CELEBRATE THIS DAY

Passage: Exodus 12:12-30

Key verse: 17

NIV

12 “On that same night I will pass through(A) Egypt and strike down(B) every firstborn(C) of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods(D) of Egypt. I am the Lord.(E) 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over(F) you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.(G)

14 “This is a day you are to commemorate;(H) for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.(I) 15 For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast.(J) On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off(K) from Israel. 16 On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work(L) at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do.

17 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread,(M) because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt.(N) Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.(O) 18 In the first month(P) you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. 19 For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner(Q) or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off(R) from the community of Israel. 20 Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live,(S) you must eat unleavened bread.”(T)

21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover(U) lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop,(V) dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood(W) on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 23 When the Lord goes through the land to strike(X) down the Egyptians, he will see the blood(Y) on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over(Z) that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer(AA) to enter your houses and strike you down.

24 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance(AB) for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land(AC) that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children(AD) ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover(AE) sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’”(AF) Then the people bowed down and worshiped.(AG) 28 The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded(AH) Moses and Aaron.

29 At midnight(AI) the Lord(AJ) struck down all the firstborn(AK) in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock(AL) as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing(AM) in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.

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ESV

12 For (A)I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on (B)all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: (C)I am the Lord. 13 (D)The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

14 “This day shall be (E)for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a (F)statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. 15 (G)Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, (H)that person shall be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day you shall hold a (I)holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. 17 And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for (J)on this very day I brought your (K)hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. 18 (L)In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 (M)For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, (N)that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, (O)whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.”

21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves (P)according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of (Q)hyssop and (R)dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch (S)the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. (T)None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 (U)For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on (V)the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and (W)will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. 24 You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. 25 And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, (X)as he has promised, you shall keep this service. 26 And (Y)when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 you shall say, (Z)‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people (AA)bowed their heads and worshiped.

28 Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn

29 (AB)At midnight the (AC)Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, (AD)from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was (AE)a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead.

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. It is the Passover (12-28)

God's hand of judgment would fall on Egypt that night. He would pass through Egypt, slaying the firstborn of the Egyptians; he would pass over the houses marked with the blood of the Passover lamb. The Israelites were to celebrate this day down through the generations and teach their children about God's grace and mercy, for it was the day of deliverance from slavery in Egypt (24-27). Moses told the people to go at once and slaughter the Passover lamb, and put its blood on their doorframes. The people worshiped God and obeyed.

2. At midnight (29-3

)

At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt. Only those households protected by the blood of the Passover lamb were spared. God struck the heart of Pharaoh; his own son died and his hard heart melted in grief. He let Israel go.

Prayer: Lord, help me to remember that you saved me through the blood of Jesus, the Passover Lamb, and to teach your awesome love to my children.

One Word: Celebrate what God has done