Exodus 12 Summary: A Concise Overview in 5 Minutes

Exodus 12 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• Moses was born around 1591 B.C. and left Egypt at 40 years old (Acts 7:23).

• According to Exodus 7:7, Moses was 80 years old when he stood before Pharaoh as the representative of God.

CHARACTERS:

• Israelites (Hebrews) – They were the descendants of Jacob’s family that grew into a large nation. During this period of history, the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians.

• Moses – A Hebrew who grew up in the house of Pharaoh. He fled Egypt in Exodus 2 and went to live in Midian. God called him back to Egypt to deliver the Israelites from slavery.

• Aaron – Moses’ brother. The son of Amram and Jochebed.

• Pharaoh – The king of Egypt who defied the commands of the Lord. evi.

WHERE:

• The Israelites lived in the land of Goshen, a region of Egypt.

• After receiving their freedom from slavery, the Hebrew left Rameses and went to Succoth. The location of Succoth is still debated.

OUTLINE:

• GOD INSTITUTES THE PASSOVER MEMORIAL (12:1-28):

  • The Lord instructed every Hebrew household to buy a lamb for their family on the 10th day of the month.

  • The lamb had to be a male, a year old, and without any blemishes.

  • They were to keep the lamb until the 14th day of the month when they were to kill it, roast it, and eat the meat accompanied by unleavened bread and herbs.

  • The lamb’s blood was to put on the door posts and lintel of their house.

  • The Hebrews were to eat the meal with their shoes on their staffs in hand because their deliverance from Egypt was near.

  • The meal was called the Lord’s Passover.

  • God was going to enter Egypt that night and kill all the firstborn, but he would pass over houses with lamb’s blood on the door.

  • The Israelites were to keep this special meal as an annual memorial.

  • In addition to the special meal, the Israelites were to observe a new feast day, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was to begin the 14th day of the month and end the 21st day of the month (7 days total).

  • During the Feast of Unleavened bread, the Israelites were to cleanse their houses of leaven and eat only unleavened food.

  • Moses delivered God’s instructions to the people of Israel, and they obeyed.

• THE TENTH PLAGUE: DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN (12:29-32):

  • “At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn” in Egypt.

  • Pharaoh’s son was killed and the text says, “there was not a house where someone was not dead.”

  • Pharaoh sent a message to Moses and told him to get his people out of Egypt.

• THE EXODUS (12:33-51):

  • The Egyptians feared God and sent the Israelites out of their land as quickly as possible.

  • 600,000 Israelite men left Egypt on foot with their families.

  • They went from Rameses and Succoth.

• RULES REGARDING THE OBSERVANCE OF THE PASSOVER (12:43-51):

  • These verses contain some rules for observing the Passover.

  • The meal was to be observed annually, the lamb’s bones were not to be broken, and no uncircumcised person could participate in the observance.

APPLICATION:

• If you look closely, you’ll see a lot of parallels between the sacrifice of the Passover lamb and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our sins.

• The lamb had to be without blemish… Jesus was without sin.

• The lamb was killed before the Israelites received their freedom… Jesus was crucified so we could be free from slavery to sin.

• God saved the firstborn in the houses marked with blood… God will save those who are cleansed from sin by the grace we’ve received through the blood of Jesus.