Exodus - Part 15 - Exodus 12:31-51

The plagues are over and Pharaoh and the Egyptian people have had enough! Pharaoh ordered Moses and the Israelites to leave Egypt with everything they had. Moses had instructed the Israelites to ask for articles of gold, silver, and clothing from the Egyptians. The Egyptians gave them whatever they asked for and begged them to leave because they feared that the plagues were not done and they would all die.

So the Israelites plundered the Egyptians and then they began their journey out of the land. They went from Ramses to Succoth, which means Place of Tents. It was likely just a waypoint for travelers, but it allowed the Israelites to stop and bake their bread and prepare for the journey ahead of them. Many non-Israelites went with them, perhaps to escape Pharaoh’s rule. Or perhaps they were impressed by God’s display of power and wanted to follow Him.

The Israelites were in Egypt for exactly 430 years. The Passover that the Israelites celebrate today marks that night, which is to be a night of solemn remembrance. God instructed Moses and Aaron that the Passover was for the Israelites and no foreigner could eat it unless they chose to make a covenant with God and were circumcised. That was the physical mark of the covenant between God and Abraham in Genesis.