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Okay, you can turn to Exodus 
chapter 12. Exodus chapter 12, it's a long chapter, so we'll 
just take up the first half. So we'll read to verse 28, and 
then God willing, pick up the latter half next Wednesday night. 
But Exodus chapter 12, I'll begin reading in verse one. Now the 
Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 
this month shall be your beginning of months. It shall be the first 
month of the year to you. "'Speak to all the congregation 
of Israel, saying, "'On the 10th of this month, "'every man shall 
take for himself a lamb, "'according to the house of his father, "'a 
lamb for a household. "'And if the household is too 
small for the lamb, "'let him and his neighbor next to his 
house "'take it according to the number of the persons. "'According 
to each man's need, "'you shall make your count for the lamb. 
"'Your lamb shall be without blemish, "'a male of the first 
year. You may take it from the sheep 
or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the 
14th day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the 
congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they 
shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts 
and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they 
shall eat the flesh on that night, roasted in fire with unleavened 
bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, 
nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire, its head 
with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain 
until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall 
burn with fire. And thus you shall eat it, with 
a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff 
in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. 
It is the Lord's Passover. For I will pass through the land 
of Egypt on that night, and will strike 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. Now the blood 
shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when 
I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall 
not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 
So this day shall be to you a memorial, and you shall keep it as a feast 
to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast 
by an everlasting ordinance. Seven days you shall eat unleavened 
bread. On the first day you shall remove 
leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread 
from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall 
be cut off from Israel. On the first day there shall 
be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be 
a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done 
on them, but that which everyone must eat, that only may be prepared 
by you. So you shall observe the feast 
of unleavened bread, for on this same day I will have brought 
your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you shall observe 
this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. 
In the first month, on the 14th day of the month at evening, 
you shall eat unleavened bread until the 21st day of the month 
at evening. For seven days, no leaven shall 
be found in your houses. Since whoever eats what is leavened, 
that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of 
Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. "'You 
shall eat nothing leavened. "'In all your dwellings you shall 
eat unleavened bread.' "'Then Moses called for all the elders 
of Israel "'and said to them, "'Pick out and take lambs for 
yourselves "'according to your families "'and kill the Passover 
lamb. "'And you shall take a bunch 
of hyssop, "'dip it in the blood that is in the basin "'and strike 
the lentil in the two doorposts "'with the blood that is in the 
basin. "'And none of you shall go out of the door "'of his house 
until morning. For the Lord will pass through 
to strike the Egyptians. And when he sees the blood on 
the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door 
and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike 
you. And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you 
and your sons forever. It will come to pass when you 
come to the land which the Lord will give you, just as he promised 
that you shall keep this service. And it shall be when your children 
say to you, what do you mean by this service? That you shall 
say, it is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over 
the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when he struck 
the Egyptians and delivered our households. So the people bowed 
their heads and worshiped. Then the children of Israel went 
away and did so, just as the Lord had commanded Moses and 
Aaron, so they did. Amen. Well, as we review the 
book of Genesis, a book of Exodus rather, it picks up right where 
Genesis left off. The people of Israel were in 
the land of Egypt, and then the Pharaoh at that time turned aggressive 
toward the children of Israel. So essentially what you have 
is the oppression of Israel by Egypt, chapter 1. In chapter 
2 you have the birth of Moses who functions as the deliverer. 
In chapter 3 Moses receives a commission from God to deliver the children 
of Israel. Moses is then prepared by God 
in chapter 4 and he meets with Pharaoh first of all in chapter 
5. There is an assurance of deliverance 
given by God in chapter 6 to sort of fortify and equip Moses, 
and that's grounded upon and founded in God's covenant faithfulness. And then the 10 plagues start 
in chapter 7 at verse 1. They carry through to chapter 
11, verse 10 properly, and then the 10th plague is found in chapter 
12 at verses 29 to 30. It gets very little direct report 
in terms of the actual application of God's judgment. It's certainly 
announced back in chapter 4, it's announced in chapter 11, 
it's announced here as well in chapter 12, but the actual 10th 
plague is only dealt with in verses 29 and 30. What we have 
prior to that is the giving of the regulations for the Passover 
and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. So essentially what we have is 
in verses 1 to 13, the instructions for Passover, specifically the 
blood ritual. And then secondly, the instructions 
for the memorial of unleavened bread in verses 14 to 20. These were taken in conjunction 
with one another. And then finally, the section 
ends with the instructions given to Israel in verses 21 to 28. So God instructs Moses and Aaron 
in verses 1 to 20, and then Moses and Aaron instruct the elders 
of Israel in verses 21 to 28. So the elders aren't necessarily 
called elders because they were older men, but they were most 
likely the leaders in the community at this particular time. So Moses 
and Aaron give them the instructions concerning Passover, and then 
the people dutifully obey and observe this ordinance on that 
occasion of God's having brought justice to bear upon this oppressing 
nation. Now, as we look at this particular 
chapter, it does us well to consider something about typology. We're 
going to talk about this a little bit on Sunday morning in John 
chapter 2. The temple is a type of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Well, the Passover is also typological 
or typical of our Lord Jesus Christ. Basically, a type refers 
to an impression, an image, an example, or a pattern. So it 
is an impression, image, example, or a pattern. It can be a person, 
it can be an ordinance or an institution like we have here 
in Passover. It can be a building like the 
temple, for instance. And what that does is it functions 
as a sign pointing forward to the anti-type. Now anti-type, 
we hear that word and we think it means against the type. But 
anti also means in the place of the type. And so that's what 
we mean when we speak of anti-type. So you have the type, the Passover, 
it functions typologically to point forward to the anti-type, 
the in the stead of the type, and that is our Lord Jesus Christ. Now I say this because when we 
move through chapter 12, a lot of it is to be taken typologically. In fact, we have biblical warrant 
for this typology in 1 Corinthians 5 at verse 7. The apostle says, for indeed 
Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. So Paul makes that identification 
between the type, which was the Passover, and the anti-type, 
which was the Lord Jesus Christ. Another way to think about this 
whole idea of type and anti-type is the anti-Christ. Typically, 
again, we hear that phrase anti-Christ and we assume it means the person 
against Christ. But it can also mean the person 
in the place of or in the stead of Christ. So anti doesn't just 
mean opposite to, but it also means in the place of. So don't 
let that language of anti-type make you think that it's something 
opposite to the type. No, the type is the symbol, the 
image, the pattern that points forward to that which fulfills 
it. So on Sunday morning, I'm going 
to argue that Jesus is the anti-type of the temple. That means that 
Jesus is the fulfillment. He's in the place of, in the 
stead of, He is the realization of the temple itself. The temple 
didn't exist as an end unto itself. the temple rather pointed forward 
to the Lord Jesus Christ. And the same thing is true with 
reference to this Passover sacrifice or Passover feast that we find 
in the book of Exodus. Now obviously, as I mentioned, 
I think it was last Sunday in John chapter 2, John uses Passover 
to structure his narrative. And most likely John is also 
theologically commenting on what is happening in terms of Jesus 
Christ. He is bringing a new exodus to 
bear, a new Passover, not a deliverance from Egyptian bondage, but rather 
the deliverance from the bondage in sin. And on the Mount of Transfiguration, 
remember that Moses and Elijah appear to our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Remember, Peter says, it's good for us to be here, should I build 
three tabernacles or three booths for you men to dwell in? It's intriguing because Luke 
tells us what Elijah and Moses are talking about with our Lord 
Jesus. They're talking to him about 
his exodus. And that literally means departure. So there's a lot of similarity, 
a lot of overlap, a lot of symbolism in what you find here in Exodus 
chapter 12, sort of foreshadowing what's going to happen during 
the time of Messiah. So let's look at this chapter. 
We're not going to deal with every jot and tittle to be sure, 
and there's probably a lot of questions you're going to have 
when we end tonight. There's only so much that we can do in 
the space of a few minutes in terms of a long-ish chapter like 
this. One other thing before we start. 
Notice the similarity between the institution of Passover and 
then the event that it shadows forth or the event that it highlights. The same thing happens in the 
Lord's Supper. You have the institution of the 
supper, and then you have the death of our Lord Jesus. You 
have the institution of the Passover, and then you have the actual 
event itself. And so, when you see the giving 
of these particular instructions, they're not given haphazardly. 
God knows certainly that these things are going to come to pass, 
and therefore, He's able to give the sign prior to the actual 
event itself. So let's look first at the instructions 
for the Passover in terms of the blood ritual in verses 1 
to 13. Notice again the persons addressed 
in verse 1. Now the Lord spoke to Moses and 
Aaron. Now notice in the land of Egypt, 
they're still in the house of bondage. If you look at chapter 
12 in verse 40, you see how long in total the people of Israel 
had been in Egypt. Now, the sojourn of the children 
of Israel who lived in Egypt was 430 years. Now, try to psychoanalyze 
this for just a little bit. These people had only ever lived 
there. The people that are going to 
be given instructions, tomorrow we leave, you're gone, you're 
done, it's over. They had lived there, their parents 
had lived there, their grandparents had lived there, and their great-grandparents 
had lived there. This had become home. Now certainly 
they were oppressed, and certainly they were slaves, and certainly 
they had lots of challenges living in that land, but that was all 
that they knew. So when these instructions come 
that there is to be this immediate departure from the land of Egypt, 
it had to be a massive undertaking on behalf of the children of 
Israel at this particular time. But Yahweh speaks to the lawgiver, 
Moses, and he speaks to Aaron, the father of the priesthood. 
And then notice he gives specific instructions in terms of the 
blood ritual. First, the parties involved in 
verses 3 and 4. Individual Israelite households. It was a communal event. It wasn't 
something that was done individually. If a particular household was 
too small, then they would join with other households as well. 
Again, this images or foreshadows or at least is parallel with 
what we do in the supper. It's not a private thing, it's 
not a private religious exercise, but rather it is a corporate 
gathering of the saints to commune with their God and with one another. And Paul gives that command or 
Paul highlights that element involved. For as often as you 
eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's 
death until he comes. Again, not individual Christians 
evangelizing on the street corner, but the church in engaging in 
that particular ordinance is corporately gathered together 
and they're proclaiming the realities of the gospel of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. So it was a communal or a corporate 
sort of a situation. One commentator, Stuart, says 
it was preparation for the Messiah. The Messiah was to be one body, 
broken for all, symbolically eaten by all. So again, I wanted 
to give you that whole idea of typology because we're going 
to make some of those observations as we move through Exodus chapter 
12. Now notice, secondly, by way of instructions given, the 
selection of the Lamb in verses 5 and 6. The Lamb must be without 
blemish. The lamb must be without blemish. This is repeated in Leviticus 
22. At verse 21, it's repeated in Deuteronomy 15, Deuteronomy 
17, and again, it foreshadows or it is typological of the Lamb 
of God who takes away the sin of the world. In fact, Peter 
makes much of this reality in 1 Peter 1 at verse 19 when he 
highlights the blemishlessness of our Lord Christ. In 1 Peter 
chapter 1 verse 18, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible 
things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received 
by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of 
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before 
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last 
times for you who through him believe in God, who raised him 
from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are 
in God." So going back to Exodus chapter 12, the emphasis upon 
that lamb is that it must be without blemish. And also, when 
Israel, the faithful in Israel, receive this ordinance, receive 
these instructions, they are to think messianically as well. They are taught, they have been 
taught thus far, to be looking forward to a Messiah. Genesis 
chapter 3 verse 15 promises that the Messiah would be a man. He 
would be a man born of a woman. and that that man would accomplish 
total victory and triumph through his own suffering and even death. 
He would bring judgment to bear upon the serpent himself through 
his suffering and death. So they had these promises already 
in play, and so ordinances like the Passover build upon that 
information to give them even a more robust picture of the 
Messiah that is to come to bring them salvation. So the lamb must 
be without blemish and the lamb must be taken on the 10th day 
and kept until the 14th day. I think the idea behind this 
is preparation. You need to make sure the lamb 
is ready. You need to make sure everything is in order for the 
actual time when you bring the knife to bear upon this lamb. 
And that's indicated in verse 6. Now you shall keep it until 
the 14th day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the 
congregation shall take, I'm sorry, then the whole assembly 
of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. Most 
likely at twilight because there was enough light to be able to 
see what they were doing. They didn't have floodlights, 
they didn't have spotlights, they didn't have the sort of 
things that we had, so twilight would afford enough time for 
them in order to be able to engage in this activity. Now remember, 
this lines up exactly and precisely with the death of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. The Lamb of God who takes away 
the sin of the world was crucified on a Passover day. The Lamb of 
God who was crucified for us and for our salvation went through 
the very same thing that we see engaged in here typologically. And then notice the placement 
of the blood according to verse 7. As I said, this is a blood 
ritual. Verse 7, they're to splash the 
blood on the doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where 
they eat it. Now, as we move through the narrative, 
we know what the significance of this, that God would see the 
blood, and having seen the blood, he would pass over that particular 
dwelling place. Now, obviously, if we're dealing 
with a sovereign and omniscient God, He doesn't actually have 
to have a sign. He doesn't actually have to see 
the blood. As we move through the narrative, 
we see that the blood is a sign for them. It's not so that God 
looking down can say, oh yeah, there's a faithful covenant family. 
I'll just sort of mark them down. God's not Santa Claus. He's not 
up there sort of keeping a list of who's naughty and nice, and 
he'll only go down the nice kid's chimney. That's not what it is 
at all. It's spoken in the manner of 
man. It is a sign for the nation of Israel, and it is as well 
an expression of their faith in Yahweh. Those who believed 
the Word of God, those who heeded the Word of God would fulfill 
the terms involved in this blood ritual, and they would take that 
blood and they would splash it on the doorposts and on the lintel 
of their door frame. If you go back to Exodus chapter 
9, there is a similarity or a parallel in terms of the seventh plague 
with reference to the hail. Notice in verse 20, he who feared 
the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his 
servants and his livestock flee to the houses. But he who did 
not regard the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock 
in the field. Again, God does not need them 
to do that in order that God knows which livestock he is to 
leave unaffected by the hail. It is a simple recognition of 
the faith of those who believe the word of the living God. In 
this context, verse 20, he who feared the word of the Lord among 
the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock 
flee to the houses. So he did something. There was 
an action consistent with the faith that he had, and the same 
thing obtains in chapter 12. God doesn't need to see dried 
blood on your lintel in order that he knows that you're a covenant 
child and he's going to pass over. The sign ultimately is 
for them, verse 13, now the blood shall be a sign for you on the 
houses where you are. It is an expression of their 
faith in the living and true God. And then finally in terms 
of instructions, verses 8 to 11, the preparation of the meal. 
In the first place, they are to eat that flesh on that night, 
verse 8, roasted in fire with unleavened bread and with bitter 
herbs they shall eat it. Now, there is much made about 
unleavened bread in this particular section. In fact, there's a feast 
of unleavened bread. There's a negative sanction imposed 
on those who do not observe this prohibition against leavened 
bread. Now that might make us conclude 
that leaven is a bad thing, that it's always wrong to have, you 
know, Wonder Bread or a French loaf from the grocery store. Now again, I think the emphasis 
in this section specifically is on haste. You do not have 
time to wait for the bread to leaven. You do not have time 
for the bread to rise. Rather, you need to get it going, 
you need to ingest it quickly, because you need to get out of 
Egypt. You need to flee the scene after 
God brings judgment to bear upon them. Now, in terms of going 
forward in this emphasis upon unleavened bread, again, as we 
move through the Bible, I cannot find anywhere that indicates 
that leavened bread is necessarily sin. There's a couple of instances 
in the New Testament where it seems to favor the use of unleavened 
bread, or at least sanctions or highlights, rather, leaven 
as a bad agent. In Matthew 16, for instance, 
Jesus cautions his disciples against the leaven of the Sadducees, 
and then they ultimately see or conclude that he's talking 
about the doctrine of the Sadducees. After Paul makes clear the reference 
that Christ is indeed our Passover in 1 Corinthians 5-7, he then 
goes on in 1 Corinthians 5-8 to talk about purging the lump. 
Now, as far as I can tell, again, I don't think yeast or leaven 
is a bad thing. It probably has to do with the 
pervasive influence of a particular situation. So, if you eat, you 
know, a loaf of French bread, I don't think God's going to, 
well, I know God's not going to cut you down for that. He 
may cut you down for something, but it's probably not going to 
be the French bread that you're eating. So this whole idea of 
unleavened bread initially has to do with haste. If you look 
at this section, and then in terms of the herbs, now some 
say, well, they would eat the bitter herbs because it would 
always remind them of their bitter time in Egypt under bondage and 
oppression. I don't have any problem with 
that. I just don't know where it says that in the Bible. Again, 
it probably had to do with the, you know, the quickest pick of 
whatever herbs were available. You didn't have time to prepare 
them and de-bitterize them, and so you just ingested them as 
they were at that moment. And then in terms of the roasting 
of the lamb, verse 9, same sort of idea. Don't eat it raw, nor 
boiled at all with water. Now later on in the legislation 
you see that there are times it is acceptable to boil meat 
in the water, but on this Passover feast that was a prohibition. 
Do not eat it raw nor boiled at all with water, but roasted 
in fire, its head with its leg and its entrails. And then notice 
this prohibition against letting any of it remain until morning 
in verse 10. You shall let none of it remain 
until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall 
burn with fire. Now Matthew Poole, I thought, 
had a good sort of response to that. In the first place, he 
said this would help avoid superstition. It would help avoid superstition. 
This was the holy sanctified meat. It's kind of like a lucky 
charm. And before you think, well, they would never have done 
that. They did that with the brazen serpent. From Numbers 
21, Moses made a brazen serpent, lifted it up in the wilderness. 
Whoever had been bitten by a fiery serpent, when they looked at 
that brazen serpent, they lived. Well, by the time we get to 2 
Kings, we see that it had been erected. It had been an idol 
that needed to be destroyed. So I think that's a good observation. 
but as well to avoid profane use. And by profane, we oftentimes 
think profane means, you know, like the F word or something 
really out there or bad. Typically in scripture, profane 
simply means not consecrated. It's something not associated 
with holy uses. So profane doesn't necessarily 
mean it's the most wicked thing on the face of the earth. It 
simply means it has not been consecrated unto holy use. Later in the legislation, specifically 
in Exodus, you see that when there is something consecrated 
for holy use, it's not then to be reintroduced into profane 
use. And I think maybe that's what 
obtains here. You've got something that is 
sanctified or consecrated for holy use, therefore, get rid 
of it all. Whether you ingest it, if not, 
then go ahead and burn it, lest you use it as a lucky charm or 
lest you reintroduce it into profane use. And then notice 
that this feast must be observed while you're fully clothed. Verse 
11, and thus you shall eat it with a belt, not that you should 
not be fully clothed when you eat a feast, but notice the emphasis. And thus you shall eat it with 
a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, which was not typically 
the norm. I think they practice the same 
sort of custom we practice here in Canada, where you take the 
shoes off your feet when you enter into somebody's house. 
and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste, 
it is the Lord's Passover. So again, the emphasis there, 
you shall eat it in haste, it is the Lord's Passover. So that's 
the preparation for the Passover, verses 1-11. And then notice 
the description of the event itself. talked in between the 
legislation concerning Passover and that concerning unleavened 
bread, or that aspect of that feast week, he gives us, excuse 
me, a description of the Tenth Plague or the event that this 
sign looks forward to, and this sign will look backwards to. 
So in other words, as subsequent generations of Israelites participate 
in this Passover, they will have a cause to reflect upon this 
particular night. Again, just like we do in the 
supper. Jesus gives it proleptically 
in Matthew chapter 26. He gives the institution of the 
supper and then he dies. Subsequent generations of Christians 
now take that supper and we look back in redemptive history to 
the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, specifically in tune with his 
words, do this in remembrance of me. Well, the same sort of 
thing happens here. It's not an empty religious ritual. 
It's not just something that sets them apart from the nations 
around them. I mentioned this a couple of 
weeks ago when we looked at the water changed into wine at the 
wedding at Cana of Galilee. Feasting was a priority in Israel. It found its way into their calendars 
on several occasions. Now, they were certainly a people 
that were to fast and to chase in their hearts and to discipline 
their bodies and that sort of thing with fasting, but feasting 
was also uppermost in the nation. And one of the reasons for the 
feast was historical remembrance. It was a time to reflect upon, 
and typically around a meal, the great works of God Most High. This is a time for contemplation, 
a time for remembrance, a time that is filled with intimacy 
and camaraderie and community with the people of God. And so 
now notice what happens in terms of the description of the event. 
Two things stand out. First, the judgment of God, verse 
12, and secondly, the mercy of God in verse 13. So his perfections 
are paramount or uppermost in this execution of his wrath. 
Notice in the first place in terms of his judgment. The agent 
of God's judgment is God. He works immediately in this 
particular judgment. He says, for I will pass through 
the land of Egypt on that night. We've seen that before. He's 
used means for the previous nine plagues. Not that that means 
he's not involved. He uses the means. He raises 
up the frogs. He raises up the lice. He sends 
the hailstones. He diseases or strikes the livestock. God is involved in all that, 
but that is immediate use. He works through by and in the 
use of means. Here it's immediate, and it says, 
I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night. Now in 
terms of the targets of God's judgment, notice what he specifies. And will strike all the firstborn 
in the land of Egypt. If you turn to verse 30, this 
means all the firstborn. We often think, or I think at 
times we may be inclined to think, only the firstborn son. You'll 
note later in the legislation given by God through Moses that 
the firstborn son is oftentimes entitled to privileges that the 
firstborn daughter isn't. But in this instance, verse 30 
says, So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, 
and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in 
Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. 
Now, unless every single Hebrew house had a firstborn son, this 
seems to imply, or I'm sorry, every Egyptian house had a firstborn 
son. This would imply that there were 
firstborn daughters that died as a result of this judgment. 
So, back to 1212, I will strike all the firstborn in the land 
of Egypt, both man and beast. Now, the beast are struck, again, 
just as an extensive commentary on God's judgment and repudiation 
of Egypt. Not that the beasts themselves 
had sinned against God, but sometimes that included, or sometimes the 
judgment of God included the livestock of the beasts as well. 
And then he highlights this at the end of verse 12, and against 
all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgment. I am the Lord. Now, when he says, and against 
all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgment, I am the Lord. Is he legitimizing or does this 
validate the existence of other gods? And that's a big question 
that people come up to when they read the Bible. You'll see the 
various idols in the nations, the various gods that the people 
serve. In this particular statement 
from Yahweh himself, and against all the gods of Egypt, I will 
execute judgment, I am the Lord. I'll give you the three positions 
in terms of what this particularly means. In the first place, some 
have taken, some of the older commentaries, in light of some 
Jewish writings, take it as the actual toppling of their idols. Remember when the children of 
Israel were taken by the Philistines, and the Philistines captured 
the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord? and then the Philistines 
trod it back to the Temple of Dagon, they put the Ark of the 
Covenant into the Temple of Dagon, and when the Philistines come 
in to have their devotions with Dagon that next morning, Dagon 
has fallen over. And so, some suggest that when 
God executes the judgment against all the gods of Egypt, He executes 
judgment, that means all their idols were toppled over. Again, 
some of the older commentaries, working with some Jewish sources, 
say that that actually happened on that first Passover night. 
Most of the modern commentators don't give that any credence 
whatsoever, so take that as you will. Others say it's the destruction 
of the animals put for their gods. Remember that when God 
brings the ten plagues, each of the particular plagues targets 
most likely one of the gods of Egypt, say a frog, or the Nile, 
the River Nile, or whatever it might have been. Now certainly 
that could have been the case, that these particular animals 
or the things signified in terms of their gods would have been 
destroyed. But I think the best sort of 
emphasis here is the exposure of the futility of their gods. It is a way to show that their 
gods really do not exist. When you sign up for a god, what's 
sort of one of the basic things you want from that god? Protection, 
isn't it? Keeping me safe from frogs, or 
lice, or flies, or the death of the firstborn. So when God 
brings judgment to bear upon the Egyptians, He is making a 
statement concerning their gods. They don't exist. You've gone 
up against the true and living God, and the true and living 
God is showing you that everything you've called God is no God at 
all. It is a way for the Lord God 
Most High to underscore that belief in false gods or trusting 
in what cannot save as opposed to the only one who can is an 
exercise in futility. So when this statement is made, 
it's not to validate or legitimize the gods of Egypt. It is rather 
to delegitimize, to devalidate or invalidate them rather, and 
to say they are no gods. They are no such things. That 
would be the execution of judgment against the gods of Egypt. Now, 
that's the judgment, verse 12, but notice the mercy of God in 
verse 13. Now, the blood shall be a sign 
for you. Again, it's a sign not for God. 
He doesn't need dried blood in order to make sure He doesn't 
bring judgment to bear. He's not haphazard. He's not 
the sort of God that needs a bit of help as He's on His mission 
of execution. Now, the blood shall be a sign 
for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, 
I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be on you to 
destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. Stuart again says, 
the sight of dried blood by itself had no power to deter death. 
It was only as the dried blood painted on the top and sides 
of the door was a testimony to the faith of the inhabitants 
in Yahweh that it had its efficacy. Thus the statement, when I see 
blood, I will pass over you. In other words, I will spare 
all those who show that they have placed their faith in me. 
That's the significance. It's an expression of faith. 
It is obedience to a positive commandment of God. God speaking 
in the manner of men, I will see that blood and I will pass 
over and spare you from the vengeance of God that will be poured out 
on Egypt. Now, the children of Israel would 
be mercifully spared from the judgment of God through the blood 
of Passover. You can turn to Psalm 136. 136, just to demonstrate how this 
one act of God is both judgment and mercy. It's a matter of perspective, 
whether you're an Egyptian or you're an Israelite. The same 
act is either an act of justice or it is an act of mercy. If 
you have faith in the living and true God, if you walk in 
the way of Yahweh, It is an act of mercy. If you are an oppressor, 
if you are a tyrant, if you are an enslaver, then this is an 
act of justice because you are the target of God's destruction. So in Psalm 136, it is a rehearsal 
of the mercy of God that endures forever. Notice specifically 
in verses 10 to 12. to him who struck Egypt in their 
firstborn, for his mercy endures forever." Again, not if you're 
an Egyptian, you wouldn't sing Psalm 136 if you were an Egyptian. If you were burying your firstborn 
whom the Lord God had killed, Psalm 136 would not be in your 
heart or on your lips. Now verse 11, and brought out 
Israel from among them, for his mercy endures forever. With a 
strong hand and with an outstretched arm, for his mercy endures forever. We'll see this later in the Exodus 
narrative. To him who divided the Red Sea 
in two, for his mercy endures forever. And made Israel pass 
through the midst of it. for His mercy endures forever, 
but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea for His mercy 
endures forever." Again, Pharaoh and his army did not interpret 
that act as His mercy endures forever. It was the justice and 
judgment and vengeance of God poured out upon a nation that 
had busied itself for 430 years by oppressing His covenant people. And as well, when we go back 
to Exodus chapter 12, it shouldn't take us a lot of thought to see 
the link between Passover and Christ as our Passover sacrifice. Without the shedding of blood, 
there is no remission. What is Israel learning here? 
Now, there will be detailed legislation given in terms of the sacrificial 
system. Blood will feature large in Israel's 
religious life. Here, it's introduced in a powerful 
way. You take that blood from the 
blemish-free lamb and you splash it up on your doorpost and on 
the lintel so that when the avenging angel of God passes by and he 
sees that blood, he will pass over and not bring upon you the 
vengeance of God Most High. It taught them, in terms of Messiah, 
to know and associate that blood atonement would probably be preeminent 
association with the Lord Jesus, with the coming Messiah. So, 
the people of God are spared from the wrath of God through 
the blood of the Lamb of God. That's the lesson of Exodus chapter 
12. That's the typology of Exodus 
chapter 12. That's why Paul tells us in 1 
Corinthians 5-7 that Jesus Christ is our Passover, that He was 
sacrificed for us. Now notice secondly, in terms 
of the overarching theme of the chapter, the instructions for 
the memorial of unleavened bread in verses 14 to 20. In the first 
place, the time of observance is verse 14. So this day shall 
be to you a memorial, and you shall keep it as a feast to the 
Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast 
by an everlasting ordinance. Now, I don't want to sort of 
confuse anybody, but the everlasting there is conditioned by context. The Hebrew word olam can mean 
forever and ever, world without end. Amen. but it can also mean 
long duration. So it's not the case that we 
are still supposed to keep the Passover today. Some have wrongly 
concluded that the children of God in the new covenant are still 
subject to Israel's calendar. That's not correct. Paul debunks 
that whole view in Romans 14, he debunks it in Colossians chapter 
2, and he debunks it in Galatians chapter 4. Those are not anti-Fourth 
Commandment Sabbath passages, but they are in fact anti-Israel's 
calendar in terms of obligation for the new covenant people of 
God. So when it says in verse 14 that this is an everlasting 
ordinance, do not take from that that you need to keep the Passover 
according to Israel's calendar. So there is though that command 
for the children of God under that old covenant situation to 
perpetuate and to earnestly observe this particular feast. Now, in 
terms of the instructions given with reference to the Feast of 
Unleavened Bread, the duration of the feast is given in verse 
15. The Feast of Unleavened Bread 
again happens in conjunction with the Passover. It is to be 
kept for seven days. We once again are told of the 
removal of leaven from their houses. And then notice specifically 
in verse 15, a pretty harsh sanction for those who disobey. For whoever 
eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, 
that person shall be cut off from Israel. That's repeated 
again in verse 19. For seven days, no leaven shall 
be found in your houses. Since whoever eats what is leaven, 
that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of 
Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. Now, 
when you look at that language in the old covenant legislation, 
cut off, sometimes it means to be executed. Sometimes it means 
to be put out of the camp. What is the particular stipulation 
involved here? I hate to do this, but I don't 
really know, but I think Matthew Poole has a good word of exhortation 
concerning this. He says, that soul shall be cut 
off either by excommunication or by death to be inflicted by 
the magistrate, and in case of his neglect, by God himself. Nor let anyone think that this 
was too severe a punishment for what may seem no great offense. 
For this was indeed a very great crime, being a manifest contempt 
of God, and a rebellion against God's authority and express command, 
which surely deserves as severe a punishment as is inflicted 
upon rebels against their prince. In other words, what he's saying 
is, is that for Old Covenant Israel, they were, in effect, 
a constitutional republic. Do you know what their constitution 
was? It was the Old Testament. Do you know what treason was 
in that republic? It was to go against Yahweh, 
the Covenant Lord. And so if among the nations or 
around the nations of Israel, if a man was rebellious to his 
king or priest, most likely he would have been dealt with severely. 
Well, within Israel, if a man was rebellious against his king, 
then he would be dealt with severely. So, back to Paul. He says, "...as 
is inflicted upon rebels against their prince, especially considering 
that the Israelites were the people and subjects of God in 
a peculiar manner." It was also a tacit renunciation of their 
religion, and of the covenant of God with them, and of their 
interest both in that past deliverance out of Egypt, and in the future 
deliverance by the Messiah. So it was no small thing is what 
Poole is saying. So whatever the particular contours 
of the judgment was, it was in fact just, and it was in fact 
legitimate. Again, brethren, as we move our 
way through the Pentateuch, there may be some things that cause 
you to scratch your melon from time to time. Deuteronomy 13 
is a perfect example of that. The legislation from God through 
Moses that if the wife of your bosom entices you to worship 
a false god, she is to be cut off. And in that context, she's 
to be executed. We recoil at that in great horror. But again, it's sedition to apostasy. It's treason against the highest 
level of authority within that body politic. So back to Exodus 
chapter 12, we notice in verse 16 that the feast was to be marked 
by two days of convocation on either side, the first day and 
the last day. And basically a convocation was 
a day when you do no regular work, where you would make the 
preparations necessary, and you'd be given over to worship, to 
prayer, to praise, and that sort of thing. And then in terms of 
the commemoration of the event, notice in verse 17. There was 
necessity bearing upon you so that you would do what you were 
told. Verse 17a. So you shall observe the feast 
of unleavened bread. Now notice this intriguing statement 
in verse 17. For on this same day I will have 
brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. "'I will have 
brought your armies out of the land of Egypt.'" The margin has 
hosts, which is another way of saying armies. Now we might scratch 
our heads here and say, what army? Are the children of Israel 
already in some sort of divisions? Are the children of Israel already 
for their departure from the land? Well, it would seem so 
if you turn back for just a moment to chapter six. Chapter six. We see evidence of this. Verse 
26, these are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, 
bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according 
to their armies. And then again in chapter seven 
at verse four, but Pharaoh will not heed you so that I may lay 
my hand on Egypt and bring my armies and my people, the children 
of Israel out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. Stewart, 
I think, makes a good observation. The reference to the Israelites 
being organized into an army, God's army, implied in the words, 
your divisions or armies, is not new, but hearkens back to 
Exodus 6 and Exodus 7. It reminds the hearer or reader 
that the Passover meal had overtones, not only of haste and fleeing 
out, but of ready preparedness for battle. What happens when 
they leave Egypt? Are the nations around going 
to say, oh, that's just those Israelites. We're going to let 
them pass. We're going to let them take 
whatever. They're going to be a warring people. They're going 
to be a battling people. So it reminds the hearer or reader 
that the Passover meal had overtones not only of haste and fleeing, 
but of ready preparedness for battle. The Israelites were not 
merely leaving a place. They were also going to a place 
they would have to conquer militarily on God's behalf. That's the whole 
movement in the Pentateuch. We end up at the Plains of Moab 
in Deuteronomy, and there Moses is preparing the children over 
the span of a month with several exhortations in the Plains of 
Moab on a rehearsal of God's doings among them, the giving 
of God's law, and instructions for tenure in the land. They 
then are to launch the conquest under Joshua after the passing 
of Moses. So they need to be a people that 
are ready and willing to battle for Yahweh. They're not going 
to wander into the land of Canaan and the Canaanites are going 
to happily give up the fields that they've hoed. They're not 
going to give up the vineyards that they've planted. They're 
not going to give up the houses that they've built. The Canaanites 
aren't going to say, oh well, the Israelites are here. Let's 
just give them everything and depart. No, they're going to 
have to go in and do some serious battle. So already there is talk 
of armies in place relative to their departure from the land 
of Egypt. And then finally we have the 
summary concerning the feast in verses 18 to 20. You have 
a reiteration with the specific days of the month given, and 
then the reminder concerning the prohibition of leaven in 
verses 19 to 20. And then finally and quickly, 
this just summarizes all that we have seen with a couple of 
added details. The instructions given to Israel 
by Moses, notice in verses 21 to 28. In the first place, the 
preparation of the lamb. Verse 21, pick out and take lambs 
for yourselves according to your families and kill the Passover 
lamb. So he reiterates or rehearses 
or repeats what God had told him. Verse 22, and you shall 
take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, 
and strike the lentil and the two doorposts with the blood 
that is in the basin. and none of you shall go out 
of the door of his house until morning." That's additional information 
that doesn't come up in the previous word, from God to Moses. Now, either God told Moses, and 
Moses didn't have it in the first part, or Moses is concluding, 
or inferring, or implying, you don't want to go outside. You 
want to stay inside, have your staff in your hand, your belt 
on your waist, your sandals on your feet, that fresh lamb dripping 
from your chin and beard, and you don't need to go outside. 
That's the Lord's business. He will take care of business, 
so you just stay inside. And then notice the reason again 
in verse 23, very clear, Israel is being taught something about 
blood, Israel is being taught something about atonement, Israel 
is being taught something about God in terms of His mercy, and 
without the shedding of blood there is no remission. Now, the 
New Testament obviously is clearer. The New Testament interprets 
for us the Old Testament, but using that sort of a New Testament 
mindset, we can conclude that the people of Israel, if they 
were attentive and they were believing in the promises of 
God, knew a lot about God's redemptive plan. In other words, they knew 
a lot about the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, Jesus wasn't 
out to lunch when in John's gospel he says to the religious leaders, 
you search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal 
life. These are they which testify of me. And then later on in John 
5, he says that Moses wrote about me. Well, what's he talking about? 
He's talking about legislation like this. He's talking about 
the typology like this. He's talking about the tutoring 
that Israel got in the land of Egypt preparatory to their conquest 
of Canaan and all of the instructions subsequent to that via the prophets 
that pointed them forward to the Lamb of God who takes away 
the sin of the world. So that when John the Baptist 
makes that announcement in John 129, people aren't saying, what 
do you mean, John? Well, they understood what John 
meant, at least to some degree, because they had been taught, 
look for a man Look for a man that's going to come and triumph, 
and a man who's going to triumph through his own suffering and 
death. Look for a man who's going to bring blood atonement. Look 
for a man who's going to bring redemption. Look for a man who's 
going to bring conquest. So they learned a lot about Jesus 
before Jesus ever came. And then we notice that there 
are catechetical reasons for the Passover. Catechetical reasons 
for the Passover. Notice in verse 24, again the 
emphasis from verse 17 on observance. And you shall observe this thing 
as an ordinance for you, and notice, and your sons forever. What's one of the reasons why 
we have the Lord's Supper? To confuse our children? To tell 
our children, well someday this will all make sense to you. No, 
you tell your kids, this is what we're doing. This is what the 
bread represents. This is what the wine represents. 
This is why we do it. It's in remembrance of me. Hopefully 
parents in our church are doing that with their children and 
hopefully the covenant people of Israel were doing that with 
their children relative to Passover. Oh kid, just put your belt on 
and put your sandals on and hold your staff. We're gonna have 
some lamb tonight and then we're gonna run out. Why, dad? Well, 
you know, someday it'll all make sense to you. No, there were 
catechetical reasons for this whole affair. Notice in verse 
25, it will come to pass when you come to the land which the 
Lord will give you, just as he promised that you shall keep 
this service. Again, this is before the fact, 
isn't it? But when the sovereign God of 
absolute truth says that I'm giving you this land, which he 
already said back to Genesis chapter 12 with reference to 
Abraham, it's as good as done. So it will come to pass when 
you come to the land which the Lord will give you, just as he 
promised that you shall keep this service. Now, when you keep 
this service, look at what happens in verse 26. And it shall be 
when your children say to you, what do you mean by this service? 
Because most likely, subsequent to this, future generation of 
Israelite children would not have been involved in the first 
Passover. So they would have engaged in this Passover sacrifice 
to recall, rehearse, and remember the great redemptive power of 
God Almighty. So that those generations could 
point their children to Yahweh as the deliverer, as the redeemer, 
as the savior. Verse 26, and it shall be when 
your children say to you, what do you mean by this service that 
you shall say? It is the Passover sacrifice 
of the Lord who passed over the houses of the children of Israel 
in Egypt when he struck the Egyptians and delivered our households. 
Notice they weren't afraid to tell them that God struck the 
Egyptians. God destroyed the Egyptians. 
God dealt with the firstborn of the Egyptians such that every 
father and mother on that grand night tearfully buried their 
firstborn and God delivered us so that we could flee from that 
land, flee from that tyranny, flee from that oppression and 
come into this land flowing with milk and honey. So, there was 
a catechetical purpose involved in this Passover sacrifice. Now, as a result of all of these 
instructions, notice what happens. Verse 27b, so the people bowed 
their heads in worship. They received the word of God. 
They received the instruction from God through His servant 
Moses, and their response was not Well, what if I don't like 
lamb? What if I don't have a bell? 
They worship. God had spoken concerning their 
deliverance. What's the reflex when God speaks 
to us concerning our deliverance? It's worship, it's praise, it's 
adoration. It's Romans 12.1. Therefore, 
by the mercies of God, I beseech you, present your bodies as a 
living sacrifice unto the Lord, which is your reasonable service. 
Your response to God's redemption ought to be worship and it ought 
to be obedience. And verse 28 underscores that 
the children of Israel went away and did so just as the Lord had 
commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. Well, in terms of the 
practical benefit in Old Covenant Israel, They learned, or they 
rather, celebrated God's redeeming power. They celebrated, they 
were joyful, it was a time for feasting. As well, they did so 
corporately. They gathered together, one with 
another, and rehearsed the great acts of God. And then they catechized 
their children, they passed this information on to their children 
and their grandchildren, so that they would understand the glory 
of the God of Israel. Secondly, in terms of the typological 
significance of the Passover, the necessity of blood for atonement. Hebrews 9.22 is not a lie. Without the shedding of blood, 
there is no remission. And again, this goes back all 
the way to Genesis chapter 3. The first act of blood atonement 
is wrought by God. When God kills animals and takes 
their skins and covers Adam and Eve, that's blood atonement. 
When Abel, or Cain and Abel, go at the end of days, the end 
of the days of the week, and they go to present their offerings 
to God, Abel understood. He brought the animal, he brought 
blood atonement to God Most High. Where do you think he learned 
that? He learned that from Adam, who learned it from God, when 
God killed the animals and covered Adam with the skin. So they understood 
the necessity of blood for atonement. They as well understood a lamb 
without blemish. You're not supposed to pick the 
cheap one, the lame one. I mean, brethren, a lame one 
or a blind one tastes as good as a without blemish one. But 
in terms of the underscored lesson, you find the best in the flood. such that Israel is taught that 
when Messiah comes, He's gonna be the best of the flock. When 
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world comes, He 
is going to be fit, He is going to be able, and He is going to 
be the one to fulfill that. And then finally, the expression 
of faith involved in splashing that blood. The blood was not 
a sign for God, the sign was for them. It was an expression 
of their faith in the word of Yahweh. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank You for Your Word and we thank You for what 
we find here in Exodus 12 and explained so vividly throughout 
the rest of the Old Testament and certainly in the New Testament. 
And we thank You that Christ is our Passover, that He is our 
sacrifice. And God, we rejoice in that blood 
of atonement. We rejoice in the Lamb of God 
who takes away the sin of the world. And we rejoice, Most High 
God, that He's enthroned at Your right hand. and that he ever 
lives to make intercession for us, and that he does save to 
the uttermost all who draw nigh unto God through him. Lord, bless the preaching of 
the gospel as it goes forth. We pray that you would save a 
multitude of sinners in our generation, and God, help us to be faithful 
with our children and with our grandchildren to pass on the 
great redemptive acts of God to them. And we ask in Jesus' 
name, amen. I know that was a lot of material 
but I just wanted to sort of get it out there. Any questions? 
There's like four minutes. Good. Oh. Good. Good. Yeah, the pervasive influence 
of that agent to sort of run rampant in the midst of the people. 
Yeah. All right. Have a good night.