Exodus 12:24-27

If you ask a Jew today what the Passover commemorates, he would (in all likelihood) say that it commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. But is that what the Bible teaches? No, not at all. The scriptures define the meaning - because it was named for an event that God performed.

The day and the sacrifice are named after the event that God performed when He passed over the children of Israel. It does not memorialize, it does not commemorate, the going out of Egypt. It memorializes, it commemorates, God passing over (sparing) the Israelites.

The Passover is established to commemorate God's passing over. Nothing could be plainer - to anybody who is of a mind to believe God! We are dealing with two different events, two different days, and two different festivals - one on the fourteenth, and one on the fifteenth.

A different event altogether! They went out on the fifteenth. The Passover took place on the fourteenth. The Passover commemorates the passing over. The Feast of Unleavened Bread memorializes, and commemorates, the going out.

Exodus 12:25-27

We are looking here beyond the period of time when Israel was wandering in the wilderness, and looking forward to when they are in the land.

Now, consider this: Would the children even have known to have asked about the Passover sacrifice if they had not been there to observe it going on? God expected them to see it. And they would be curious. They saw it at home.

Later on, when we begin to get to what the sacrifices were done like at the temple, you are going to understand that hardly anybody saw the lambs being killed—let alone the children! And there was a reason for that. There was not enough room. Do you know how "big" the tabernacle was? Do you know how "big" the temple was? It was not a big building.

These kids, God expected, would be seeing it at home, and they would be curious. Just a little thing, but it is another piece of information that lends weight to what we are talking about here.

Exodus 12:25-27

The second thing that we saw is that Passover is named for God passing over the Israelitish people while they still remained in their homes. Please remember that. In their homes - not in tents, gathered in some place, but in their houses. That is very specifically pointed out.

That little phrase, in their houses, is going to become important a little bit later on, as we evaluate some of the circumstances regarding the Exodus - the leaving of the children of Israel from Egypt. But the Passover is named for God passing over the children of Israel - while still in their houses.

Exodus 12:25-27

In this set of scriptures, God, through Moses, is telling the Israelites how to teach their children in two ways. He’s telling them to keep the Passover every year throughout their generations. He told them how to keep it and He told them what to instruct their children when they asked. This would ensure that each generation would know the whats, whens, and whys of worshipping God. Obviously, if the parents did not teach this to their children, then eventually, through time and generations, the proper worship of God would be lost.

Exodus 12:24-25

In Exodus 12:24, in this context the word "you" means each individual Israelite.

We are looking here beyond the period of time when Israel was wandering in the wilderness, and looking forward to when they are in the land.

Exodus 12:23-27

The day is named for the passing over—not the sacrifice. The sacrifice came to be named because of the pass-over.