The Mekhilta, the tannaitic midrash on Exodus, examines a verse that seems to state the obvious: "And the children of Israel did as Moses had bid them" (Exodus 12:35). The rabbis ask — what exactly had Moses instructed them to do? The verse is vague. It says they "did as Moses bid them" without specifying the action.
The Mekhilta supplies the missing reference. Back in (Exodus 11:2), God told Moses: "Speak, I pray you, in the ears of the people, that you ask of them" — meaning, tell the Israelites to request silver, gold, and valuables from their Egyptian neighbors. This was the great "asking" (she'eilah) that the Torah describes as the Israelites' final act before departing Egypt.
The verse in (Exodus 12:35) therefore connects directly to that earlier command. "And the children of Israel did as Moses had bid them" means specifically that they went to the Egyptians and asked for their possessions. Moses had relayed God's instruction, and the people followed through.
The Mekhilta's reading closes a narrative loop. God commanded Moses to tell the people to ask. Moses told them. They did it. The Torah confirms their compliance. What appears to be a generic statement of obedience is actually the Torah's way of confirming that a very specific, earlier directive was carried out faithfully — the directive that ensured Israel would not leave Egypt empty-handed (Exodus 3:21-22).