What is the context?
Passover is observed in Abib in remembrance of the Lord bringing Israel out of Egypt. The unleavened bread is called bread of affliction and is connected with the haste of departure, so that the event will be remembered throughout life.
The sacrifice belongs at the place the Lord chooses rather than in each town. The instructions govern the meat, removal of leaven, return to the tents, and final solemn assembly. The appointed meal and place make remembrance an act of obedience, not simply recollection of an old story.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Wesley understands the reference to herd and flock in the wider festival setting, including its accompanying offerings. He also reads returning in the morning as the morning after the festival’s seventh day. These are explanations of how the instructions fit the wider observance; the short passage itself should not be forced into a detailed modern timetable beyond what it states.
Where does this fit in God's plan?
1 Corinthians 5:6–8 explicitly calls Christ the sacrificed Passover lamb and uses unleavened bread to describe sincerity and truth rather than malice and wickedness. The Christian connection is stated by Paul. It does not make every additional festival animal a separate Messiah or erase Israel’s exodus setting.
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.