed and asked the
Egyp tians for ar ti cles of sil ver and gold and
for cloth ing. 36 The Lord had made the Egyp
tians fa vor ably dis posed to ward the peo ple,
and they gave them what they asked for; so
they plun dered the Egyp tians.
THE EXODUS
Exodus 12:31–36
In the mind of an Israelite, there was no greater deliverance no more miraculous and
astonishing experience of salvation—than the Exodus. The people of Israel were in slav-
ery to an unrelenting Egyptian pharaoh— subject to backbreaking work and harsh living
conditions. So God sent Moses as a deliverer who would lead His people through the sea,
as if they were walking on dry land, and who would lead them to a land where they would
finally have true rest— rest from alienation, weariness, and frustration.
When the prophet Isaiah spoke about the future restoration of Israel, he loved to describe
a coming deliverer in terms reminiscent of Moses, the former deliverer. He would lead
people through the raging waters to a land of rest.
There are some who have suggested that the literary genre that we call a Gospel is unlike
any other in ancient literature, because it is modeled on one unique book: Exodus. And
that makes perfect sense; both describe an enslaving enemy, the sacrifices taken by the
deliverer to save His people, a great deliverance, and the hope of a promised land.
This explains why Jesus stilled the stormy seas and why He walked on water as if He were
on dry land. It’s why when Jesus was transfigured, Luke says that He was speaking with
Moses and Elijah about His departure; literally, His “exodus.” On the cross, Jesus defeated
the ultimate enslaving enemy— not Pharoah, but rather sin and death itself. And instead
of merely risking his life as Moses did, Jesus voluntarily gave His life.
Why? To lead us out of slavery and into a land of rest. This is why the writer of Hebrews
says that even though Moses did not bring God’s people to their appointed rest, because
Jesus Christ brought about a greater deliverance as a greater Moses, there is a Sabbath
rest yet to come for the people of God (Hebrews 3:1–6; 4:1–11).
For more information on this subject, see article “Exodus,” p. xxxx.
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