Exodus 12:33-13:16 -- Keeping the Passover

Exodus 12:33 Now the Egyptians pressured the people in order to send them quickly out of the country, for they said, “We’re all going to die!” 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls wrapped up in their clothes on their shoulders.
35 The Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. 36 And the Lord gave the people such favor in the Egyptians’ sight that they gave them what they requested. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.
37 The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about 600,000 soldiers on foot, besides their families. 38 An ethnically diverse crowd also went up with them, along with a huge number of livestock, both flocks and herds. 39 The people baked the dough they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves, since it had no yeast; for when they had been drivenout of Egypt they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.
40 The time that the Israelites lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years, on that same day, all the Lord’s divisions went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It was a night of vigil in honor of the Lord, because He would bring them out of the land of Egypt. This same night is in honor of the Lord, a night vigil for all the Israelites throughout their generations.

The people finally left Egypt and traveled away from the city of their oppression.  This, of course was only the beginning of their long journey to the promised land.

Exodus 12:43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner may eat it. 44 But any slave a man has purchased may eat it, after you have circumcised him.45 A temporary resident or hired hand may not eat the Passover. 46 It is to be eaten in one house. You may not take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of its bones. 47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate it. 48 If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover, every male in his household must be circumcised, and then he may participate; he will become like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat it. 49 The same law will apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.”

Here, the Lord gives to the people of Israel the instructions on how to celebrate the Passover.  Each family that participates, whether Jew or foreign, must be circumcised.  Since circumcision is the sign of the covenant between God and his people, they must be in his covenant to participate in the Passover.  That is why if a foreigner becomes circumcised, he will become like a native of the land.

Exodus 12:50 Then all the Israelites did this; they did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 On that same day the Lord brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt according to their divisions.

The Israelites obeyed the command of their God concerning the Passover.

Exodus 13:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Consecrate every firstborn male to Me, the firstborn from every womb among the Israelites, both man and domestic animal; it is Mine.”

Here, the Lord is demanding that every first born male to be consecrated to himself.  Just as God destroyed the first born of those in Egypt, he wants to separate the first born of Israel for his special purposes.  Just as his own first born, Christ, was set apart as the sacrifice for us all.

Exodus 13:3 Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day when you came out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, for the Lord brought you out of here by the strength of His hand. Nothing leavened may be eaten. 4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers that He would give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you must carry out this ritual in this month. 6 For seven days you must eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there is to be a festival to the Lord.7 Unleavened bread is to be eaten for those seven days. Nothing leavened may be found among you, and no yeast may be found among you in all your territory. 8 On that day explain to your son, ‘This is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’9 Let it serve as a sign for you on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead, so that the Lord’s instruction may be in your mouth; for the Lord brought you out of Egypt with a strong hand. 10 Keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.

Here Moses commands again for the people of Israel to follow the Passover.   The people will constantly have to be reminded and redirected towards the will of God throughout their journey to and life in the promised land.

Exodus 13:11 “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 you are to present to the Lord every firstborn male of the womb. All firstborn offspring of the livestock you own that are males will be the Lord’s.13 You must redeem every firstborn of a donkey with a flock animal, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. However, you must redeem every firstborn among your sons.
14 “In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘By the strength of His hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of man to the firstborn of livestock. That is why I sacrifice to the Lord all the firstborn of the womb that are males, but I redeem all the firstborn of my sons.’16 So let it be a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead, for the Lord brought us out of Egypt by the strength of His hand.”

The Lord brought the Israelites out by the strength of His hand.  He showed his mighty power in taking all the first born of Egypt, and now he wants the first born of Israel, not to kill, but to redeem and set apart for his works.

I want to look at a phrase that has been in this section a few times:  "a symbol on you forehead."  I know this is mentioned many times in Revelation in reference to the mark of the beast as well as determining who is Gods.

Revelation 13:15 He was permitted to give a spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 And he requires everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of his name.

Revelation 14:9 And a third angel followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is mixed full strength in the cup of His anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb

Here those with the mark of the beast are those destined to an eternity in hell.  They are not marked with the seal of God, and the only other option is the mark of the beast.  The mark is probably not literal in the since that you will see a physical mark on a person's hand or forehead, but it is their thoughts and deeds that hand them over to their destruction.

Revelation 7:3 “Don’t harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we seal the slaves of our God on their foreheads.”

Revelation 9:3 Then locusts came out of the smoke on to the earth, and power was given to them like the power that scorpions have on the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green plant, or any tree, but only people who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads. 5 They were not permitted to kill them but were to torment them for five months; their torment is like the torment caused by a scorpion when it strikes a man.

Revelation 20:4 Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge. I also saw the people who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of God’s word, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with the Messiah for 1,000 years.

Revelation 22:3b The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His slaves will serve Him. 4 They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5 Night will no longer exist, and people will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever.

Again, the seal of God is probably not a physical mark on the person's body, but a showing of their faith through their deeds and thoughts.  Those are God's are marked and those who God has chosen will not be harmed by some of the upcoming judgments.

It seems that the mark on the hand comes from the deeds the person does.  If the person does evil or selfish deeds , they are marked by the beast but if they do righteous deeds they are sealed for God.  Likewise the mark on the forehead seems to be that if the person thinks evil things they have the mark of the beast, but those chosen by God have righteous thoughts and are sealed by God.

When referring to the Passover and the consecration of the first born males, the deed of keeping the Passover would be righteous in the site of God for the Jews, the mark on the hand.  Also, the fathers teaching their sons the importance of the Passover and the consecration of the first born, the mark on the forehead.  I could be completely wrong about seeing a connection here, and if anyone has any further incite, please let me know!

Deuteronomy 11:18 “Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children,talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Deuteronomy tells the marks are not literal.  They are symbols.  Keep the words on your heard and minds.  Bind them as a sign on your hands.  Keeping the laws in Deuteronomy would be a sign of righteousness, and this the acts of the hands in keeping the law would be the sign to show you have faith and believe in God.  Believing enough to do the deeds of God, you will want to teach them to your children.  The mark of the forehead is knowing the truth of God through and through, enough to teach others about the power and glory of God.