Moses; Part 7: The 10th Plague

The Lord told Moses that he would bring one more plague upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt, the 10th plague. After that he would release them. The people would ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold, and they would give it to them. The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the Israelites, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people. At midnight God would pass through Egypt.
Every firstborn son in Egypt would die, from Pharaoh's firstborn son,
to the firstborn son of the female slave, and also all the firstborn of the cattle. But among the Israelites not a dog would bark. Then they would know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. The Lord had told Moses that Pharaoh would refuse to listen to him, so that the wonders of God would be multiplied in Egypt. (Exo 11:1–10). 

This month (Nisan) would be the first month of the year. On the 10th day of this month each shall take a lamb to his household, according to what each would eat. The lambs they choose must be one-year-old males without defects, and they must take them from the sheep or goats. On the 14th day of the month they shall slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they shall eat the meat roasted over the fire, together
with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. They shouldn't eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over fire, with the head, legs and internal organs. They shouldn't leave any of it till the morning; if anything remained until morning, they must burn it. They must eat it with their cloak tucked into their belt, their sandals on their feet, and their staff in their hand. They should eat it in haste; it's the Lord’s
Passover (14th). That same night the Lord would go through Egypt and strike down all the firstborn of both man and animal, to bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. He is the Lord. The blood was to be a sign to them of the houses where they were. When the Lord sees the blood, he would pass over. 
No destructive plague would touch them when he strikes Egypt. For the generations to come, they must celebrate it as a festival to the Lord. 
For seven days they shall eat bread made without yeast. On the first day they shall remove the yeast from their houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day to the seventh must be cut off from Israel.
On the first day they would hold a sacred assembly and another on the seventh day. They aren't allowed to work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat. They should celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread as a lasting ordinance for generations to come. For it was on this very day that the Lord brought them out of Egypt.
During the first month (Nisan) they must eat bread made without yeast,
from the evening of the 14th day until the evening of the 21th day
(a total of eight days). For seven days there is no yeast in their houses
(during the Festival of Unleavened Bread). And anyone, whether foreigner or
natives, who eat anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel. The people shall put blood on the tops and on both sides of the door frame. None of them shall go out of the door of their house until morning. 

When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he would see the blood on the top and the sides of the
door frame and would go over that doorway and not permit the destroyer to enter their house and strike them down.
The Israelites did exactly as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. 
At midnight, the Lord struck all the firstborn in Egypt, from Pharaoh's firstborn to the prisoner's firstborn, and also the firstborn of all the livestock.
During the night Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron to leave their people with their flocks and herds and go and worship the Lord as they had requested. And he also asked them to bless him. (Exo 12:1–32, Psalm 105:36, 78:50–51, 135:8, 136:10). 

Their calendar originally began in the fall, see The Book of Habakkuk. A change
was made in their reckoning of years so that the first month was now in spring
(Aviv (NIV) (Exo 12:2, 13:3–4, 23:15, 34:18, Deu 16:1), later called Nisan 
(Esther 3:7, Nehemiah 2:1)).

This means the following regarding these celebrations (Exo 13:3–10):

• On the 10th day of Nisan, everyone should take a lamb for their household.
• The lamb must be slaughtered at twilight on the 14th day of Nisan.
  They must eat the meat and bread made without yeast that same night.
  This day (14th) is celebrated as the Lord’s Passover. Note that a
  Jewish day begins at sunset and begins with night followed by day.
• For the following seven days (15th–21th) they must eat bread made without yeast (during the Festival of Unleavened Bread). 
• On the first day (15th) they should remove the yeast from their homes. 
• On the first day (15th) they shall hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day (21th). They aren't allowed to work at all these two days, except to prepare food for all to eat.
• They must have no yeast in their homes during these seven days
  (during the Festival of Unleavened Bread).
• The Passover lamb without blemish or defect is an image of Jesus Christ, see Typology. Because Jesus is the fulfillment, we no longer celebrate it.
  The Communion is to Christians as Passover is to Jews (see below).

The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the land because they were afraid that everyone would die. The people took their dough before the yeast was added and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothes. The Israelites did as Moses commanded and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed to the people, and they gave them what they asked; so they plundered the Egyptians. (That is, they were payed for all the work they had done as slaves).
The Israelites traveled from Ramesses to Sukkoth. There were several thousand men on foot, besides women and children. Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. With the dough the Israelites had brought with them from Egypt, they baked unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and had no time to prepare food for themselves. The time the Israelite people lived in Canaan and Egypt was 430 years. They left Egypt at the last day of these years. 
(Exo 12:33–42, Psalm 105:37–38, 136:11–12).

There were many men besides women and children who left Egypt
(Exo 12:37, Num 1:1–46, 11:21, 26:1–51, 57–62, 3:17–39). 
Since this number only included men 20 years of age or older, the entire assembly of Israel (men, women, and children) consisted of even more people.

• "The people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them." 
  (Exo 1:7).
• "The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad." (Exo 1:12a). 

How many there actually were is debated, see 

Were there really two million Jews in the Exodus?

The Hebrews had lived in Canaan for 215 years and in the land of Goshen for 
215 years (totally 430 years), and during that time as slaves for 112 ± 32 years, see How Long Were The Israelites In Egypt? 

No foreigner must eat the Passover meal. Any slave they had bought could eat it after they had circumcised him, but a temporary resident or a hired worker must not eat it. It must be eaten inside the house. They must not break any of the bones. The whole community of Israel must celebrate it. A foreigner residing among them and wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he could participate as a native of the land. No uncircumcised male must eat it. The same law applies both to the native born and to the foreigner residing among them. All the Israelites did exactly
as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt. (Exo 12:43–51).

For information about Passover, see also 2) Passover (Jewish Easter) in 
When Did Jesus Die and when Was He Born? Yeast (or leaven) is always a picture
of sin and corruption, see The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven and time 21:55–24:42 in DAVID GUZIK SERMON ON EXODUS 11-12:36 I AM Your Passover.

The bitterness of slavery that the Israelites experienced in Egypt is a picture of
our slavery in sin, see Jesus is compared with Moses in The Book of Hebrews. 
Now they were free to follow God (not to go their own ways), see time 16:10–17:27 in DAVID GUZIK SERMON ON EXODUS 12:37-13:22 I AM Your Freedom.

God considers the Israelites as his firstborn (Exo 4:22–23). Egypt refused to let them go, and so the firstborn in Egypt had to die. See also the explanation of Jesus as the firstborn in The Order between Jesus and the Father in the Trinity.

It wasn't only the death of the lamb that would save them, but also the application of its blood on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where they would eat the lamb. Jesus is the lamb without defects (John 1:29, Isaiah 53:7, 1 Cor 5:7,
1 Pet 1:18–19, Rev 5:5–6a). He was without sin and gave his life for us on the cross.
The bread and wine in the Communion are symbols of Jesus' body and blood. The reason to partake of it is to remember what Jesus did on the cross for us, see
Jesus the Bread of Life. The Communion is to Christians as Passover is to Jews.
See also time 17:51–21:12 in Hebrews 4:1-11 • The Rest of God.

When Pharaoh let the people go, God didn't lead them on the way through the
Philistine country, although it was shorter. Because if they were to face war, they might change their mind and return to Egypt. So God led the people around by the desert road towards the Red Sea (in Hebrew: Yam Suph). The Israelites came out of Egypt ready for battle. Moses took Joseph's bones with him. By day the Lord went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel day and night.
Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front
of the people. (Exo 13:17–22, 40:36–38, Num 9:15–23, Psalm 78:14, 105:39).

For the next part, see Moses; Part 8: Crossing the Red Sea.
For all parts, see Moses; Part 1: Introduction.