The blog will use this skin for a while. It’s not too bad and it’s a whole lot easier to updgrade. I am making an attempt to catch up on the Bible Brief notes this spring. Bible class has yet to start in the book of Numbers. We’ve “lost our lease” so I’m working on finding a new place to meet.
© 2010, Scott Branyan
My first entry, “Little Rock District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture has been published. The online encyclopedia is an excellent resource for Arkansas history and has entries by accomplished historians as well as freelance history writers. I have another entry which is undergoing intial edit by the encyclopedia staff, and a third which I am in the process of writing. They should be published this winter or next spring.
© 2009, Scott Branyan
My wife Sharon and I took a road trip the end of last week down to Jacksonport, Arkansas. Jacksonport State Park is located there and is a wonderful place for a history lesson on the development of the White River.
The park has the last remaining steamboat to have operated on the White River, the Mary Woods No. 2. The boat was built in Nashville, TN as a coal steamer in 1931, was converted to diesel in 1949, and was retired in 1967. The boat was built for the Woods Lumber Company and pushed barges of logs on the White River. It was named after the daughter of the owner of the company, Eugene Woods, Sr. In 1997, a tornado came through Jacksonport State Park and severely damaged the boat which had been decorated out as a passenger boat. It was restored to its original intent as a work boat at that time.
Another fascinating piece of history at the park is the old court house which was built from 1869-1872 by a confederate Colonel and with bricks made there at Jacksonport. Jacksonport was by-passed by the railroad when the town refused to sign the right-of-way. The railroad was put in three miles down the road at Newport instead, and Jacksonport died on the vine along with the steamboats. As I lay in my tent at the park Friday night and listened to the train whistles, it made me wonder how the town’s people felt about the transition from the steamboat whistles to the newer train whistles which by-passed them. After being renovated, the court house opened as a museum in 1965. The court house too was damaged in the 1997 tornado and and underwent renovation again in 1999.
We also learned a lot about the pearling industry. The park interpreter, Donna Bentley, lead an excellent campground program on it Friday evening.
On the way to Jacksonport, Sharon and I drove through the Buffalo River Valley from Boxley to Jasper and then again back on the return trip. Friday morning we arrived late enough the elk were already gone out of the field. On Saturday evening we saw many elk, including a nursing calf. The bull elk which just days ago had antlers in velvet, now sport bright and shiny new antlers. The rut cometh. No elk photos in this photo blog, but there are a few elk photos in the previous photography blog post which you can check out.
Enjoy the photos.
© 2009, Scott Branyan
Thursday afternoon I had an appointment in Little Rock and later that night there was a seminar I wanted to attend at Petit Jean Mountain. The trip down and back held some scenic possibilities, so I left early Thursday morning so I could take some backroads.
I left Rogers before first light and caught a good omen at Pinnacle Hills where I saw a meteor from the Perseids shower as I was looking west past I-540. I headed to the Buffalo River Valley at Ponca and watched the elk for a few minutes. Before descending into foggy Boxley Valley I enjoyed riding the ridge and watching the sunrise. From Boxley I headed south on Hwy. 21 and turned east on Hwy. 16 to the Limestone cuttoff. The gravel road goes down into the Limestone Valley where the headwaters of Big Piney Creek start. This valley is about 1,000 feet deep from the rim and is one of the deeper valleys in the Boston Mountains. It is extremely rugged terrain although the forest service road is good for the most part.
Just west of the junction of highways 21 and 16 are found the headwaters of the White, the War Eagle, the Kings, and the Buffalo, which all flow north and east into a much larger White River further downstream. To the south are the beginnings of the Mulberry River and the Piney Creeks which flow south into the Arkansas River.
The largest stand of cane I have ever encountered I saw in the valley around Limestone. The cane was about 30 feet high and bending over the road. A cut-through had been hacked out for a driveway back to a cabin. Coming up out the other side of the valley the road heads to Ozone where it meets Hwy. 21. This part of the national forest is heavily logged.
From Clarksville I hightailed it to Little Rock for an afternoon meeting at the federal building. Before my meeting I visited Murray Lock and Dam and the “Big Dam Bridge”—a pedestrian bridge built across the Arkansas River on top of the dam structure. This was a cooperative project between the county and the Corps of Engineers and has become a very popular place for walkers and cyclists.
After an afternoon meeting with the Corps of Engineers, I drove to Petit Jean State Park for an archeology seminar and stayed in one of the cabins at the state park. The next morning I ate breakfast in the lodge and visited a few of the overlooks.
On the return trip, I headed to Mt. Magazine and drove the park road from Havana to Paris over the mountain which is the highest point in Arkansas. The visitor’s center has some unique presentations on animal tracks and the butterfly displays are worth noting. I enjoyed several of the overlooks and scenery and even happended upon a wedding on the north rim. From there I headed west on Hwy. 22 to Fort Chaffee and drove past the old barricks. I turned north on highway 59 and drove over the James W. Trimble Lock and Dam on the Arkansas River. Taking old 71 north I stopped off at the new Lake Fort Smith visitor’s center north of Mountainburg.
A whirlwind tour of some great scenery and history.
Here are the photos.
© 2009, Scott Branyan
Exodus 15:22-18:27 PowerPoint Slides (PDF)
[Draft in progress]
This next section is an important narrative transition which details Israel’s departure from Egypt and travels to Mt. Sinai. The life of Israel here parallels Abraham’s in that as Pharaoh had summoned the Patriarch and commanded him to “Take her [Sarai] and go” (Gen 12:19), Pharaoh had told Moses to “Take … your flocks and your herds … and go” (Ex 12:32). The narrative here records for us Israel’s departure into the wilderness even as its patriarchal father travelled through the wilderness to return to Canaan.
Later we will see another parallel expressed: “So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev” (Gen 13:1), and Israel went up into the Negev after leaving Sinai (Numbers 13:17, 22, 29).
Israel here crossed the Red Sea and “went out into the wilderness” (Exodus 15:22).
Into the Desert of Shur, 15:22-27
The desert of Shur lay between Egypt and Canaan. A vast region, three days journey was but the start of the trip. It was also the length of journey Moses had requested of Pharaoh (Exodus 5:3).
As Israel enters into the wilderness, they experience lack of water and thirst. The lack of water is due from the bitterness of the waters of Marah. There was water there, but they could not drink it.
This thirsting of Israel at the waters of Marah is a testing of God, and a theme of testing associated with the giving of God’s commands is discernable through chapter 20 (15:25; 16:4; 17:2, 7 and 20:20). The chiastic structure of the passage highlights the theme of God’s provision of the sweet water following Israel’s complaining. [See the slide].
God uses the waters of Marah too as an illustration of how his law will provide protection for Israel and save it from the destructive consequences of disobedience which God brought upon the Egyptians. Yahveh will become Israel’s Healer (Exodus 15:26). This promise becomes a milestone for the nation which is symbolized in the twelve springs and seventy date palms (remember Israel, represented by Jacob and his twelve sons, had gone to Egypt with seventy persons).
Israel journeys into the wilderness to find bitter water, but God’s presence among them makes the difference between desperation and thirst and springs of sweet water where they may camp; so, also for the believer (John 4:13-14).
In the Desert of Sin, 16:1-36
Israel at Rephidim, 17:1-16
Jethro Comes to Visit, 18: 1-27
My wife Sharon handed me Mannheim Steamroller’s Morning Frost CD earlier this week. I started listening to it today. It seems an appropriate title with all the cold weather we’ve had this year. The CD is a collection of rehashed numbers mostly but still fun.
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and enjoy the memories of the best of Christmases past. Of course, being an evangelical, I don’t celebrate a mass of Christ. His atonement is finished with eternal results. He is risen. He is coming again as a resurrected Warrior King. He will subdue kings and kingdoms and install righteousness on the earth. So I do celebrate the Advent of Christ—only I anticipate his Second Advent. I guess I like some of the Renaissance themes in Christmas because they capture the idea of Christ as the coming King—albeit an infant one. Soon, he will come to reign indeed (Revelation 11:5).
Maranatha!
© 2008, Scott Branyan
We had our last Bible class for the year, December 2. We will resume, Lord willing, January 13th.
I was going through an old tattered wide margin reference Bible I am discarding. It had a few good notes in it I included in the blog posts. These are a few minor additional notes but thought you might want to know they have been added. The posts which have been updated are:
My Bible has a lot of notes on the Psalms and the Epistles from my seminary days, and I will be copying these into BibleWorks chapter notes before I toss it. One more reason to use one of the better Bible software programs, as you may go through several Bibles in your life time–I’ve always been free with writing in my Bible–but I hate to lose a life-time of notes and observations.
If you do not have BibleWorks, you can do the same by just starting a Word document for each section, book or chapter of the Bible. As it enlarges, you can subdivide the file into smaller units.
I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year. Remember Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 2:8).
Peace.
© 2008, Scott Branyan
Exodus 15 PowerPoint Slides (PDF)
Chapter 15 has been called the “Ode to Triumph” or more commonly, “The Song of the Sea.” The song itself, which describes the rejoicing of Israel over Yahveh’s salvation through the sea, is in four sections with a narrative conclusion.
First Stanza: Praise to Israel’s Warrior God, 15:1-6
Moses words of encouragement that “Yahveh will fight for them” (14:14) becomes a theme in the Song of Deliverance where Yahveh is portrayed as the Warrior of Israel (15:3).
This section, through verse 18 and again in verse 21, is Hebrew poetry, and the repetition sets out the structure—three full stanzas and a short conclusion. Each full stanza ends with the repetition of a phrase, “Thy right hand, O Lord” (15:6), “Who is like thee?” (15:11), and “Until thy people pass over” (15:16). The words preceding the repetition are a simile 1 : “like a stone” (15:5), “like lead” (15:10), and “as a stone” (15:16).
The theme of the song is: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted; the horse and the rider he has hurled into the sea” (15:1, 21). The name Yahveh appears many times, and a shortened form of it (“Yah”) appears in verse 3, “Yah is my strength and song.” We find the shortened form often in the Psalms, and sometimes in the combination, “Hallelujah” 2 .
The God of the Song of Deliverance is not only “My Father’s God” (the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), but now he is “My God” (15:2).
The phrase “Yahveh is a warrior” (15:3, literally “Man of War”) recalls the mention of Yahveh fighting for Israel (14:14). The concept becomes frequent in the Psalms (see Ps 24:8; 76:3-6).
Some see an allusion to Canaanite or other myths in this song (cf. Isa 51:9-10). It is well known that there were ancient epics reporting the gods struggle with the seas. There may be a polemical reference here in God’s control of the waters and the deep (15:5-6).
Second Stanza: Yahveh’s Fight with the Egyptians, 15:7-11
Further elaboration is now given upon the battle with the Egyptians. God controls the deeps by parting the sea. The enemy follows Israel.
The interesting thing in this stanza is the quotation of the enemy in verse 9. Dialogue of thought and words between the enemy and God is frequent enough (compare Ps 2). Here, God nullifies the wicked desire of the enemy to rout Israel, and its fate, “sinking like lead” (“stone” in verses 5, 16), is a graphic description of its overthrow.
Verse 11 brings to mind Micah 7:18, “Who is a God like thee, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of his possession?” Here too, God’s covenant love works mightily on behalf of his chosen ones (see the next stanza, 15:13).
Third Stanza: Yahveh, Guide and Protector, 15:12-16
Here we see another immediate result of the deliverance: terror has fallen upon the inhabitants of the land Israel will pass through. The echo of Yahveh’s victory over the Egyptians has preceded Israel and has weakened hearts (15:14-16).
The reference to “the earth” in verse 12 is perhaps a reference to “Sheol,” or the grave. 3
The mention of “Thy holy habitation” (15:13) is most likely a reference to Mt. Sinai (or Horeb) and looks back to the provision of the sign by Yahveh in Ex 3:12.
The people of the earth therefore have reason to fear. Yahveh is a God of covenant faithfulness to his people. His treatment of Egypt was the act of God redeeming his own people and answering their prayers for deliverance.
Here is one of four occurrences of the word hesed (“lovingkindness” in NASB) in Exodus. It is a word which signifies loyal devotion based on a covenant relationship. Although the word is used for the first time here in Exodus 15:13, the slogan of the covenant relationship was given early on, “I will take you for my people, and I will be your God” (Ex 6:7).
God will use this fear among the inhabitants to help safely guide Israel into the promised land and conquer it (15:16).
Fourth Stanza: Yahveh the King, 15:17-18
“The mountain of your inheritance,” and “the sanctuary” point to the distant outcome of the events, when Yahveh brings his people into the Land of Promise. See Ps 78:53-54 which refers to God safely bringing Israel into the whole land of promise.
There is no proof here that the passage has post-exilic overtones as many critics suppose, as the terminology can just as easily be explained within the historic setting given in the text. 4 The possession of the land is still future, yet, Israel would even now be thinking of a place where Yahveh could be worshipped. The pronouncement of “The Lord shall reign forever and ever” (15:18) is certainly eschatological and universal to Israel in scope, so that looking towards a temple is natural. Gods were housed in permanent structures even in early biblical history (cf. Judges 16:23ff). The conclusion of the hymn is that Yahveh will gather his people together and will reign with eternal rule over them and the nations.
The Refrain of Miriam, 15:19-21
There is a return to narrative in verse 19. The salvific distinction between Israel and Egypt is again underscored. We also learn that the sister of Moses (the one who observed him as a baby in the basket in the reeds; we read of no other) led a chorus of the women in the refrain of the song, “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted; the horse and the rider he has hurled into the sea” (15:21, cf. v. 1).
The Theology of the Song
Notice the praise of this chapter is directed to Yahveh, and Yahveh alone. Several theological themes are emphasized.
There, first of all, is an emphasis upon the holiness of God, “Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness” (15:11). Remember, Moses was introduced to God as a holy God at the burning bush. God is above his creation. We read about, “The greatness of your excellence” (15:7). This holiness manifests itself in judgment, “You send forth your burning anger; it consumes them as chaff” (15:7). God is warrior against those who rebel against his holiness, and he fights for his people whom he has chosen.
Second, there is an emphasis, as we noted earlier, on the covenant keeping mercy of God, “In your lovingkindness you have led the people” (15:13). God’s action toward Israel at this time was because of his covenant to Abraham (2:24-25). God’s elective choice to bless Abraham and his descendants is the basis of God’s action here.
Third, this deliverance of Israel is a redemption. This redemption is corporate, “In your lovingkindness you have led the people whom you have redeemed” (15:13); “Until the people pass over whom you have purchased” (15:16); but it is also personal, “The Lord is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him.” (15:2).
Finally, there is a theme of God’s kingship, “The Lord shall reign forever and ever” (15:18). One can see how these themes dovetail together and serve as the basis for further revelation in the biblical telling of God’s redemption.
These themes make the praise of God timeless. Believers may praise him today for his past deliverances of his people because his character has never and will never change. The covenant faithfulness of the Great I AM ensures the eternal salvation of God’s chosen people and provides us with the groundwork to trust him for our salvation as well. Hallelujah!
© 2008, Scott Branyan
Exodus 12:37-14:31 PowerPoint Slides (PDF)
The time has come for God’s people to leave Egypt. They had been there for over 400 years, and as God had promised long ago he is bringing judgment upon the nation they have served (Gen 15:13-14). The deliverance Israel had hoped for has come, and God will bring them back to the land promised to them and their fathers.
The Exodus, 12:37-51
The greatness of the number in Israel is stated in verse 37. The men alone numbered 600,000. Notice the text also states that a large number of “mixed multitude” went with them. 1
Conservative estimates put the crowd at 1.5 to 2 million people. One can immediately see the logistical problem in caring for this many people on a long journey in a barren land. Yet, the covenant-keeping God of Israel would provide for them so that they might teach their children, “that they should put their confidence in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments” (Psalm 78:7).
The provision of bread the people brought with them (12:34) would be used immediately in an unleavened state since they had no time to prepare other provisions (12:39).
The four hundred and thirty years the children of Israel were in Egypt corresponds to the time the Lord told Abraham they would be in servitude there. 2 Verse 42 attributes the deliverance of the nation to Yahveh, and consequently the Passover meal memorial is to be a vigil unto him.
Verses 43-50 set out seven laws concerning the observance of the Passover (see the slide). 3 Verse 49 is a general law, and verse 50 the concluding formula. Exodus 12:51 is a transitional statement.
The Dedication of the Firstborn, 13:1-16
These verses give further regulations regarding the observance of the Passover and its accompanying ceremony of redemption of the firstborn. The main thought is focused upon the explanation of the redemption process (verses 2 and 11-16).
Verses 3-10 are a parenthetical reminder that the Passover is to be observed throughout Israel’s generation (cf. 12:24-25). A significant phrase occurs in verse 3 “the house of bondage/servitude” (see the slide on the reasons for the dedication of the firstborn). Israel’s existence in Egypt had become servile, a fact that it would lose sight of quickly in the wilderness (cf. 2:23; 16:3). The meal was given so that Israel might remind itself of the Lord’s care for his people, and that he delivers them from oppression. It is obvious that Israel needed this reminder, even as New Testament believers need reminded of the work of our Lord for us (cf. 2 Tim 2:8; Luke 22:19).
The redemption of firstborn sons, daughters 4 and animals is inseparably linked to the Passover since Yahveh passed over the firstborn of Israel. This requirement of the dedication of the firstborn will be transferred to the Levites who are substituted for the firstborn of Israel in Numbers 8:14-19. 5
God Leads by the Cloud and Pillar of Fire, 13:17-22
God begins moving the people out. The direction is a southerly one to avoid the Mediterranean route which lead into the land of the Philistines (13:17). The “way of the wilderness” (13:18) also identifies the route as a southern one.
No one knows for sure the crossing site of Israel through the sea (13:18). 6 It is likely it was in the region of the extension of the Gulf of Suez, perhaps in the Bitter Lakes area between the Mediterranean and the gulf. The locations mentioned are still yet to be positively identified.
Israel remembers to take the bones of Joseph with them (13:19). This is an important detail. Joseph’s last wish to his brothers is found in Genesis 50:24-25:
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.”
This act on the part of Joseph, an inheritor of the promises God swore to Abraham, shows a mature man of faith looking forward to God’s fulfilling the Abrahamic promise (Gen 15:13-21) in the generations to come. Moses is reminding us by including this detail that God is faithful to his covenant word.
God puts before the people a pillar. It was as fire by night and a cloud by day. The purpose of it was twofold: 1) for guidance; it led them (13:21), and 2) it also protected their backside at the sea (14:19-20). God was shepherding his people out of danger and into a land where they would be dependent upon him wholly for their every need. He still does!
God Leads through the Sea, 14:1-22
Whatever direction Israel turned here, it was designed to make Pharaoh think they were confused or about to be trapped (14:3). In fact, they were trapped against the sea; but the great lesson of scripture is: God is over the human situation.
God hardens Pharaoh again a final time (13:4, 5, 8), and he pursues Israel. God’s hardening of Pharaoh and the destruction of the Egyptian army will bring honor to his name (13:17).
Pharaoh takes the best of his army, his chariots. Chariots in ancient times were a frighteningly well-designed war machine, more so against an unarmed people. When Israel sees their pursuer, its response is fear (14:10). Israel was not ready for war. Consequently, it was not ready to enter the promised land, for when it did it would be required to conquer all its inhabitants. The years in the wilderness would prepare God’s people for the task; but as of yet, they were a feeble, frightened people who had a short memory of the oppression of enslavement (14:11-12).
The comfort of Moses in verses 13-14 shows the developing faith of Moses in Yahveh. Moses words of encouragement that “Yahveh will fight for them” (14:14) anticipates God’s action to the point that God essentially says to Moses, “Carry on, as you have said!” (14:15-18). 7
We do not know where the parting of the sea occurred. We can only imagine what it must have been like; but it would have been a jaw-dropper to watch.
God tells Moses to get moving (14:15-18). He is to stretch out his hand and divide the sea. This not only provides the escape route for Israel, but will also be the means of destroying the Egyptian army. Its defeat will show Yahveh as the one, true God to be feared.
The pillar of fire/cloud now moves to the rear to protect Israel. 8 We have the mention of “the angel of God” again, here associated with the pillar. One calls to mind Paul’s statement in 1 Cor 10:4 about Christ following the children of Israel in the wilderness. The Bible emphasizes here that the comfort to the Israelites was that God himself was with them. Immanuel was with the Israelites; and he is with us. 9 Israel was now protected from the rear and from the flanks (14:22). It only had to walk ahead in the dry path the Lord had prepared.
God Fights for Israel, 14:23-31
God’s salvation is twofold. He provides a way of escape (14:21-22)—Israel crosses on dry land through the sea bed—, but he also causes confusion among the enemy (14:24) and ultimately their destruction. This theme of confusion before defeat is found often in Israel’s war experience. 10 This confusion leads to the conclusion on the part of the Egyptians that the Lord is fighting for Israel (14:25).
While it is still night—the Israelites safely through—God tells Moses to close the water with his hand (14:26). The waters close over the Egyptian army just at daybreak, and the text says, “The Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea” (14:27). 11
Verses 28-29 recall the familiar formulas in the plague episodes, “not even one of them remained” and “But the sons of Israel …”. Yahveh had controlled the fate of the Egyptians as easily as he had the innumerable pests in the plagues, and the redemptive distinction between the Egyptians and the children of Israel is finalized! God’s salvation is complete. Israel will no more see the Egyptians (14:13). Israel is a freed people, a redeemed people who has seen Yahveh’s awesome deliverance. Fear is the natural response—fear which enhances faith (14:31).
© 2008, Scott Branyan
Exodus 11:1-12:36 PowerPoint Slides (PDF)
Even when one understands God’s design in hardening Pharaoh’s heart to resist letting the people of Israel go (10:1-2), the obduracy of Pharaoh is surprising in light of the destructiveness of the first nine plagues. It is an illustration of natural man’s willingness to risk total destruction rather than bow to God’s sovereignty.
Pharaoh shows inconsistency in his responses to the plagues, one time begging for relief, another time remaining unmoved, again confessing sin, and granting conditional release. However, as Greenberg points out, there is a consistency of principle. He writes:
In this dramatic evolution of Pharaoh’s reactions, there is a consistency of principle—the core of his intransigence—namely, the maintenance of his sovereignty. That is the crux of the matter; that is the offense to the Godhead’s kingship; that is what cannot coexist with God’s authority. Thus the opposition of Pharaoh is the archetypal opposition of human power, of human authority to the claims of God. Under pressure it will show flexibility and accommodation, even reversing itself—first by crying for help, then by confessing guilt and making concessions. But after all its retreats, it clings to its last redoubt, a core of self-assertiveness and independence, to surrender which would mean the end of its claim to ultimate, self-sufficient power. Here it resists, careless of the cost, unto death. 1
The Announcement of the Tenth Plague: Death of Egypt’s Firstborn, 11:1-8
The climax of the plagues with the death of the firstborn of Egypt raises the wager for Pharaoh to keep control over Israel to a dear cost. When this plague is ended, Pharaoh will drive the Israelites from the land of Egypt with the same vigor as when he resisted their departure.
Moses now announces the last plague. Verses 1-3 are apparently a parenthetical statement which provides background but interrupts Moses announcement of the plague to Pharaoh. 2 The audience with Pharaoh in 10:24-29 is resumed in verse 4.
Note the far reaching effect of the plague (11:5). “The slave girl who is behind the millstones” is a widely attested Egyptian usage meaning “the poorest of the poor.” 3 The plague will come upon everyone, from Pharaoh’s family on down.
Irony is again discernible. Israel “cried out to the Lord” under her burden (2:23) and to Pharaoh (5:15), and now it is the Egyptians who will give a great outcry (11:6). However, Israel who earlier had cried out with great urgency, will now be found to be in quietude (11:7).
Finally, Moses foretells that it will be the Egyptian people who come to him and beg him to leave with all his people. Moses leaves the presence of Pharaoh not as a subject, but as a superior (11:8). 4
Summary of Pharaoh’s Resistance, 11:9-10
These two verses become important as they explain why Pharaoh did not recant nor bow before Yahveh, the God of the Hebrews. It is because: 1) God intensifies the rebellion of Pharaoh, and 2) God will bring glory to himself by the great works he is about to do.
Institution of the Passover, 12:1-20
As Cassuto notes, the whole character of the narrative changes with chapter 12. No longer are we concerned with Pharaoh’s palace, his servants, or his decisions to let Israel go or not. Moses’ and Aaron’s attention turn to their people; and what has to be done with Pharaoh, Yahveh will decide.
The directions for the first observance of the Passover feast are given in 12:1-13. Verse two says, “This shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you” (NASB). Although the modern Jewish calendar has its New Year (Rosh Hashanah) in the fall near the Day of Atonement, the festival year commences here with the Passover in the spring.
A lamb was to be taken or a kid if from the goats and determined to feed so many households, according to how much each member of the household could eat (12:4). It was to be an unblemished year old male lamb or kid (12:5). The household was to keep it for four days and then it would be killed in a public worship assembly (12:6). The blood of the sacrificial lamb or kid was to be applied to the doorposts and lintel of the house where it was to be eaten (12:7). This identified the house occupants as Yahveh’s worshippers. The necessity of redemption by blood, i.e. by the taking of the innocent life of another is clearly implied.
Jesus was crucified during the week of Passover and probably on the very day of the Passover sacrifice (cf. Luke 22:1, 7, 8). Paul, using the analogy of putting away sin as cleaning out leaven from the house, calls Christ our Passover (1 Cor 5:6-5). Passover was not the only festival typical of Christ’s sacrificial, atoning death. Paul also mentions First-Fruits (1 Cor 15:23; cf. Lev 23:10ff.), and the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews is fond of using the Day of Atonement as typical of Christ’s work (Heb 9; cf. Lev 16).
The Passover was to be roasted with fire and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (12:8). Apparently, a type of Passover festival was already known in the Ancient Near east, and this command differentiates it from the known festivals. The lamb was not to be prepared as commonly done among the heathen (12:9-10). Thus, we have the careful description of it as “the Lord’s Passover” (12:11). Unleavened bread was used to symbolize the haste with which it was prepared, as was the manner in which it was to be eaten (12:11). Bitter herbs reminded the Israelites of their bitter oppression in Egypt (1:14).
The reason for the Passover lamb and the regulations regarding its observance is stated in verses 12-13. The death plague will commence upon the Egyptians and will be a judgment upon the gods of Egypt. The blood of the Passover lamb will mark the houses of the believing Israelites and deliver them from the plague.
Exodus 12:14-20 gives the regulations for the memorial observations of the Passover by Israel in the future. An annual re-enactment of the Passover is to be perpetuated by Israel. The lamb is to be slain, roasted and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; but in addition there was to be a search of the house to remove all leaven (12:15), and the week of unleavened bread was to begin with a specially called Sabbath and end with another (12:16).Verses 17-20 may be regarded as a summary of the whole subject.
Moses Commands the People to Observe the Passover, 12:21-28
Yahveh is about to redeem his people Israel with blood atonement. Such an action required serious obedience on the part of the redeemed people. Further explanation of how the blood was to be applied to the door posts and lintel is given. Hyssop, a plant with many stalks, was gathered and dipped in a laver of blood. This action was an act of faith for the Israelites, and it is their faith in God’s word that saves them from the destroying angel. The blood of the animal, as was the case with all blood sacrifices in the Old Testament, merely points the way to Christ’s perfect and complete atoning work, but had no atoning value in itself (cf. Hebrews 9:11-14, 23-28; 10:1-4, 11-12; 1 John 1:7; and Revelation 1:5). It is only Christ’s death which atones for sin. 5
This observance of the Passover feast is to be kept perpetually by Israel when it comes into the land. The father is to take spiritual responsibility for teaching his children to remember the Passover and its significance (12:25-26).
Upon hearing the command of God, Israel responds by humbly bowing in worship and obeying his word (12:27-28). This response is the same as the response to Moses’ first revelation of God’s plan of deliverance (cf. 4:31). The intervening time was necessary to teach the people of Egypt who Yahveh is and to turn the hearts of Israel toward him more fully.
The Death of the Firstborn, 12:29-36
Moses’ words to Pharaoh (11:4-5) come to fruition in verse 29. Now Egypt cries out in distress, “For there was no home where there was not someone dead” (12:30). The effect of sin and rebellion takes its toil and is inescapable.
The self-sufficient Pharaoh is forced out of bed in the middle of the night to deal with a national crisis and calls in Moses and Aaron to instruct them to leave as they had requested. Pharaoh attempts no bargain or concessions, just “Rise up … you and the sons of Israel … both your flocks and your herds as you have said, and go” (12:31-32). The Egyptians, realizing that dead men do not profitably keep slave labor, also urge the people to leave (12:33).
The Israelites gather up their unleavened bread and the possessions given them from the Egyptians according to Moses’ instructions and prepare to leave.
© 2008, Scott Branyan
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