SERIES C --- EXODUS FROM BONDAGE --- LESSON 10

WAITING OVER

THE NIGHT THAT EGYPT CRIED

From Exodus 12:29-51

So it happened that Adonai moved through the land of Egypt at midnight, taking the lives of the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, from Pharaoh’s son to the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon and even the firstborn of Egypt’s cattle. Pharaoh, his officers and his people arose that night and began a great wailing that stretched across the land, for every home was touched with death. That same night Pharaoh sent a message to Moses and Aaron. [Go! Take all your people and flocks and herds and leave Egypt immediately] he said. [And as you go, ask your YHVH to bless me.] The Egyptian people also urged the Israelites to leave as quickly as possible. [We shall all die!] they cried out. Thus, the people of Israel prepared to leave immediately, not even taking time to put leaven in their bread dough. They wrapped their kneading bowls in their spare clothing and carried them on their shoulders. The Israelites also did as Moses said and asked the Egyptians for precious objects made of silver and gold and for clothing. Adonai moved upon the Egyptians to give the Israelites all that they asked for. Thus, the Israelites took great wealth from the Egyptians that night. That very night the Israelites left Raamses and headed for Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand men, besides all the women and children, walking from their homes in Egypt. A large number of people who were not Israelites went with them as well as their flocks and herds. When it was time to eat, they baked their unleavened bread; for they had been forced out of Egypt so quickly that there had been no time to prepare leavened bread. The Israelites had been in Egypt four hundred and thirty years to the day. Adonai had chosen the exact night to bring His people from the land of their slavery. He chose this same night for an annual celebration, to recall how Adonai had freed them from their bondage. Once again Adonai spoke to Moses and Aaron, telling them the way to keep the Passover. [No visitor or hired servant may eat the Passover lamb. A slave who has been bought for money may eat if he has been circumcised. The lamb must be eaten in a house and not outside and not a bone of it is to be broken. The entire congregation of Israel must eat the lamb at the same time. If a visitor lives with you and wants to eat Adonai’s Passover, he must first have all males in his household circumcised, then he may eat, for an uncircumcised person must never celebrate the Passover with you. Both Israelite and the foreign visitor will follow the same rule.] The Israelites did as Adonai said through Moses and Aaron. The same day Adonai brought the great throng of His people from their slavery in Egypt, leading them out of the land in large bands.

COMMENTARY

HIGH AND MIGHTY.

After four hundred and thirty years in Egypt, the waiting was over. [Go!] Pharaoh shouted. The terrified people of Egypt gave the Israelites their jewellery and gold. Urged by their old masters, the Israelites fled. With only cakes of unleavened bread for food and their mixing bowls on their shoulders, they hurried from Egypt, the land of their servitude. The pharaohs of ancient Egypt were richer and had more power than almost any rulers in all of history. They owned all the land and buildings in the country. They owned all of the animals. They even owned the people! Ancient Egypt itself was the richest place in the world at that time. Gold and copper came into the country from mines in Nubia and Sinai. {Sinai is where the Israelites wandered for forty years; Nubia is southeast of there, in an African land now called Sudan.} There was so much gold that a Babylonian king told pharaoh, [Gold is as common as dust in your land!] Many countries; from Palestine to India; set up trade relations to share in some of Egypt’s wealth. Their rulers sent groups bearing expensive gifts, which the pharaohs called [tribute.] The pharaoh lived in almost unbelievable wealth. Surrounded by dozens of noblemen and servants, he was well fed and richly dressed. He owned stables of fine horses and travelled in beautifully decorated chariots and golden barges. Added to all of this was the booty captured during the many wars. Prisoners of war were made into slaves. Sometimes there were so many slaves that even the soldiers each had one or two. The Egyptians believed that you can [take it with you.] Artisans began making rich objects for a pharaoh’s tomb the day he was crowned. Most of the ancient tombs were robbed thousands of years ago, but one was left almost undisturbed; the tomb of the boy-king, Tutankhamen. He is usually called King Tut. King Tut ruled for nine years and then died at the age of eighteen. Even so, artisans made over two thousand objects for his tomb. They range from ointment jars to solid gold and silver objects inlaid with precious stones. The face mask put over his mummy is made of solid gold. The eyes, eyebrows and even the makeup are made of various precious and semi-precious jewels. It is impossible to guess how much all the things in the tomb are worth. His coffin is made of solid gold one-eighth of an inch thick and weighs over two thousand pounds. The gold alone in this one object is worth more than three million American dollars. What has been found in the pharaohs’ tombs is only a fraction of what they had when alive. Wealth like that seems almost like a fairy tale today.

Thought for Today: Tuesday December 27:

Remember, the first disciples were not perfect, and neither are we. Like them, we need to learn more, follow more and share more. All of us who belongs to Moshiach are called to be disciples. Unlike the original disciples, we cannot physically spend time with Yeshua, but we learn everything from Him by reading His Word. We can follow Him by obeying His Will. And we can share Him with a world that is desperately in need to be saved.

Watch our new short video entitled, “Make The Bible Agree With Yeshua”, on our YouTube channel now! If you enjoy these short videos, be sure to let us know by liking the video and sharing it with your friends and family. Check it out!

Then he said, "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation...."
#genesis 46:3 #vayigash

If we truly trust in God, we should never fear oppression or hard times. Everything that God allows into our lives is intended for our ultimate benefit. Even if we are enslaved and killed, we will be free and risen.

Seeking honest opinions... Does this look like a 10 year old painted it?

And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.”
Genesis 46:2

Why did God call Jacob twice in Gen 46:2? Just to make sure he had his attention? An expression of affection? Two voices? Addressing two levels of Jacob?

SERIES C --- EXODUS FROM BONDAGE --- LESSON 09

PASSOVER

A LAMB FOR EACH FAMILY

From Exodus 11 - 12:1-28

[I will send one last plague on Pharaoh and his land,] Adonai told Moses. [After that, he will want you to go! Tell your people to ask the Egyptians for expensive gold and silver jewellery.] By this time the Egyptians had developed a great respect for the people of Israel, so they were willing to give expensive gifts to them. Moreover, Moses had become a great and famous man throughout Egypt. All the Egyptians respected him, Pharaoh’s officials as much as the common people. Moses gave Pharaoh this last message from Adonai: [About midnight I will pass through the land of Egypt. Every firstborn child or animal of Egypt shall die, from Pharaoh’s oldest son, who would someday become king, to the firstborn child of the slave girl who grinds with the hand mill, as well as the firstborn of all animals. Throughout the land of Egypt there will be a loud wailing, worse than any that Egypt has ever known or will know. But there will not be even the barking of a dog against any of the people of Israel or their animals. Then you will know that Adonai makes a difference between the Egyptians and the people of Israel.] Then Moses said to Pharaoh, [Your officials will run to me and bow low before me. They will beg me and my people to leave Egypt. When they do, we shall go.] Flushed with anger, Moses turned and walked out of Pharaoh’s palace. Now Adonai had already told Moses, [Pharaoh will not listen to what you say. But then it will be possible for Me to do My miracles in Egypt.] Even though Pharaoh had seen the miracles which Moses and Aaron had performed he hardened his heart and refused to let the people of Israel leave the land. About this time Adonai gave special orders to Moses and Aaron concerning the Passover. [Begin your calendar year with this month,] He ordered. [You will instruct your people to honour the tenth day of this month each year. On that day each man will take a lamb as a sacrifice for his father’s household. There shall be one lamb for each household. If the family of that household is too small for a whole lamb, two families in the community may share a lamb. The lamb must be a perfect animal, a year old. Or it may be a perfect kid which is a year old. Separate this animal until the fourteenth day of the month. That evening each family will kill it and place its blood on the panels beside the doorway of their home and on the lintel above the doorway. Each family shall roast its lamb that night and eat it, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Never eat this meat raw or boiled, but roasted as a whole animal, including head, legs and inner parts. None of the meat shall be saved until the following day. It must all be eaten that night. Any leftovers must be burned. When you eat the meat, you must be dressed for travel, with loins girded, sandals on your feet and your walking stick at hand. Eat in haste. It is Adonai’s Passover, for tonight I will pass through Egypt and take the lives of every firstborn in the land, of both men and animals. Thus, I will execute judgment on the gods of Egypt. You will show your obedience to Me by placing the blood on the door panels of your homes. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. Your firstborn children will not be struck down with the firstborn of Egypt. Each year, for many generations to come, you shall remember this day and make it a feast day to Adonai. For seven days of the feast you shall eat unleavened bread, putting away all leaven from your houses on the first day. If anyone eats leavened bread during these seven days of the feast, he shall no longer be a part of Israel. On the first day of the feast, as well as the seventh, you shall gather the people for a sacred meeting. No work shall be done on those days except to prepare food. For all time, and through all generations, you must continue to celebrate this special occasion, for it will remind you of the day when I brought you out of the land of Egypt. From the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day you shall eat only unleavened bread. There must be no leaven in your homes during these seven days. Whoever eats leavened food will no longer be a part of the congregation of Israel. The foreigner who lives among the people of Israel must also observe all these laws.] Moses assembled the elders of Israel and told them Adonai’s rules concerning the Passover. [Choose lambs for your families and kill the lamb as Adonai Commanded. Dip a sprig of hyssop into the basin of blood which you have drained from the lamb, then put the blood on the side panels and lintel above the doorway. You must stay inside all night, for Adonai will pass through the land of Egypt to take the lives of the firstborn. When He sees the blood, He will pass over the home and death will not visit the firstborn of that family. You must observe this ceremony each year, for it is a Law of YHVH forever for you and your descendants. And when you come into the land which Adonai has promised to you, continue to observe it. Your children will ask what this ceremony means. Then you must tell them that it is a Passover sacrifice, for Adonai passed over our homes that night in Egypt when He took the lives of the firstborn of Egypt.]

COMMENTARY

THE STAFF OF LIFE

The Old Testament abounds with references to this central act of YHVH’s judgment on Egypt. For all time YHVH’s people were to celebrate each anniversary of the night YHVH struck down the firstborn of Egypt and passed over His own. The Bible tells the story of this passing over and of blood, sprinkled with the hyssop plant on doorposts which meant safety for the children of Israel. The ancient Egyptians and the Israelites ate more bread than any other food. It was good for them, because whether it was made from wheat or barley, almost all the grain was used. They couldn’t refine it enough to make anything like the white bread eaten today. In fact, bread was so much a part of the average person’s diet, the Hebrew word for bread came to mean {food} in general. Some people still make their own bread. They do it mostly because they want to. But the people of ancient Egypt did it because they had to. It was hard and necessary work, all done by hand and with clumsy tools. First, the grain was crushed into coarse flour with a mortar and pestle. Sometimes finer flour was ground by using two millstones rolling against each other in crushing the grain between them. The flour was then sifted many times to remove any dirt or grit. Next, the flour was mixed with water or honey. Sometimes yeast or a souring agent was added. There were basically two kinds of bread. 1 -- Leavened bread, the kind usually thought of as bread today, which rises into light, airy loaves. 2 -- Unleavened bread, which is either flat and crisp like a cracker, or thick and heavy like banana or nut bread. After the dough was mixed, it was shaped into several different kinds of loaves. Some had holes poked in them and were made with oil; a braided form of this bread, called {Challah,} is still eaten today. So is {pita} or {flatbread,} which was shaped into a circle and had to be turned to bake on both sides; it’s available in many supermarkets. The cracker form of unleavened bread, called {matzah,} is eaten by Jews of the present as a symbol of the events of the Passover; it may well be the bread the Israelites took with them in their hurried flight from Egypt. Several different kinds of ovens were used. Sometimes the shaped dough was baked on pre-heated rocks. Certain kinds of flatbread were baked on an iron griddle, in frying or baking pans, or saucepans. Others were baked on hearths heated by coals or dung fires. The most commonly used oven; which very few people today would know was an oven; was called a {tannur.} It was a large, beehive-shaped pottery jar, heated inside with burning twigs and grass. The outside soon became very hot, and sometimes sooty as well. The bread dough was plastered against the outside, and baked very quickly. Thousands of years ago, an Israelite began his meal by raising the bread in his hands and speaking the ancient blessing: [Blessed art Thou, O Adonai our YHVH, Who gave us this bread… .] The loaf was broken and passed to the others at the table. Only then did the meal begin. Pious Jews do much the same thing today.