Remember the Passover

"Remember, these instructions are a permanent law that you and your descendants must observe forever. When you enter the land the LORD has promised to give you, you will continue to observe this ceremony. Then your children will ask, 'What does this ceremony mean?' And you will reply, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, for He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. And though he struck the Egyptians, he spared our families.'" When Moses had finished speaking, all the people bowed down to the ground and worshiped. So the people of Israel did just as the LORD had commanded through Moses and Aaron. Exodus 12:24-28

What does this ceremony mean? Why do we do this?

God had a promise and a plan. LET MY PEOPLE GO. He wanted to take them to the Promised Land—but Pharaoh didn’t want to lose his slave labor force—his brick makers. Nothing short of death would convince him to let the Hebrew people go away from Egypt to worship their God. So death it was—death of every firstborn person and animal in that country. To save the Hebrew people God had a plan for them to sacrifice a lamb and sprinkle its blood on their doorposts. Wherever the angel of death saw the blood, it passed over that home—sparing the firstborn.

To this day the Jewish people celebrate the Passover in remembrance of God’s mercy on them, releasing them from captivity in Egypt. Part of the Passover Celebration recalls the ten plagues, naming them by name. The tenth plague was death to the first born. God spared those with blood sprinkled on their doorposts. God said…Remember, these instructions are a permanent law that you and your descendants must observe forever. When you enter the land the LORD has promised to give you, you will continue to observe this ceremony. Wherever Jews are in the world, they remember and celebrate the Passover during the first month of their calendar year, Nisan. The fourteenth day of the month, the day that the lamb was sacrificed, begins the Passover with the ceremony of a Passover meal. The celebration lasts for seven days (or eight days, depending on the sect of Judaism) during which no leaven bread is eaten. The week concludes with another holy convocation. Remember God’s promise and His plan. Let my people go. They left Egypt—but not without the death of all the firstborn. The obedience of the Hebrew people—sprinkling the blood on their doorposts saved their firstborn and set them free from the Egyptians.

Prayer ~ Lord God—Your plan set the Hebrew people free. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened—but he didn’t know the sting of death until the angel of death visited his home. May more and more Jews see Your plan—and come to know Your Son as their Messiah. Let Your People Go—to the Savior. Soften their hearts to see the Truth. May the Truth set them free.

Daily Bible Reading: February 8 – Exodus 28-29

© 2017 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted

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