Exodus 12:42 says, “It is a night of observation unto Jehovah for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night unto Jehovah, an observation for all the children of Israel in their generations” (Heb.). During the night of the Passover, the children of Israel had satisfaction, rest, and joy, but they did not sleep. As this verse indicates, it was a night of observation, a night of watching. This implies that God was observing, watching, the situation. Actually, as the Berkeley Version makes clear, both God and the children of Israel were watching. As God was observing and watching, His people were observing and watching also. Hence, that night was a night of observation.
Exodus 12:42 says that this night was a night of observation unto the Lord. The children of Israel were watching unto the Lord. This means that they were cooperating with Him. God was doing everything necessary to rescue them from Egypt. He was watching, and His people were watching unto Him.
As we apply this to our experience, we see that our exodus was also a night of watching. This is the reason that in the New Testament we are warned not to sleep. Romans 13:11 says that “now is the hour for you to be raised out of sleep.” Furthermore, in 1 Thessalonians 5:6 and 7 Paul says, “So then, let us not sleep as the rest, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep in the night.” As Paul says in the same chapter, we are “sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness” (v. 5). If we are not alert spiritually, we turn the day into night, but if we are watchful and observant, even our night will be turned into day.
To make an exodus from the world is not a simple matter. Such an exodus takes place during a night of watching. God watches over us, and we must watch with God and unto God. The night of our exodus must be a vigil, and we must be on the alert. Without such a vigil, no one can get out of the world. Christians who are slothful and sleeping cannot make an exodus. Only those who are watchful, vigilant, and observant can come out of the world. God watchfully exercises His sovereignty over our situation, and He commands us to be watchful unto Him. Then our night will turn into day, and we shall be rescued from Egypt.
In the New Testament we are charged not to love the world (1 John 2:15). However, it is possible for us to take this word in a very superficial way. The picture in the Old Testament indicates that the exodus from Egypt should not be regarded superficially. During the night of the exodus, even God was watching and observing. The King James Version of 12:42 says that it was “a night to be much observed unto the Lord.” This does not mean that it was a night for the observation of rituals. On the contrary, it was a night of observing, of watching. God was watching and observing in order to bring His people out of the world. His people had to cooperate with Him by watching unto Him. They had to be watchful because they did not know at what time they would march out of Egypt. By this we see that no sleepy ones or loose ones can have an adequate exodus. If you want to make an exodus from the world, you need to be watchful, observant, and vigilant. Then you will know the right time to go out of the world.
In 12:41 we are told that “all the armies of Jehovah went out from the land of Egypt” (Heb.), and in 12:51, that “Jehovah did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies” (Heb.). Furthermore, 13:18 says, “The children of Israel went up in martial array out of the land of Egypt” (Heb.). The Hebrew in 13:18 indicates that the children of Israel went out arrayed in ranks of five. They did not go out of Egypt in a loose way; they marched out as an army.
After the surrender of the Japanese army in 1945, I watched American soldiers march in rows of four through the streets of the Chinese city of Tsingtao. How excited I was to see those young Americans in martial array! By contrast, I have been very disappointed to see the looseness of certain young people in the United States today. If we would make our exodus out of the world, we cannot be loose. Spiritually speaking, we must march out of the world in martial array. Everything concerning us must be strict, straight, and orderly. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against Satan and the world. For such a battle, we need to be in martial array, ready to fight against the enemy.
Day by day the Christians in the church life need to be in martial array. In everything we do we should be strict, straight, and corporate. Only by being in the army corporately can we be in martial array. The fact that we are to march out of the world as God’s army indicates that it is not an easy matter to make our exodus out of Egypt. Praise the Lord for this vivid portrait in the book of Exodus! May this portrait make a deep impression upon us all.