Leaving Egypt in haste (Exod 12:29-42)
Exod 12:29-41
As C.S. Lewis famously said, pain is God’s megaphone and, on the night when the firstborns died, God shouted His wake-up call into Pharaoh’s ears. How sad that it took him the deaths of thousands, including his own firstborn, to realise that God meant what He had said. It is a stark warning for all of us to remember that God’s words come true. When His Word says that sin is deceitful and it will destroy us if we persist in it, we need to listen.
The Israelites then are free to go. Pharaoh no longer tries to bargain and his request for a blessing from Moses expresses his own submission (Exod 12:32 cf. Heb 7:7). Twice we are told that Israel had to leave in haste (Exod 12:33-34, 39) and the significance of this repetition is that the Israelites had no provisions for their journey. God could have arranged things differently, but He allowed these circumstances creating an opportunity for Israel to trust in His care. We are reminded once again that when we enter into a relationship with God, we step into a life of faith. This is not a license to be irresponsible and to test God, however. We do not deliberately create our own lack by being negligent and then expect God to make up for it. Rather, as we obey the Lord, He leads us into situations where we do not have the time or resources to help ourselves and where we learn to trust Him.
Israel will learn that God is indeed faithful and the little vignettes in our reading highlight His provision. First, He did not let them leave without their flocks and herds (v.32), which will be the basis for their livelihood in the Promised Land. Next, they are given additional wealth by the Egyptians (Exod 12:35-36). The language of ‘plundering’ may sound a discordant note for modern readers, as if Israel had exploited their hosts, but that is not the sense we should take from this. Plunder evokes a situation of war, where the victor takes the spoil from the enemy. Thus, the language carries a triumphant note: weak, enslaved Israel has overcome the mighty Egyptian empire![1] Moreover, they do not need to take Egyptian riches by force but, ironically, are given it freely because God has made their enemies well-disposed to them. Finally, the emphasis on the large numbers of Israelites leaving Egypt, along with their substantial livestock, once again remind us that God has blessed Israel and made them fruitful just as He had promised Abraham (Exod 12:37-38; Gen 22:17).[2] The picture painted speaks of God’s immense power and provision.
We live in anxious times. Many suffer the ongoing health and economic impact of Covid-19, others struggle in the wake of natural disasters, or just face the challenges of everyday life with its share of illness, financial worry, tensions in relationships in the family or at work and the list goes on. Yet, like Abraham who was tested by God yet testified to His goodness, we too are called to trust and know with him that the LORD will provide (Gen 22:14).
[1] This interpretation is further strengthened by military connotations, such as the reference to men ‘on foot’ (v.37), which in other contexts means foot soldiers (e.g., Judg 20:2; 1 Sam 15:4) and the summary statement of all the hosts (i.e. armies) of the LORD leaving Egypt (Exod 12:41). Although Israel had no time to organise themselves into military units, they are viewed here as God’s army, nevertheless.
[2] To the ‘mixed multitude’ joining Israel I shall return in my next post.
On the question of the large numbers leaving Egypt, please find my post here.
