For He brought you out of slavery of sin (Exo 12-13)

For He brought you out of slavery of sin

Exodus 12:31-13:16

Key verse 13:9

Today’s passage described the Israelites when they got out of Egypt. The Exodus was so great that it has become the inspiration for movies like “The Ten Commandments”, “The prince of Moses”, and “Exodus (Gods and Kings)", etc. However, those movies presented the Exodus in a Hollywood way that attracts people for business purposes. The Exodus is not a movie. It is a historic event where God demonstrated his mighty power for the Israelites. What did the Exodus mean to the Israelites? What was God’s purpose? And what does all this imply to us today? I pray that through the passage God may help us to remember our own exodus and live holy as his people.

I. The Exodus – from the slaves in Egypt to God’s people

At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, including Pharaoh’s firstborn and all the firstborn of Egyptians and of their livestock. There was not a house without someone dead. Egyptians saw their firstborn dying all of sudden in their eyes. It was God’s judgment upon them for their sins. It was so dreadful that they were totally devastated by the power of death. Now what else was left for them? Seeing the death of his son and his people, Pharaoh was terrified by God’s power and his judgment on his country. Now he had no other choices.

³¹ During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. ³² Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”

Finally, Pharaoh surrendered to God and had to allow the Israelites to go along with their livestock, as Moses had requested. If he refused one more time, he would face his own death. The Egyptians also urged the Israelites to leave Egypt in hurry because they felt they all would die otherwise. They came to know that God is the LORD. They were terrified by the fear of God. So, they favorably gave the Israelites articles of silver and gold and clothing as they asked. In that way, the Israelites plundered the Egyptians. All this happened as God said. (3:22)

³⁷ The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. ³⁸ Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. 

That night the Israelites finally could leave Egypt. They journeyed Rameses and moved to Sukkoth, which was probably in Egypt or near the borderline. See, how many they were! They were about 600 thousand men besides women and children. Probably, they were about 2 million in total. There were also some foreigners who went with them. The Israelites also took large droves of livestock with them. Their desire for freedom had seemed far away from reality even until the last plague. But now they saw themselves leaving the country. They were no longer slaves. They no longer needed to make bricks. They became freemen. What a joyful and emotional moment it was. Some cried; some jumped around; and some others gave thanks to the LORD in tears. However, they had to get out of there immediately. Pharaoh could change his mind anytime. Since they had no time to prepare food for themselves, they took the dough without yeast and baked loaves of unleavened bread.

⁴⁰ Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. ⁴¹ At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt. ⁴² Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come.

It was 430 years since the seventy of Jacob’s family had come down to live there. It happened as God said to Abraham in Gen 15:16. At the end of the 430 years, all the Israelites left Egypt. How was it possible for such a large number of people to leave Egypt quickly and completely?

It was because the LORD kept vigil that night. He watched over his people so that they could leave Egypt quickly and safely without anyone left in Egypt. By his grace alone, that night they could get out of their slavery in Egypt. That was the night the Israelites should honor the LORD YHWH for his care and mighty work for them.

The Passover regulations

Then, God gave them instructions on the Passover. Previously, the LORD gave the Israelites the instructions on what to do in preparation for the Passover. Now he gave them the instructions on who were to eat the Passover meal on that day.

⁴⁷ The whole community of Israel must celebrate it. ⁴⁸ “A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat it. 

The whole community of Israel must celebrate it by eating the Passover meal. God graciously allowed foreigners and slaves to participate in the Passover meal with one condition - the males must be circumcised. Circumcision was the criterion applied to their eligibility for the Passover meal whether they were the Israelites or foreigners. Why was circumcision so important particularly at this moment? And what did it mean for them to participate in the Passover meal?

God demanded Abraham to circumcise him and all the males in his household, including his slaves, as the seal of his covenant so that they would live according to God’s will and grace rather than their own will. So, circumcision was the symbol of the acceptance of God’s covenant and thus the mark of God’s people. So, by circumcising themselves, the foreigners and slaves would accept God’s grace and submit themselves to live as his people together with the Israelites. As for the Israelites, who were already circumcised but lived as slaves in Egypt, they needed be restored to God’s people and thus renew their covenantal relationship with God.

So, the Passover meal at this moment was meaningful in two respects: First, it was a symbol that they were no more slaves of Egyptians. They had nothing to do with anything in Egypt anymore. Second, by eating the Passover meal their status would be changed and renewed. This meant their new status as God’s people and their new commitment to God and thus the new beginning of their life. (They would be the new community of Israel and serve God together. Probably, that was why God commanded them to eat in one house together and not break any of the bones, which all symbolized unity among them.) So the Passover meal must not be compromised or treated lightly. This ordinance must be kept with fear and in obedience to God. As such, just leaving Egypt did not mean that they would be God’s people automatically. They needed to eat the Passover meal so as to establish or renew their covenantal relationship with God.

On that very day, all the Israelites did just what the LORD had commanded and the Lord brought them out of Egypt. Now they were God’s people, not slaves anymore.

As mentioned in the previous passage, the Passover ultimately pointed to Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins. We were the slaves of Satan and sin and thus the objects of God’s wrath. But when we believed in Jesus, God has changed us from slaves of sin into his people. Just coming to church does not mean that we are saved. Just doing the church works does not mean that we are Christians. We must drink Jesus’ blood and eat his flesh. There should be a sincere repentance of our sins. Then, God will change us into his people according to his grace and power. Once we believed in Jesus, we should know and remind ourselves again and again that we are no more the slaves of sin but God’s holy people.

II. After the Exodus – how to live as God’s people

Now the Israelites were restored from slaves to God’s people. They were heading to the land of promise. To help them live as God’s people, the LORD gave them two commands in relation to the Passover:

·         Keep the Unleavened Bread.

·         Consecrate every firstborn male to the LORD.

The Unleavened Bread

³ Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast. ⁴ Today, in the month of Aviv, you are leaving. 

These instructions about the Unleavened Bread were similar to what was already given the previous chapter. These instructions can be summarized as follows.

·         The Unleavened Bread was to commemorate the Passover day.

·         They should eat nothing containing yeast.

·         For seven days they should eat bread made without yeast.

·         Any yeasts shall not be seen anywhere within your border.

The focus of the Unleavened Bread was to celebrate the Passover without yeast. Yeast represented Egypt – Egyptians’ ungodly life and also Israel’s affliction in Egypt (Deut 16:3). Now that they came out it, they must not go back to Egypt or follow such a life anymore in the land of promise. If so, it is like a dog returns to its vomit. (2 Pet 2:22) Again, this observance would remind the Israelites of their slavery in Egypt. It would also help them remove secular and ungodly things in them and renew themselves to live holy as God’s people. They should keep this every year in the month of Aviv when they left Egypt. Why? God knew that they were weak, forgetful, and evil.

We believers are God’s people, but that does not mean we are without yeast. We are also weak and forgetful. While living in this ungodly world, we are easily influenced by secular culture and ideas. We stumble on sin, not even knowing that is a sin. Look around in your house, in your room. What is on your tables and your beds? Look into your bags, computers and smartphones and your hearts. What do you see and find? How much do you see God things? We may be surprised by what we find. That is why we should continually remove yeast in us and among us. We live in polytheism. People think that there are many gods and many ways to get paradise. In that way, they cover up their sins and even some Christians believe both in God and in something else. “Something else” is yeast to be removed. Otherwise, we cannot live as God’s people.

The Consecration of the firstborn

Another command regarding the Passover was the consecration of the firstborn.

13 ¹The Lord said to Moses, ² “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”

To consecrate means to make holy by giving to God. Here God claimed all firstborn males in Israel. Why? It was because God spared them when he struck down all the firstborn in Egypt. So God said that they belonged to him.

¹¹ “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised on oath to you and your ancestors,¹² you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord.¹³ Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons.

Here, “redeem” means to pay for someone in order to claim back. The firstborn was very important to the family and represents all offspring. By giving their firstborn to the LORD, they will,

·         Remember that God saved their firstborn in Egypt.

·         Recognize God’s ownership and his sovereignty over them.

·         So that the whole family and the whole Israel can live as God’s people.

As such, giving our first thing or our most important thing to God serves as the foundation of our relationship with God. So Christians are to be faithful to giving tithe, which is the first portion of income or whatever they earn first or their first time of day. Even some parents dedicate their firstborn son to God. This is our recognition that everything comes from God and we are his. By giving back to God whatever is the first or the important, we can fear God and we will be blessed. (Deut 14:22-23,29)

It was several months later since I joined the army. My parents visited me and gave me some money. Then, knowing this, someone in my barrack stole my money while I was sleeping at night. But what comforted me was that I already offered a large portion of the money to the church just after I met my parents. I learned that only what I give to God is not stolen and lasts forever. I am the first son to my parents. Since they were not believers, they did not offer me to God. So when I came to believe in Jesus, I offered myself to God. I also offered my children to God when they were born because God gave his Son Jesus Christ for my sins and their sins. God claims our first things. He deserves it. This is not optional, but it must be our priority. And that is a way of revering God and living as his people.

Thus far, God taught the Israelites to commemorate the Passover by keeping the Unleavened Bread and the consecration of the firstborn. These two share the followings in common.

First, these instructions were given particularly for the days when they would enter the land of promise. (13:5,11) In other words, these were very important for them to live continually as God’s people.

Second, parents were to tell their sons why they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the consecration of the firstborn. (13:8,14-16; 12:26) God wanted their offspring to know God’s deliverance and keep the spirit generation after generation so that they might also live as God’s people.

Most importantly, keeping all this would be like a sign on their hand and a symbol on their forehead that the LORD brought them out of Egypt with his mighty hand. (13:3,9,14,16)

⁹ This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand…’¹⁶ And it 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.”

The focal point of today’s passage is “the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.” That was actually all about the Passover and they were to commemorate it by observing the Unleavened Bread and the consecration of the firstborn.

They must remember that God delivered them from their slavery by his power and mercy. Otherwise, they could go back to their old slavery and suffer the covenantal curses written in the book of Leviticus (ch. 26) and Deuteronomy (ch. 28).

When Israel was in troubles, it was always when they failed to keep these commands. However, when they repented and kept the Passover, they were healed and prospered again. For example, while Judah was declining, King Josiah happened to find the scroll in the temple and was greatly alarmed by God’s warnings. Immediately, he reinstituted the Passover celebrations and with that spirit purged idols in the land. God gave him prosperity.

The same is true to us today. The most important thing we Christians must do is to remember how God delivered us from our sins through the blood of his son Jesus. It is God’s power. It is his grace and his one-sided love. If something goes wrong with you, go back to your Passover. That is the solution to all our problems and in some sense that is all about our Christian life.

One lady was good at memorizing the Bible verses. But over time, her memory got weak. When she was close to death, she could not remember any verses but only one word. It was “He.” She remembered to the end that the LORD saved her from the slavery of sin and death. “He” has also brought you and me out of the slavery of sin and death out of mercy and by his power. Never forget what he has done for you. He is the LORD and our Savior.

By David Yun