CHAPTER 10
1 And YHWH said to Moshe, "Come [bo] to Pharaoh, because I have made his heart heavy, as well as the heart of his slaves, in order that I may perform these signs of Mine close to him,
The Lubavitcher Rebbe pointed out that YHWH does not say, “Go.” He says, “Come.” This implies that He Himself would accompany him to this frightening, potentially-deadly encounter. He’s actually saying, "Come with Me to Pharaoh." But the only way he can get to where YHWH is and find the deliverance he seeks is to stop being hesitant to move forward just because something we fear is in the way. Pharaoh has now pushed YHWH’s patience too far, and there is a price to pay. It is wisest to respond the first time, even if we do not get it perfectly right that time; don’t harden your heart as Pharaoh did. (Psalm 95:7-8) His slaves: including those Hebrews who hesitated and stayed attached to Pharaoh when they should have been moving to Goshen would now have their hearts hardened as well. Since the plague of flies (8:20-23), YHWH had made a distinction between Egypt and Goshen, and the Israelites had realized it was time to stop ensuring the wealth and longevity of Egypt, and time to start building their own “storehouses”. So Pharaoh’s building projects ground to a halt, and the Israelites streamed back into Goshen. The Exodus comes in stages: When Moshe first returned, there was already a functioning body of elders, though the people were still scattered. Now this migration, to prepare for the full departure. If the rest had not been unrepentant, YHWH would not need to take the plagues to the next level. It is not that their hearts were constantly inclined to evil, but they were counted as wicked simply because they failed to repent. YHWH is calling out with the same message today: “Gather together as Israel!” Most English translations could mislead us with the expectation that angels will be the ones to separate the wheat from the tares; but in both Greek and Hebrew, the same word simply means “messengers”, so we should not spiritualize them when the simplest meaning allows us to be some of those messengers ourselves. The first step in preparing to go the Promised Land again is to gather in communities and learn how to live together (the nuts and bolts of loving one another) and love YHWH as a people rather than as individuals. Those who do follow this call can find safety in some kind of Goshen again, whether small or large. If one responds, YHWH will have no reason to condemn. But sadly, Pharaoh refused to submit to the circumcising of his heart, so it became further concealed within the fat that kept growing over it. Yet YHWH still used him to make the story dramatic and powerful enough to be remembered for so many generations.
2. "And so that you may recount in the ears of your son and your grandson what I have exerted Myself to do against Egypt, and My signs which I have brought about among them, and you may recognize that I am YHWH."
Recount in the ears: impress it so deeply that it goes into his heart. He went to extraordinary lengths so we would always have something convincing to tell our children during less dramatic times—or when they are overstimulated by glitzy but meaningless data. The heritage and identity we pass on to them is that we are the people separated from Egypt—a word that means “the tight spots”. This is not arrogance, but a solemn responsibility. This recounting is the core of how YHWH commanded us to observe of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Exerted Myself to do: or, dealt severely with, toyed with so as to make a fool of the childish Pharaoh, or, gleaned Egypt (salvaged what was left, so that everything of any value that was there is now in Israel’s possession); LXX: "mocked". These children would experience YHWH’s mercy, but they had to be told that He has another side as well—for to the merciful He proves merciful, but to the crooked He proves Himself able to tie them in knots. (Psalm 18:26). It was a fair warning for what He would do to Israel if they would turn away from His words like Pharaoh did. YHWH could have just snuffed Pharaoh out, but He is not lawless. He adheres to a legal process, using judgment to remove the authority from one’s own heart. He gave them a dramatic epic to recount to their children so that they would never forget it. And indeed, here we are, nearly 3,500 years later, still remembering it, so that OUR children will know that YHWH is not far from us, for we are still in the process of leaving Egypt. (cf. Ex. 13:1-16; Deut. 6:4-9; 11:13-21)
3. So Moshe and Aharon went in to Pharaoh and told him, "Thus says YHWH, Elohim of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before My face? Set my people free so that they may be My servants [instead]--
Humble yourself: Hirsch, "recognize your poverty" (how impoverished you really have become). How does he have the audacity to not submit to YHWH?
4. ‘because if you refuse to release my people, watch Me bring [a swarm of] locusts into your territory tomorrow,
Locusts are one of the few insects that are clean (kosher), and they represent an army (Prov. 30:27, etc.) brought in judgment on an idolatrous land. Tomorrow: He still gives Pharaoh time to repent. He is making war on Egypt, but constantly extends mercy. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Y’hezq’El 33:11), and would rather that they repent and find their positive potential.
5. ‘And they will cover the eye of the land, and no one will be able to see the ground. And they will eat whatever you have left that survived the ‘hailstones’, and they will devour every stalk that springs up from the field.
Cover the eye: Aramaic Targum Onqelos explains that this means it would obscure the view of the sun. There are hieroglyphic drawings in Egypt representing Ra (the sun-god) as an eyeball. So again this is an attack on the chief deity of Egypt, whose apex of power was considered to be right at the middle of the month of Aviv! (This is probably because Mars' flybys would often occur during this exact time.) It is also an attack on Isis, the goddess of life, and Min, the goddess of fertility and vegetation, the protector of crops, to whom was dedicated the harvest festival in the spring—right at this time.. The crops that are left are the wheat and the rye (or spelt), and Pharaoh has found hope in them that still somehow YHWH will not get the best of him. But one swarm of locusts can eat a half billion pounds of food in a day! They have been known to travel all the way from West Africa to the Caribbean, helped along by the wind. Everyone would be covered by them, so no one could help anyone else. YHWH is removing the blessings He had brought there with Yosef. He has tried to avoid it, but in order to be just, was left with no choice but to take His gift back.
6. ‘Then your houses and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians will be full [of them]--something neither your fathers nor your fathers' fathers have seen, from the day of their coming to exist on earth until this day." And he turned and departed from Pharaoh.
Pharaoh thought that he himself and his fathers had descended from the sun-god Ra. So this was a direct insult to them—saying that the Elohim who was doing these things had been around longer than they and knew things they didn't. Neither...have seen: According to Hirsch, such swarms are normally only found in Asia. There was no precedent here; he could not just say it was a natural cycle. Now Moshe is the one turning his back on Pharaoh; whereas previously he would have walked out backwards, always facing Pharaoh as he departed, he no longer shows such respect for his royal image.
7. And Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long will this [man] be a noose to us? Let the men go so they can serve YHWH their Elohim. Don't you realize that Egypt is [already] a lost cause?”
Noose: The Hebrew word for “locust” is based on the word for “many” (hence the swarm) or “increase”. The root word for “territory” means “a rope”, as in cordoning off a border. Hence, on a deeper level YHWH is saying He is “increasing Pharaoh’s rope”—giving him “just enough to hang himself with”. Servants: probably Israelites doing their “civic duty”, thinking they still owed Pharaoh something, though he hated their people. Pharaoh's servants recognize that YHWH is indeed Israel’s Elohim; Pharaoh is not. Yet still they do not see Him as their own Elohim, but someone else’s, like the son who asks at Passover, “Why do you do these things?” without including himself. Pharaoh was probably raised on the mantra that no respectable Pharaoh would ever give in to anyone. Yet now even Pharaoh's servants, seeing that someone could show disrespect for Pharaoh with impunity, begin to presume to tell him what he should do.
8. So Moshe and Aharon were brought back to Pharaoh, and he told them, "Go and serve YHWH your Elohim [then]! Who in particular will be going?”
Now Pharaoh realizes he has no option but to be somewhat reasonable, but still he wants to set the conditions.
9. So Moshe said, "We will go, along with our young and our old, our sons as well as our daughters. We'll go with our flocks and our herds, because we have a joyful festival of YHWH!"
They could not celebrate it properly unless the whole community was present. It could not just be the "leaders" without the "flocks".
10. But he told them, "YHWH had better be with you if I let you go along with your little ones! Watch out, because there’s trouble in front of you!
Trouble: or evil, but the name of the Egyptian sun-god is spelled the same way. Pharaoh was saying he was Ra, and he was in Moshe’s face! Your little ones: The battle is over the children. It would be of little benefit in the long run if the adults left Egypt, but the next generation was left under its influence. If they hold onto your children, they have won.
11. "Now, don’t go like that! You and the males go and serve [this] YHWH, because that's what you asked for!" And he expelled them from Pharaoh's presence."
Males: In Egypt, it was only the men (and only those of noble position) who participated in worship, with the exception of some royalty, so when they asked to go worship, he assumed that was all that would go. And if they left their wives and children behind, they would not be too long in coming back.
12. Then YHWH said, "Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may spread across the land of Egypt, and eat every plant of the land--all that the ‘hail' has left."
Pharaoh had granted them a compromise; he seems to have given in a little. Why did they not accept his offer so they could at least go? It was a start; maybe they could take their wives next year, and their children the year after… Many would consider this to be wisdom, but Moshe responds with another plague, because YHWH does not want us to compromise with any but our brothers. We must not bargain away any of His commandments.
13. So Moshe stretched out his staff, and YHWH caused an east wind [to blow] on the land all day and all that night. In the morning the east wind brought locusts,
14. and the locusts spread across the whole land of Egypt, and settled over all the territory within Egypt's borders--very massive [ones]. There had never been such locusts as they, and afterward there will never be any [like them].
Goshen is now no longer being counted as part of “the whole land of Egypt”. The blessing that is always attached to those with a repentant heart has left along with the Israelites.
15. And they covered the eye of the land, and the land became dark. And they ate every plant of the land, and all of the fruit of the trees that the "hail" had left [remaining], and no greenness was left on the trees or the plants of the field in any of the land of Egypt.
In Hebrew, this is ironic, because the thing called the “increaser” is actually decreasing Egypt’s food, power, confidence, and hope. Notice all the parallels with Genesis 1: wind or spirit, day and night, darkness, a ruin and desolation, and no greenery. YHWH is creating something new --the nation of Israel--which reverses the curse that came upon creation. The wheat that had appeared to be their only remaining food was now gone too. But imagine how much the food left in Goshen was worth to the Egyptians now. YHWH’s people needed gold to build the tabernacle’s furniture, and now they had a way to get it.
16. And Pharaoh hurried to call Moshe and Aharon, and he said, "I have sinned against YHWH your Elohim and against you.
YHWH's promise to Avraham still remains: "Those who curse you I will curse."
17. "And now, I beg you, take away my [punishment for] sin just this once, and pray to YHWH your Elohim so that He may just turn this death away from me!"
If the locusts were to remain in Egypt and deposit their larvae, all later harvests would also be doomed as well. (Hirsch) Your Elohim: Pharaoh finally realizes he’s done the wrong thing. He thought things could get back to normal if only YHWH’s judgment was turned away. But he had made too many wrong choices, and now it was too late to repent. Yet just to prove YHWH’s point…
18. So he went out from Pharaoh, and pleaded with YHWH,
19. and YHWH turned it around to a very strong sea wind, and it carried away the locusts, and blew them into the Red Sea; not one locust remained within the borders of Egypt.
Sea wind: or west wind, but the sea is not west of Egypt as it is of Israel, and to blow into the Red Sea, it would be heading southeast. If the locusts had remained, the Egyptians might have been able to cook them over all that dead wood, but now there were not even locusts left to eat, so Pharaoh himself would finally begin to become hungry as well.
20. But YHWH hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not send away the descendants of Israel.
21. Then YHWH told Moshe, "Extend your hand to the skies, so that darkness may come over the land of Egypt--a darkness one can feel!"
Targum Onqelos adds, "after the darkness of night has departed"; i.e., this was an abnormal darkness.
22. And Moshe stretched out his hand to the heavens, and darkness of gloom was throughout all the land of Egypt for three days.
Aharon is no longer acting on Moshe’s behalf. This is what YHWH wanted all along. It was never really Aharon’s job; YHWH had another position in mind for him. Moshe may have been emboldened when even the magicians said they could no longer stand before him. Darkness of gloom: or "thick darkness", which Josephus says was "without the least light", He says their breathing was also "hindered by the thickness of the air, and they died miserably, and under a terror lest they should be swallowed up by the dark cloud." Immanuel Velikovsky believed the reason the darkness was so palpable was that the earth passed through the tail of the comet and thus there was actually fine dust throughout the atmosphere, completely obscuring one’s view like a sandstorm. Patten and others think the thick darkness was ash from the Thera volcano, whose eruption was set off by the gravitation from the Mars passby, and which destroyed the Minoan civilization and sent a thick cloud of ash in the direction of Egypt, but it could have easily not blown over Goshen:
23. Not a man of them saw his brother, nor did any rise up from his same place, for three days. Yet for all the sons of Israel, there was light in their dwellings.
Saw: or "considered his brother". No one loved his neighbor anymore. Every one of them was feeling sorry for himself, since everything they had owned had been destroyed. A darkness one can feel might also include psychological depression from the gloom. The locusts had brought one kind of darkness, but now the people were increasing their own darkness. Initially we may not be able to control our reaction, but to remain depressed is selfish. They made their problems more powerful by feeding into them and giving them more honor than they deserved. The more we talk about it, the more it spreads to others, making it darker for them as well, unless they can truly do something to end our suffering. They gave up hope, and that is the worst darkness. Our emotions are meant to serve us. If the Torah were about how we feel, we would be in big trouble, for we rarely feel like following all of it. We are commanded to be joyful, so it does not depend on one’s circumstances. Usually when a people experiences a national tragedy, they pull together against a common foe. But now YHWH took away their unity as well, as He had done at Bavel. The way to dispel depression is to find someone to serve. Dwellings: Heb., moshav--a seated assembly, or a place where they met together. This is why there was light among Israel. The darkness is another direct slur on Ra, the sun god, who was powerless at this time. (Compare 12:12) It was no longer hard to tell whose side anyone was on, as the light and darkness were in vivid contrast.
24. And Pharaoh called out to Moshe and said, "Go, serve YHWH! Only leave your flocks and herds behind. Even your little ones may go with you."
He finally says all the people can go. Yet he is still trying to save some face or hold onto some measure of honor. After all, his own livestock have all been destroyed because he left them out in the field when the "hail" fell. Notice that he does not summon Aharon. He tries to isolate the one who is not doing the talking, possibly thinking he can handle one better than two. Moshe rises to the occasion and speaks to Pharaoh with authority:
25. But Moshe said, "You will give into our hands sacrifices and offerings as well, to prepare for YHWH our Elohim,
Sacrifices: literally, slaughterings (with no sense of giving anything up in Hebrew). He angers Pharaoh, but he is acting in the opposite way from when he angered YHWH with his hesitancy. Not only can Pharaoh not hold onto what is theirs; he himself is required to contribute some of what is his own as well! If we try to hold onto something, we lose even more. (Mat. 10:39) He owes YHWH something too. All of the Egyptians had sold themselves to Pharaoh in Yosef’s day, but the Israelites never had, yet he enslaved them anyway. This means he stole what belongs to YHWH. If he would not give them back, he would have to die so the Israelites would not think he still had any claim on them. Pharaoh’s firstborn had to die, so that the right of owning the slaves could not pass on to him.
26. "and our own livestock will go with us also. Not a hoof shall remain, because we will take them to serve YHWH our Elohim, and we will not know how we should serve Him until we arrive there."
I.e., "We don't know what we're going to need. He might ask us for everything, so how can we leave anything behind?" Pharaoh did not yet get the point that it was not Moshe's choice what he could or could not take. What YHWH wants, YHWH gets. Holding back is robbery. If we have to know ahead of time what will be required of us, we are not ready to serve YHWH. Service to YHWH is an adventure! We will find out how to serve when it is time to serve. They might even need to leave some of their own possessions behind in Egypt in order to carry the things the Egyptians had to give them, which YHWH wanted them to use in building the Tabernacle. But if we are obeying Him and loving one another, we will find that we have all we need.
27. But YHWH hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he was not willing to send them away.
28. And Pharaoh told them, "Get away from me, and watch out for your own sake that you not take one more look at my face, because on the day you see my face, you will die."
29. So Moshe said, "Indeed, it will be as you say; I will never see your face again."
See your face: or, be in your presence. He will again communicate with Pharaoh (12:31), but this is the last time Moshe recognized any authority in Pharaoh. The next time they met one another, it was Pharaoh who would be in Moshe’s presence!
CHAPTER 11
1. Then YHWH told Moshe, "I will bring one last strike upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will send you away from here. And when he sends you away, he will utterly drive you away for sure.
Up to this point Moshe had only told Pharaoh they would go into the wilderness; assumedly they would then come back, but YHWH wanted to take them further than that—to make them a separate nation, to fulfill His promises to their ancestors. So Pharaoh would need to be motivated to release them from that commitment—and that is what this “last strike” was about. The term “drive” here is the one used of divorce in Hebrew. (Lev. 21:13; Num. 30:9, et al) In unpointed Hebrew (the original way it was written), “utterly” is spelled the same as “bride”” and the masculine single or plural endings in this case would appear the same, so the first phrase in the last sentence here could just as well read, “As they send away a divorced bride...” This was exactly what YHWH wanted—for Pharaoh to renounce all authority over Israel. He was saying, in effect, as Avraham could have said to another Pharaoh, “Get your hands off my wife!” We were being released from any obligations to him, leaving us free to be betrothed to YHWH.
2. "Now speak in the ears of the people: Let each man request from his neighbor, and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold."
Neighbor: either Egyptians whom they knew well, and may have even been friends with, or other Israelites who still served Pharaoh, being afraid to fully commit to following for themselves. They had a purpose: to provide metals worthy of use in building the items needed for the Tabernacle. They were not for personal use, but national, so there need be no hesitancy to accept them.
3. And YHWH gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moshe was seen as very great in the land of Egypt, by the servants of Pharaoh, and by the people.
But only if they joined themselves to Israel and kept the commands in the next chapter could their awe of himspare them what was coming.
4. And Moshe said, "This is what YHWH says: ‘Around midnight, I will go out into the midst of Egypt,
The midst of Egypt: Before He can dwell in the midst—the innermost center--of Israel (25:8), He goes into the midst of Egypt. He wants His camp to be clean (Deut. 23:14), a sweet-smelling place. If we invite Him into our midst, we must make sure we are a people He can dwell among. If we keep our camp like an Egyptian one, His presence will bring a curse as it did for Egypt.
5. "‘and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh (the one who sits on his throne) to the firstborn of the slave-girl who is behind the pair of millstones, and every firstborn of a beast.
When his son died, Pharaoh would finally feel what YHWH felt over Pharaoh's mishandling of His "son", Israel. (Hirsch, cf. 4:22) Just as He would later mourn the loss of His unique son of a different sort (Mark 15:33, 38), YHWH regretted having to do this; Egypt was a great nation, an example of what the humans He created could achieve, and He regarded it as a sacrifice to give it up in order to ransom Israel. (Yeshayahu 43:3) Originally it was only Pharaoh’s son whose death was foretold (4:23), and even that could have been avoided had Pharaoh simply been obedient. Yet, tragically, none of these strikes on Egypt motivated him to relent.
6. "‘Then there will come a great cry of distress throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been [before], nor shall there ever be again.
7. "‘But for all the sons of Israel, not [even] a dog shall sharpen its tongue, either from among man or beast, so that you may know that YHWH makes a [significant] distinction between Egypt and Israel.
Sharpen its tongue: An idiom, for its growling sounds like a grinding machine! It is significant that no dogs growled because dogs were numerous in Egypt, being used for hunting. In Egypt it was common to mummify dogs, and they were honored to the extent that the birth of a greyhound was considered second in importance to the birth of a son. Anubis, the Egyptian god of mummification (see photo at left) was half-dog, half-man, who supposedly assisted in rites by which the dead were admitted to the underworld by testifying on behalf of the one who had died. It is depicted as guarding the tombs of Pharaohs. But if we wag our tongues against fellow Israelites, we are worse than these dogs. The word for “distinction” here means something Egypt could not imitate—the typical term for “wonders” beyond man’s reach. Like the stories of a prince being willing to give up a great military alliance to marry a commoner whom he loved, YHWH was willing to part with Egypt to redeem Israel. (Yeshayahu/Isa. 43:3)
8. "‘And all these servants of yours will come down to me and bow down to me, saying, 'Get out! You and all the people who are at your feet!' And after that, I will indeed go out.'" And he departed from [being] with Pharaoh in burning anger.
Who are at your feet: an idiom for “those who follow you”. Why was Moshe angry? Because Pharaoh’s lack of repentance meant thousands of innocent children would die needlessly. It could have all been easily avoided. When he began, Moshe was nervous, but he has been through enough that he is no longer afraid to “get in Pharaoh’s face”. Having YHWH’s word in our mouths is the greatest source of confidence, if we grasp what it really says. When we find our lives in the Torah, it defines who we are.
9. But YHWH had told Moshe, "Pharaoh will not listen to you, in order that My special displays of power may become greater in the land of Egypt."
10. And Moshe and Aharon performed all these displays of power in the presence of Pharaoh, yet YHWH strengthened the heart of Pharaoh, and he would not send away the descendants of Israel from his land.
Since Pharaoh would never just let us go, YHWH had to push him to the point that he would be eager for us to go and actually force us out. Nine plagues had not curbed his arrogance at all; the few times he did acknowledge YHWH, he did not follow through. So the cup of Egypt’s sin has become full, and a plague more serious than merely strange weather and pests had to be used.
CHAPTER 12
1. And YHWH spoke to Moshe and to Aharon in the land of Egypt, saying,
This is the first time YHWH is said to have spoken in Egypt since the plagues began. Here it is emphasizing that what follows was not an afterthought, but was established even before He removed us from captivity:
2. "This month shall be the chief of months for you. It will be the first of all the months of the year for you.
The first command given to the corporate people of Israel was a change in the calendar. Egypt was based on the sun; our calendar would be based on the moon. This was only for Israel, to set her apart further as a light to the world. The old calendar stayed the same for the rest of creation, and indeed the civil calendar of Israel still begins in what is now the seventh month of the religious calendar. Yet the command was given while we were still in exile. So the fact that we are again in exile now does not mean we cannot keep His appointments.
3. "Speak to the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they shall select for themselves an animal from the flock for each ancestral house; [that is], one flock animal per household."
For each ancestral house: literally, "For a house of fathers". Anyone under the authority of a particular patriarch—the man to whom they were responsible—would eat it under his supervision.
4. "Now if the household should be [too] small for a flock animal, he and the one living nearest his home may select it [together], according to the number of persons. You shall calculate it according to how much each one’s mouth can eat.
Smaller families were to share one lamb so the life of the animal would not be taken and then some of the meat wasted, because they could not take it with them.
5. "You must have a flock animal, a perfect one, a male a year old. You may take it from among either the sheep or the goats.
Perfect: or complete, having nothing missing and no additional parts that should not be there—for it symbolizes ourselves. We must not present to YHWH anything less than our best. But we cannot realize this until we get the “leaven” out of our lives. An individual might never become perfect as we think of it, but each can bring the whole community to completeness and balance.
6. "And it will be your responsibility to watch over it through the fourteenth day of this month, and the whole congregation of Israel shall slaughter it between the evenings.
Watch over it: guard it carefully and observe it, to be sure there were no defects. It becomes part of the household. The children undoubtedly gave it a name, cleaned it well, and it would become like a pet, giving us another occasion to teach the children that we kill it not because we are angry at it. And this helps us get used to letting go of things we have seen as precious. Yeshua was "observed" or inspected by everyone from the day of the "triumphal entry" (the 10th) until Passover: the P'rushim (Pharisees) quit asking him questions; Pontius Pilate found no fault in him and washed his hands of any liability. "Between the evenings": the word for "evening" is based on "mixture" or "transition", so it is done between the time we can first notice the decline of daylight and the time daylight transitions into night. By the time of the second Temple, it was offered between the first and second evening oblation, which translates to the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.), which is exactly when Yeshua was slain on Passover. Why the 14th? The way to write the number 14 in Hebrew is with the letters yod and dalet, which spell the word for “hand”, yad, and its reverse, dai (enough). Indeed, YHWH had said He would stretch out His hand over Egypt (3:19) and lay His hand on it (7:4) when Israel had suffered enough.
7. "And they shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two side doorposts, and on the upper doorpost.
It would form the letter “heth”, the first letter in the Hebrew word for “life”—in stark contrast to the death the messenger was bringing and the whole emphasis on death that pervaded Egypt. Moshe commanded us to write the words of the Torah on our doorposts, because the commandment would be "life" to us (Deut. 32:47).
8. "And they must eat the meat on this night, roasted with fire, and unleavened bread; they shall eat it with bitter herbs.
Traditionally, the bitter herbs are to remind us of the bitterness of our suffering in Egypt. They may have also helped with the digestion of this food eaten on the run (v. 11). But the large amount of protein also gave them energy for a fast-paced three-day, round-the-clock race to freedom. One could not be a total vegetarian and keep this command. Torah keeps all things in balance. A temple in Egypt depicts Amun-Ra as protected by and represented by a ram, so again their god was being killed.
9. "You must not eat it any of it raw, [or even] cooked with any boiling in water at all, but rather roasted with fire, its head over its knees, as well as its entrails.
YHWH gives only one option, for this meal is not about personal tastes but about unity. At least by Second Temple times, the entrails were wrapped around its head, and it was called “the crowned slaughter.” (Compare Mat. 27:29.)
10. "You must not let any of it remain until morning; anything left over until morning you shall burn up in the fire.
The whole animal was to be consumed one way or another. It could not be left for the Egyptians who remained there to eat and thus profane it.
11. "And this is how you must eat it: with your belt tied, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in hand. Moreover, you must eat it in a hurry; it is YHWH's Passover.
Your belt tied: loose flowing robes would hinder the quick movement that was necessary to travel the great distance to be covered in three days. Staffs would be their walking sticks. They may have had to dig their shepherds’ staffs out of storage, but this would remind them of who they really were—shepherds, not slaves. In a hurry: We could not afford to get stuck having to leave before the meal was finished, so we could not take our time and enjoy it. As the greater Passover approaches, we must make as many preparations as possible for the uncertainties of our journey. Passover: literally, "skipping-over"; the reason for this will be seen in v. 13. The Passover is not the feast itself, but the slaughter of this particular lamb; specifications are given for every aspect of how it was done, because it was a picture of something else to come later as well.
12. "And I will cross the land of Egypt that very night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human to livestock, and I will execute judgments upon all the gods of Egypt. I am YHWH!"
Cross: or pass through, the word for “Hebrew”, so YHWH Himself became a Hebrew here! The last of the gods of Egypt was Pharaoh's own son, the next "incarnation of Ra”. Egypt had to be shown that YHWH had no equal. He humbled this, the greatest world power of the day. I will strike: YHWH had told Moshe to bring about the other plagues, but not this one. Yet for all of the other plagues Moshe or Aharon raised his staff; He did this one while every man in Israel had a staff in his hand, so none of them would be able to accuse Moshe of being the one who caused this horror. All of Israel “participated”. And how could any mere natural cause selectively touch only the firstborn? YHWH had to be intervening very directly in every case.
13. "And the blood will serve as a distinguishing mark for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will skip over you, and the [mortal] blow will not come to be upon you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
The houses where you are: no longer "your houses", because they are ready to leave. The first stop in the Exodus, however, was the house. They had to be gathered into the primary administrative unit of Israel first to begin to come to order. Blood was the first plague, and the last is avoided by means of blood. The “Blood of the Lamb” is one means of overcoming another threat. (Rev. 12:11) The ultimate mortal blow—the “second death” (Rev. 2:11; 20:6, 14)—is averted by anyone to whom that blood—of “the precious blood of Messiah, as of a lamb without spot or blemish” (1 Kefa 1:19; cf. Yochanan 1:29, 36)—is applied (and this may even include one’s whole household, per Acts 16:31).
14. "And this day will serve as a reminder for you; you must celebrate it as a festival unto YHWH throughout your generations. You must celebrate it perpetually as something prescribed.
Festival: the word means “moving or dancing in a circle”. Generations is from a word for “gyration”. As the gyration of a top keeps it upright when spinning, each next generation must keep this dance going. Celebrate: though it does pause to commemorate the loss on Egypt’s part with the dripping of ten drops of wine (to represent blood) for the ten plagues. We celebrate our freedom, but do not forget the price that was paid to purchase it—as we do for the more permanent freedom bought at a very high price—the forfeiting of the untainted blood of the Second Adam, the only complete human being seen since Eden—on a Passover some 1,500 years later. Perpetually: not “until it is replaced by a feast to Ishtar (Easter)”! One of the things the Passover seder emphasizes is that all the descendants of Israel, in every generation, experienced this sending away. Paul would probably remind us that all were actually present in their ancestors at the very least. Knowing that YHWH wants to do the same again on an even grander scale (Yirmeyahu 16) and that we are Israelites being held back from our Land also, we are no longer on the outside looking in; the Scripture is now about us, not just someone in a foreign land many centuries ago.
15. You shall eat unleavened bread [for] seven days. From the first day [onward] you shall even cause there to cease to be yeast in your houses, because if anyone eats leaven, his soul will be cut off from Israel.
Note that we are not just commanded to not eat leaven, but to actually eat unleavened bread. This way we will not even be hungry for the leavened. Eating no bread at all is not an option, for bread is symbolic of community. (1 Cor. 10:17) Finding leaven in one’s home after the feast begins, as often takes place, is not a cause for being cut off, but keeping any in the house is forbidden because this removes any temptation to partake of leaven or prevents us from accidentally eating it. This is a precedent built right into the Torah for the practice of building fences around commands that make it more difficult to accidentally disobey them, but in this case it is an actual command. In this season, leaven is a picture of the selfishness that so easily permeates our lives and will get us cut off from the neighbors we are to love as ourselves.
16. "And on the first day there shall be a set-apart gathering, and on the seventh day there shall be a set-apart gathering for you. No work may be done on them, except what must be eaten by each soul--that alone may be done by you.
I.e., the only permissible labor is that which has to do with the preparation of adequate food for feasting, in contrast with the weekly Sabbath, on which we are not to light a fire, and therefore cannot cook. A set-apart gathering: literally, “calling forth”; we are both called out of our normal routines to remember the extraordinary things YHWH has done (and will again do) and called together to be a foretaste of the day when all Israel can again gather on this festival as in ancient times.
17. "And you shall guard the unleavened loaves, because on this same day I brought your armies out from the land of Egypt. So you shall observe this day for your generations as perpetually prescribed statutes.
Observe: Targum Pseudo-Jonathan says, “watch the loaves lest they become leavened”. Modern bakers say bread begins to be naturally leavened by the yeast in the air after only 18 minutes, so the baking must begin quickly as well. Same: literally, bound-together. This day is one for binding together all the tribes of Israel. But “brought” is in the past tense; it is already set in motion and so sure that He speaks of it as already accomplished.
18. "On the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening until the twenty-first day at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread.
This is as the 14th of the month is fading into the 15th, because the count in verse 19 does not allow for it to be the evening at the beginning of the 14th:
19. "For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, because anyone eating anything that is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land.
Cut off from the congregation: exposed to any and every outside threat, where there are no guarantees of safety. When we violate the commands, we have holes in our spiritual armor. Psalm 73:21 says that when one’s heart is grieved, he becomes like a beast. “Grieved” is literally “sour”, the root word in Hebrew for “leavened bread”. This season is one for dealing with the selfishness in ourselves before it becomes full-grown into sin. (Yaaqov/James 1:15) This may also be a physical reason to not let leaven accumulate in our bodies for more than a year at a time.
20. "You must not eat anything that is leavened; in all your dwellings, you must eat unleavened bread."
Eating unleavened bread is just as important as not eating leaven, for eating unleavened bread symbolizes partaking of an undefiled community. While we can keep the negative commands (“Thou shalt not…”) in isolation, we cannot keep the positive ones without someone to direct them toward.
21. Then Moshe called for all the elders of Israel, and told them, "Go ahead and select a flock animal according to your families, and slaughter the Passover.
22. "Then take a bound bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the threshold-basin, and apply some of the blood in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts, and none of you shall go out from the entrance to his house until morning.
Hyssop makes a natural “paintbrush” because it both absorbs and releases a liquid readily. It was used on that eventful Passover years later to offer Yeshua a sedative during his suffering, which he refused so he could be fully alert and finish his gruesome task accurately. (Yochanan 19:29; Mat. 27:34) Staying in our place on the Sabbath (Ex. 16:29) keeps us from what might put us in danger of incurring YHWH's wrath, and we want the door shut when that occurs. (Yeshayahu/Isa. 26:20) Like the later cities of refuge, what was going on outside made it unsafe to go outside the door:
23. "Then YHWH will pass through to strike Egypt, and when He sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, He will skip over the entrance, and will not permit the destroyer to come upon your houses to strike [you].
24. "Now you must guard this matter as a prescribed task for yourself and for your sons into perpetuity.
25. "And this is how it will be: When you have come into the Land which YHWH will give you as He promised, then you must preserve this ritual.
The slaughter was indeed not done again until Y’hoshua brought the nation across the Yarden (Y’hoshua 5:10-11), but the initial trip to the promised Land was meant to take less than a year.
26. "Now when your sons ask you, ‘What is this ritual to you?', what you should say is this:
27. “‘It is the slaughter of a Passover to YHWH, who bypassed the houses of the descendants of Israel in Egypt, when He struck down the Egyptians, but rescued our households.'" Then the people bowed their heads and prostrated themselves in worship.
This commemoration is all about teaching our children. Do they see in us as radical a change as from slaves to freemen?
28. Then the descendants of Israel went away and did [this]--they did just as YHWH had commanded Moshe and Aharon.
We cannot do things our own way and expect to be delivered.
29. And it did take place in the middle of the night: YHWH struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from Pharaoh, the one sitting on his throne, to the firstborn of the captive in the dungeon house, to the firstborn of every beast.
There are three categories of people here, as there were in chapter 11, but those grinding at the mill were replaced by those in the dungeon. They may have been imprisoned when there was no more grain left to grind, having been destroyed by the “hail” and locusts, and thus they were no longer useful to Pharaoh. The death of the firstborn is a picture of killing off any evil thought that enters our mind before it can develop into an act. We are told to bind the Torah between our eyes—at the seat of our thoughts—as a filter to sort which of them should go no further.
30. And Pharaoh got up at night--he and all his servants and all of Egypt--and there arose a great cry of distress in Egypt, because there was not a house in which there was not someone dying.
Judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no compassion. (Yaaqov 2:13)
31. And he called out to Moshe and Aharon by night, and said, "Get up, and get out from among my people, both you and the descendants of Israel. And go serve YHWH, just as you said.
32. "Take both your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me too!"
Bless: He now even sees it as a blessing that they leave. Notice it does not say Moshe actually saw him when he was speaking (10:28-29), but only that he called out to him.
33. Then the Egyptians started urging the people on, to speed up their release from the land, because they said, "We are all dying!"
34. So the people picked up their dough before it could be leavened, their kneading-bowls having been bound up in their clothing on their backs.
Thus, unleavened bread is one aspect of the hurriedness of the meal (v. 11). They bound up the bowls to keep the natural airborne leaven from getting into their remaining dough. They may have already been “packed” for the journey as well. At this season, leaven is a picture of sin--especially pride, which makes us appear to be more than we really are.
35. Now the descendants of Israel had carried out what Moshe had said: they had asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments.
This was “borrowed”, but in retrospect could be seen as back-pay for all their years of forced labor.
36. And YHWH had given the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, and they had granted their requests; thus they salvaged Egypt.
YHWH gave them leverage through the plagues, so that the Egyptians were ready to give them anything just to get them out of there—probably much to their surprise. Salvaged: rescued by snatching out. This could have two meanings: first, treating the Israelites favorably kept the Egyptians from total destruction like that of S’dom and ‘Amorrah. But it could also refer to the items they were given: this wealth would later be melted down or unraveled to make the holy implements for the Dwelling-place of YHWH. They would not use them in their pagan form, but rework them into a format useful for YHWH’s purposes.
37. So the children of Israel set out from Raamses toward Sukkoth, there being about 600,000 men on foot, apart from the little ones,
Raamses means "child of the sun". Sukkoth was out of their way, but they went there to retrieve the bones of Yosef. (13:19-20) Sukkoth means “temporary shelters”, and indeed it was only a place to store Yosef’s body until it could be taken back to his homeland. Sukkoth was also the name of the last place Yaaqov had camped before reentering the Land. (Gen. 33) So it is fitting that the last resting place of his son(s) had this name as well. Today many of Israel's descendants are in transition from worship on the Day of the Sun to the festival of Sukkoth, which symbolizes the Messianic Kingdom, the choice toward which we have set our face instead of the paganism from which we came out when we became aware of it.
38. And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks, herds, and very many possessions.
"Mixed multitude": From words meaning "a great many interwoven together like the woof of a garment"; Egypt was the most cosmopolitan place in the world. Many of the Egyptians and other peoples they had enslaved also joined the Israelites in the Exodus, since many of them had recognized YHWH's hand in the "great acts of judgment". Egyptians obedient to the command to slaughter the lamb could be redeemed, though they must become part of Israel to leave with us.
39. Then they baked the dough that they had brought out from Egypt into unleavened cakes, since it was not leavened, because they had been thrust out of Egypt, and were not able to wait. They had also not prepared any provisions for their journey.
They were so glad to be leaving Egypt that they did not think of what they would need later. They could not even take leftover lamb for sandwiches! He had not told them when they would leave, but only to be ready. They did not know how to prepare, which was a blessing, since it taught them to trust YHWH rather than their own securities. He told them which things they would certainly need—a staff, sandals, and a belt. But they did not know what part of the wilderness they would be going to. Thrust out: It is shameful that they waited until this point to leave—until they were forced to do the right thing. This is one thing we need to repair when we are preparing to leave this time, by leaving before things become so bad that we cannot stay. Somehow we must again gather in a “Goshen” as the time to depart draws near again.
40. Now the sojourning of the descendants of Israel, who had settled in Egypt [and in Kanaan], was 430 years.
Because of how few generations there are between Yaaqov and Moshe, this time frame must include not just the time of slavery, having begun either when Yosef brought his family into Egypt or even their “sojournings" before they came to Egypt, since Yaaqov’s family still lived as "aliens and strangers" even in the Land, though it had been deeded to them, for it was still Kanaan’s land then. YHWH had only told Avraham his descendants would be in a foreign land for 400 years. Many estimate that the duration of the stay in Egypt itself was 210 years to the day (v. 41) from Gen. 14:15, since "sojournings" refers not to the locale, but to the way of life. (Hirsch) Other manuscripts (the LXX and the Samaritan Pentateuch) include the phrase in brackets, which was omitted from the Masoretic Text. Möller estimates 260 years from the time Yaaqov entered Egypt until the Exodus, beginning the count of 430 years at the time Avraham was told to offer Yitzhaq on Mt. Moryah. By our chronology, Yaaqov came to Egypt in 1760 B.C.E., so the years the whole people of Israel was in Egypt would be approximately 324 years, since 1 Kings 6:1 tells us Shlomoh began to build the Temple 480 years after the Exodus, and this was in his fourth year, approximately 956 B.C.E.
41. And it turned out that the end of the 430 years came on this very same day when the armies of YHWH left the land of Egypt.
On this same day: the day after the Passover.
42. It is a night to observe in vigil to YHWH for bringing them out of the land of Egypt; this is that night belonging to YHWH, to be observed in vigil by all the descendants of Israel throughout their generations.
43. Then YHWH told Moshe and Aharon, "This is the prescribed limit for Passover: No son of unrecognition may eat of it.
"Son of unrecognition": one having no association with the house of Israel at all. It is an occasion centered on the household (vv. 3-4), with the doors closed (v. 22). The Aramaic targum Pseudo-Jonathan clarifies that this is not just an ordinary stranger, but an Israelite who becomes estranged (who once was part of the community, but has deliberately disassociated from it).
44. "But any slave of a man who is bought with silver, when you have circumcised him, he may eat of it.
It did not seem wrong for former slaves to own slaves themselves; Torah only requires that they become part of the household rather than being out in the yard “with the dogs”. Some of these slaves might have even been Egyptian, and it would be fitting that the tables should turn on our former captors—so they could find out how slaves should really be treated.
45. "Neither a sojourner nor a hired servant may eat of it.
Sojourner: a guest who could stay among Israel without full membership in the nation, as long as he gave up idolatry and lived by the humane laws given to Noach. (Hirsch) The term comes from “sitting”—i.e., he is someone who is only staying for a while—a “visitor” in contrast with the “newcomer” of v. 48 who intends to become part of us and has some inclination toward Torah. He was still somewhat of an observer. Hired servant: one who only serves the house of Israel in order to make a living. He is not part of the people.
46. "It must be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the meat outside the house, and you shall not break a bone in him.
Y’shua, called “our Passover” (1 Cor. 5:7), fulfilled this requirement of having no bones broken as well. (Yochanan/John 19:36) One house: The "meat" or deeper teaching for the mature (Heb. 5:14) is not to be taken outside the “Temple” made of living stones, lest "the pearls be cast before swine". This meal is not even eaten with those of other households of Israel, only simultaneously and in unity with them:
47. "The whole congregation of Israel shall prepare it.
48. "And if a newcomer [wants to] remain with you and prepare the Passover, let him be circumcised (every male) and then he may come near and prepare it, and he will be just like a native of the Land; but no one who is not circumcised may eat of it.
49. "There shall be one instruction for the native-born and for the sojourner staying among you."
This also applies to any in our day who are not literal descendants of Israel but have committed themselves to the community of Israel; there are no second-class citizens once one joins the household. To expect less from other Israelites is a double standard.
50. So indeed, all the descendants of Israel did just as Moshe and Aharon had commanded them.
They did not choose by consensus, by what was easiest, or by what made the most sense. The very acts of carrying out YHWH’s orders as He gave them will remove chains of captivity from us, too.
51. And so it was, that on this very day, YHWH brought the descendants of Israel out from Egypt by their armies.
CHAPTER 13
1. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
2. "Set apart for Me every firstborn, the opener of any womb, among the descendants of Israel; whether human or animal, it shall be Mine."
Human: Heb., Adam. The word for firstborn is also used for “firstfruits” in Hebrew. So in addition to the literal meaning, this is a picture of offering to YHWH the first of our thoughts. What were Adam’s first thoughts? They related to YHWH’s first command to tend (or serve) and guard (build a hedge around) the Garden of Eden (a picture of YHWH’s Kingdom). We need to fence off our thoughts before they become words and ask whether they are serving the Kingdom or are animal-like. An animal’s thoughts primarily have to do with its belly—i.e., survival. This is not necessarily opposed to Torah; we need it to some extent. Staying alive is a way to keep serving the Kingdom. But YHWH gave Adam dominion over the beasts, so though we will have animal thoughts too, humane thoughts must take precedence over them.
3. So Moshe told the people, "Remember this day in which you left the slave-houses in Egypt, because by strength of hand YHWH brought you out from this; so no leavened bread shall be eaten.
This is how to start putting Adam’s thoughts above the beast’s: Remember what YHWH has done for both all of Israel as a whole and you in particular. YHWH did not tell Moshe what to say to Israel this time. He gave Moshe a responsibility, and Moshe had to give a longer explanation to be sure they would understand properly:
4. "Today you are going out in the month of Aviv.
Month of Aviv: literally, "the moon of the ripening of an ear of barley" to the point where it will be ready for harvest in two weeks.
5. "So it shall be, when YHWH brings you into the land of the Kanaanites, the Hittites, the Emorites, the Hiwites, and the Y'vusites which He swore to your ancestors that He would give you--a land gushing with milk and honey--that you shall carry out this service during this month.
This service: the festival. This is literally what Adam was told to do in tending the Garden—serve it. Passover therefore relates to the Garden of Eden, and therefore, the Kingdom, which is the “back door” by which we can get back into Eden, though the “front door” is heavily guarded. But the Land is given to those who will use it properly. Otherwise, it would be like giving a child a power tool to play with. This was so serious that it would take these Israelites 40 years to be mature enough for this gift. May it not take us so long to be ready this time.
6. "For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there will be a feast unto YHWH.
7. "Unleavened bread must be eaten for the seven days, and no leavened bread of yours shall be seen, nor may any yeast that belongs to you be seen within the borders of any of your territories.
In any of your territories: This means it cannot be sold to non-Israelites within our land, then bought back. All inhabitants of the Land, whether they believe in YHWH or not, are still required by Torah to rid themselves of leaven during this time. There should not be people living in the Land who have not agreed to its laws. Unleavened bread is a picture of undefiled community. These seven days are about learning how to return to the Garden where Adam had fellowship with YHWH unmarred by sin.
8. "And you shall inform your son on that day, ‘This is on account of what YHWH did for me when I left Egypt.'
Did for me: He not only spared us and delivered us, but also pushed us out of Egypt and claimed us as His own. Me: each of us is to recognize that we were personally rescued from slavery on that night, as at the very least we still benefit from our ancestors having been released.
9. "And it shall serve as a distinguishing mark for yourself upon your hand, and a reminder between your eyes, so that a directive of YHWH may be in your mouth, since with a strong hand YHWH brought you out from Egypt.
Directive: Heb., torah. This is what is to be in our mouths instead of gossip or lies or simply an unfettered tongue. Men are given beards as a picture of having guards at this gate. In Deut. 6:8 and 11:18 we are told to bind YHWH’s words on our hands and make them like frontlets between our eyes. For this reason, this passage (1-10) and verses 11-16 are two of the four passages put inside traditional t’fillin (bound on head and hands while praying). Between our eyes is the place seen to be the seat of those thoughts that can be like Adam’s or like an animal’s. The mind is the “womb” from which firstborn thoughts come forth. With our hands we carry them out. So YHWH prescribes guards for each of them as well.
10. "So you shall keep this prescribed custom at its appointed time from year to year.
Year to year: literally "from days to days"; Aramaic, "from season to season".
11. "And it shall be that when YHWH brings you into the land of the Kanaanites, which He promised to you and your ancestors by an oath, and [He] gives it to you,
12. "you shall devote unto YHWH everything that opens the womb, and every first offspring of any beast that is yours; the males are YHWH's.
Devote: literally, "cause to cross over", i.e., “hand over”. At first He calls us to set it apart for Him, giving us time to get used to the idea, but the time will come when He actually requires it of us. The firstborn had the place of the priest in the home, but YHWH later substituted the Levites for each of these firstborn. (Numbers 3:12) Males: related to the word for “remember” (v. 3), and thus we can transfer the concept to the firstfruits of our thoughts. We must “capture” for YHWH whatever is going on “between our eyes” and bring it into submission to what He has accomplished (2 Cor. 10:5): Is it an idea profitable enough to be manifested by our tongues?
13. "And every firstling of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not wish to redeem it, you must break its neck. But all the firstborn humans among your descendants you must redeem.
Y’shua’s mother obeyed this command. (Luk. 2:23). Donkey: not an animal for food like those in v. 12, but for transport of possessions, representing peaceful prosperity, in contrast to the horse, which was generally used for war at that time. Thus man, his food, and his possessions are made holy to YHWH. (Hirsch) Redeem: or ransom. The donkey is an unclean animal, so YHWH will not accept it on His altar, but a lamb can be offered in exchange for allowing it to live on and be useful as a beast of burden. Break its neck: If you will not redeem it, you will not be permitted to use it either, because it belongs to YHWH. Israel is counted righteous, but when its sons left the covenant, they, too, needed to be redeemed. YHWH calls Efrayim His firstborn (Yirmeyahu 31:9), so He in this sense had an “obligation” to redeem them, and He did so through Yeshua, called His own lamb. (Yochanan 1:29)
14. "Now in the time to come when your son asks you, ‘What is this [all about]?', you shall tell him, ‘By strength of hand YHWH brought us out from the house of slaves in Egypt!
15. "‘And it is because Pharaoh became obstinate about [not] sending us away, and YHWH slew every firstborn in the land of Egypt--from the firstborn of man to the firstborn of beast--this is why I slaughter unto YHWH every male that opens the womb, and I redeem every firstborn of my sons.'
This is why: YHWH called Israel His firstborn. (4:22-23) Because He was giving one firstborn in exchange for another (Yeshayahu 43:4), we are called to do the same. Also, it was because of the firstborn of the only woman Yaaqov truly considered his wife that Israel had come to be in Egypt. Every male: related to the word for “remember”, so whatever remembrances flow into our minds must be redeemed. YHWH wants to free our minds from the Egyptian way, now that He has brought us out. Numbers 3:46ff tells us the price to redeem the firstborn is 5 sheqels. Since a half-sheqel is the price for the redemption of one soul (30:13-21), five sheqels symbolizes ten persons, which is idiomatic for a whole congregation. Kingdom thoughts have to be in the context of a community. We redeem the firstborn with thoughts of the fellows we are to love as ourselves. Serving them trains us to serve in the Garden.
16. "So this will come to serve as a distinguishing mark on your hand, and phylacteries between your eyes, since by strength of hand YHWH brought us out from Egypt."
This: the offering of the firstborn to YHWH. Phylacteries: literally "something bound on" as a reminder. Today such boxes strapped onto forearm or forehead are known as t’fillin. They go on our hand to remind us that everything we put our hand to is to be done for Him and that we must enhance His Kingdom through our works (1 Cor. 10:31). YHWH is a kind taskmaster who wants what is best for us, but only He knows what that is. Between your eyes: where they cannot be forgotten. We place them “on the head opposite the brain” so“that the soul that is in my brain, along with my other senses and potentials, may all be subjugated to His service”. YHWH wants us to consecrate to Him the first of our thoughts, inviting Him to partake of them just as the firstborn of the animals was offered to YHWH through the physical act of giving it to the priests and Levites to eat. Who would offer garbage to a King? (Compare Mal’akhi 1:8)
TORAH PORTION
Bo
(Exodus 10:1-13:16)
INTRODUCTION: As the plagues continue to accelerate and ramp up, we see several more examples of YHWH making war specifically on the things the Egyptians worshipped, because He had specifically identified Himself to them as the Elohim of the Hebrews--not just Israel, but any Hebrew—anyone willing to take the risk of “crossing over”.
The scenario we have today is more like this one than we realize. The (not-just) “American dream” has recently been assaulted on every front by tragedies as varied as natural disasters, pandemics, an investment market that gets us nowhere, the inability to climb the ladder no matter how hard one tries because the rules have changed, the scandals that make it hard to respect iconic leaders we thought were noble, and the fact that not even houses of worship or schools are safe havens from the violence that results from all their years of questioning the parameters that used to at least inhibit most people from carrying out the darker imaginations of their hearts. And the rest of the world seems even more defenseless against terror attacks that make settledness all but impossible anymore. Echoing Pharaoh’s servants, we have to say, “Can’t you see that the present order is bankrupt and on the verge of collapse?” (10:7, paraphrased)
“Fallen is Babylon the Great! Come out of her, My people!” It is hard to imagine how this could be more up-to-date as the second Exodus approaches. (Yirmeyahu/Jer. 23:7-8) The call is growing louder to cross over from part-truth, part-paganism into the purer, simpler, original faith that was taking shape as the nation was birthed out of another. But we can take some treasures out with us—the greatest of which are the “mixed multitude” who may join us, if we stay on the highest road and are clear enough about the choices that are required of all who would step out in faith.
Once that is established, this portion holds out the greatest hope with its first instance of “When I see the blood, I will skip over you,” a foreshadowing of the more comprehensive passing-over available to us through the pure human blood which was finally available when the Second Adam passed all the tests and thus became qualified to be the “Lamb of Elohim” in every detail—without spot or blemish inside or out. This Lamb can redeem our firstborn “donkey”-thoughts as well as redeeming us from the sting of death. It is the commemoration outlined here that is the context for his words, “As often as you do this, remember me as you do.” Messiah is called our Passover; it is only a deep understanding of the commands given here that will open up to us the depths of all that this means and allow us to be part of the current outworking of the people known in each generation as the “called-out ones”.
What Pharaoh(s) will we have to confront to bring this about? We cannot tell, but we do know that if He calls, He will be there with us, for He tells us to “come”, not just “go” to the tyrant with the words that can open the door to a new level of freedom.
YHWH Will Top Even This!
One of several explanations given in this Torah portion for why our ancestors ate unleavened bread on their way out of Egypt was that they had not prepared food for their journey. (Exodus 12:39)
In traditional Jewish hermeneutics, the statement “What has been is what will be” (Qoheleth/Ecclesiastes 3:15) is seen as a rule for interpreting prophecy. And if we believe the prophets, the Exodus in particular, which is commemorated every year at Passover and which YHWH so often uses to distinguish Himself from all others, will even be overshadowed one day by a similar, but far greater, event. (Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 16:15)
Jeremiah tells us that Israelites will not just all escape from one place of exile to the Promised Land, but from many locations all around the world—and across not just a narrow sea, but oceans! (Will they open up like the Reed Sea did?)
Some Jews have already been able to return to the Promised Land permanently, but still the Passover Seder remains the same. This tells us that there is more yet to come.
Oh, it may occur at the same time of year, so that we can continue to obey the Torah command to commemorate it at the specific time commanded. But there are eleven more tribes that need to come back, too!
Putting these two themes together, the question naturally arises, “Are we preparing for this?” Are we remembering it when we make plans and life choices? Are we putting any thought at all, let alone time, effort, and money, into what being ready might involve? Can’t we be better prepared this time?
On their way out, they lived in tents so they could stay mobile. That necessitated at the very least borrowing one from their Egyptian neighbors, if not making one. Maybe you don’t feel like you can afford one. We have found the tithe designated for the celebration of YHWH’s pilgrimage feasts (Deut. 14:22-27) to be an excellent occasion each year to build our collection of camping supplies which might be needed at least at some stage of our next journey Home.
In any case, are we ready to leave the place of our exile—comfortable as it might be in many cases-- behind?
And even before the Greater Exodus, wherever we find ourselves in bondage, we need to consciously and deliberately ask YHWH to bring His spirit of the Exodus to bear on that situation so we can indeed be a people free to serve Him with not only all our hearts, but with all our resources.
The commemoration at Passover is primarily for the sake of the children. (11:26) Our greatest task, in our places of exile amid so many cultures, is to acclimate them to Torah as best we can, exposing them to anything at all approximating ancient Israelite culture and teaching them to find analogies to the specifics given in the Torah in what they encounter daily.
Study questions:
1. It almost seems like YHWH wants things to get more difficult just to show what only He can do. (Ex. 10:1-2) How can this help you to look at situations you are facing?
2. At what point does YHWH say we will realize who He is? (10:2) In what ways do you know Him better because you have had time to reflect on the implications of what He has done, and because you have had to explain His ways to someone else?
3. Why do you think some people will not recognize YHWH’s authority until they are pushed to their limits? (10:3-7) Is there an area where you would have suffered less personally if you had only listened the first time? How will this help you respond better next time?
4. What is the first sign that Pharaoh’s resolve may be beginning to give way? How might this help you remain steadfast in the face of strong opposition?
5. Did Moshe compromise when offered a “plea bargain”? (10:11)
6. How does Pharaoh hold back even in the midst of the confession that he was wrong? (10:16-17) How did Moshe respond?
7. Where can you see other examples of the type of contrast drawn in 10:23 (including the present day)?
8. Now Moshe raises the stakes: Pharaoh will not only let them all go, but will pay for their offerings to YHWH too! (10:25-26) What does this say about Moshe’s confidence at this point? How did YHWH take advantage of that? (11:2)
9. How do you think YHWH felt about killing the firstborn of Egypt? (Compare 13:14-15, B’Midbar/Numbers 3:13, and Yeshayahu/Isaiah 43:3.)
10. What secondary, prophetic application can you see in 12:13?
11. YHWH sets limits on who can partake of the Passover. (12:43-49) How might this apply to the one who is later called “our Passover”? (1 Cor. 5:7)
Companion Passage:
The Sidewalk
for Kids
This Torah portion is specifically for you kids. In it YHWH tells us directly that you are the main reason we commemorate the Passover and the Exodus. It’s so each new generation will know where we came from and where we are going. It’s so you can get the feeling of what it was like for our ancestors when they were in Egypt and when they left.
Without looking, how much of the story can you remember and tell?
One of the biggest things YHWH was doing when He sent the plagues was showing the Egyptians that the things they trusted in were not enough to provide all their needs. They had one god for this, one god for that, and sometimes the people thought their gods were fighting with each other. So YHWH struck at the heart of what each one of them was supposed to be in charge of and showed that He, not they, was the one controlling each of them—all of them. They didn’t need to worship so many different things. He could take care of every one of them. And lots of Egyptians did get the point and joined Israel when they left.
What kinds of things do people today worship? What do you think YHWH could do to get them to see that those things really don’t satisfy you? Is there anything you give too much attention to—your appearance? Your ego? Your favorite things to do—if they keep you from having time to help your brothers and sisters or study the Torah? What you want—if it makes you have to inconvenience other people?
What it comes down to is this: most of the time what we really worship is ourselves.
What does that mean? It means, “Me first, no matter what.” “What I want, no matter how it affects somebody else.” And we want other people to worship us—give us more attention than anyone else.
But attention by itself isn’t always good. We never feel satisfied. We keep wanting more of it, and it comes back to bite us. Think of all the celebrities who don’t want people following them around everywhere. That’s the price you pay for wanting worship.
Near the end of this portion, we are told to offer to YHWH the firstborn of our animals and redeem our human firstborn with a lamb. Nowadays we’re not used to slaughtering animals. That may start up again if the Temple is rebuilt soon, but in the meantime, how can we offer to YHWH our firstborn?
Here’s one idea: When you have a thought, do you let it escape right away? Do you just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind? Why? What’s wrong with that? Well, how do you feel when you find out that something you said hurt a good friend of yours? Do you know what you can do to avoid that? When you have a thought—especially one that might be mean—“offer it” to YHWH. “Hold it up” to the light and ask Him to show you if there is anything animal-like about it. King David said, “Search me, O Elohim, and know my heart; test me, and know my thoughts, and see if there may be any wicked way in me, and lead me into what really lasts.” (Psalm 139:23-24)
Only if it’s not a “beastly” thought should you let it come out of your mouth. Only if it is “a word in season that can give help to those who hear it”.
Then, do you know what? People will like you, because they know you care. The very attention you thought you could get by being like an animal will be many times better if you don’t even aim for the attention, but aim to be a true friend. It’s always a side effect of aiming for the right things. If you aim for the side effects, you might get attention, but that’s about all. And it usually doesn’t last. I can think of lots of people who were famous when I was young, but nobody ever hears about them anymore. Not a very good trade.
The people at the Tower of Bavel wanted to make a name for themselves, but where did it get them? We don’t know their individual names, and as a group we only remember them as bad. The Pharaoh in this week’s portion wanted to be worshipped, and we don’t even know his name either.
But YHWH said He would make a name for Avraham—and the way he got it was by helping others and by putting them ahead of himself. And do we remember him? You bet we do, and only in a good way. That’s the kind of name you want.
12:21-51 is a special reading for Passover
The Renewal of BO
The easy way out of the impasse between Pharaoh and Israel would have been to compromise—to take him up on his numerous offers of “partial exodus”. He offered to let just the men go; after all, the heads of the homes could represent their whole households, couldn’t they? But Moshe would not stand for it: “We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters… for we must hold a feast unto YHWH.” (Ex. 10:9) It wouldn’t be complete without the whole families together.
We see this carried on in the Renewed Covenant. When a jailer sees unbelievable honesty and knows the men he has been holding in bondage have something he never imagined before, he asks what he must do to be freed, because he realizes he is the one who is really in prison; they were the ones who were really free! They answer, “Trust in the Master Yeshua the Messiah and you will be delivered—you and your household.” (Acts 16:31) We know it doesn’t always turn out that way, but it is the ideal; YHWH wants to rescue whole families from our bondage to sin and selfishness, so we can have true shalom. What a contrast between these men who sang songs together while in the prison in the middle of the night and the plague of darkness in Egypt, where no one saw one another—a total isolation. “But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” (Ex. 10:22-23) Maybe it was more than just literally.
After that, Moshe told Pharaoh, “Our cattle will also go with us; not a hoof can be left behind, for we must take from them to serve YHWH our Elohim, and we won’t know with what we must serve YHWH, until we get there.” (Ex. 10:26) No compromise, even with animals.
Now a cynic might say he was just making a pragmatic excuse so they could escape with as many possessions in hand as possible. But it was true; he didn’t know what YHWH would require, and it turned out later to be quite a lot of animals. There weren’t just tithes, but many other offerings. YHWH is realistic about what we need to live on, but true freedom only comes when we put “all on the altar”, as the old song goes, realizing that we owe everything to YHWH and whatever He chooses to leave to us for our own use will turn out to be enough. That’s what Yeshua meant when he said, “Take up your cross and follow”. (Mat. 16:24) Be ready to give everything to and for YHWH, as if you had died, and then you will be ready to make the lesser sacrifices He actually ends up asking of you, and they will seem small in comparison to all He has given us.
Once they were willing to do that, “YHWH gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians…Moshe was very great…in the eyes of Pharaoh's servants and…the people.” (Ex. 11:3) All they had seen YHWH do gave the Egyptians great respect for YHWH—more than their king had. And again, after Yeshua’s resurrection, seeing the transformation from unlearned working men to those who could boldly address sometimes-hostile crowds, “fear came upon everyone when many wonders and signs were done by the ones he sent…. Breaking bread from house to house, they ate…with gladness and unity of heart,… having favor with all the people, and YHWH added to the called-out community daily...“ (Acts 2:42-47)
YHWH continued to favor His people, right while they were in the midst of the plagues:
“And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, the likes of which there has never been, nor shall there ever again be anything like it. But against any of the children of Israel shall not even a dog sharpen its tongue against man or beast, so that you may know how that YHWH makes a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel.” (Ex. 11:7)
In the Renewed Covenant, though (as with the Egyptians) other people are allowed to join into Israel and become full citizens, Paul reaffirms that YHWH still considers Israel special: “What advantage does the Jew [the only identifiable part of Israel for many centuries] have?... Much in every way, mainly because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.” (Romans 3:1-2) “Has Elohim cast away His people? No way!... For the gifts and calling of YHWH are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:1, 29)
“In the tenth day of this month they shall each take for themselves a lamb per household… without blemish, a male… keep it unto the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall slaughter it between the evenings.” (Ex. 12:3-6)
Yeshua was selected on the 10th of Aviv as he rode a donkey through the “daughter of Yerushalayim” as Z’kharyah 9:9 promised. The next few days he was examined by the elders of the House of Yehudah and proved to be “without blemish”. They could not convict him of any wrongdoing, yet those same elders had him killed on the 14th at the very time the Passover lambs were being slain nearby in the Temple.
“And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and there shall no plague be upon you to destroy you…” (Ex. 12:13)
This is where the term “Passover” came from, and is one of the earliest foreshadowings of what Yeshua would do for us. YHWH tells us in VaYiqra/Lev. 17:11 that “the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes a covering for the soul.”
Though some people today claim our sins can be covered in other ways, the Torah says it requires blood. But as Hebrews 10:4 says, “It is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” That could cover them for a while until something better came, the blood of a human being “without blemish”, because only that could truly pay for human sins. Yeshua had that blood, not poisoned by Adam’s, as he was called the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15). If we apply what he paid YHWH to our “doorposts”, YHWH will pass over us when His judgment comes, and come it must.
YHWH told us dozens of times to “remember this day, in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand YHWH brought you out from this place; no leavened bread shall be eaten.” (Ex. 13:3)
Yeshua tied this idea to his own body, broken for us (1 Cor. 11:24) on a Passover some 1,500 years later: “He took bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is provided for you: do this in remembrance of me.’” (Luke 22:19) Of course he didn’t mean it in the Catholic way--that bread actually turns into his physical body--but the broken matzah that is hidden away, then “resurrected”, reminds us of this bread, and the grape juice or wine--the color of blood--reminds us of the other component of his offering of himself, of which we spoke above.
So, if we now have the real thing, is the picture no longer necessary?
Torah says, “This day shall be unto you for a memorial, and you must observe it as a feast to YHWH; throughout your generations you must guard it… forever.” (Ex. 12:14) “Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days, and no leavened bread be seen with you, nor shall there be leaven seen with you, in all your borders… Keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.” (Ex. 13:7)
Forever means forever. This never changed, even after Yeshua came to be that Lamb, because we need constant reminders of this as much as we needed constant reminders of YHWH’s power to deliver us from physical evils. Each time we do it we learn more about how YHWH does things. Many years after Yeshua’s death, Paul reminded—not Jews, but Gentiles, mind you—to “purge out the old leaven, so that you may be a new lump, since you are unleavened, because indeed, Messiah, our Passover, is offered up for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8)
And may it be His will for that we can do it next year in the freshly-purified, restored Yerushalayim!
What gods will be Judged This Time?
The verse that expresses the core of what is going on in these ten plagues is this one: “I will execute judgment on all the gods of Egypt! I am YHWH!” (Exodus 12:12)
As we prepare for the second and greater Exodus (Jeremiah 16:14), we should expect YHWH to pass judgment on all the things men worship today in our places of exile—things that keep us from being able to worship Him the way He asks us to. And if we look at the series of judgments in the book of Revelation which details that time in earth’s history, and consider what they are directed at, we see just that:
-Autonomy (Rev. 6:2)
Autonomy (Rev. 6:2)-“Peace” (Rev. 6:4; 9:15-18)
“Peace” (Rev. 6:4; 9:15-18)-The Economy (Rev. 6:6)
The Economy (Rev. 6:6)-Survival (Rev. 6:8) The death angel shows up again here.
Survival (Rev. 6:8) The death angel shows up again here.-Freedom (6:9)
Freedom (6:9)-Stability (6:12)
Stability (6:12)-The Environment (6:13-14; 7:1-3; 8:7-13)
The Environment (6:13-14; 7:1-3; 8:7-13)-Getting away with wrongdoing (6:16-17)
Getting away with wrongdoing (6:16-17)-Equal rights (9:4)
Equal rights (9:4)-Health (9:5-6)
Health (9:5-6)Ten categories again. Should we be surprised? And then there’s the most salient passage: “Yet the remainder of humanity who were not killed by these calamities did not even reconsider the works of their hands so that they would no [longer] bow down in worship to the demons and the idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their sexual immorality, nor of their thefts.” (Rev. 9:20-21) Just like Pharaoh.
These “gods” take a different form nowadays than Egypt depicted them, but the underlying lusts for reputation, wealth, and the power to do whatever one wants without being held accountable—these have not changed.
“Murders” would include aborting children for the sake of convenience or to be able to be wealthier. “Sorceries” is from the root word for “drugs”, and besides just the mind-blowing pleasure they may bring, throughout history they have often been used to make people more open to contact from and control by the demonic realm. So these verses are not far-fetched at all.
So “if the shoe fits”, repent now so you will not receive of the plagues coming upon the place we will be called to come out of. (Rev. 18:4) The pride of men will be laid low again, so humble yourself now.
Make sure the blood of the lamb covers you, so YHWH can pass over you this time as well. (Ex. 12:13) This is how we will overcome Pharaoh’s prototype in those awe-filled, earth-freeing days to come. (Rev. 12:11)
Following Hope Through Adverse Conditions
to Joy
What was our ancestors’ response in Egypt when they heard that YHWH planned to deliver them? The first time, “The people believed; and when they heard that YHWH had remembered the children of Israel, and had noticed their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshipped.” (Ex. 4:31)
As they should. Things appeared to be going according to the Plan. But after that, they lost sight of this gratitude because things got harder at first—the darkening that comes before the dawn. (5:21-23; 6:9)
Over and over here we see Pharaoh refusing to let Israel go and YHWH telling him what He will do if he continues in his stubbornness. We see the same pattern for the coming days in the book of Revelation; again and again we read that those targeted by latter-day judgments still keep refusing to repent:
“The rest of humanity who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands, so as to not worship evil spirits and images…, nor did they repent of their murders, their sorceries, their fornication, or their thefts.” (Rev. 9:20-21) “They vilified the Name of Elohim, the One having the control over these plagues, and did not repent so as to give Him honor.” (16:9) “On account of their troubles and wounds [resulting from their own choices], …they would not repent of their actions.” (16:11)
Must it occur this way? Jonah shows that prophesied doom can sometimes be rescinded—but only if people do repent. One reason they do not may be that whatever the “mark of the Beast” is could even change one’s DNA (rendering him physically unable to change his mind, as Pharaoh’s heart hardened beyond the ability to turn back). If it gets to that point, the only path to justice is for this age to end.
As some of Pharaoh’s citizens acknowledged YHWH in spite of him (Exodus 8:15; 9:20; 10:3-7), again there is a glimmer of hope: “There was a huge earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell, and 7,000 men of renown died, and the rest became terrified and yielded honor to the Elohim of Heaven.” (Rev. 11:13) But either it does not last or, like Pharaoh, if the ruler does not yield, the people’s admissions aren’t enough.
If such be the case, keep looking ahead in hope, for in the end, the world order does get turned over to YHWH and His Anointed king. (Rev. 11:15) Though it takes time, justice does come to anyone to whom it rightfully belongs. Don’t give in, for the pressure cannot last forever and the reward ahead is far greater.
When the 10th plague was impending and the now-former Hebrew slaves actually had marching orders, again “the people bowed their heads and worshipped, and the children of Israel went and did as YHWH had commanded Moses and Aaron… And it came to pass…” (Ex. 12:27-29) This time their work did not get harder again, even if there was still one big challenge to their total freedom lurking ahead.
Moshe goes on to say, for the first of many times, “When YHWH brings you into the land of the Canaanite, as He swore unto you and to your fathers, and gives it you…” (Ex. 13:11), then gives some instructions on what to do at that point. But how is this relevant for us today? We don’t live there.
Yet there is another Exodus coming that will supersede the first in both scope and permanence. (Jeremiah 16:14) In the midst of these world-class plagues that shake the modern enslaver’s hand loose from over us, He promises, “A great trumpet will be blown and those about to perish in the territory of Assyria and those forced out into the jurisdiction of Egypt will come worship YHWH…at Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 27:13) “I will bring back the exiles of Judah and Israel and establish them as at first, and cleanse them…where they have sinned against Me… I will perform the good I have promised.” (Jer. 33:7-14)
As with the return from Babylonian exile (foreshadowing our much longer one described also by Micah, Hosea, Ezekiel, etc.), there may be a lot of rebuilding to do, but “the joy of YHWH will be your strength”. (Nehemiah 8:10) And when that Kingdom comes, our joy will no longer be intermittent, but complete.
A Day to Tell Your (Grand)Children About
What more can we say about Passover? Maybe with the firstborn dying, the Egyptians thought the rest of their children were next. (12:33) But what YHWH was really bringing Judgment against was their gods—including their own pride. (Ex. 12:12)
Yet the main reason YHWH hardened Pharaoh’s heart (thickening the plot), the stated purpose of our annual commemorations, is for the children’s sake (12:26; 13:8)-- “so [your descendants] may know that I am YHWH.” (Ex. 10:2) So we do need to rehash it, especially since another meaning of these annual “holy convocations” commanded for the 1st and 7th days (Ex. 12:16) is “rehearsals”; they are not only about the past but about a time (or two) to come later.
First, another particular Pesakh that would again change the course of world history: “A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Therefore purge out the old leaven, so that you may be a new lump, since you are [in reality] unleavened, since Messiah our Passover has been slaughtered for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice or wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Cor. 5:6-8)
So how exactly is Messiah our Passover?
Many details correlate: brought into the House for inspection on the 10th of the month (Ex. 12:3; Mat. 21:12ff) and no fault found in him. (Ex. 12:5; Luke 23:4) He stayed up all night with no sleep (Mat. 26:38-40), keeping the prescribed vigil. (Ex. 12:42) Hyssop played a role in each. (12:22; Yoch. 19:29)
But “Passover” in 1 Cor. 5 specifically refers to the lamb. Of course this brings to mind his cousin’s introducing him to society as “the lamb of Elohim who carries away the sin of the world.” (Yoch. 1:29,36)
That sounds a bit like Yom Kippur but also gave new meaning to, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you.” (Ex. 12:13) The blood is called a sign, a mark, a token. Something similar was said (by a different but related word) about the high priest Y’hoshua upon Judah’s return from Babylonian captivity: “You will judge My house… Y’hoshua…, you…are the sign/token [of a future event]…I will bring forth My servant, the Offshoot, and I will remove the iniquity of that Land in one day.” (Zekh. 3:7-9)
That Offshoot is from the stump of David’s line (Jer. 23:5; 33:15, cut off (Jer.22:30) but still alive. (Isa. 11:1) And this same Y’hoshua was called “the man whose name is [the same as] the Offshoot” —because the Aramaic version of his name is Yeshua! (Ezra 3:2, etc.) Did his namesake, another Yeshua, not remove our iniquity (i.e., “carry away our sin”) in one day—that very day of Passover?
(Isaiah 53:6) Physical freedom was not enough; we needed to be freed from something much deeper than slavery. YHWH loved us that much. But as with the first time, we have to take Him up on His offer to enjoy it.
Second, the Exodus was a rehearsal for a greater one coming later—in days yet to come. (Jer. 16:14-15)
And will similar crises precede that Exodus? “In that day the great trumpet will be blown, and they shall come who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, and those who were thrust out into the land of Egypt, and shall worship YHWH on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.” (Isa. 27:13) And “in that day” the Offshoot will be “beautiful and honorable to those of Israel who have escaped”. (Isa. 4:2)
This escape could be metaphorical or literal, but if it is like most Hebraic sayings, if it can be both, it probably is. For Assyria is where the Northern Kingdom was taken captive (2 Kings 17:6) and from there, to many places. But we were also taken captive by our conquerors’ philosophies, from which we do need deliverance.
YHWH put “a difference between Egypt and Israel” during the plagues. (11:7) Will He do that again? It sounds like it: “My people,…hide yourselves for a short while until the indignation is past.” (Isa. 26:20)
Yet once Israel is back home, “there shall be one law for the homeborn and the guest who is staying with you.” (Ex. 12:49) In his flesh Yeshua broke down the wall that had kept strangers separate from the covenant. (Eph. 2:11-18) No difference, if we don’t, like Pharaoh, refuse to humble ourselves. (Ex. 10:3)
Teach your descendants about these other two Passovers too!
Nature Harnessed to Collaborate Against Evil
YHWH hit Egypt everywhere that it hurt most, and made sure that every surviving vestige of hope was consumed. (Ex. 10:4-5) Pharaoh’s subjects recognized easily that they were ruined, but still he kept his grip firm (10:7-11) and kept negotiating, still trying to squeeze something out of this deal and salvage his pride. (10:24)
Was YHWH being mean? I think it’s more that He wanted to use His extraordinary power for the benefit of those who cooperated with Him and persuade those He knew were trying to oppose reality to humble themselves and admit their limitations. Because He knew what the motions of the heavenly bodies He had set in place would bring about when they had close encounters with each other, He sovereignly chose to make the most of the resulting catastrophes by setting up a plot that could simultaneously play out in human history so He would have good reason on another level to take advantage of the unique occasion for such a drama to take place.
So all creation was on the side of those He meant to set free. Dogs didn’t even growl at them when they passed by on their way out of slavery. (11:7) Hebrew describes it as not “sharpening their tongues”. If you think about the uvular trill of such a growl, it’s easy to hear why it’s described as if it was grinding away like a whetstone!
He used opposing wind systems to bring and to drive away each plague (10:13, 19) Immanuel Velikovsky* and Donald Patten** had slightly-different theories about what physical mechanisms He used to bring them about (the tail of a comet vs. a massive volcano—Thera, which destroyed the Minoan civilization--set off by the gravitation of a passing planet then on a different orbit). Hail mingled with fire (9:23) was clearly nothing like the storms we know today.
Signs and wonders? Yes, because the timing was impeccable. Unnatural? No, for YHWH has command of immense and varied forces we don’t see up close every day, and once in a while He brings them to bear on our routines—seldom enough to be really special and far beyond our capacity to imitate or control. But He lets those who trust Him ride on the crest of the tidal waves rather than being inundated by them. (10:23)
I haven’t yet heard any theory about how a cut-off almond branch could turn into a snake once and a crocodile later, but if the magicians also figured it out, they (or their demon bosses) must have known some law of physics conventional science has not yet rediscovered, but YHWH, who created that law, whatever it is, used it to build His people’s trust and make us feel safe in His shadow in the midst of a cruel and hostile world.
Patten’s theory built on and honed Velikovsky’s. He thought the “messenger” that killed 185,000 Assyrians one night in Hizqiyahu’s time (Isa. 37:36) was the same one that “passed overhead” on this night which was different from all other nights (or, as evidenced here, all but a few other nights). He determined through ancient records from many cultures that the culprit was Mars, and that the amassed iron weaponry formed a “lightning rod” for a huge thunderbolt that one planet would discharge to the other on close flyby. Several orbital conjunctions later, Sisera’s iron chariots attracted this “fire from heaven” at a similar time when “the stars in their courses fought against” him (Judges 5:20) and for Baraq (whose name, incidentally, means “lightning”!) Remember that planets were included in the category of “stars” at that time. So this might even explain how this “messenger of death” could single out just the firstborn for destruction.
Did Egypt’s firstborn wear some kind of accessory made of iron? It turns out that “specific to ancient Egypt was the gorgerine, an assembly of metal discs worn on the chest.” (Wikipedia) Maybe it didn’t have to be iron. “Copper was the most common metal for everyday use in ancient Egypt.” (University College, London) Copper definitely conducts electricity. A wesekh or usekh, the “form of necklace most often given to officials, dignitaries, and soldiers as a mark of honour”, was sometimes made of copper. Were the firstborn honored in this way? Whether they all wore these at night is uncertain; if not, YHWH used some other mechanism.
But none of these is far-fetched once we are made aware of such factors that fall outside our normal boxes, but still within the realm of the laws He set up and chose to work within. He just reserved some very special effects for only a few really noteworthy occasions.
I can’t explain how blood on the doors fended off the grim reaper except by YHWH’s direct intervention, but we’ve been put in an equally-favored position, for Moshe was seen as great by all Egypt (11:3), and to those who obediently trust the prophet like Moshe (Deut. 18:18-19), YHWH again says, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (12:13; note the use of “pass” in Yochanan 5:24)
I’d rather experience this than be able to explain it, if it comes down to a choice!
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*Worlds in Collision
The Exodus is Not Over
This holiday is prophetic on many levels: First of all, “When I see the blood, I will skip over you.” (Ex. 12:13b) How much more directly relatable to Yeshua could anything be? Paul even explicitly calls Yeshua our Passover (lamb):
“Don’t you realize that a little yeast leavens the whole lump [of dough]? So purge out the old leaven, so you may become a new lump, since you are [now] unleavened; indeed, our Passover [lamb], [the] Messiah, has been slaughtered as an offering so that we can celebrate the Feast, not with worn-out leaven nor with leaven of evil or wickedness, but with the unleavened [bread] of purity and truth!” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)
The “lamb of Elohim” (Gen. 22:8; Yochanan 1:29) was inspected from the day he was chosen and came into the House (the most common way the Temple is referred to) and no fault was found in him. (Luke 19:45-20:40) He was slain right when, in the Temple, those who were slaughtering their lambs were hearing Levitical choirs singing about “the stone that the builders rejected”. (Ps. 118:22)
Because of what YHWH did in Egypt, we are to “set apart to YHWH all that opens the womb; every firstling that is a male.” (Ex. 13:12) This also anticipated Yeshua, the “firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 12:23), who indeed opened his mother’s womb before any fallen man put his seed there, so he would be a spotless lamb.
But Jeremiah tells us about another exodus: “’The days are coming,’ declares YHWH, ‘when it will no longer be said, “[As] YHWH lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the Land of Egypt”, but rather, “[As] YHWH lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of … all the lands into which He had caused them to be banished.” Indeed, I will bring them back onto their Land, which I gave to their ancestors.’” (Jeremiah 16:14-15)
Jews can now keep Passover “this year in Jerusalem” with no visa or passport problems, but the seder hasn’t yet changed; they’re still talking about the first exodus, because the bigger one—which will include not just the tribe of Judah but all the other tribes of Israel again as well—is still to come.
To show how directly Yeshua alluded to this, remember his famous statement, “I will make you fishers of men”? (Mat. 4:19) You probably sang that song in Sunday school! Did he just pull this analogy out of thin air? No, he was referring to the very next verse in Jeremiah 16: “‘Here I am, sending out numerous fishermen,’ declares YHWH, ‘and they will fish for them…because my eyes are on all their journeyings; they are not hidden from My presence.'” (vv. 16, 17)
It was the exiled of Israel whom he sent his disciples, and their disciples after them, to find and bring back. (cf. Ezek. 37:19-23, which speaks of His cleansing us of sin—another Passover theme. In fact, the LXX of the parallel Jer. 31:8—which actually appears as 38:8 in that version—interprets the related term “lame” to apply to Passover, saying that is when this deliverance will again be!)
Read Isaiah in this context: “When you pass through the waters, I am with you;… they will not sweep you away.” (43:2) Doesn’t that sound like the Exodus? So that there is no doubt about it, he continues, “…because I am YHWH your Elohim, the Holy One of Israel; I gave up Egypt as your ransom-price”. (v. 3) Yet he is speaking of the future. But he adds other locations: “Don’t be afraid, because I am with you. From the sunrise I will bring your descendants and gather you from the sunset. “I will tell the North, ‘Yield [them up]!’ and [say] to the South, ‘Do not hold [them] back! Bring My sons from far away, and My daughters from [even] the extremities of the earth.’” (vv. 5, 6)
During the first exodus, YHWH said, “On all the elohim of Egypt I will make judgments; I am the One who Exists.” (Ex. 12:12) That is what YHWH means—“to be” in all the tenses of the word combined, as compared to other elohim who either do not really exist or are spirits who are only given temporary authority over limited domains. Later we see Michael the Archangel help another messenger who was detained by the “princes of Persia and Greece” (Daniel 10:13, 20); why would YHWH not again bring judgment on the spirits He has placed over the nations if they are trying to keep Israel captive (Isaiah 11:11-12; 27:12-13) and prevent the return He promised to accomplish? The plagues of the Book of Revelation seem to be just that, as their servants, like Pharaoh, keep refusing to repent. (9:21; 16:9, 11)
So we have not seen the end of this story yet!
Get on the Right Side
of His Judgments
YHWH challenged Pharaoh with a novel idea: “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before My face?” (Ex. 10:3) It’s a question we can stand to ask ourselves so He does not need to ask it; as fire cannot burn areas that we pre-burn, He will not judge us if we properly judge ourselves first. (1 Cor. 11:31) Paul was told, “it is harsh on you to keep kicking against the goads.” (Acts 9:5) It is not only futile; it will hurt no one but yourself. Paul was wise enough to surrender and not find out the hard way; Pharaoh was not. He could not yet imagine being humble.
Pharaoh was used to being the one calling the shots, saying who could or could not leave, and what they could take with them, so when there was no food left in Egypt, he tried to hold the Israelites’ animals back, assuming his people were more important. But Moshe said, in so many words, “Not so; in addition to letting us take all of ours, you yourself will contribute some of your own animals as well”—of the very few that were left--as offerings to YHWH, who had let him survive this long. (Ex. 10:25, 26) Have we learned to look past self and see realistically?
His own officials realized Moshe was a noose around Egypt’s neck and recognized their country was a lost cause. (10:7) But Pharaoh could not admit it yet. The common people had no problem supplying the freed slaves (11:3); YHWH had made it clear who deserved more honor. Some were rewarded by getting to go along with us. (12:38)
The haftarah echoes this centuries later: “Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is [nothing but] noise! He has passed the appointed time.” (Yirmeyahu/Jer. 46:17) It was too late for him, both then and in this prophetic time. But YHWH comforts Israel, though He is not one-sided: “‘You must not be afraid, My servant Yaaqov…because I am with you; I will bring annihilation to the nations into which I have driven you, but you I will not bring to a complete end, though I will correct you in due measure and not exempt you from punishment.’” (46:28) Fair and realistic.
Even the gods of Egypt were not exempted either. They were supposed to be under-rulers, appointed by YHWH to keep order in a land that did not have the Torah to teach self-control. But, like the princes of Greece and Persia which opposed Micha’el and another important messenger of YHWH (Daniel 10:12-21), some of them rebelled against YHWH and sought to keep His people in bondage. So He had to bring judgment on them as well. (12:12)
This nearly did annihilate Egypt; Velikovsky (Ages in Chaos) saw the Amaleqites as having taken advantage of the vacuum left by the destruction of Pharaoh’s army and overrun the now-defenseless nation, enslaving the Egyptians who remained—poetic justice for those who had chosen the wrong side of history and enslaved Israel.
We can get on the right side of Micha’el’s battle by submitting to YHWH’s means of defeating even death: posting the blood of the lamb as our guard. “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (Ex. 12:13)
These words live on as we humble ourselves and apply Yeshua’s blood to overcome the Accuser who, like Pharaoh, wants to keep us his slaves. (Rev. 12:7-11)
The final triumph, which defeated those rogue powers leaving them in disgrace, is Messiah’s execution (Col. 2:15), which—also on Passover--condemned them as legal murderers since they took his life when death had no claim on him as it did on every other human since Adam, for he never sinned. (Rom. 6:23; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15)
YHWH commands us to commemorate this event with a week-long fast from leaven (Ex. 12:14), and it almost seems He did this to give us a religious-grade excuse to do our bodies good by purging out their excess yeast (13:6-7)—for a week is specifically how long this process takes. Paul reiterates the order to keep the feast (1 Cor. 5:8) in case anyone thinks a command must be repeated in the Renewed Covenant to still be binding.
It will be superseded only by another act of YHWH when He achieves the greater Exodus. (Jer. 16:14ff) Undoubtedly He will again make up for the fact that we cannot completely prepare for that either. (12:39) Manna again, maybe? But stick to His rules, or that provision, too, will end up being a stench if you try to make it rather than Him your security. Stay on the right side of His hand of judgment, and for you it will prove a wonder rather than a tragedy.
