Exodus 12:28

Just before God brought the tenth plague upon Egypt, the Bible says in Exodus 12:28, “And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.” At this time the children of Israel were obedient to the Word of the Lord. Of course, God wants those who believe to be obedient to Him. One of the worst things that can happen to a believer is to become disobedient. We are guided by the Lord when we are submissive to Him. The Lord’s will is done when we can truly say in our hearts just as Jesus taught us: “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” We will always benefit when we do things God’s way and do His will. When we do not, we will have heartache, and sorrow, and regret, and disappointment.

It was God’s will that the tenth plague be the greatest of the plagues that would come upon Egypt. The Bible says in Exodus 12:29-36, “And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharoah that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 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 there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men. And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.” One of the important things to notice about this passage of scripture is to compare it to the verse that went just before it. Both the Israelites and Pharaoh ended up doing the will of God, but what a terrible result took place on the land of Egypt to get Pharaoh to the point where he gave in to the will of God. How strong and how stubborn can the will of man be! But of course, it is never stronger than God. God’s ways are not man’s ways, and God knows how to implement His will. In the final judgment when the true history of the world is revealed, what great sorrows will be suffered simply because people did not go God’s way. “Go with God:” that would be a great blessing indeed. “Via con Dios.”

The Bible says in Exodus 12:37-42, “And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual. Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.” We know who went into Egypt: the twelve sons of Jacob and their wives and children. It says concerning the number of men who went into Egypt in Genesis 46:27, “And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.” Seventy men and their wives and children entered into Egypt. Four hundred thirty years later, “about six hundred thousand” men and their wives and children left Egypt. These numbers mean one very important thing: God blessed the children of Israel abundantly. God always keeps His promises. Remember the promise that God made to Abraham. God promised in Genesis 22:16-18, “And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

The Bible says in Exodus 12:43-51, “And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof: But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof. In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.” In a way we could call this God’s immigration policy for the nation of Israel. Anyone who came from another country, called here a “stranger,” was to be fully accepted. Of course, they were to be fully accepted as long as they became rightly related to the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament an indication of this was the following: the circumcision, which was the cutting away of the flesh. The flesh indicates the sinful nature and the sinful deeds of man. When we repent of our sins and turn to Christ, the penalty of our sinful deeds is taken away, and we are made a child of the Kingdom of God. Through faith in Christ, we are fully accepted, just like every other person who has ever accepted Christ is fully accepted. This is the great equalizer of the human race. All have sinned. Jesus died for all. All can be saved by faith in Jesus. As it says in Galatians 3:26-28, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

The Bible says in Exodus 13:1-7, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine. And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. This day came ye out in the month Abib. And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.” Several commands were given by the Lord to the children of Israel in these verses. God said in Exodus 13:2, “Sanctify unto me all the firstborn.” The firstborn of the Israelites were still alive. They did not die. They were protected and kept alive by the Lord. Life is a gift from God. The Israelites needed to remember that, and we need to remember it. Disasters happen. People are here today, and gone tomorrow. Serve God and enjoy the life that He has given to you while you can. Job said, “the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

God commanded in Exodus 13:3, “Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place.” In order to live by faith it is important to have a good memory. It is not only important to have a good memory: it is a commandment from God to have a good memory. Everyone has had good things and bad things that have happened to them in their lives. The good things came from God, and the bad things God turns into good results. That is what it says in Romans 8:28. Of course, some events are more significant than others. The miraculous deliverance from the land of Egypt was one of the most significant of all events in human history. We still marvel at the grandeur of ancient Egypt: with the artifacts and the pyramids and the tombs of the Pharaohs that have been left for us to study. The ten plagues and the crossing of the Red Sea, and the changing of Pharaoh’s heart were all performed miraculously by God. The lives of the children of Israel were horrible. They were in bondage. They were suffering. They were living in the midst of an unbelieving nation with an ungodly leader. But God was on their side. God loved them, and God saved them. Jesus does the same thing for every Christian. When we are saved by faith in Christ, we have been delivered from the terrible destiny that the rest of the world faces. To be saved from your sins is the most wonderful thing that can ever happen to you. Surely people who have been saved would always remember the great salvation that Jesus has given to them. Actually, that is not the case. A Christian who is not mindful can easily forget the great things that God has done for them. It says in Second Peter 1:9, “But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”

The Israelites were told to remember the day that they were taken “out of the house of bondage.” That was truly a marvelous set of events when God brought the ten plagues, and then opened up the Red Sea so the children of Israel could safely leave the bondage of Egypt. How often do you remember when God made a way through the Red Sea? God did what no one else could do: He parted the waves and the children of Israel passed through. God can make a way when there is no way.

For the third command found in this passage in Exodus 13, God said in verse 3, “there shall no leavened bread be eaten.” It is important to notice that God continues to emphasize “no leavened bread.” God has given us a great salvation, but He still has something for us to do. He wants us to remove sin from our lives. “Be ye holy, for I am holy, saith the Lord.” God hates sin. There is no justification for any sin. Just because you have been forgiven by Jesus, does not mean that you will get away with sin. Sin will have bad consequences. Sin will bring judgment. Sin will cause loss of rewards, loss of health, and even loss of life. It is not always easy to be a Christian. We are given the highest of standards. Remember God’s command to make sure that you have no “leaven” in your life. Ask Jesus to forgive you. He always will.

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