Exodus 12:12, commentary and pictures

On that night God Himself passed through the land of Egypt at midnight and smote all the firstborn of man and beast, executing judgment against all the gods of Egypt. That judgment exposed the objects Egypt worshiped as senseless and powerless to save, deliver, or destroy, declaring that the Lord alone is God and His power is superior to all others. The innocent lamb slain and the blood struck on the lintel and doorposts prefigured the sinless Lamb of God, whose blood shed for the sins of the world alone averts judgment and shelters the believing sinner from wrath. Protection that night required exact obedience and faith shown by acts, for the blood sign was essential and neglect would leave a dwelling unguarded, so that even a Hebrew house refusing to obey would fall as surely as the Egyptians. That night is a pattern for the final judgment, when the destroying angel will again pass through and only those marked as belonging to God, set apart by living in harmony with His law and keeping His Sabbath, will be sealed and passed over.

Night of the Stroke

God Himself would pass through the land of Egypt that night, at midnight, and smite all the firstborn in the land, both of man and of beast. The sentence was to be executed that night at midnight by the destroying angel, or angel of death, coming at midnight, doing the dreadful work of slaying while passing over the marked doorways of Israel. The plague was the work of God's judgment, the LORD's passover, with the blood-marked Israelite homes spared and the Egyptian gods shown to have no power to save or destroy.

The stroke was the last plague upon Egypt, more severe than any plague before it. It was brought because the king and his idolatrous priests opposed to the last the request to let Israel go, even while the Egyptian people desired and wished that the Hebrews be permitted to leave. Its nature and effect were told beforehand to Pharaoh and to the people of Egypt and also to the Israelites, with Moses relating it to all three and with warning given though as yet there was no token of deliverance.

Before the execution direction was given through Moses to Israel concerning departure from Egypt and especially for preservation from the coming judgment. Each family was to gather inside its house and remain inside until morning, slay a lamb or kid without blemish, and sprinkle and strike its blood on the two side-posts and upper door-post and lintel as a token and sign without, so that when God saw it He would pass over them and the destroying angel would not enter that dwelling and the plague would not destroy them when He smote Egypt. While staying inside they were to eat the lamb slain and roasted whole with bitter herbs, with loins girded, shoes on feet, and staff in hand, eating in haste ready to depart, to preserve themselves and to prepare to leave Egypt, with the blood mark acknowledging faith in the Father's only begotten Son unto everlasting life. Without this protection Israel would have been treated like Egypt, for the sign was to be respected and the firstborn in a Hebrew house careless or refusing to obey would fall as surely as the Egyptians.

That night it came was terrible to the Egyptians and glorious to the people of God. At midnight He smote all the firstborn of the Egyptians while passing over the houses of the children of Israel, and Pharaoh then sent word for Israel to go out and serve the Lord, and the Hebrews went out from Egypt as an independent nation with the grand march from the land of bondage opened by the sprinkled blood marking Israel for sparing. On that night the solemn ordinance of the Passover was instituted, begun there as the birth of the nation, to be kept yearly with roasted lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The night assembly reenacts that night with girded loins, shoes on feet, staff in hand, and hasty meal, and in solemn assembly and solemn silence the rehearsal of the story of the wonderful deliverance from bondage is repeated from generation to generation, fixing God's commandments and past deliverance in the memory of children and youth and impressing the heart amid song, nature, and kindly association on the journey to meet with God in His holy habitation.

Judgment on Egypt's Gods

The declaration is that judgment would fall against all the gods of Egypt, closed with the affirmation I am the LORD. The stroke was the work of divine judgment, striking the firstborn of both people and animals in the final plague, while the blood-marked Israelite homes were spared and passed over. That judgment exposed the objects the Egyptians worshiped as senseless and powerless to save, to deliver, or to destroy, proving they could not deliver those who trusted in them and that Pharaoh and Egypt's powers could not resist the great I AM. The judgments gave the Egyptians evidence of Jehovah's power and time to repent, so that anyone who submitted to God could escape them, and they spread the knowledge of God so that some Egyptians chose to serve Him. Their failure shows that human advantages and even the highest education cannot qualify anyone to become a channel of light without the cooperation and enlightenment of the divine Spirit.

The words spoken to Moses were fulfilled in full in the utter destruction of the Egyptian host at the Red Sea. That place was appointed for the closing and last display of God's power before hardened Egypt after Pharaoh filled up the measure of his iniquity by daring once more to array himself against Jehovah and pursue Israel in final rebellion. The host that perished came with a well-equipped army that included the priests of the idol gods with the rulers and all the great and mighty men of the kingdom, brought so that their gods would secure success and Egypt would redeem its glory, intimidate Israel, and force Israel back to service. Israel walked on a dry path opened through the sea with high walls of water congealed on either side, and Egypt, hardened by long resistance, rushed blindly in rebellion into that miraculous way and was destroyed, which completed the execution of judgment the verse declares. That judgment proves God's power is superior to all others, declares His name throughout all the earth, shows His distinguished mercy to Israel openly before all the Egyptians, compels acknowledgment of His authority as supreme ruler, and was designed to strengthen the faith of His people so that they and their posterity would steadfastly worship Him alone who wrought such merciful wonders for them.

God executed judgment both upon the Egyptians themselves and upon their gods, working through human instruments including Aaron. Having been used in that defeat of false gods makes it especially heinous that Aaron later made the calf, announced its feast, and heard unmoved the proclamation ascribing Israel's deliverance from Egypt to it.

God displayed great signs and wonders in Egypt to show His command over all the natural world and over the powers the Egyptian oppressors worshiped. As He executed judgment upon the gods of Egypt, so once again in the last remnant of this earth's history He is to execute judgment upon the gods of this world as upon the gods of Egypt, spoiling the whole land with fire and flood, with plagues and earthquakes. Afterward His redeemed people will exalt His name and make it glorious in the earth. Those living now must become intelligent about that lesson while holding faith in the living God who made the world and overrules all events to His glory, and faith in Christ to redeem and keep the soul as the great ruling element of character.

Reasons for Divine Judgment

The judgments were sent to make Pharaoh know by sad experience, since he would not otherwise be convinced, that God's power is superior to all others and that the Lord alone is God. The words were spoken by the Lord to Moses, and they were fulfilled in the utter destruction of the Egyptian host at the Red Sea, which was appointed for the closing display of God's power after Pharaoh filled up the measure of his iniquity by daring once more to array himself against Jehovah and pursue Israel in final rebellion. Their purpose was to declare God's name throughout all the earth by exemplary and demonstrative proof to all nations of His divine power and justice, to show distinguished mercy to Israel openly before all the Egyptians, to compel acknowledgment of His authority as supreme ruler, and to strengthen the faith of His people so that they and their posterity would steadfastly worship Him alone who wrought such merciful wonders for them. That night the Hebrews were required to trust God's message and obey His directions, each family gathering inside its house, eating the Passover ready to depart, and marking the house with blood on the lintel and doorposts as a sign to be respected. The blood-marked houses were to be passed over, but the sign could not be treated as unimportant, for the firstborn in a Hebrew house would not be spared if its members were careless or refused to obey, and God's stroke would fall on them as surely as on the Egyptians.

The final plague, smiting the firstborn of man and beast and judging Egypt's gods, revealed that Pharaoh and Egypt's powers could not resist the great I AM. In providence God preserved the life of the rebellious tyrant though he had forfeited mercy, and overruled events so that he was on the throne at the deliverance, that his stubbornness would be the occasion to multiply evidences of God's power for the good of His people and to magnify His name before the Egyptians and before all who should afterward live on the earth. The judgment against all the gods of Egypt was punishment for idolatry and for proud boasting about mercies received from senseless gods. It was to glorify God's own name and compel the Egyptians to acknowledge that the despised God of the Hebrews is above all gods, to make other nations hear of His mighty acts and tremble, and to cause His people by witnessing His miraculous works to turn fully from idolatry to pure worship. It manifests that God hates idolatry and will punish cruelty and oppression wherever it exists.

The stroke exposed the powerlessness of the objects the Egyptians worshiped to save, deliver, or destroy. The judgments gave the Egyptians evidence of Jehovah's power and time to repent, so that anyone who submitted to God could escape them. They spread the knowledge of God abroad, and some Egyptians chose to serve Him.

Christ in the Passover

The lamb slain in Egypt was innocent and without blemish, and it prefigured the sinless Lamb of God. That lamb eaten at the feast was a symbol of Christ's body, pointing forward to His approaching death as the only true propitiation for the sins of humanity. Jesus is the very person the lamb represented, presenting Himself as Saviour whose blood preserves from the wrath of a sin-hating God, even while those celebrating the feast with great display refused His offers of mercy. Israel's deliverance from Egypt was thus a type of the salvation Christ brings, for His merits alone avert judgment and condemnation for fallen humanity. Christ was the Passover's great antitype, and the Lord's Supper was connected with it to commemorate that deliverance.

The blood commanded on the two side-posts and upper door-post, the lintel, was a token and sign of safety that caused the destroying angel to pass over the houses of Israel while the wrath of God fell in judgment upon the Egyptians. That blood represented the blood of Christ shed for the sins of the world. It is efficacious for the believing sinner to cleanse him from sin and to shelter him from the wrath of God. As that wrath fell upon the Egyptians, so it will come upon the impenitent and unbelieving world, while believers are sheltered from God's coming wrath. This provision for salvation benefits no one unless he performs the work left him to do and by his acts manifests faith in it, for the saving provision does not benefit those who refuse what God requires.

Eating the flesh of the Passover lamb in remembrance of that night's protection represented receiving the Lamb of God who gives Himself for the life of the world. The same truth Christ taught about eating His flesh and drinking His blood unto eternal life was already symbolized in the paschal service. By faith eating His flesh and drinking His blood, Christ has power to finally raise the dead, giving believers a well-founded hope of the resurrection to immortal life in the kingdom of God at the last day. But those who make the symbol all-important while its significance goes unnoticed do not discern the Lord's body.

The Passover was instituted by Christ Himself before His incarnation, and He is the foundation of the whole Jewish economy to which it belongs. Its rites showed Jesus that every act was bound up with His own life and mission, and His work for the covenant heirs began to dawn on Him as He observed the service. Type met antitype when its Founder stood with divinity clothed with humanity among priests, scribes, and rulers at His trial, even while those leaders were exact about maxims and traditions and refused to enter the judgment hall lest they be defiled and kept from eating the Passover, as they condemned Christ to death. At that time the Passover Lamb pointed forward to Jesus, who had been slain and lay in the tomb while the feast was being observed, and the events surrounding His death fulfilled prophecy and showed the crucified Jesus to be the world's Redeemer. The Passover and its religious ceremonies represented Him and cannot be explained apart from Christ, for Christ is the key that unlocks the Old Testament and gives access to its rich treasures, the voice speaking through prophets and patriarchs from Adam onward whose mission, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension are proved from Moses and the prophets, so rejecting the Saviour revealed and represented in them makes those services valueless.

Obedience That Secures Protection

Protection that night required exact obedience, and faith had to be shown by acts. The blood on lintel and doorposts was essential and could not be dismissed as unimportant or replaced by confidence that God would protect without following His instructions. Even though God could distinguish Hebrews from Egyptians, neglect of the sign would have left a dwelling unguarded by heavenly sentinels. Each family was to gather inside its house, eat ready to depart, mark the house with blood, respect the sign, and remain inside until morning. Any Hebrew child found in an Egyptian habitation was destroyed, and without this protection Israel would have been treated like Egypt; the firstborn in a Hebrew house whose members were careless or refused to obey would fall as surely as the Egyptians.

God's provision for salvation benefits no one unless he performs the work left him to do and by his acts manifests faith in it. Marking the door, remaining inside, and preparing to depart acknowledged faith in the Father's only begotten Son unto everlasting life and accepted the promised Redeemer. That obedient action manifested faith in the great Sacrifice and in the efficacy of His blood to cleanse from sin and shelter from wrath.

By gathering their children into their houses and marking the doorposts in implicit obedience, believing parents evidenced faith in Jesus and accepted Christ as the promised Redeemer. That faith covered the household, so the obedient mark shielded all within from the destroyer's power and the destroying angel passed over every house that had it. Little children of believing Israelites, who had no test of character of their own, were spared because the faith of the believing parents covered them and shielded them.

Protection in Final Judgment

That night is a pattern for the time before the overflowing scourge comes upon all dwellers on the earth. Those who are Israelites indeed must gather their children into their own houses and keep them within the bond of the covenant under Christ's redeeming blood. They must keep them away from classes voicing the words of Satan, disobeying God's commandments, and teaching evil, and bring them out of the cities as soon as possible. Homes and church schools where the Word of God is the foundation of all education are the appointed shelter, for any Hebrew child found in an Egyptian habitation that night was destroyed, and safety required staying inside until morning under the blood on the lintel and doorposts, which alone saved from the curse. Mothers especially are to do this God-given work of shielding children from worldly influences that turn them from God and heaven.

The destroying angel is again to pass through the land, and in that future judgment those without the mark will be slain, of every age. As houses marked with blood were recognized as the dwelling places of Christ's followers and were passed over, so all must now have faith in the blood of Christ to pass safely through the perilous times just ahead. Parents must gather their children about them to save them from the destructive power of the evil one as the conflict between Christ and Satan increases in intensity until the end of this earth's history. Without that protection they will be treated as the Egyptians were, so families must be gathered under the protection represented by the blood of the Lamb while judgment is near.

The marking of the doorposts foreshadows God's marking or sealing of His people for protection when wrath comes upon the world. The blood sign was an essential act of obedience and faith that could not be dismissed as unimportant, for even though God could distinguish Hebrews from Egyptians, neglect would leave a dwelling unguarded by heavenly sentinels, and all found among the Egyptians would be destroyed with them. The protecting mark then is belonging to God as His own, set apart by living in harmony with His holy law. That separation is shown especially by keeping His holy Sabbath as His seal and sign that He sanctifies them, and those who disregard His requirements and depart to follow their own will perish with the wicked when judgments visit the earth.

The coming judgment will reveal the character formed in home life and shown to family, neighbors, and the world. Parents must therefore teach God's commandments, keep children subject to authority, correct sinful tempers, keep the Sabbath from common use, and plead with God for them in faith and prayer. If they neglect this work the seal cannot be placed on the children and they will be destroyed with the world, with their blood upon the parents. Those faithfully taught, separated from corrupting influences, brought to obedience, and committed to God will be hidden with their parents in the secret of the Lord's pavilion when the overflowing scourge passes.