Exodus 12:37-42

³⁷ And the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, with about six hundred platoons of foot soldiers, separated from their children. ³⁸ An ethnically mixed company also went out with them, and very many flocks and herds of livestock. ³⁹ And they had baked unleavened loaves of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, because it had not been leavened, since they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provision for themselves. ⁴⁰ The time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. ⁴¹ At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. ⁴² It was a night of watching by the LORD, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night when the sons of Israel keep watch for the LORD throughout their generations.

deployed for a mission

The way Moses describes the exodus as it first gets under way is less of an escape and more of a deployment. The sons of Israel are collected in groups of foot soldiers – platoons, and sent out as an army. Groups of Israelites who joined from other ethnic groups are with them as well. The objective is to take over the land that the LORD had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The time for Egyptian bondage is over. Now is the time to set our sights on the promised land, and go forth as in battle.

LORD, remove us from our worldly Egypt. May we follow you to our new destiny.