Participation in the Passover (Exod 12:43-51)

A missionary couple serving in South America lost their daughter at a young age there. Medical care was such that once she fell ill, she could not be saved. It was particularly heart-rending knowing that had she received treatment back home, she probably would have lived. For years the couple struggled with questions of why until one of the locals said this to them. ‘When you lost your daughter, we realised that you, Westerners, were not immune to our tragedies. It could happen to you too, and you became one of us.’ Belonging came through the couple’s commitment to God and to a people, expressed in their willingness even to suffer loss to share their lives.

This question of belonging is key also to the passage that concludes our chapter. Israel exiting Egypt was joined by a ‘mixed multitude’ (Exod 12:38), who were probably impressed by the Lord’s power and saw an advantage in attaching themselves to God’s people but later grew dissatisfied when difficulties came (Num 11:4). In belonging, there is shared experience and commitment, but these folk had none to God or His people. Israel will also encounter various groups in Canaan. Thus, it is central to establish who belongs to ‘us’, who can share the remembrance of God’s redemption in the Passover.

The rule is essentially simple. Those who only had a temporary attachment to Israel, or an Israelite household were automatically excluded, others with more permanent status, even though non-Israelite, could join but only if circumcised. In the former group were foreigners (Hebrew nekhar, Exod 12:43), a term for those who stayed in the land to engage in trade in a temporary capacity. Similarly excluded were ‘sojourners’ and ‘hired servants’ (Exod 12:45), who were different types of non-Israelite wage-earners with only short-term attachment to a household.

On the other hand, ‘strangers’ (ger, Exod 12:48) is a technical term for non-Israelites with permanent resident status in Israel. Similarly, slaves bought for money (Exod 12:44) were non-Israelites who became lasting members of an Israelite household. Thus, these two groups already had a level of loyalty to God’s people and shared life with them in a deeper way than the temporary group. Although not required to observe the feast, they could voluntarily join in, once circumcised. Circumcision, given originally to Abraham (Genesis 17), was a sign of the covenant with God and was an essential requirement for eating Passover for everyone. Thus, Israelites, no less than non-Israelites (whether permanent slaves or residents), all needed to make an active commitment to the Lord.[1]

Reading the pages of the OT, it is encouraging that even in the context of a largely ethnic religion, as Israel’s was, the door is open for outsiders to experience and rejoice in God’s redemption as expressed in the Passover. God is already foreshadowing the salvation to come in that neither ethnic origin, nor social status, nor wealth are determinative factors. It is important to remember, however, that co-existence on its own is not belonging, only those who turn to the Lord in loyalty and commitment can celebrate the redemption remembered in Passover and, for Christians, in the breaking of bread/communion. Let us also not forget that such commitment is never without cost. We do not pay for our release from the slavery of sin, of course, but as we enter this new life with God, He sometimes leads us through deserts and hardship. Even so, we know that He walks with us.

---

[1] Women are not mentioned here specifically because in that cultural context, women, whether wives or unmarried daughters, were understood to follow the lead of the family’s male head.

On the possible significance of the Passover lamb’s bones not being broken, see my post here.