DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- PASSOVER

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – PASSOVER

"Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 'This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying 'On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.'" (Exodus 12:1-5)

The Passover event is of utmost importance in our understanding of the God's Redemption Plan. Even though the original Passover and the command for a yearly remembrance of the Passover was given to the nation of Israel and it is not incumbent on us to keep all the rituals of the Passover Feast, or Seder as the Jews of today celebrate it, still it is a powerful testimony to the grace of God.

Remember the story. God, through Moses, had caused great plagues to come on the land of Egypt. The purpose was not punishment, but was God's attempt to get the Pharaoh to accept God's call to release the Jewish people from their bondage. But all of God's calling fell on deaf ears, and Pharaoh's heart was hardened until the it came to this final plague – that all the firstborn humans and animals would be killed.

God instructed Moses to have the Israelites kill a one-year old lamb without blemish, apply its blood to the doorpost of their homes, and then eat the lamb. This would be a sign of faith for the death angel to bypass that home. God said, " 'Now this shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt' " (Exodus 12:13). The Israelites obeyed in faith, and indeed they were spared this tragedy. The lamb died in their stead.

After suffering this judgment that included his own son, Pharaoh's heart was softened, and he told the Israelites to leave. Then God gave the ordinance of the Passover, so that it would be a continual reminder of God's deliverance.

The beauty of this story is that the Lord Jesus fulfilled the Passover. In fact, the Apostle Paul said that Christ has become our Passover (I Corinthians 5:7). He was the Lamb without blemish whom John the Baptist said would take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). He lived a sinless life and was slain on the Day of Passover. His blood, when applied to our lives by faith, cleanses from sin, delivers us from the bondage of sin, and voids the penalty of eternal death, for without the shedding blood there is no remission for sin (Hebrews 9:22). But, as the Israelites were required to eat the lamb, so we must personally partake of the life of Jesus in order for the Promise of Salvation to be effected. The Lamb has died in our stead. As Christians, we continue the Feast of Passover in the ordinance of Communion, where we remember His death and sacrifice for sin.

We are moving toward Easter when we celebrate the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross for our sins and His resurrection. But every day is a Passover day as we live under the covering of His shed blood. Today is a day of deliverance.

Love, Dad