Chapter 22

“So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt,  and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.” Exodus 11:4-6.

“And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said.”” Exodus 12:30-31. Thus began The Exodus.

“And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.” Exodus 12:37

The land of Canaan was promised by God to Abraham and his descendants, and so it was also known as the Promised Land.

“Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” Exodus 6:6-7

“Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” ¹¹ And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”” Numbers 20:10-12. Disobedience of God is a demonstration of lack of faith.

“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” Exodus 14: 21-22

As the Israelites approached the land of Canaan, the discouraging report brought back by the spies filled them with fear and caused many to lose faith. They defied God’s command to move forward, and they expressed a longing to return to Egypt. Consequently, God pronounced that, except for Joshua and Caleb, the entire generation would wander in the wilderness. After the passing of 40 years and the death of the rebellious generation, Joshua led the people across the Jordan River, marking their entry into the Promised Land.

It is estimated that a trouble-free walk from Egypt to Canaan (about 250 miles) would have taken about 2 weeks.

Passover commemorates the exodus from Egypt. It also celebrates freedom, liberation, spiritual redemption, and acceptance of God’s covenant.