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.