Lesson #15

RETURN TO SYLLABUS

EXODUS 12:29-51
Lesson #15
GOD’S ORDER AND ORGANIZATION

• Memory verse: Psalms 107:2 (King James preferred) “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”

• On the night of freedom, the Israelites were in their houses safely under the blood of the Passover lamb. Then at midnight suddenly death touched every household in Egypt. The firstborn of every Egyptian family died including Pharaoh’s son. This was not a quiet, peaceful death. It was so painful that the dying person woke all others in the house.

• Read Exo 12:29-36 The Death of the firstborn of Egypt
• The death of the firstborn touched man and animals because this, too, is a judgment on the god’s of Egypt.
• Pharaoh’s firstborn son was considered a god.
• If Amenhotep II was the Pharaoh of the Exodus, the son who died would have been the next in line to the throne.
• Egyptian history tells us that the Pharaoh after Amenhotep II was Thutmose IV. He was not Amenhotep’s first son.
• Apis

, the god in the form of a bull was to be the firstborn animal.

• All the people in Egypt were awake that night.
• The Israelites were awake waiting for marching orders.
• Pharaoh was awake tending to his dying son.
• Pharaoh recognized that this was another plague sent by God.
• Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, who were brought to the palace in the middle of the night.
• What interesting thing do we notice in verse 32? Of what significance is it?
• Finally Pharaoh had enough of the plagues. He commanded Moses, Aaron, and the Israelites to leave Egypt.
• “…be gone; and bless me also.”

(32)

• This seems like a strange request from Pharaoh. However, it simply means, “bless us by your absence”. With the absence of the the Israelites, Egypt would be free of the plagues and most specifically, Pharaoh’s own house would be free of them.
• The man who people thought was a god, was begging for mercy.
• This Pharaoh was concerned that if there was another plague after this one, it would cause his own death.
• What was the fear among the Egyptians that caused them to hastily rid Egypt of all Israelites?
• The fear throughout the whole nation of Egypt was the death of the Pharaoh and the destruction and death of the entire nation. (33)
• Now we are able to see why the plagues affected the whole nation:
• Every Egyptian household had Israelite slaves.
• Every Egyptian household must be willing to release those slaves.
• Every Egyptian household forced the slaves out because of fear.
• God prepared the hearts of the Egyptians to not only release the Israelite slaves, but also to give them abundant riches. (36) Why, the abundant riches?
• This wealth is a fulfillment of a promise given to Abraham.

• “

And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.” (Gen 15:14)

• This wealth represented the back wages the Israelites had earned as slaves for hundreds of years.
• The wealth, in the minds of the Egyptians, was a bribe to encourage the Israelites to leave.
• This wealth was part of God’s plan to supply a new life for His people.
• This wealth was God’s way of providing for the Israelites what they would need to build a magnificent tabernacle and a priesthood to serve God.

• Read Exo 12:37-42 The Journey to Freedom Begins
• The number of people in the exodus:
• The 600,000 men on foot (37)
• This number does not represent all the men. It only represents those who were walking.
• While we do not know exactly the number of people that came out of Egypt in the exodus, we can gain a pretty close estimate from this number in Exo 12:37 and more specifically from the numbering of the 12 tribes in Num 1-2.
• In Numbers 1-2 those eligible for counting had to be those who were able to serve in the army:
• Able in body
• Twenty years and older
• Male
• 1. Reuben 46,500
• 2. Simeon59,300
• 3. Gad45,650
• 4. Judah74,600
• 5. Issachar54,400
• 6. Zebulun57,400
• 7. Ephraim40,500
• 8. Manasseh32,200
• 9. Benjamin35,400
• 10.Dan62,700
• 11.Asher41,500
• 12.Naphtali53,400
• 13.Levi = The men of this tribe were not counted because they were to be the priests and must not go to war.
• Total = 603,550 (Num 1:46)
• Therefore, from the book of Numbers we arrive at the following numbers:
• 600,000 fighting men
• 400,000 women
• 200,000 senior citizens and the ill
• 800,000 children
• 100,000 mixed multitude (people who followed along after the Israelites. Exo 12:38).
• 2,100,000 people excluding the tribe of Levi
• Therefore, there were between 2,000,000 and 3,000,000 who came out of Egypt.
• The fact that this number is so large, impresses upon us the phenomenal task of moving so large a number of people in one night, and the devastation it must have made on the economy of Egypt.
• There are many skeptics who point out the impossibility of these numbers:
• It was impossible for this many people to leave Egypt in one night.
• It was impossible for this many people to cross the red sea at one time.
• It was impossible for the desert to support that many people.
• It was impossible for one man to lead and be a judge to that many people.
• However, man’s impossibilities are God’s possiblities!
• Only with God was the exodus possible.
• The mixed multitude (38)
• Who were these people?
• The Bible does not tell us specifically for they are always referred to by the name, mixed multitude.
• Probably this mixed group of people consisted of:
• Some Egyptians married to Israelites and their mixed race of children born during the 200 years in Egypt.
• Other foreigners found in Egypt at the time who took advantage of the redemption through the blood of the Passover lamb. Some of these may have been other slaves from other countries.
• We can assume this fact from Moses’ own marriage later in the book of Numbers to one of these women who was a black woman. (Num 12:1)
• And perhaps there were a few Egyptians who believed in God and took advantage of the protection under the blood of the Passover lamb.
• “Now the sojourning of the children of Israel…was four hundred and thirty years.”

(40)

• As we discussed previously, the Israelites were about 215 years in Egypt and wandered outside the promised land for 430 years, from the giving of the covenant to Abraham to the giving of the covenant to Moses.
• God said that they should remember this great event of the exodus through the celebration of the Passover because it marks an end to the dispensation of grace.
• The Seven ages and dispensations of God’s work with man on earth:

TYPE	AGE	COVENANT DISPENSATION	INCLUSIVE SCRIPTURE
LAW	#1 THE AGE OF SIMPLICITY	THE EDENIC COVENANT GEN 1:28-29 GEN 2:15-19	GEN 1:28-GEN 3:23
GRACE	#2 THE AGE OF CONSCIENCE	THE ADAMIC COVENANT GEN 3:14-21	GEN 3:24-GEN 8:19
LAW	#3 THE AGE OF SELF-GOVERNMENT	THE NOAHIC COVENANT GEN 8:21-22 GEN 9:1-17	GEN 8:26-GEN 11:9
GRACE	#4 THE AGE OF PROMISE	THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT GEN 12:2-3,7 GEN 13:15-17 GEN 15:1, 5-6, 18 GEN 17:1-11 GEN 22:17-18	GEN 12:1- EXO 14:31
LAW	#5 THE AGE OF LAW	THE MOSAIC COVENANT EXO 19-31 THE COVENANT OF THE LAND DEU 30:1-9 THE DAVIDIC COVENANT 2SAM 7:13-16	EXO 19:1- JOH 19:30
GRACE	#6 THE AGE OF GRACE	THE NEW COVENANT HEB 8:7-10	ACT 2:1-REV 3:22
LAW	#7 THE AGE OF MESSIAH	THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT MAT 5-7	REV 20:4-5

• It is the age of promise under the Abrahamic Covenant that lasted 430 years.
• What name did God give the exodus? (42)
• God called it, “that night of the Lord”.

• Read Exo 12:43-51 Instructions for a free people
• Now that the people are free from bondage in Egypt, God projects forward to the time when the Israelites will be wandering in the wilderness with a group of foreigners in their midst, as well as to a time when they are in their own promised land.
• What is God’s attitude toward those who were not Israelites?
• In His love and mercy, God made provision for those who are foreigners or “strangers”.
• Without God’s merciful provision, these people would have been forever considered “second class citizens”.
• The same is true of this New Testament age in which we live today. Without God’s love and mercy, no gentile would ever have been included in the kingdom of God.
• However, notice that God’s provision is optional for the foreigner and the hired servant and according to the free will of the foreigner or the hired servant.(45)
• What was God’s merciful provision for them and for us?
• The “stranger” (43)
• The “stranger” or foreigner was not to participate in the Passover or eat the Passover lamb unless he was first circumcised. Why?
• Remember that circumcision was the physical mark placed upon the Jews as proof that they were under the covenant promises that God gave to Abraham. (Rom 4:11)
• Circumcision was to mark them as God’s people of faith.
• Similarly, the non-believer should not partake of Holy Communion in this New Testament Age unless first he is born again (circumcised in the heart. Col 2:11 Phi 3:3)
• In other words, the stranger or non-believer should first become a believer.
• That truth was relevant to the “strangers” who traveled with the Israelites to the promised land. All were welcome to become proselytes by their free will choice. (48)
• That truth is relevant to the New Testament church. All are welcome to become believers in Jesus Christ according to his own free will choice.
• The “hired servant” (44-45)
• If an Israelite had a servant, that servant was not supposed to be treated like a slave. He was to be treated like a circumcised brother, worthy to become a proselyte and partake of the Passover.
• Equally today, we are to treat all people as worthy to become believing brothers in Jesus Christ in spite of their economic or social status.
• Those who choose to remain “strangers” or “hired servants” shall be treated as such and not be permitted to partake of the Passover. (48b-49)
• Respect for the Passover and the Lamb (46)

• ” In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.”

(46)

• Remember we discussed the aspect of redemption within the family. We see it here in this verse. The Passover lamb was to be eaten within the family and not taken from house to house.
• In other words, this celebration was to be kept sacred within the family. It was not to become a social party.
• The bones of the lamb were not to be broken in prophetic view of Jesus Christ whose bones were not broken on the cross. (Joh 19:36)
• “And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.”

(51)

• God brought all 2,000,000 Israelites and more out of Egypt in one day. How did He do that?
• They were organized according to the 12 tribes.
• Notice that the word, “armies” is plural. Each tribe was an army of men.
• A Leadership Principle

: To move people forward for God, you need to have order and organization.

• There was no rallying trumpet call by Moses that called the Israelites to gather at a specific place ready to leave Egypt.
• There was no communication by word of mouth that spread among the Israelites to tell them what to do and when.
• Forced from their homes, the people gathered in tribal units and followed their tribal leaders who followed Moses and Aaron.
• Remember, we saw those tribal leaders before back in Exo 4:29 and 5:15.
• Through their hundreds of years of slavery, they maintained their tribal identity and organization. It is that organization that facilitated the moving of such a large number of people in one night and one day.

• Summary and Application:
• God’s power on behalf of His people made this miracle possible:
• God provided the leadership = Moses, Aaron, and tribal leaders.
• God provided the means = the death of the firstborn.
• God provided the protection = the blood of the Passover lamb.
• God provided the provision = the wealth of Egypt poured out on the Israelites.
• God provided the timing = 430 years after the covenant with Abraham.
• God provided the impetus = the Egyptian fear that forced out the Israelites.
• God provided for the merciful inclusion of “strangers” = make them brothers in faith.
• God provided the order and organization = a social structure around 12 tribes with their leaders.

HOMEWORK
EXODUS 13
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Exo 12:29-51
• Over what bondage in your life do you desire that God give you the victory?
• Which aspects of the exodus do you find most encouraging to the breaking of bondages? Why?
• In what ways does the story of the Exodus encourage your faith?

• Preparation for Exo 13
• Read Exo 13:1-16
• Why do you think God repeats the instructions regarding the firstborn and the unleavened bread?
• Read Exo 13:17-22
• Why did Moses take the bones of Joseph with him?
• What do you think the cloud by day and the fire by night symbolize?

• Memory verse: Psalms 32:8