The History of Candy Cane
The original candy cane was made 350 years ago. Over time the candy cane has become a symbol and tradition during the Christmas holiday, used as a decoration for Christmas trees. The first candy cane was not made in the shape of a cane. It was white, completely straight and only flavored with sugar.
Legend has it that in 1670, the cane shaped candy became historical when a choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany bent the sugar-sticks into canes to appear as shepherd's hooks. The all-white candy canes were given out to children who attended the ceremonies. This became a popular tradition, and eventually the practice during church ceremonies which spread all over Europe and America.
..The first documented example of the use of candy canes to celebrate Christmas occurred in 1847, when August Imgard, a German-Swedish immigrant, from Wooster, Ohio decorated the Christmas tree with paper ornaments and candy canes.
The solid white sugar canes were on Christmas cards in the early 1900's. The first red and white striped candy canes were made at the turn of the 19th century. At the same time the first striped candy canes appeared, and candy makers added the peppermint flavor which quickly became a traditional flavor.
In the 1920's Bob McCormack, from Atlanta, was the first to use candy canes as special treats for Christmas for his friends and family. In the beginning the red and white candy canes were made by hand and producing them were labor intensive. The laborious process of making candy canes was eliminated in the 1950's when a machine designed especially for the automation of candy cane productions was invented by Gregory Keller (Bob's brother-in-law). His company, Bob's Candies was the first company to mass-produce and distribute candy canes worldwide, and has been in business for over eighty years.
Many people believe that the shape and form of the candy cane have religious meaning. It is believe that the red stripes of the candy cane represent the blood of Christ and the white stripes of the candy cane represent the purity of Christ. The three fine stripes are believed to represent the Holy Trinity. The ''j'' shape of the candy cane is said to represent the name of Jesus. The solid texture or hardness of the candy cane is said to symbolize the solid rock foundation of the Church. The peppermint flavor is supposed to stem from an herb called hyssop. In the Old Testament hyssop was used to symbolize the purity of Jesus and the sacrifice he made. The crook shape is said to symbolize a shepherd's crook.
Either way, the candy cane is now a traditional symbol of the Christmas holiday. Today, candy canes are available in different shapes, colors and flavors, but the red and white peppermint candy cane still remains the classic favorite among candy canes.
..
We Don’t Know the Origins of the Candy Cane, But They Almost Certainly Were Not Christian
There are a lot of explanations floating around out there about the candy cane—but almost none of them are true
There are a lot of explanations floating around out there about the candy cane. There’s the one about how the white represents Jesus and the red his blood and the cane is really a J (you know, for Jesus). There are a lot of versions of this story out there. Snopes has some of them, including the most common retelling:
A candymaker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols from the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ.
He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church, and firmness of the promises of God.
The candymaker made the candy in the form of a “J” to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior. It could also represent the staff of the “Good Shepherd” with which He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray.
Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life.
These Jesus celebrating candies were then, the story goes, handed out to good children in church or used as a form of identification among Christians when they were persecuted. None of this is true. First, candy canes were certainly not invented in Indiana, since the first reports of hard candy sticks (the precursor to candy canes) come from the 17th century, long before Indiana was even a glimmer in some secessionist’s eye.
And it turns out that white candy sticks were actually quite common at Christmas. One story says that they turned into J’s because one choirmaster bent them to look like a shepherd’s staff for children during the nativity scene. There’s no evidence that that’s true either, of course. Today I Found Out writes, ” Given that it has been a time-honored church tradition to try to associate as many Christmas season traditions’ ‘origin stories’ as possible with Christianity, usually just for symbolism’s sake but often getting morphed into being believed as fact, color me skeptical on this one.”
America’s introduction to Christmas candy canes is often traced to August Imgard, a German immigrant who’s credited with introducing the Christmas tree to Ohio in 1847. The National Confectioners Association, for instance, says that Imgard “decorated a small blue spruce with paper ornaments and candy canes.” But a 1938 article on a ceremony that honored Imgard’s contribution and included three generations of his family mentions a different kind of sweet:
Ornaments were made of paper, festooned in long chains by the younger members of the pioneer community. Kuchen baked according to a recipe sent from Bavaria by Imgard’s mother hung upon the tree and served both as ornaments and tidbits. The cookies were colored with brown sugar, and the family spent weeks baking them in quantities for the guests. Gilded nuts were other ornaments and inside the gilded shells were warm messages of greeting.
Red-and-white-striped candy didn’t start showing up until around the turn of the century. But there is one thing that Christians can claim as their own, when it comes to the candy cane. It’s not the shape, or the stripes, but the machine that actually makes them into J’s.
Here’s:
Father Keller was the brother-in-law of the aforementioned Bob McCormack. McCormack was having trouble at the time because about 22% of the candy canes produced by Bob and his crew were ending up in the trash, because they broke during the bending process. Keller’s machine automated this process and shortly thereafter was perfected by Dick Driskell and Jimmy Spratling, both of which worked for Bob McCormack. This made it so the candy canes came out perfect nearly every time.
So while it’s unlikely Christians invented the candy cane, they might have perfected it.
Candy canes have become a staple in
households, both Christian and
non-Christian, for Christmas.
..We may have seen children’s books describing the symbolism behind the candy cane and how it ties into Christmas or heard a children’s sermon or two on the shepherd’s crook nature of the candy.
Obviously, the shepherds in Luke 2 didn’t bring J-shaped candies to Jesus. So, does the candy itself have spiritual meaning and significance?
Did the creators of the candy cane just want to make money, and Christians found a way to Christianize the meaning of the candy cane, similar to what we do with secular media and in history with pagan holidays? Or did the candy always have a Christian history?
We’ll dive into the history of the candy cane to discover where the Christian symbolism for this candy entered the mix.
The History of the Candy Cane
Candy canes appeared in 1670. According to Candy History, “Legend has it that in 1670, the cane-shaped candy became historical when a choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany bent the sugar sticks into canes to appear as shepherd’s hooks.”
However, most historians say that any legend that ties the candy cane history to Christianity most likely does not have enough proof to be substantial beyond a mere wives’ tale.
Another account puts them as late as the 1800s in terms of origin, showing that the candy originally started as a straight stick with no stripes, and the curve and red stripes came later.
It appears that the candy inherently does not have a spiritual meaning behind it. But similar to many Christmas (and other holiday) traditions, Christians can find a way to interweave biblical messages and meaning into commonplace objects.
After all, Jesus had done so in his parables. He found ways to draw parallels to heaven and other difficult-to-understand spiritual concepts by comparing them with every-day things such as fields or workers.
Meaning and Symbolism of the Candy Cane
Although a candy cane most likely doesn’t have an intentional Christian meaning, what, then, have Christians determined the candy to symbolize? While there is no single universally agreed-upon meaning, several interpretations and traditions surround candy canes:
First, the traditional shape of the candy cane represents the crook-style with the shepherd’s staff. Shepherds who appeared at the nativity most likely had staffs in a similar shape. The candy cane's shape resembling a shepherd's crook can also symbolize the guidance and care that God provides for His people, like a shepherd tending to his flock - as in the the Good Shepherd, a Scriptural title often associated with Jesus Christ in Christian theology.
Another interpretation is that the "J" shape of the candy cane stands for "Jesus." This interpretation ties the candy cane directly to the Christmas holiday and the birth of Jesus.
The peppermint flavor of candy canes is refreshing and is often associated with the idea of freshening one's breath, which can be seen as a symbol of spiritual cleansing and renewal. Some people also believe that the hardness of the candy cane represents the solid foundation of the Christian faith.
Now, let’s dive into the meaning and symbolism of the three main colors on the candy.
1. White in the Bible typically symbolizes purity. This could either be the purity of Mary being a virgin, or the purity of Jesus, unblemished by sin, depending on which Christian you ask. The white color represents purity and the red stripes can symbolize Christ's blood shed for humanity's salvation
2. The red, as many of us can guess, symbolizes Jesus’ blood that he shed for us on the cross. Red uniformly tends to represent this in Christianity. Jesus’ blood plays a massive role in the religion.
3. Finally, we have the optional green that appears on some candy canes, and not others. Christians do seem to argue a bit about what the green means.
Some say it represents hyssop, a plant widely used in the Old Testament, especially for Passover (Exodus 12). With the hyssop, the Israelites spread blood on their doorposts and avoided the death of the firstborn. Hyssop also had cleansing properties, as we may have discovered in hymns we sang growing up.
Others say the green means new growth in Christ, as green typically is associated with growth, especially in evangelism tools such as the Wordless Book.
Perhaps the candy makers intended these symbols, perhaps not. No matter what the case is, we can look at candy canes and remember the birth and death of Jesus.
Significance of the Candy Cane's Meaning
We should constantly analyze why we do and have certain holiday traditions. Why do we have Christmas trees and holly when both have pagan origins? And can we redeem those to have a Christian meaning, and is that even okay?
Christians have wrestled with these questions when it comes to holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and Christmas, all of which have gotten muddled with pagan holidays and traditions.
But through the example of the candy cane, we can see something that may or may not have Christian origins but can have a spiritual meaning. It can remind us of the truth of Scripture and the true reason for the season.
It's important to note that while these interpretations have religious significance, candy canes have also become a popular secular symbol of the holiday season and are enjoyed by people of various cultural and religious backgrounds simply for their sweet and festive nature. The symbolism and meaning attributed to candy canes can vary widely from person to person, and for many, they are a delightful treat associated with holiday celebrations.
Read Bible: Exodus 12
God Institutes Passover
A. Passover instructions.
1. (Exodus 12:1-6) Each household
should take a lamb.
Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron
in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month
shall be your beginning of months; it
shall be the first month of the year to you.
Speak to all the congregation of Israel,
saying: ‘On the tenth day of this month
every man shall take for himself a lamb,
according to the house of his father, a
lamb for a household. And if the
household is too small for the lamb, let
him and his neighbor next to his house
take it according to the number of the
persons; according to each man’s need
you shall make your count for the lamb.
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a
male of the first year. You may take it
from the sheep or from the goats. Now
you shall keep it until the fourteenth day
of the same month. Then the whole
assembly of the congregation of Israel
shall kill it at twilight.’”
a. This month shall be your beginning of
months: The coming deliverance from
Egypt was such a significant act that God
told the children of Israel to remake their
calendar. The new year would now start
with the month of their redemption from
Egypt. It was a dramatic way of saying
that everything was to change.
i. “God is ever the God of new
beginnings in the history of failure. The
ultimate statement is found in the
Apocalypse in the words: ‘Behold, I
make all things new.’” (Morgan)
ii. “Commence a nation’s annals from
its evangelization. Begin the chronicle
of a people from the day when they
bow at the feet of Jesus.” (Spurgeon)
iii. Speak to all the congregation of
Israel: “This is the first occurrence in the
Pentateuch of what was to become a
technical term, describing Israel in its
religious sense… and which underlies
the New Testament use of ekklesia,
‘church’.” (Cole)
b. Every man shall take for himself a
lamb: On the tenth of this first month,
each family — or household — was to take
a lamb, and the lamb was to live with the
family for the four days until Passover (on
the tenth day of this month… until the
fourteenth day of the same month).
i. In this way, the lamb became part of
the family. By the time it was sacrificed
on the fourteenth it was both cherished
and mourned. God wanted the sacrifice
of something precious.
ii. If the household is too small for the
lamb: The rabbis later determined that
there should be at least ten people for
each Passover lamb, and not more than
twenty.
iii. “Passover was a domestic and family
festival, and thus shows its early origin.
It has here no temple, no meeting-tent,
no altar and no priest: but
representation, if not substitution,
is clearly implied.” (Cole)
c. Your lamb shall be without blemish:
The lamb was also to be without blemish.
This sacrifice unto the LORD had to be as
perfect as a lamb could be.
d. You may take it from the sheep or
from the goats: The Hebrew word for
lamb can refer to either a young sheep or
a young goat.
i. “The Hebrew seh is quite a neutral
word and should be translated ‘head of
(small) stock’, applying equally to sheep
and goats of any age. The Hebrews, like
the Chinese, seem to have regarded any
distinction between sheep and goats as
a minor subdivision. Probably because
of this, to ‘separate the sheep from the
goats’ is proverbial of God’s
discernment in New Testament times
(Matthew 25:32).” (Cole)
ii. Israel shall kill it at twilight: “Christ
came in the evening of the world; in the
‘last hour’ (1 John 2:11); when all lay
buried in darkness; in the eventide of
our sin and death.” (Trapp)
2. (Exodus 12:7-11) Instructions for
eating the Passover.
‘And they shall take some of the blood
and put it on the two doorposts and on
the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
Then they shall eat the flesh on that
night; roasted in fire, with unleavened
bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat
it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with
water, but roasted in fire — its head with
its legs and its entrails. You shall let none
of it remain until morning, and what
remains of it until morning you shall burn
with fire. And thus you shall eat it: with a
belt on your waist, your sandals on your
feet, and your staff in your hand. So you
shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s
Passover.’
a. Take some of the blood and put it on
the two doorposts and on the lintel of
the houses: Before the Passover lamb
could be eaten, its blood had to be
applied to the doorway of the home, to
the top and upon each side the blood was
applied. The only part of this sacrifice
given to God was the blood; the rest was
eaten by each family or discarded (what
remains of it until morning you shall
burn with fire).
i. As the blood was applied to the top
and each side of the doorway, this
blood dripped down, forming a figure of
a cross in the doorway.
ii. The blood on the doorposts showed
that the sacrifice of the Passover lamb
was to be remembered in daily life.
You would see it every time you went
in or out of the house.
b. And thus you shall eat it: Then, the
lamb could be eaten — but only if it had
been roasted in fire, with the lamb itself
coming into contact with the fire, and
with bitter herbs accompanying the meal.
i. “The paschal lamb was not killed in
order to be looked at only, but to be
eaten; and our Lord Jesus Christ has not
been slain merely that we may hear
about him and talk about him, and think
about him, but that we may feed upon
him.” (Spurgeon)
c. Let none of it remain until morning:
The Passover lamb had to be eaten
completely; a family had to totally
consume the sacrifice.
i. The idea behind eating it all was that
you had to take it all then, and not store
up some of the rescue for later. It was
for right then, right now, and you had to
receive all of it without thinking you
could take a bit then and come back to
it later if you pleased. We take all of
Jesus, not just the parts that please us.
d. With a belt on your waist, your sandals
on your feet, and your staff in your hand:
The Passover lamb had to be eaten in
faith, trusting that the deliverance
promised to Israel was present, and that
they would walk in that deliverance
immediately.
i. Faith was essential to the keeping of
Passover: By faith he [Moses] kept the
Passover and the sprinkling of blood,
lest he who destroyed the firstborn
should touch them. (Hebrews 11:28)
e. It is the LORD’s Passover:The Passover
was the LORD’s in the sense that He
provided it:
- As a rescue, to deliver Israel from the
- plague of the firstborn.
- As an institution, to remember God’s
- rescue and deliverance for Israel
- through every generation.
- As a powerful drama, acting out the
- perfect sacrifice and rescue Jesus
- would later provide.
i. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
Paul made it perfectly clear: For indeed
Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for
us (1 Corinthians 5:7). John the Baptist
drew on a similar image when he said
of Jesus, Behold! The Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world! (John
1:29) It seems that Jesus was actually
crucified on Passover (John 19:14).
We see Jesus in the Passover.
- Jesus lived with and became bonded
- to the human family before He was
- sacrificed for them.
- The sacrifice of Jesus has to be
- appropriate to each home, not
- simply on a national or community
- basis.
- Jesus the Passover Lamb was spotless
- — perfectly so, not stained by any sin,
- any moral or spiritual imperfection.
- It was only the blood of Jesus, His
- actual poured-out life that atoned
- for sin.
- In His death Jesus was touched with
- fire, the fire of God’s judgment and
- wrath.
- In His death Jesus received the
- bitter cup of God’s judgment.
- The work of Jesus has to be received
- fully, with none left in reserve.
- The Passover work of Jesus for His
- people is the dawn and prelude to
- their freedom.
3. (Exodus 12:12-13) The protection of
the blood.
‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt
on that night, and will strike all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man
and beast; and against all the gods of
Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the
LORD. Now the blood shall be a sign for
you on the houses where you are. And
when I see the blood, I will pass over
you; and the plague shall not be on you
to destroy you when I strike the land of
Egypt.’
a. When I see the blood, I will pass over
you: For Israel to be spared the judgment
on the firstborn, they had to apply the
blood just as God said they should. The
blood of the lamb was essential to what
God required.
i. If an Israelite home didn’t believe in
the power of the blood of the lamb,
they could sacrifice the lamb and eat
it, but they would still be visited by
judgment.
ii. If an Egyptian home did believe in
the power of the blood of the lamb,
and made a proper Passover sacrifice,
they would be spared the judgment.
iii. Additionally, an intellectual
agreement with what God said about
the blood was not enough; they
actually had to do what God said must
be done with the blood.
b. I will strike all the firstborn in the land
of Egypt: God regarded Israel as His
firstborn, His favored people. If Egypt
refused to release God’s firstborn, then
God required the firstborn of Egypt as a
penalty and judgment.
4. (Exodus 12:14-20) The institution of
Passover and Unleavened Bread
as feasts.
‘So this day shall be to you a memorial;
and you shall keep it as a feast to the
LORD throughout your generations. You
shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting
ordinance. Seven days you shall eat
unleavened bread. On the first day you
shall remove leaven from your houses.
For whoever eats leavened bread from
the first day until the seventh day, that
person shall be cut off from Israel. On the
first day there shall be a holy convocation,
and on the seventh day there shall be a
holy convocation for you. No manner of
work shall be done on them; but that
which everyone must eat — that only may
be prepared by you. So you shall observe
the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this
same day I will have brought your armies
out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you
shall observe this day throughout your
generations as an everlasting ordinance.
In the first month, on the fourteenth day
of the month at evening, you shall eat
unleavened bread, until the twenty-first
day of the month at evening. For seven
days no leaven shall be found in your
houses, since whoever eats what is
leavened, that same person shall be cut
off from the congregation of Israel,
whether he is a stranger or a native of
the land. You shall eat nothing
leavened; in all your dwellings you shall
eat unleavened bread.’
a. Seven days you shall eat unleavened
bread: Passover began on the tenth; on
the 14th they ate the Passover, and this
was the first day of unleavened bread.
Then for the next seven days, they ate
only unleavened bread.
b. So you shall observe the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, for on this same day
I will have brought your armies out of
the land of Egypt: For the first Passover,
the unleavened bread was a practical
necessity — they left Egypt in such a
hurry there was no time to allow for the
dough to rise. After the first Passover, the
Feast of Unleavened Bread was a
testimony throughout your generations.
c. For seven days no leaven shall be
found in your houses: Leaven was also a
picture of sin and corruption, because of
the way a little leaven influences a whole
lump of dough, and also because of the
way leaven “puffs up” the lump — even as
pride and sin makes us “puffed up.”
i. Significantly, God called them to walk
“unleavened” after their initial
deliverance from Egypt. Symbolically,
they were being called to a life in moral
purity before the LORD.
ii. Some suggest there was also a
hygienic aspect in getting rid of all the
leaven. Since they used a piece of
dough from the previous batch to
make the bread for that day, and did so
repeatedly, that harmful bacteria could
take hold in the dough — so it was good
to remove all leaven and start all over
at least once a year.
B. Moses leads the people in the
observance of Passover.
1. (Exodus 12:21-23) Moses tells the
elders to do as God said.
Then Moses called for all the elders of
Israel and said to them, “Pick out and
take lambs for yourselves according to
your families, and kill the Passover lamb.
And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip
it in the blood that is in the basin, and
strike the lintel and the two doorposts
with the blood that is in the basin. And
none of you shall go out of the door of his
house until morning. For the LORD will
pass through to strike the Egyptians; and
when He sees the blood on the lintel and
on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass
over the door and not allow the destroyer
to come into your houses to strike you.”
a. Moses called for all the elders of Israel
and said to them: The elders were
expected to lead the way. Moses
instructed them to observe the Passover,
knowing the rest of the nation would
follow.
b. Take a bunch of hyssop: They used
hyssop to apply the blood to the
doorposts and the lintel. Throughout the
Scriptures, hyssop was often used to apply
blood for the cleansing of sin.
i. In Leviticus 14:6, the ceremony for the
cleansing of a leper used hyssop to
apply blood. In Numbers 19:6 hyssop
was used to make the ashes of a red
heifer for the water of purification. In
Numbers 19:18 hyssop was used to
apply the purification water.
ii. David, in his great Psalm of
repentance, said purge me with hyssop,
and I shall be clean (Psalm 51:7).
Hyssop was always connected with
purification through sacrifice.
iii. Hyssop was even connected with
Jesus’ great sacrifice for sin. John 19:29
points out when Jesus was offered sour
wine to drink on the cross, the sponge
soaked with it was put on a bunch of
hyssop.
c. When He sees the blood… the LORD
will pass over: The LORD looked for blood.
This blood sacrifice was the basis for
sparing people from judgment.
i. Rescue from the angel of death didn’t happen by a prayer or a fasting or a good work; it was accomplished by a life given on behalf of others.
2. (Exodus 12:24-27a) Passover as an enduring ordinance.
“And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. It will come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’”
a. An ordinance for you and your sons forever: The deliverance of Passover was not only for them, but also for their children, and all generations to follow. Passover was the greatest work of redemption performed on the Old Testament side of the cross.
i. In the same way Jesus gave the new Passover, saying that His work on the cross was not only for that generation, but should be remembered and applied to all generations (Luke 22:14-20).
b. When He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households: In Passover, there was a two-fold work. First, an enemy was defeated (He struck the Egyptians). Second, God’s people were set free and given a new identity, with new promises, a new walk, a new life altogether (delivered our households).
3. (Exodus 12:27b-28) The obedience of the people.
So the people bowed their heads and worshiped. Then the children of Israel went away and did so; just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
a. So the people bowed their heads and worshipped: Rightfully, the immediate reaction of Israel to this announcement (before it actually happened) was worship. They honored the God who said He would do all this for them.
b. Then the children of Israel went away and did so: In many ways these were the most important words of the whole account. As great as God’s deliverance was, the people would have never received it if they had failed to do what God told them to do.
i. We wonder if any Israelites suffered under the judgment of the firstborn because they did not believe and obey. We wonder if any Egyptians were spared judgment because they did believe and obey.
C. The final plague: the death of Egypt’s firstborn.
1. (Exodus 12:29-30) God slays the firstborn of Egypt.
And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
a. The LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt: God told Moses that Pharaoh would not let them go until he was forced to by God’s mighty works (Exodus 3:19-20), and that this work would somehow touch the firstborn of Egypt (Exodus 4:21-23). Now the situation unfolded just as God said it would.
i. To the first born of captive who was in the dungeon: Dungeon is “Literally, the ‘pit-house’. Pits were a common prison. Here the opposite to pharaoh is not the ‘mill girl’ (Exodus 11:15), but the prisoner of war in the dungeon.” (Cole)
b. All the firstborn in the land of Egypt: This plague was directed against two significant Egyptian gods. First, Osiris was the Egyptian god thought to be the giver of life. Second, this was against the supposed deity of Pharaoh himself, because his own household was touched (the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne).
i. An inscription was found in a shrine connected with the great Sphinx that records a solemn promise from the Egyptian gods vowing that Thutmose IV would succeed his father Amenhotep II — whom many believe to be the pharaoh of the Exodus. This unique, emphatic promise from the gods that something so natural would happen — that the eldest son would take his father’s place as Pharaoh — was perhaps because Thutmose IV was not his father’s firstborn son, and the firstborn was struck dead at the first Passover. Therefore, they believed that the second born son needed special protection from the gods and the inscription sought to provide that.
c. So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt: In dealing with Pharaoh, God first had to inform his mind, and then break his will. Pharaoh’s problem wasn’t that there was insufficient intellectual evidence; his heart had to be broken and made soft towards God.
i. Egypt and Pharaoh would not give God His firstborn — Israel (Exodus 4:22-23); so God took the firstborn of Egypt. Finally, Pharaoh knew that the LORD God was greater than all the Egyptian gods and was greater than Pharaoh himself — who was thought to be a god.
ii. A great cry in Egypt: Israel cried to God for deliverance (Exodus 2:23), and they cried to Pharaoh from relief (Exodus 5:15). Now the Egyptians had reason to cry.
2. (Exodus 12:31-36) The response of Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the LORD as you have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.” And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
a. Rise, go out from among my people: Pharaoh didn’t simply allow Israel to leave; now he commanded them to go. This was just what the LORD told Moses would happen: When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether (Exodus 11:1).
b. Bless me also: This shows that now, Pharaoh knew who the LORD was, the God who was greater than Pharaoh and whom Pharaoh must seek for blessing. Pharaoh only came to this knowledge through being broken.
c. Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste… they plundered the Egyptians: The Egyptian people also agreed that the Israelites must go, to the extent that they essentially paid the Israelites to leave. Therefore, the children of Israel left in a hurry, so quickly that there was no time to let the bread rise. This is why they had to eat unleavened bread as the LORD had commanded.
i. We can imagine that some of the Israelites did not follow God’s instruction to get all the leaven out (Exodus 12:15). Now because of the haste of their departure they had to do what God had told them because God arranged the circumstances so that they couldn’t use leaven.
ii. In the same way, sometimes God arranges circumstances to where obedience is simply made necessary, even if we would not normally choose it. For example, God may want a man to give up friends that bring a bad influence and the man finds that his friends leave him first.
D. Israel leaves Egypt.
1. (Exodus 12:37-39) The children of Israel go out of Egypt.
Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds — a great deal of livestock. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.
a. The children of Israel journeyed: This was the moment all the previous chapters of Exodus anticipated. Israel was now free, and Pharaoh and his armies did not hold them back as they traveled from their center of Rameses to Succoth.
i. Since Succoth means shelters, it may not describe a temporary encampment instead of an existing Egyptian city. It’s easy to imagine the celebrations (and tension) at Succoth that night.
b. About six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children: Assembling together at Succoth, about 600,000 men (besides children or women) left Egypt. The count of six hundred thousand men makes for a total population of perhaps two million that left Egypt for the Promised Land.
i. Cole discusses a few ideas that would make the number 600,000 much less, such as saying that thousand really means clan and that 600 extended family-clans left Egypt. Even so, “By the time they reached Canaan they were certainly a sizable horde (to use the historian’s term), to judge from the archaeological impact on Canaanite civilization.” (Cole)
ii. “All attempts to explain elep (‘thousand’) as ‘clan’ or ‘tribe’ in this context fail to meet the test of inconsistency in other contexts.” (Kaiser)
c. A mixed multitude went up with them: Not all of the 600,000 were Israelites. Many Egyptians (and perhaps other foreigners) went with them because the God of Israel demonstrated that He was more powerful that the gods of the Egyptians.
i. Mixed multitude: “The Hebrew says ‘swarm’, from the same root as that used in 8:21 to describe the plague of gadflies.” (Cole)
d. It was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait: Again, God made obedience a necessity in the case of the unleavened bread.
2. (Exodus 12:40-42) Passover as a solemn observance.
Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years — on that very same day — it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night of solemn observance to the LORD for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the LORD, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.
a. At the end of the four hundred and thirty years; on that very same day: Apparently the Exodus from Egypt began on the same calendar day as the 430th anniversary of Israel’s time in Egypt. It’s remarkable evidence that God often fulfills promises on anniversaries of prior or prophesied events.
b. It is a night of solemn observance to the LORD for bringing them out of the land of Egypt: God intended this event to be as a memorial of His redemptive work for Israel. In this sense, the deliverance from Egypt was the cross-like event of the Old Testament.
c. Out from the land of Egypt: The phrase out of Egypt is repeated 56 times in the Bible after this point. God wanted His people to remember His deliverance of Israel from Egypt.
3. (Exodus 12:43-49) Regulations for Passover.
And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”
a. No foreigner shall eat it: To share in the Passover, one had to make themselves part of the people of Israel. Receiving the covenant of circumcision and taking Passover were all part of the same package.
b. In one house it shall be eaten: Passover was commemorated on a family level. Each household celebrated it.
c. Nor shall you break one of its bones: None of the bones of the Passover lamb were to be broken. This looked forward to Jesus, the ultimate Passover Lamb, who had not one bone broken even in His crucifixion (Psalm 22:17 and John 19:31-36).
d. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it: All who were part of Israel had to commemorate the Passover redemption. You couldn’t be part of God’s people and not share in Passover.
i. In this sense, Passover means all this and more to Christians: Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:7-8)
4. (Exodus 12:50-51) Departure from Egypt: The Exodus begins.
Thus all the children of Israel did; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.
a. Thus all the children of Israel did: Israel kept the commandments of God that Moses delivered. Their faith and obedience saved their firstborn, plundered the Egyptians, and set them free from Egypt.
b. The LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt: When Israel left Egypt, it was a nation born in a day. It was as if the 430 years were a time of gestation when the baby grew large. The plagues were like labor pains before birth and now the nation was born.
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