After all the plagues, Pharaoh, the wicked king of Egypt, still stopped the Israelites from leaving Egypt.  God then told Moses that He intended to destroy all the first-born children and cattle in Egypt.  He also instructed Moses as to what the people of Israel needed to do if they didn't want their first-born to be destroyed at the same time.

God said that Israel was to make a certain day in the springtime, the beginning of the first month of their year.  Our first month is January, but the first month of the Jewish year is called Nisan.  On the tenth day of that Nisan every family of Israel was to take a young sheep or lamb, and keep it until the fourteenth day.

As the sun was going down on that day, they were to kill these lambs, and sprinkle the blood on the doorposts of their houses and over the tops of the doors.  That night they were to roast the lambs and the families were to eat them, or if the family was too small, then they could share it with the family next door.  However, none of that lamb was to be left until the morning.

While they were eating the lamb, the people of Israel were to be dressed, and ready to leave Egypt.  This was because God knew that on the next morning, Pharaoh, would insist they leave straight away.

That night the power of God destroyed all the first-born of Egypt.   Pharoah was finally glad to have the Israelites leave his country.   This was because his oldest son suddenly died, and because the oldest child in every family of Egypt also suddenly died.  Pharaoh knew that this terrible disaster had come upon the Egyptians because he was refused to let Israel leave the country.

Maybe you have been wondering whether the oldest children in the families of Israel also suddenly died that last night?  (Let the children respond).  No, they didn't!  The reason for this was wherever the blood of the lamb was found on the doorposts of the houses, the first-born child in that house was spared.  In that way, all the first-born of the people of Israel were saved, and all who did as God wanted them to do, were ready to march out of Egypt the next morning.

During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Go!  Leave my people, you and the Israelites and worship the Lord as you have requested.  Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go!"  The Egyptians urged the people of Israel to hurry and leave the country.   "For otherwise," they said, "We will all die!"

So the people took their bread dough before yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in cloth.  The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing.  The Lord had made the Israelites favourable to the Egyptians, and they gave them what they asked for.

The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth.  There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides the women and children.  Many other people went up with them, as well as large herds of cattle and flocks of sheep and goats.

With the bread dough they had brought from Egypt, they baked cakes of bread. These were flat sheets of unleavened bread because the dough was without yeast since they did not have time to prepare food for themselves and were driven out of Egypt.

There was another reason God made the Passover arrangements, because He was pleased when Abel brought a lamb to Him for a sacrifice.  The lamb sacrifice is a picture of what Jesus did for us.  So that is why God asked the Israelites to sacrifice lambs and eat them on that night before they left Egypt.  We call it the Passover Lamb, because God passed over all the homes where the blood of the lamb was sprinkled, and did not destroy the first-born in those homes.

In John 1:29, the Bible tells us that Jesus is the Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world.  God knew that He would send Jesus as His Lamb to die for all people.  People who sin will be separated from God forever.  But, when Jesus takes all their sin away, these people will live forever with God and Jesus in Heaven.

In the same way, those who put their trust in Jesus, God's Lamb, will have eternal life and will be saved from eternal separation from God!  God is wise and knows how to do everything in the right way!  That is the reason we should always obey Him and do everything just as He says it should be done!

God bless.