And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
This was the night the solemn ordinance of the Passover was instituted, the night of the last and most severe plague, terrible to the Egyptians and glorious to the people of God. Before that night Moses told Pharaoh, the people of Egypt, and the Israelites the nature and effect of that last plague, while the king and his idolatrous priests opposed Moses to the last and the Egyptian people wanted the Hebrews to be permitted to leave Egypt. That last plague came after the locusts and after darkness in which Egypt was deprived of light and the air was oppressive and hard to breathe, while the Hebrews had light and pure air in their dwellings.
What the Lord commanded through Moses and Aaron was that each family, alone or joined with others, slay a lamb or kid without blemish and with hyssop sprinkle its blood on the two side-posts and the upper door-post, and eat the flesh roasted with fire, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, at night, with loins girded, shoes on feet, and staff in hand, eating in haste because it is the Lord's passover. The children of Israel did exactly as commanded, swiftly and secretly preparing for departure and for preservation from the coming judgment. The father as priest of the household sprinkled the blood, gathered his family and children with him into the house, separated themselves from the Egyptians, and remained inside until morning, eating in haste and silence, praying and watching in awe.
That gathering inside was essential because any Israelite found in an Egyptian house would fall by the hand of the destroying angel, and those who failed to obey would suffer with the Egyptians. Their obedience was faith proved by works in the great deliverance God was bringing about; the blood was a token on the houses where they were, marking them as God's people and the sign of a Saviour's protection, so that when the Lord passed through Egypt at midnight to smite all the firstborn of man and beast and execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, He passed over the door, the destroyer entered not, and the plague did not destroy them. No dwelling of Israel was visited by the death-dealing angel and not one Hebrew with blood upon the doorposts was slain, while every firstborn from strong man to little child faced dread of the stroke and the firstborn of Egypt were slain. Because of faithfulness in gathering their little ones within the home, no judgment fell upon their children, and Israel's obedience issued in the grand march from the land of bondage.
They bowed the head and worshiped in gratitude for the memorial given to preserve remembrance of God's care, keeping the feast as an ordinance so that when their children asked what the service meant they could tell of their preservation when the destroyer went forth by night. Egyptians who acknowledged by the signs and wonders that the God of the Hebrews was the only true God, were convinced their gods had no knowledge or power to save or destroy, pledged to choose Israel's God, and decided to leave Egypt to worship Him, were welcomed into Israelite houses. The events of the first Passover and that obedience were later recalled in the paschal service, where the same actions and the story of the sprinkled blood, the death-dealing angel, and deliverance were set before old and young in solemn silence at Jerusalem to stir the imagination and impress the heart. Joined with the journey to meet with God in His holy habitation, the recounting of past experiences, the songs of the wilderness, the chanting of God's commandments, and the influences of nature and kindly association, this fixed God's commandments forever in the memory of many a child and youth.
By His mighty power God so delivered His people from Egypt notwithstanding Pharaoh's opposition that they might keep the law given in Eden, bringing them to Sinai to hear its proclamation. By proclaiming the Ten Commandments with His own voice in awful grandeur He made known His majesty and authority as Ruler of the world to impress the sacredness of His law and the importance of obeying it, revealing by that power and glory that it is the faith once delivered to the saints by Christ the Redeemer speaking from Sinai. This faithfulness is a lesson for God-fearing parents in this time of peril to understand the Lord's will concerning themselves and their children, realizing it is not safe now to send them to public schools, but to endeavor to send them to schools where they can obtain an education based on a scriptural foundation, gained gradually line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little.
This was the night the solemn ordinance of the Passover was instituted, the night of the last and most severe plague, terrible to the Egyptians and glorious to the people of God. Before that night Moses told Pharaoh, the people of Egypt, and the Israelites the nature and effect of that last plague, while the king and his idolatrous priests opposed Moses to the last and the Egyptian people wanted the Hebrews to be permitted to leave Egypt. That last plague came after the locusts and after darkness in which Egypt was deprived of light and the air was oppressive and hard to breathe, while the Hebrews had light and pure air in their dwellings.
What the Lord commanded through Moses and Aaron was that each family, alone or joined with others, slay a lamb or kid without blemish and with hyssop sprinkle its blood on the two side-posts and the upper door-post, and eat the flesh roasted with fire, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, at night, with loins girded, shoes on feet, and staff in hand, eating in haste because it is the Lord's passover. The children of Israel did exactly as commanded, swiftly and secretly preparing for departure and for preservation from the coming judgment. The father as priest of the household sprinkled the blood, gathered his family and children with him into the house, separated themselves from the Egyptians, and remained inside until morning, eating in haste and silence, praying and watching in awe.
That gathering inside was essential because any Israelite found in an Egyptian house would fall by the hand of the destroying angel, and those who failed to obey would suffer with the Egyptians. Their obedience was faith proved by works in the great deliverance God was bringing about; the blood was a token on the houses where they were, marking them as God's people and the sign of a Saviour's protection, so that when the Lord passed through Egypt at midnight to smite all the firstborn of man and beast and execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, He passed over the door, the destroyer entered not, and the plague did not destroy them. No dwelling of Israel was visited by the death-dealing angel and not one Hebrew with blood upon the doorposts was slain, while every firstborn from strong man to little child faced dread of the stroke and the firstborn of Egypt were slain. Because of faithfulness in gathering their little ones within the home, no judgment fell upon their children, and Israel's obedience issued in the grand march from the land of bondage.
They bowed the head and worshiped in gratitude for the memorial given to preserve remembrance of God's care, keeping the feast as an ordinance so that when their children asked what the service meant they could tell of their preservation when the destroyer went forth by night. Egyptians who acknowledged by the signs and wonders that the God of the Hebrews was the only true God, were convinced their gods had no knowledge or power to save or destroy, pledged to choose Israel's God, and decided to leave Egypt to worship Him, were welcomed into Israelite houses. The events of the first Passover and that obedience were later recalled in the paschal service, where the same actions and the story of the sprinkled blood, the death-dealing angel, and deliverance were set before old and young in solemn silence at Jerusalem to stir the imagination and impress the heart. Joined with the journey to meet with God in His holy habitation, the recounting of past experiences, the songs of the wilderness, the chanting of God's commandments, and the influences of nature and kindly association, this fixed God's commandments forever in the memory of many a child and youth.
By His mighty power God so delivered His people from Egypt notwithstanding Pharaoh's opposition that they might keep the law given in Eden, bringing them to Sinai to hear its proclamation. By proclaiming the Ten Commandments with His own voice in awful grandeur He made known His majesty and authority as Ruler of the world to impress the sacredness of His law and the importance of obeying it, revealing by that power and glory that it is the faith once delivered to the saints by Christ the Redeemer speaking from Sinai. This faithfulness is a lesson for God-fearing parents in this time of peril to understand the Lord's will concerning themselves and their children, realizing it is not safe now to send them to public schools, but to endeavor to send them to schools where they can obtain an education based on a scriptural foundation, gained gradually line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little.