April 8, 2019
Go! Follow the Leader!
Exodus 12:29-51
George Dalton
Central Truth
When we do what the Lord commands, He provides all we need and sets us free.
Key Verse | Exodus 12:50-51
All the people of Israel did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. And on that very day the LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.
Exodus 12:29-51
The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn
29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. 31 Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night 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. 32 Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!”
The Exodus
33 The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders. 35 The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. 36 And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
37 And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. 38 A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds. 39 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.
40 The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It was a night of watching by the LORD, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the LORD by all the people of Israel throughout their generations.
Institution of the Passover
43 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, 44 but every slave 1 12:44 Or servant; the Hebrew term ebed designates a range of social and economic roles (see Preface) that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. 45 No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it. 46 It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. 49 There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”
50 All the people of Israel did just as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.
Dive Deeper | Exodus 12:29-51
Word of mouth travels fast. When you are excited about something, you can’t wait to tell other people, right?
When I first found out I was pregnant, five weeks in, I was telling anyone within five minutes of our conversation! Even knowing it would still be many months before we saw our baby's face, I was excited and couldn't help but spill the news. After months of pregnancy, labor begins. Within the span of about a day, a baby is born, and everything changes!
Now, nine months of waiting is nothing compared to 430 years, so imagine the anticipation of hundreds of thousands of people all being set free, to have completely changed lives, within just one day. When they got the go-ahead from Moses and Aaron, we better believe word spread like wildfire!
The Israelites may not have had a bag packed, like we do anticipating the hospital stay, but they did have what the Lord commanded them to prepare: unleavened bread. They prepared the bread and set out, trusting the Lord would provide all they needed—after looting their Egyptian neighbors of all their silver and gold jewelry and clothing, of course. (We’ll see why later in this book.)
The Israelites followed the leader. They did all the Lord commanded them to do, and the Lord was faithful to bring them out of Egypt as He said He would, "on that very day" (Exodus 12:51).
It so happens that we have the same leader as Moses, Aaron, and all the Israelites. He commands us to go as well! Jesus says in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." And just as the Lord promised to remain with the Israelites, He promises the same to us: "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." So, Church, let's follow His command. Go! Follow the leader!
Discussion Questions
1. How are you following the Lord’s command today to go out and make Him known? If you want some help or clear opportunity, come on over to the clinic! You can start here: www.watermarkurgentcare.com/how-to-start.
2. Do you trust that the Lord will provide in the unknown, in the new directions He may be calling you, or with the new person he has placed in your life? Check out these verses for encouragement: Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 1:9; Psalm 21:7; Proverbs 3:5-6; Philippians 1:6; 2 Timothy 3:16-17.