出エジプト記12:29-42　Exodus 12:29-42

Moses, who was called by God, was sent to Egypt with his brother Aaron. They asked Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to free the Israelites who were being enslaved and tormented in Egypt. However, Pharaoh was stubborn and did not free the Israelites. So God sent nine great plagues on Egypt. And the tenth and final plague was the greatest. It was the plague of the death of the first-born child in the house of the Egyptians.

Before God sent the terrible plague of striking and killing the Egyptian’s firstborn, He commanded the Israelites to kill a lamb and to smear its blood on the two doorposts and the lintel of their houses. Why? Because, as I mentioned last week, when God’s angel saw the blood of the lamb, he would realise that this was the house of the Israelites and pass over it without bringing any plague. Finally, the Passover took place, when the plagues fell on the houses of the Egyptians and the Israelites were saved. All the firstborn died all over Egypt, even in the house of Pharaoh. The event occurred in the middle of the night.

Because of this great calamity, Pharaoh was finally forced to set the Israelites free. Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!” Not only Pharaoh but all of the Egyptians wanted the Israelites to leave Egypt so that no more calamities would occur. Thus, the Israelites departed from Egypt. Finally, freedom was given to the Israelites who had been slaves!

God commanded the Israelites to have a Passover meal every year to commemorate their salvation by God’s power. They were to eat lamb, unleavened bread, i.e., bread without yeast, and bitter herbs. Why do they eat unleavened bread? Verse 39 of today’s passages explains as follows. “And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.” Even today, the Jewish people commemorate God’s deliverance with an annual Passover meal.

Verse 37 says: “And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.” Some may think that “six hundred thousand” is too many. In fact, this verse has been the subject of much debate among Bible scholars, who have been asking what it could possibly mean. The Hebrew word for “thousand”, erev, is said to represent a military unit. Interpreted in that way, “six hundred thousand” means six hundred troops. Such an interpretation is also consistent with verse 41, where the Israelites are referred to as “all the hosts (i.e., troops) of the LORD.”