CSSA 1-1-18 - ISRAEL KEEPS THE PASSOVER AND CROSSES THE RED SEA

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18. ISRAEL KEEPS THE PASSOVER AND CROSSES THE RED SEA

"He smote all the firstborn in Egypt... but made His own people to go forth like sheep"

Aim

To show how God delivered His people out of Egypt, but destroyed all the firstborn of Egypt.

"Israel is My son, even My firstborn". These were God's words which Moses was commanded to speak to Pharaoh; and to these were added others more threatening: "And if thou refuse to let him go, behold I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn" (Exodus 4:22, 23). The greatness of Yahweh, the God of Moses was seen as, one by one, the so-called gods of the Egyptians were defeated in nine plagues. But Pharaoh was very proud and would not do as God said. His heart was still hard, and he declared he would see Moses' face no more. Soon, however, he was to feel the hand of Yahweh in a more terrible way in the last plague. He was about to lose his firstborn son, heir to the throne of Egypt. When that happened, Pharaoh would command Israel to leave (Exodus 11:1).

Exodus 12:1-14,29-39; 13:17-22; 14

PREPARATION FOR THE PASSOVER: Exodus 12:1-14

The time for Israel's deliverance from Egypt was at hand and the Hebrews were given important detailed instructions to obey.

They were to demand, as the word "borrow" means, jewels of silver and gold as well as clothing and whatever they would need for a journey. The Egyptians willingly gave to them anything they asked, for they were anxious to see the Hebrews go. In this way the Israelites received some small payment for their many years of slavery (vv. 35-36).

The month Abib was to be the first month of Israel's new year, because they were to start a completely new way of life (Exodus 12:2). On the tenth day of this month, each household had to choose a lamb without spot or blemish. It was penned up separately until the fourteenth day when it was to be killed in the evening, or, as the Hebrew means "between the two evenings" (i.e. between 3 pm and 6 pm) (vv. 2-6).

Not a bone of the lamb was to be broken (v. 46).

Its blood was to be caught in a basin and sprinkled upon the upper lintel and two side-posts with a bunch of hyssop (v. 22).

The lamb or kid was then to be roasted with fire, whole (v. 8).

When the evening came, which was the beginning of the fifteenth day of Abib, the whole family had to remain within the blood-sprinkled house (v. 7). Small families were to join
together in one house.

With shoes on their feet and staff in their hand, ready to depart at any moment, they were to eat the lamb in haste, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (vv. 8,11).

None of the lamb's flesh was to be left until morning. Whatever was not eaten had to be burned with fire (v. 10).

The keeping of this feast in all its details was to be the means of salvation from death, for on this night the angel of God was to pass throughout all the land of Egypt to kill the firstborn of every house on which the blood was not sprinkled. Some of the Egyptians received shelter in the blood-sprinkled house when the angel of death passed over, but the feast was only to be eaten by the Israelites (Exodus 12:43). Passover was the name given to this important feast and God commanded that it be kept in the same way every year as a memorial, or reminder, of His deliverance of Israel (Exodus. 12:14).

THE GREAT PASSOVER NIGHT: Exodus 12:29-39

Moses' final words to Pharoah were from God € a terrible warning of the last fearful plague that yet would come upon Egypt (See Exodus 11:4-8). Then Moses went out from Pharaoh in great anger. This night would be a night of terror, in which all the firstborn of Egypt would die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh to the firstborn of every servant or prisoner, and even the firstborn among the cattle. Only in Israel none would be hurt, that Pharaoh might know "that Yahweh doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel" (Exodus 11:7).

At midnight the angel went forth at God's command and a great cry went up throughout all the land of Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. Pharaoh and all his servants called for Moses in the night and said, "Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel: and go serve Yahweh as ye have said" (Exodus 12:31). The Egyptians urgently pressed them to leave for they were afraid that they would all die. So Pharaoh learned that Yahweh the God of Israel was the only true God (see Exodus 5:2).

ISRAEL'S DEPARTURE FROM EGYPT: Exodus 13:17-19

The Israelites needed no urging. In haste they gathered their few possessions and left. A great multitude of people numbering 600,000 men, besides women and children, with their herds and flocks, began their journey towards the Promised Land. Some Egyptians who had learned to fear the God of Israel went with them, for they knew now that the God of Israel was the only true God.

Moses had one more special duty to perform. Joseph had made his brethren promise many years before, that his bones would be taken up out of Egypt when God delivered them. Moses now gave command for this to be done. Truly God had kept His promise, even as Joseph had said (Exod. 13:19) (See Lesson 14).

THE GUIDING CLOUD: Exodus 13:20-22; 14:1-10

The angel of God went before the great company of people in a cloud to show them the way. By night the cloud was full of fire, which lighted their path and by day, it went in front of them as a cloud which also protected them from the heat of the sun. (Follow their journey on a Bible map.) They camped first at Succoth, where they rested and made shelters from the branches of trees. Their next stop was in Etham, which was on the edge of the wilderness, then down 24 kilometres to Pi-Hahiroth. This was a desolate place hemmed in by mountains. It was at this place that they learned that Pharaoh and 600 chosen chariots, all the chariots of Egypt, were just behind them.

ISRAEL CROSSES THE RED SEA: Exodus 14:11-31

Terrified, the Israelites turned upon Moses. "Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?" (v. 11). There was no place to flee, they were completely cut off from escape. Pharaoh was behind, mountains lay to both sides and the great Red Sea was before them.

But God knew what was happening. He was testing them to make them learn to trust in Him. Moses said unto the people, "Fear not, stand still and see the salvation of Yahweh ... Yahweh shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace" (Exod. 14:13,14). Then the pillar of cloud moved behind Israel making it as dark as night to the Egyptians, but Israel still had light. While Moses stretched out his rod over the sea, God caused a strong east wind to come up that night that blew across the waters of the Red Sea, dividing it and making a dry pathway to the other side. The people of God were able to cross safely to the other side "and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left" (v. 22). When the Egyptians tried to follow, angels of God removed the wheels off their chariots! Israel was now safe on the far side and God told Moses to stretch forth his rod once again. As he did so, God made the waters return upon the Egyptians who were now in the midst of the sea and they were all drowned. In this last act upon Egypt all its power was broken and Israel was victorious. Moses and Miriam and all the people sang of the wonderful victory God had wrought that day and praised God for all His goodness.

LESSON FOR US

"Yahweh shall fight for you and ye shall hold your peace."

These words of Moses show us a very important lesson. God saves. It is for us to believe and obey.

We see how God provided Moses as a deliverer; how God gave Israel a way of salvation as the angel of death passed over; and we see how God opened up the Red Sea, both to save Israel and to destroy Egypt. "By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land." (Heb. 11:29)

God wants us to learn in our daily lives to trust in Him, just as Israel had to learn that lesson.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Israel crossed from Egypt, through the Red Sea, to a new life on the opposite shore, as they headed for the Promised Land. This crossing of the Red Sea, Paul calls a kind of baptism. "All our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and were all baptised unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1 Cor. 10:1-2).

Just as baptism is "burial in water" so Israel were "buried" or hidden from view under the cloud and by the wall of water on either side. Egypt represented their old way of life, when they did not serve God correctly and walked in ignorance of His laws. When Moses, their deliverer, came to them, they learned to believe him and look to him as the one who could lead them to freedom. They saw God's mighty power revealed in the plagues and trusted in Him. So they crossed the Red Sea "in faith" (Heb. 11:29).

This story is like baptism. When a person believes God and trusts in Him, he is baptised and puts off his old way of life. Just as Israel began a new life on the other side of the sea, so a baptised person "walks in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4). He is "in Christ" and must walk worthy of the name of Christ which he bears.

Every Israelite had to partake of the passover lamb in Egypt, before he could go free. Christ is our "passover lamb" (1 Cor. 5:7). The only way we can partake of him is by baptism into his name.

QUESTIONS

Short Answers

What was the terrible tenth plague to come upon Egypt?
What were the Israelites to ask the Egyptians to give them?
In what month was the Passover held?
What was to be done with the blood of the Passover lamb?
Where had the lamb to be eaten?
What happened at midnight on the Passover night?
What did Pharaoh learn about Yahweh?
What did Moses say to the people when they thought they would all be killed by Pharaoh?
Who was Israel's saviour?

Detailed Answers

1. Tell all you can of the instructions given to the people of Israel so that they would be saved when the angel of death passed over.
2. How did God finally destroy Pharaoh and save the Israelites from his wicked hand?
3. How did God guide the nation of Israel on their journey when they left Egypt?
4. Tell what you know of the crossing of the Red Sea.