Exodus 12:13-51

0:00How firm a foundation is, say, So for the Lord is laid for your faith in His excellent Word. Imagine what it was like in ancient Egypt when every family who had ignored God's command woke up to find their oldest child dead. What a tragedy. Welcome to Through the Bible. In our five year study through the whole word of God, we arrive at Exodus chapter 12, an important study that calls us to remember God's rescue. Even to this day, the Jewish people observe this event called the Passover. Together, we're going to study its origin and discover how God wasn't only teaching the Hebrews, but all who hear and believe His Word. I'm Steve Schwetz your host and fellow traveler here on the Bible bus. So as you find your seat, Greg Harris is here and we've got a few minutes to talk about what's new here through the Bible. Well, there are always all kinds of great things going on and one of the reasons we send out a monthly newsletter

1:06so you can keep up with not all of it, but a lot of it. And this month we have Barbeque, who has been with us for some time, and oversees our domestic radio relationships has written an article about the National Religious Broadcasters Convention or as we like to say, NRB. Yes. And it's quite a big gathering in the past. Thousands of people. Yeah, I think it was the only time I saw a sitting president was when I went to NRB. Yeah. I think George Bush went and spoke there. Yes. Several presidents have come and spoken. Donald Trump spoke there. I could, I can go to the original George H. W. Bush spoke there. Yeah. And it's, it's, it's an important part of our year. It's a very hard work because we have dozens of meetings in over just a couple days, but it's very efficient because we get to meet with all of, not all, but many of our key relationships here in North America. And I know I have a bias Steve, you tease me about it.

2:07I have a bias toward the global side of our work, but I, I am so grateful. And I think it's important we just stop and say, if you're listening on a radio station or through an app that's connected with a radio station, make sure you tell that radio station that you love through the Bible. Because when we meet with them, they ask us, how, how are we doing in getting your program out? Yeah. And it is, it is an encouraging time. And I don't want you to think that just because we mentioned that presidents show up because of the political aspects of it, we don't get political. We really do. It's, it's about meeting with our ministry partners, those that are often broadcasters since national religious broadcasters. And radio has been the backbone of this ministry. It was the birthplace of through the Bible as it went out on radio and continues to be pivotal and a, and a number one source for us for getting out the whole word to the whole world. Yeah, it's actually astonishing in this age of so many digital options that Christian radio continues to be very central to our ministry.

3:08Yeah. I had it guy years ago that said, are you still airing the program on radio? I said probably one of the worst decisions I could make as the president of through the Bible would be to go off of domestic radio. But one of the reasons we ask you to get in touch with your station or to let us know when you contact us, and you listen to, is it helps us with our discussions with the stations about where are we having good response and where maybe is our stewardship not the best? Yeah, and that is one of the differences, the fancy word in the media space is called attribution, which is basically saying, where are these people listening to us? Yes. And with digital, we don't necessarily know who you are, but we know where you are. That's right. And we know how often you listen, and there's a bunch of data that's there, and don't worry, we don't sell it or do anything with it. But it is a good metric to, because we want to be good stewards of the resources that God has so faithfully entrusted to us through listeners like you. And there's no way to do that with terrestrial radio unless you figuratively speaking raise your hand

4:08and either tell us that you listen on a particular station or tell that station. So again, that's the why behind why we're asking you to do that. Yeah, and the why behind the, are being at the NRB convention and having dozens of meetings over just a couple of days, we have lunches, breakfast, we attend small meetings, larger meetings, is to build those relationships. And I can tell you, many of the station managers we meet with say, we started with through the Bible the day we opened our doors. And so there is a long history and we're grateful for it. Yeah, Greg, why don't you pray for the program as it goes out and also for blessing those ministry partners all around with NRB. Father, we are grateful for the many, many partners we have on being on over 1,600 stations across this country. Thank you for the men and women that work so hard to distribute our teaching and many other teaching ministries. And we pray you'll bless them. We also pray that as your word goes out today, we'll reach deeply into hearts and lives in Jesus' name, amen.

5:09Turn now to Exodus 12 as we go through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McKee. Now friends, last time we were dealing with the Passover feast. And you will recall that we came to verse 13 and that was the last verse we had in the 12th chapter. And I read and the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you 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. Now these are the instructions that God gave and he said that when he saw the blood he would pass over. Now that was not some mystic or superstitious sign at all. There's a great principle that runs all the way through the Word of God and it is without shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. In other words, God cannot arbitrarily or bigheartedly shut his eyes to sin and do nothing about it.

6:15Anymore than a judge when there is brought before him one guilty, the judge should apply the law and the penalty should be paid. And I think frankly our problem in America today has been the laxity that has come in the enforcement of law. The important thing is that in God's universe while law is inexorable and the soul that sineth it must die. Therefore life must be given up for me a sinner. You see the death sentence is on all of us. Now if you will accept Christ by faith you will be saved. Now that night needs you upon every home that would be the death of the first born. The death angel went through and the blood was an indication, the application of it on the door posts and the linels was an indication of faith you see. That answers the appropriation of a personal faith and that was all it was necessary.

7:19They didn't put the blood out there and something else, they're good works. They didn't bring an offering like cane. All it was necessary was just simply this and the death angel when he came when he saw that he passed over. They followed the Passover feast and you will find out that when we get to Leviticus that there will be instructions given for the Passover and then the feast of unleavened bread which actually was part of it but took place really after the Passover. And in verse 14 I read and this day shall be under you for a memorial and you shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread. Even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses for whosoever eat a leaven bread from the first day until the seventh day that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

8:23Now actually this had nothing to do with the death angel passing over. This was a feast of fellowship of those within and it was a wonderful time of fellowship. It was duty of course God commanded it and it was also a privilege but it hadn't anything in the world to do with their salvation. It had to do with the fact that they were to have fellowship with God. Now you will notice that they are not to eat leaven bread and beginning here in verse 17 it says ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread. For in this self same day if I brought your arm is out of the land of Egypt and they ate the unleavened bread on the wilderness march you see because they began the night of the Passover and they then ate the bread for seven days and you notice that it's unleavened bread if they ate leaven bread they were cut off.

9:27That means they were cut off from the fellowship that be no fellowship at all. Now right here is put down a principle concerning leaven. Leaven is mentioned here all about I suppose eight or nine times from verse 14 down through verse 20. Let me read verse 19 seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses or whosoever eat a fat which be leaven. Even that soul should be cut off from the congregation of Israel whether he be a stranger a born in the land ye shall eat nothing leaven in all your habitation shall you eat unleavened bread. Now this is very important because it puts down a principle here that when you move into the new testament it doesn't go into reverse and mean the opposite leaven is a principle of the evil and it represents that which is offensive now we'll have occasion to refer to that again but when you get to the 13th of Matthew and you read about a woman hiding leaven in three measures of meal that leaven isn't the gospel.

10:39It couldn't be because leaven is a principle of evil actually the three measures of meals the word of God and in it there has been put leaven today and that's evil there has been put unsound doctrine and I am absolutely overwhelmed and amazed to see the amount of error that's being taught today and how gullible people are that just go for it. Fact of the matter is the rackets and there are many of them do lots better than those of us that attempt to just teach the simple word of God you'll find out we're having our problems but not the cults or isms they have no problem at all this matter of leaven it's evil friends and it has been put into the teaching of the word all the cults and isms use the Bible but they put leaven we're having a lot of trouble. But they put leaven with it and that is the thing that the children of Israel were told to avoid and when our Lord made it very clear that it couldn't be good he said beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and actually the disciples at that time thought he meant physical bread then they understand later that he meant the doctrine of the Pharisees that which is evil you say and that principle is put down here now unleavened bread is a lot of things that are not going to be done.

12:03Now unleavened bread is not palatable there are great many people today that don't like the study of the Bible I recognize that great many people love to come to a church for the social time are the music are the beauty of the place but not for the word of God they don't want the word of God because actually unleavened bread is not very palatable. I happen to be in Israel during the feast of unleavened bread and I stayed in the Dan Carmel hotel in Haifa and friends I want to say very candidly I never got as tired unleavened bread my life because I was brought up in the south where we had hot biscuits the kind that just puff right up and not unleavened bread all but the night it was over and they brought out the bread the real article by the way it's called. As far as I'm concerned because that's good to the natural man you see and they brought out land fixed all it was delicious it was really a feast not only for those of us that were there that were Gentiles and Christians but also for those that were in the land citizens of the nation is real unleavened bread friends is not is delightful and it's not as palatable not as tasty as the leavened bread is not palatable.

13:30But may I say that the word of God is the food that's far the child of God now this is a great principle put down here as you can see now he goes on and says in verse 22 and ye shall take a bunch of his up and dip it in the blood that is in the basin and strike the linole in the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians and when he see the blood upon the linole and on the two side post the Lord will pass over the door and will not suffer the destroyer to come in and to your houses to smite you now there are several things to note here I wonder if it had occurred to you as we have been looking at this matter of the pass over and now for two times we talked about the putting the blood on the door post.

14:30So you wonder just how they did it how did they put the blood on the door post well Hissop is a little plant that grows around rocks and of damn place it is a fluffy type of a little plant and it was dipped into the blood and then applied it was the applicator and again the Hissop represents the me faith that is the way that the blood is applied. So you can apply the heart and my life someone says how do you apply by faith trusting what Christ has done for us when he died for us. Now we find here that God goes into a great deal of detail in telling these people about how they have to do at this particular time he gives specific instructions. Now in verse 29 why we see now this is the last judgment the last plague that's coming on the land of Egypt and God had prepared his people from it.

15:34Now the land of Gosha had escaped the last three plague but would not escape here unless there was the blood on the door post and any Egyptian could put it on his door post. All he had to do was just believe God and the death angel wouldn't have gone in and ask her you are in Israel I that's going to surprise a lot of people someday when they're going to find out that the Lord's not going to ask the name of the church you belong to because if you have trusted Christ a spirit of God is baptized you into the body of believers and that is today of course the true church. Now will you notice and I'm beginning reading now at verse 29 of the 12th chapter of Exodus came to pass that at midnight the Lord smoked all the first born in the land of Egypt from the first born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne under the first born of the captive that was in the dungeon and all the first born of cattle and Pharaoh rose up in the night he and all his servants and all the Egyptians and all the people.

16:40And there was a great cry in Egypt for there was not a house for there was not one dead you see the first born in each house this is the last judgment. In other words God up to this point has not touched human life he's not taken human life but now he does and don't say that God is the murderer the Lord give it the Lord has taken away blessed be the name of the Lord when you are able to create life then you'd be able to take it away but wait until you can do that now will you notice verse 30 and Pharaoh rose up in the night you see this is something that was tragic now verse 31 he called for Moses an aeron by night and said rise up get you forth from among my people both in the children of Israel and go serve the Lord as you have said also take your flocks your herds as you have said and be gone and bless me also for all Pharaoh now he's had to give up up to this point he's been reluctant but now what has happened

17:49it's reached in and touched his own son and believe me this is where you really get an individual now you see God didn't begin with this plague he began way back there but just throwing down a rod and that rod becoming a crocodile that could have been the message that if he believed God that children of Israel could have gone out there and he spared his people these judgments therefore don't blame it on God God is made up for the Lord. God is making him release the children of Israel which he was reluctant to do and the Egyptians I'm reading verse 33 and the Egyptians were urgent upon the people that they might send them out of the land in haste for they said we be all dead man they didn't know where this would end and of course what would be the next step if God now took the firstborn what could he do next well the next thing to do would be to bring death to all the Egyptians and so Pharaoh and the people said we want you out of here because we afraid what will come next and the people took their dough before it was leavened their need drops being bound up in the clothes upon their shoulders and the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver jewels of goal and

19:11Raymond this matter borrowing is they're collecting back do's and the Lord gave the people favor in the side of the Egyptians so that they lent under them the literal back of borrowed is they ask and here they lent they gave unto them such things as they required and they spoil the Egyptians actually the Egyptians old them so much that when they left they spoiled them now verse 37 and the children of Israel they've turned it from ramisees to suck up about six hundred thousand on foot that were man beside children now you can see where a doctor call got his figures on which he attempted to base the number that came out of the land of Egypt well how many did come out of the land of Egypt we're going to get to that when we get to the book of numbers actually but it would seem that there came out of the land of Egypt well over a million people there were six hundred thousand on foot that were man that's had nothing to do with the children are the women and then here our attention is called as something else verse 38 and a mixed multitude went up also with them

20:36and flocks and herds even very much cattle now this mixed multitude will be the trouble in the camp who were the mixed multitude well let me stop for just a moment because in the book of numbers in the eleventh chapter I'll go into a great deal of detail about them because they were the trouble makers well factually they were half breeds an Egyptian admired a Jewish maiden are a Hebrew admired an Egyptian mate and then that was the offspring and now the question comes to him long as they lived in the land of Egypt there's no question no decision to mate but now what shall he do shall half breed shall he go up with the children of Israel or shall he stay well many of them didn't know many of them didn't go up and some thought they should go up and then they wondered whether when the going got hard and difficult they wondered whether they hadn't made a mistake

21:38and they were the first ones to complain and by the way they were not Israelites in the true sense of the word that's been a big problem for Israel over there today is a half breed Gentile mother does that mean that the offspring are Israelites are the citizens of Israel so always been a problem with them and so always cause them trouble and by the way we have that same thing in the church we got people had joined the church they're not saved they're just part of the mixed multitude and always the complaining and trouble comes from that crowd I've never believed that a trouble maker in church is really a child of God now I've been a pastor a long time but let's understand what we mean by trouble makers but we'll see that when we get to the 11th chapter of the book of numbers and that will be coming up now we find here that the children of Israel now they're leaving they're taking off verse 39 and they bake on 11 cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt for it was not 11 because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not tear in neither had they prepared for themselves and eventual

22:47in other words the children of Israel were not really prepared for the journey now the so journey of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was 430 years it came to pass at the end of the 430 years even the south same day it came to pass that all a host of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt it's a night to be much observed under the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations and as we said before this is the oldest observance the Passover of any religious holiday in the world today and it goes back to the Exodus out of the land of Egypt they're never to forget that until the king comes and the millennium is established and then they'll forget it we'll see that of course later and we're told that only those that where Israelites were to eat the past over now we're told verse 47 all the congregation of Israel shall keep it when a stranger shall sojourn with you and we'll keep the pass over to the Lord that all his males be circumcised and then let him come near and keep it and he shall be as one that is born in the land for no

24:07uncircumcised person shall eat thereof in other words that would be an act of faith on the part of a gentile to come up and under the covenant God made with Abraham now we're told in verse 49 one law shall be to him that is home born and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you thus did all the children of Israel at the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron so did they and it came to pass the cell same day that the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies now we're going to follow through here a section in which we're going to see them cross the red sea and then the experiences that these people had in the wilderness which correspond the Christian experience today this my friend is a rich section we trust that you're going through the Bible with us so until next time may God bless you richly my beloved

25:13listen to the study again on our app or at ttb.org or if you're looking for a particular resource we'll just call us 1 865 Bibles the number I'm Steve Schwartz and I'll save you see for next time Jesus All to be my own. Sin that left the prince of saints He was required as more. Through the Bible exists to take God's whole world to the whole world. And we invite you to stand with us with your faithful prayer and financial support. Where will God's word go today?