Exodus Chapter 12

INTRODUCTION:

We are following Moses through this mission he has been called on by God to complete.  If we pause and think about what has taken place so far, I can relate to Moses. Moses has a burning bush moment, literally, and he fears the Lord but he also argues a bit with God because he doesn’t feel equipped. God responds with patience and mercy to Moses’ request. Moses obeys God. Moses gets tired because he doesn’t see fruit. The Israelites complain to Moses. Moses goes back to God and God strengthens him to persevere. Such a real experience with the living God through oppression and difficulty. 

Put yourself in the story. Imagine you’re living in a time where your people have been stuck in a brutal situation for generations—think oppressive systems, unfair treatment, and no way out. That’s where the Israelites are at in this chapter. They’ve been slaves in Egypt for over 400 years, and life’s been a grind. Now, God’s about to flip the script as He promised.

Exodus 12 is the moment everything changes. God’s been hitting Egypt with plagues to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, but Pharaoh’s stubborn and hard hearted. So, God lays out a final move—the Passover. He tells Moses and the people to get ready for a big exit. Here’s the plan in modern terms: every family grabs a lamb (think of it like picking up your last grocery order before a road trip), slaughters it, and puts some of the blood on their door frames. Why? Because that night, God sent a judgment on Egypt—death to the firstborn in every house—but the blood is a signal to skip the marked homes.

They’re also told to cook the lamb with some bread—unleavened, no yeast, because there’s no time to let it rise. They’re eating on the run, ready to bounce at a moment’s notice. Picture it: sandals on, bags packed, eating fast like you’re about to catch the last train out of a collapsing city. That’s the vibe.

When it happens, it’s chaos in Egypt—wailing everywhere as the plague hits—but the Israelites are safe. Pharaoh finally cracks and tells them to get out. This is their breakout moment, the start of freedom, and it’s messy, urgent, and real. Exodus 12 isn’t just some old ritual; it’s about survival, hope, and a promise that things can change, even when you’ve been trapped forever.

Let’s dive in

The Passover: 

Exodus 12:1-6 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

• God hits up Moses and Aaron while they’re still in Egypt, laying out the game plan. He says, “Alright, new calendar time—this month is now your number one, the start of your year.” Think of it like resetting the clock for something huge. Then He tells them, “On the 10th of this month, every family needs to grab a lamb—perfect, no blemishes, a year-old male. If your household’s too small to eat a whole one, team up with your neighbors.” 

• God’s specific: “You’ve got until the 14th to hang onto that lamb. Then, at dusk, everyone’s slaughtering their lamb together.” Picture a neighborhood-wide BBQ with a deadline—everyone’s in sync, prepping for the same moment. Setting the stage, picking the lamb, and getting ready for the big night. Simple, but loaded with what’s coming next.

Exodus 12:7-13 Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 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 no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

• After picking their lambs, God tells the Israelites, “Okay, here’s what’s next. Take some of the lamb’s blood and smear it on your door frames—top and sides. Then, that same night, cook the lamb over a fire, whole thing, head and all, with some flatbread—no yeast—and a side of bitter herbs. Think fast food, survival style: no time to mess around. Eat it quick, dressed to go—shoes on, bags packed, ready to bolt.”

• God explains why: “That night, I’m moving through Egypt, and every firstborn—people and animals—is done for. It’s the final hit to break Pharaoh. But that blood on your doors? That’s your shield. I’ll see it and pass over your houses—no harm’s coming your way.” He wraps it up with, “This isn’t just a one-off. Make it a tradition, a reminder forever of how I got you out.” It’s intense—protection, chaos, and a promise, all in one shot.

Exodus 12:14-20 This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.”

• God tells the Israelites to remember this day forever—the day they’re leaving Egypt. They should celebrate it as a festival for all future generations. Specifically, for seven days, they’re to eat unleavened bread (bread without yeast). On the first day, they need to get rid of all yeast from their homes. Anyone who eats anything with yeast during those seven days will be cut off from the community. The first and seventh days are special—no regular work is allowed, except for preparing food. 

Exodus 12:21-28 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the 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 will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

• Moses gathers the Israelite leaders and tells them to pick out lambs for their families and slaughter them for the Passover. He instructs them to take some hyssop (a plant), dip it in the lamb’s blood collected in a bowl, and smear the blood on the top and sides of their door frames. Then, they’re to stay inside their houses until morning—no one steps outside. That night, God will pass through Egypt to strike down the firstborn, but when He sees the blood on the doorframes, He’ll skip those houses and spare them. Moses says they need to keep this as a tradition forever, passing it down to their kids. When they settle in the land God promised and their children ask, “What’s this ceremony about?” they should explain it’s the Passover sacrifice to honor God, who spared their homes when He hit the Egyptians. After hearing this, the people bow down, worship, and then go do exactly what Moses and God told them.

The Tenth Plague - Death of the Firstborn:

Back to the last plague from last week....Exodus 12:29-32 describes the devastating final plague in Egypt. At midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from Pharaoh's own son to the firstborn of captives and livestock. The cry throughout Egypt was overwhelming, as every household experienced loss.

Exodus 12:29-32 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!”

• At midnight, God strikes down every firstborn in Egypt—from Pharaoh’s oldest son to the firstborn of prisoners in jail, even the firstborn of livestock. It’s chaos. Pharaoh wakes up, along with all his officials and every Egyptian household, to loud crying because there’s death everywhere. In the middle of the night, Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron and basically says, “Get out! Take your people, your flocks, everything—just go worship your God like you wanted. Oh, and pray for me while you’re at it.” He’s done fighting them.

The Exodus: 

Exodus 12:33-42 The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders. The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.

The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations.

• So what is happening here…Exodus 12:33-42 describes the Israelites' departure from Egypt, marking the fulfillment of God's promise to deliver them. (We have been waiting on this!) 

• The Egyptians were freaking out and basically begged the Israelites to leave right away, worried that they’d all end up dead if they didn’t. So, the Israelites grabbed their stuff—dough and all, not even waiting for it to rise—packed it up in their kneading bowls, wrapped it in clothes, and slung it over their shoulders. They also hit up the Egyptians for silver, gold, and clothes, just like Moses had told them to, and the Egyptians were so desperate to get rid of them that they handed it all over. Basically, the Israelites cleaned them out.

• So, they took off from Rameses and headed to Succoth—about 600,000 guys, plus women, kids, and a ton of livestock. 

Institution of the Passover:

Exodus 12:43-51 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it. It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”

All the people of Israel did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. And on that very day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.

• God laid down some ground rules for the Passover with Moses and Aaron. He said, “No outsiders are allowed to eat this meal. If you’ve got a slave you bought, they can join in, but only if they’re circumcised first. Hired workers or random visitors? Nope, they’re out. And you’ve got to eat it all inside the house—don’t take the meat outside, and don’t break any of the bones.”

• God made it clear: everyone in the Israelite community had to take part in this. If some foreigner living with them wanted in on the Passover, they’d have to get circumcised—every guy in their household, too. Only then could they join the celebration and be treated like one of the locals. But if they skipped the circumcision? No dice—they couldn’t eat it. The same rules applied to everyone, whether you were born an Israelite or just living among them.

Conclusion:

In the end, Exodus 12 is all about the Israelites finally breaking free from Egypt after centuries of being stuck there. The Egyptians, totally spooked and desperate, practically shoved them out the door, even handing over their gold and silver just to get them gone. The Israelites bolted in a hurry, with half-made bread and a massive crew. God set up the Passover as a big deal to mark the occasion. 

That night, after 430 years to the day, God pulled them out, watching over them as they left. 

It was a chaotic, epic exit, and the Israelites did everything God told Moses and Aaron, kicking off a tradition they’d never forget.

Takeaways:

• We see the significance of God’s children’s faith, obedience, and the importance of teaching future generations about God's saving work.

• We see God's provision, faithfulness, and the importance of trusting His timing and commands.

• We see the importance of community, covenant, and obedience in worship. It also points to the inclusivity of God's grace, as even foreigners could partake in the Passover if they embraced the covenant.  

• And fast forward a couple thousand years…Jesus shows up and becomes the ultimate passover lamb taking the sin of the world upon Himself.  You see it has always been about Jesus.

Personal Challenge

• What do you want to pass on to the future generations? What can you tell them about the Character of God and how it was and is displayed in your life? What can you tell them about your faithfulness and obedience to God’s calling on your life?