In the first verses of Exodus 12, the Lord tells Moses what will happen the night of the Passover. He also gives instructions to Moses for the people of Israel to follow so that when the Passover occurs, their houses will be passed by and theirs son’s lives spared. The instructions were very specific and it was clear that they took all of the stipulations into account when preparing for the Passover.

On the fourteenth day of the month, all lambs and goats and their blood smeared on the frames to the doors of the Israelite homes. Each animal chosen was to

In verse twenty-three, we are presented with a vivid image of the events that are to occur the night the Lord passes over the homes of Egypt. Jehovah will pass over their homes and when He sees the blood on the doors, He will pass over those homes and will “…not permit the Destroyer to enter and kill your firstborn (12:23).” This verse contains a promise to the Israelite people that if they follow God’s orders, they will go unharmed. It also refers to God in yet another name. He is called “the Destroyer.” The word “to destroy” means “to devastate, to ruin, to demolish.” While God has the power to do great things to those who love and obey Him, He also has the power to destroy those who reject and or defy Him.

The final two verses explain how God led the people. During the day, He guided them by a pillar of a cloud. By night, they were guided by fire. He may have chosen a cloud and fire because these images could not be made into idols and so the people could not construct to idols of them to worship instead of worshiping God. The cloud that shielded the people from God's glory covered the tabernacle. This was no ordinary cloud - during the day, it looked like a cloud, but during the night they could see that it was illuminated from inside, that it had a fiery appearance. This cloud led the way during the wilderness wanderings. As long as the cloud stayed put, so did the camp of Israel. When the cloud moved, so did the camp of Israel (http//calvarychapel.com). The final verse says, “The cloud and fire were never out of sight (13:22).” Literally, meaning either the cloud or the fire was present at all times. I looked for a deeper meaning and found it to mean God was never out of sight. He was constantly with the people and the cloud and fire, which both represent his guidance, were always present as a constant reminder to the people that He was with them.

This name “Jehovah” appears several more times through out the chapter and in chapter eleven. Earlier in Exodus we are presented with this term and there are implications of its meaning. God is speaking to Moses and He says, “…Tell them [the people of Israel], ‘Jehovah, the God of your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has sent me to you.’ This is my eternal name to be used through out generations (Exodus 3:15).” He tells Moses and the people that He is the same God that was Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and He will be with the generations to come. This suggests that He is an unchanging, eternal God and He will always be with His people. I also believe that he chose the names Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob so that they would remember the covenant He made to Him and also knew He is a covenant-keeping God. The name Jehovah may mean all of these things: unchanging, eternal, and covenant keeping.

Some topics in this essay:
Isaac Jacob, Land God, Passover Chapter, Moses Aaron, Christ Christ, Passover Lord, Lord Israelites, Egypt Jehovah, Bread” Form, God God, land egypt, people israel, god people, cloud fire, bread yeast, god name, abraham isaac jacob, firstborn sons, eat bread, isaac jacob, abraham isaac, eat bread yeast, allowed eat bread, chapters twelve thirteen,