The Great Ejection: Plunder, Precision, and a People on the Move Text: Exodus 12:33-42
Introduction: A Divine Eviction Notice
We come now to the hinge point of redemptive history. For centuries, the people of God had been in the furnace of affliction, hammered into a nation on the anvil of slavery. They had gone down into Egypt as a large family, and they are now coming out as a great nation, an army. But this departure is not a jailbreak. It is not a desperate, panicked flight. This is a sovereignly orchestrated, divinely commanded, military extraction. This is God serving Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt with a final eviction notice. The tenth plague has fallen, the death angel has passed over the blood-marked houses of the faithful, and a great cry has gone up from the Egyptians. The god-king Pharaoh has been broken. The gods of Egypt have been judged and found to be nothing but dumb idols. And now, the true God, Yahweh, is bringing His people out.
Our modern sensibilities, soaked as they are in egalitarianism and a therapeutic view of justice, often get squeamish at a text like this. We see words like "plundered" and we immediately think of looting. We see a hasty departure and we imagine chaos. But we must read the text with biblical eyes, not 21st-century therapeutic ones. What is happening here is not theft; it is the payment of back wages, four centuries of them. It is not chaos; it is the disciplined march of the hosts of Yahweh. God is not just rescuing His people; He is demonstrating His absolute sovereignty over history, economics, and the wills of unregenerate men. He is keeping a promise made to Abraham 430 years prior, to the very day. God is never late.
This event is the central paradigm of salvation in the Old Testament. It is the historical backbone to which the prophets and psalmists constantly refer. And it is a profound foreshadowing of our own deliverance. For we too were slaves in a foreign land, in bondage to sin and death, serving a cruel master. We too were delivered by the blood of the Lamb. And we too have been called to march out of that kingdom of darkness, equipped for service, on our way to the Promised Land. This passage is not just about what God did then; it is about what God does, and who He is.
The Text
And the Egyptians strongly pressed the people to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We will all be dead.” So the people took up their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls bound up in the clothes on their shoulders. Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, they had asked from the Egyptians for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and Yahweh had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. And the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from the little ones. A foreign multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock. And they baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into cakes of unleavened bread. For it had not become leavened, since they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves. Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. And it happened at the end of 430 years, to the very day, that all the hosts of Yahweh went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night to be kept for Yahweh for having brought them out from the land of Egypt; this night is for Yahweh, to be kept by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations.
(Exodus 12:33-42 LSB)
Panic in the House of Bondage (vv. 33-34)
We begin with the reaction of the oppressors.
"And the Egyptians strongly pressed the people to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, 'We will all be dead.' So the people took up their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls bound up in the clothes on their shoulders." (Exodus 12:33-34)
Notice the complete reversal of power. The ones who had been driving the Israelites with whips are now driving them out with pleas. The terror of God has fallen upon them. Their bravado, their arrogance, their defiance of Yahweh has been shattered by the death of their firstborn. Their cry, "We will all be dead," is not an exaggeration in their minds. They have seen the escalating power of God's plagues, and they have no reason to believe this is the end of it. They want Israel gone, now. God has turned the hearts of the slave masters into the hearts of terrified beggars. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
In the midst of this panic, Israel is to act with haste, but it is a disciplined haste. They take their dough "before it was leavened." This is not an accident. It is a central part of the Passover memorial. The unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, is a permanent reminder that they left on God's timetable, not their own. They did not have time to wait for the dough to rise. This speaks of a radical dependence. They are leaving without provisions, without a pantry full of risen bread. They are being thrown out into the wilderness, and they must trust that the God who delivered them will also sustain them. This is a picture of the Christian life. We are called to leave the leaven of our old life, the leaven of malice and wickedness, and to march out in faith, depending on God for our daily bread.
The Plundering of the Unbelievers (vv. 35-36)
Next, we see one of the most remarkable acts of divine justice in all of Scripture.
"Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, they had asked from the Egyptians for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and Yahweh had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians." (Exodus 12:35-36)
Let us be very clear about what this is, and what it is not. This is not looting. This is not theft. The text says they "asked," and the Egyptians "let them have what they asked." The word "plundered" here is a military term. It signifies the spoils of a victorious war. And make no mistake, this was a war, and Yahweh was the conquering general. The Egyptians are not being robbed; they are paying reparations. For 430 years, they had extracted forced, unpaid labor from the people of God. Now, on their way out the door, God ensures His people receive their back wages with interest.
But the mechanism is what is so stunning. "Yahweh had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians." God, who had just hardened Pharaoh's heart ten times, now softens the hearts of the Egyptian people. He can do either with equal ease. The hearts of all men are in His hands, and He turns them wherever He wishes. He made the Egyptians, in their grief and terror, look favorably upon the very people they had enslaved. This is the absolute sovereignty of God over human affections and economics. He is the one who gives and takes away. He is the one who transfers wealth from the wicked to the righteous, according to His good pleasure.
And there is a practical purpose to this plunder. This gold and silver will not be used for frivolous luxuries. This is the material that will be used to construct the Tabernacle, the dwelling place of God. God is equipping His people, with the wealth of their enemies, to build His house of worship. This is a principle that runs throughout Scripture. The wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just. God intends for the treasures of Egypt, the skills and learning and resources of the unbelieving world, to be consecrated to Christ and used to build His kingdom.
The Hosts on the March (vv. 37-39)
Now the nation begins its journey.
"And the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from the little ones. A foreign multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock." (Exodus 12:37-38)
The number is staggering. Six hundred thousand men of fighting age implies a total population of two to three million people. This is not a small band of refugees; this is a nation on the move. And they are not alone. A "foreign multitude" or "mixed multitude" goes with them. These were likely other slaves, Egyptians, and foreigners who were impressed by the power of Yahweh and decided to throw their lot in with Israel. This is a crucial point. From the very beginning, the people of God were not constituted purely by bloodline. The covenant community has always been a mixed assembly, open to those who would leave their idols and follow the true God. This is a picture of the church, which is composed of people "from every tribe and language and people and nation."
Of course, this mixed multitude would later prove to be a source of trouble, leading the grumbling in the wilderness. This is also a picture of the visible church. The church on earth is always a mixed body of true believers and those who are just along for the ride, who have not truly had a change of heart. The wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest.
Verse 39 reiterates the reason for the unleavened bread. They were "driven out" and "could not delay." Their departure was urgent, and they had not prepared provisions. This reinforces the theme of total reliance on God. They are marching out into a barren wilderness with nothing but unleavened dough and the promise of God. That is all they have, and it is all they need.
God's Perfect Timing (vv. 40-42)
The passage concludes with a breathtaking statement about the precision of God's sovereign plan.
"Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. And it happened at the end of 430 years, to the very day, that all the hosts of Yahweh went out from the land of Egypt." (Exodus 12:40-41)
This is not an approximation. This is not "around 430 years." It was 430 years "to the very day." This period likely dates from God's establishment of the covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15. For four centuries, God's promise seemed to lie dormant. Generations were born and died in slavery. But God had not forgotten. He was working His plan according to His own perfect, unhurried, unstoppable schedule. History is not a series of random events. It is a story, written by God, and He hits every mark, every deadline, with perfect precision.
Notice the description of the people: "all the hosts of Yahweh." The Hebrew word for "hosts" is a military term. It means armies. God does not see His people as a disorganized mob of refugees. He sees them as His army, marching out in disciplined ranks under His command. This is how we should see the church. We are not a social club or a therapy group. We are the church militant, the hosts of the Lord, marching under the banner of King Jesus to take the world for His glory.
The final verse establishes the perpetual memorial.
"It is a night to be kept for Yahweh for having brought them out from the land of Egypt; this night is for Yahweh, to be kept by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations." (Exodus 12:42)
This night of deliverance was to be the central focus of Israel's worship. It was a night of vigil, a night of watching and remembering. Why? Because what God did that night defined who they were. They were the redeemed of the Lord, the people He brought out of the house of bondage with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Their identity was rooted in this act of salvation.
Conclusion: Our Exodus in Christ
As Christians, we read this story and we see our own story. For we too were slaves in Egypt, in bondage to the law of sin and death. Our Pharaoh, the devil, held us in cruel bondage. But God, in His great mercy, did not leave us there.
He sent a greater Moses, the Lord Jesus Christ, to declare our release. The blood of the true Passover Lamb was shed, and the angel of death has passed over all who are covered by it. On the cross, Jesus plundered the strong man's house, disarming the principalities and powers and making a public spectacle of them.
And now, God calls us to march out. We are to leave the leaven of our old lives behind. We are to go out in haste, not delaying, not looking back. We are to march as the hosts of the Lord, a disciplined army, into the world to proclaim the victory of our King. And we are to live in complete dependence on Him, knowing that the one who delivered us from bondage will surely provide for us on the journey.
And we too have a night to be kept. We have a meal of remembrance, the Lord's Supper. In this meal, we look back to our Exodus. We remember the night of our deliverance, when the body of our Lord was broken and His blood was shed for our release. We do this to remember who we are. We are the redeemed. We are the people God has brought out of darkness into His marvelous light. And we do it in anticipation of our arrival in the true Promised Land, the new heavens and the new earth, where we will feast with our deliverer forever.