Introduction

Exodus 12 is one of the most significant chapters in Scripture. Here God establishes the Passover—the festival that would define Israel's identity and foreshadow the ultimate deliverance through Christ, "our Passover Lamb" (1 Corinthians 5:7">1 Corinthians 5:7). This chapter combines instruction, narrative, and theology into a powerful account of salvation.

Instructions for the Passover

[1-11] Detailed preparation for the night of deliverance.

• A new beginning [1-2]: "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year." Salvation creates a new calendar—a new beginning
• The lamb selected [3-5]: On the tenth day, each household takes a lamb—one per household, or shared with neighbors if too small. It must be a year-old male without defect from the sheep or goats
• The lamb slaughtered [6]: Care for it until the fourteenth day, when all Israel slaughters their lambs at twilight
• The blood applied [7]: "Take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs."
• The meal [8-9]: Eat the meat roasted over fire, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat it raw or boiled—only roasted, head, legs, and internal organs
• Nothing left over [10]: Do not leave any until morning; burn whatever remains
• How to eat [11]: "This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord's Passover."

The Lord's Explanation

[12-13] Why the blood matters.

• Judgment on Egypt [12]: "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both people and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord."
• The blood as a sign [13]: "The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt."
• "When I see the blood": Protection comes not from Israel's merit but from the blood applied in faith

The Festival of Unleavened Bread

[14-20] A week-long memorial.

• A lasting ordinance [14]: "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance."
• Seven days of unleavened bread [15-17]: Remove all yeast from your houses. Anyone who eats anything with yeast must be cut off from Israel
• Sacred assemblies [16]: Hold sacred assemblies on the first and seventh days
• No yeast anywhere [19-20]: For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses

Moses Instructs the Elders

[21-28] Passing on the instructions.

• Select lambs [21]: Moses summons all the elders and tells them to select animals for their families and slaughter the Passover lamb
• Apply with hyssop [22]: Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood, and put it on the top and sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out the door until morning
• The LORD will pass over [23]: "When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down."
• Teach your children [24-27]: "Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land... observe this ceremony. And when your children ask, 'What does this ceremony mean?' tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes.'"
• The people worship [27-28]: They bow down and worship. They do just what the Lord commanded

The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn

[29-30] The plague strikes.

• At midnight [29]: The Lord strikes down all the firstborn in Egypt—from Pharaoh's firstborn to the prisoner's firstborn, and the firstborn of all the livestock
• Great wailing [30]: Pharaoh, his officials, and all the Egyptians get up during the night. There is loud wailing in Egypt, for there is not a house without someone dead

The Exodus Begins

[31-42] Israel leaves Egypt.

• Pharaoh summons Moses [31-32]: During the night, Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron: "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me."
• Egyptians urge them [33]: The Egyptians urge the people to hurry and leave: "Or we will all die!"
• Unleavened dough [34]: The people take their dough before yeast is added, carrying it wrapped in clothing on their shoulders
• Plundering Egypt [35-36]: They ask the Egyptians for articles of silver, gold, and clothing. The Lord makes the Egyptians favorably disposed, so they give them what they ask
• The journey begins [37-38]: About 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children, leave from Rameses to Sukkoth. Many other people and large herds go with them
• 430 years exactly [40-41]: The length of time Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord's divisions left Egypt

Passover Regulations

[43-51] Who may participate.

• No foreigner [43, 48]: Unless circumcised, foreigners may not eat it
• Slaves who are circumcised [44]: May eat it after circumcision
• One law for all [49]: The same law applies to the native-born and the foreigner
• No bones broken [46]: Do not break any of the bones—fulfilled in Christ (John 19:36">John 19:36)

Key Takeaways

• Salvation through blood [13]: The blood of the lamb protects from judgment
• Remember and teach [26-27]: The Passover must be explained to each generation
• God keeps His timing [41]: To the very day—His promises are precise
• Christ our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7">1 Cor 5:7): Every element points to Jesus

Reflection Questions

• How does the Passover lamb help you understand what Jesus did for you?
• What practices help you "remember" God's salvation in your life?
• How can you explain God's deliverance to the next generation?