Exodus 12:1-28
The Passover is the first of the seven feasts of the Lord. We see the seven feasts of the Lord in detail in Leviticus Chapter 23. We’ve been through a quick overview of all of those seven feasts. Now we’re going to look at each one of them in detail.
We’re going to start with the Passover and the first occurrence in the Bible in Exodus Chapter 12. This is the actual first Passover as commanded by God.
Exodus 12:1-3
And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
The Passover Preparation Begins on the 10th Day of the 1st Month
The first month of the year is when the Passover occurs. The preparation for the Passover begins on the tenth day of the first month. “In the tenth day of the first month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house.”
Exodus 12:5-6
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
They are to take a lamb without blemish. Keep in mind that Jesus is “the” Passover Lamb. All of these things are pointing to the future when Jesus Christ fulfills the Passover.
Verse 6 says, “And ye shall take it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.” All of these things are very important to remember. Why? Because later we will look at the death of Jesus. The timing of everything is very important.
Exodus 12:7
And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
Every Man Takes A Lamb For An House And Kills It
So far, we see that all the congregation of Israel, every man a lamb for an house, takes a lamb without blemish, a male of the first year, on the 10th day of the first month. They will keep it up until the 14th day of the first month. The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
After that, they take of the blood of the lamb, and strike the blood on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses where that lamb will be eaten.
And notice when the blood is applied. The lamb is killed in the evening and the blood is applied that same evening. It’s not applied three days and three nights later. It’s applied right after the passover lamb is killed.
Exodus 12:8
And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
Each man and every house kills the lamb and then takes the blood and strikes it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses. They then cook the lamb by roasting it with fire. They make unleavened bread. They add bitter herbs. They eat it.
Three Things Are Eaten At The Passover Feast
The three things they eat are 1) the roasted with fire flesh of the passover lamb, 2) unleavened bread, and 3) bitter herbs.
Exodus 12:9-10
Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. 10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
They are not to eat it raw. Not sodden at all with water. It’s not to be boiled. It is to be roasted with fire. Which parts of the lamb? His head with his legs. “And with the purtenance thereof.” This means the inwards. Everything. The head, the legs, and everything in between.
Nothing shall remain of it until the morning. If anything does remain, it is to be burnt with fire.
Exodus 12:11
And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’S passover.
They were to eat this passover in haste or quickly. Loins girded. Shoes on your feet. Staff in your hand. Be ready to go. Remember all of these things as we’re studying.
Exodus 12:12
For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
Notice that God, the Lord, is speaking to Moses. He says, “I will pass through the land of Egypt this night.” The Passover happens at night. He smites all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. He kills both man and beast. Why? The Lord is executing judgment against all the gods of Egypt. He can do this righteously. He says, “I am the Lord.”
God’s Wrath Is Righteous
God can take life righteously. Why can God take a life? Because He is the owner of life.
Deuteronomy 32:39
See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
The life that you are living right now is his life. He can take it whenever he wants. He says, “I kill and I make alive.” At the Passover, he says he will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. Keep this in mind as we continue. He is going to kill all the firstborn.
Exodus 12:13
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 the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
The blood of the passover lamb that they killed that evening was put upon their houses. The Lord says, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” The blood on the house was the only thing that saved them. The Lord passed over those. The plague wasn’t upon those homes to destroy those people within.
The Lord passed over those homes. Those people were physically saved because of the physical blood of those passover lambs that were killed.
Exodus 12:14
And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
The Passover Is To Be Remembered Forever
This day, the Passover day, is a special day throughout all of eternity. God says, “This day shall be unto you for a memorial.” A memorial is something contained in memory. We are supposed to remember this day. And how long? “Ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.”
Exodus 12:15
Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
Now, notice how the seven days is directly connected to the Passover. Many pastors will teach that the Passover isn’t a part of the feast of unleavened bread. They will say that the feast of unleavened bread starts on the 15th day of the first month. Well, we know, for sure, that the Passover begins on the 14th day of the month at even.
We also know for sure that the feast of unleavened bread begins at the Passover. The Old Testament and the New Testament agree.
Ezekiel 45:21
In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread Begins On The 14th At Even
How much clearer can the Bible be than that? When does the feast of unleavened bread begin? At the passover. Let me repeat this. “In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, a feast of seven days, unleavened bread shall be eaten.”
The feast of unleavened bread begins on the 14th with the Passover. And it lasts seven days. Now, did we see them eating unleavened bread with the actual Passover meal? Here’s a reminder from what we saw earlier in Exodus Chapter 12.
Exodus 12:8
And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
You see unleavened bread there. This is when the feast of unleavened bread begins.
Matthew 26:17
Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
The New Testament agrees. The feast of unleavened bread is coming soon. The passover is mentioned. The passover is where the feast of unleavened bread begins.
Luke 22:1
Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.
Look, the Scriptures can’t be ignored. But people will still argue with that right there. They will say, “Yeah, but the Passover isn’t a part of the feast of unleavened bread.” And my mind is blown. “The feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.”
John 2:23
Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
Jesus was at the Passover IN THE FEAST DAY. The feast day begins at the Passover. There’s an entire seven day week of unleavened bread, 7 days, but that first feast day begins at the Passover and lasts a full 24 hours. It is a feast day. 24 hours equals a day.
The Night of the 14th and Day of the 15th is Connected
So, the night of the 14th and the day of the 15th is closely connected.
Now, remember where we were at in Exodus Chapter 12. They take a lamb on the 10th, keep it up until the 14th, kill it on the evening of the 14th, put the blood on the house, roast the lamb with fire, eat the entire lamb, burn the entire lamb.
They were to eat the passover in haste and leaven nothing of the lamb until the morning. That next morning would be the 15th day of the first month. And that’s very important to understand.
They were to get all the leaven out of their homes from that first day until that seventh day. They were to eat unleavened bread for seven days starting at the Passover meal which is the beginning of the seven days of unleavened bread.
This Passover week begins on the 14th day of the first month at even and lasts until the 21st day of the first month at even.
Now, let’s go back to Exodus Chapter 12 where we left off.
Exodus 12:16
And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
The first day, from the 14th at even to the 15th at even, shall be an holy convocation. A convocation is an assembling of the people together. There shall be no manner of work done in these days. This is God telling you that he’s doing all the work. You rest. Jesus is the Passover lamb. We are not saved by our works. He did all the work for us.
Save that which every man must eat. That work is okay to do. We must get the Passover ready, prepare the food, serve the food, eat the food. That work is okay to do on those days.
We have a holy convocation in the first full 24-hour day from the 14th at even to the 15th at even. And then on the seventh day which is the 20th at even to the 21st at even.
Exodus 12:17
And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
Is This Selfsame Day or 24-Hours
Observe the feast of unleavened bread. But notice exactly what this says. “For in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt.” From the 14th at even to the 15th at even is this selfsame day. It is a full 24 hours. The Lord passed over the homes with blood. He smote all the firstborn in Egypt as a judgment on the gods of Egypt at midnight.
In the morning of the 15th, in that selfsame day, we’ll see God begin to bring the armies of the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
“Therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.” The night of the 14th and the day of the 15th is thus day to be remember forever. That is the first full day of the feast of unleavened bread and it begins at the Passover feast.
Exodus 12:18
In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.
This is the graphic you’ve seen before that I put together. “On the 14th day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.” This is what you see there in that graphic. The Passover begins on the night of the 14th. That first feast day starts at the Passover with unleavened bread and the passover lamb.
And it continues into the next morning and day of the 15th. That’s the holy convocation in the red box there. The days of unleavened bread continue for 7 full days. The count starts on the 14th at even and continues to the 21st at even. You can see I have the 7 days numbered there as Day 1 through Day 7. This is the exact timeline that the Bible teaches.
Exodus 12:19-20
Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. 20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
The Days of Unleavened Bread Are Seven Days
Again, the days of unleavened bread lasts seven days and that count, 100% for sure, begins on the 14th day of the first month at even. Leaven is a picture of sin. God wants them to be clean, purify themselves, and get the sin out of their life. The body of Jesus Christ is unleavened. He has no sin.
Now, we’re at a point in Exodus Chapter 12 where we’ve seen God give instructions to Moses on exactly how to execute the Passover correctly. In the next half of this chapter, we’re going to see the actual occurrence and all the details of what happened. This is my favorite part of the chapter as we get even more details of the Passover.
I don’t have time today to go through all of that, but we will do that next time. We’re going to see Moses instruct the elders of Israel. He tells them to draw out a lamb according to your families and kill the passover.
He gives them clear instructions that match the instructions he received from the Lord. Notice how God does this. He gave Moses his leader the instructions. Moses takes those to the leaders and tells them how to do it. And then they do it.
We are seeing exactly how the Passover is instructed in the Bible. Most people do not know this. You now know this. Keep studying this with me. Read Exodus Chapter 12 again and again, and you will notice all the details. These are all very important to understand.
Jesus Fulfills The Passover
We will see exactly how Jesus fulfills the Passover that we will see recorded in the New Testament. We will compare it to this chapter, Exodus Chapter 12, and what actually happened.
Some things I want you to think about:
- The Passover in Exodus Chapter 12 is a physical salvation. Because of the blood of all those passover lambs on the homes, those people were physically saved from God’s wrath in the smiting of all the firstborn. The blood was physical blood from an actual lamb. They were saved physically.
- Jesus Christ is our Passover lamb. His blood and His sacrifice saves our soul forever. It’s an eternal salvation. It’s not a physical salvation. It’s a spiritual salvation. Spiritually the blood is applied to our soul and saves us from God’s wrath in hell.
- Not all of the people who were physically saved by God at the actual Passover in Exodus Chapter 12 were spiritually saved from death and hell. Many people believe that since God saved their physical life that they are saved from hell. Not true.
We will continue this detailed study of the Passover next week. I really want to get into all those details and show you many things. We’re going to learn a lot from this Bible study.
Let’s pray.
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