Passover
In the instructions given to the children of Israel regarding preparations for the Passover, God said, “This blood shall be for you as a sign...” God did not need a sign for Himself; He knew the difference between a household of Egyptians and a household of His own people. The sign was to the children of Israel to set them apart from the world in which they had lived to this point in time; to separate them from that world in order to lead them into a new land and most importantly, a new way of life.
This brings up a very important point. The lamb which was slain by each Israelite household was not sacrificed for sin. In fact, throughout the entire Exodus account, there is no indication that God was dealing with sin in the Hebrews. Rather it was Pharaoh who was called upon to repent of oppressing God’s people. If the ‘wages of sin is death’, then it was the Egyptians who reaped the wages of sin; not the Israelites!
The lamb was slain not for sin; but as a sign of separation. It was an act of faith in what they could not yet see but what had been promised. The blood on the doorpost signified that in that home was a family who chose to depart from the only kind of life they had ever known and put their trust in the promises of God.
Traditional Christian interpretation of the Passover, teaches that the slain lamb prophesied of the Messiah to come who would be sacrificed for sin. The analogy doesn’t work since the lamb wasn’t sacrificed to atone for their sins! Passover, truly understood, is about understanding that when God gets hold of a person’s life, it is more about the future than the past; it is more about calling us out to a new life than about focusing on the past.
The first Passover had everything to do with humility. To be redeemed from Egyptian bondage, the children of Israel had to submit to the leadership of Moses, follow God’s instructions through him and trust that what God had said, He would do. Their humble faith granted them the privilege to witness amazing miracles and to be delivered from the yoke of slavery which had bound them for so many years.
The annual celebration of Passover should serve to remind us of our departure from the past and our commitment to obey God all the way to His promised land of holiness and integrity of life. The Passover Seder is one of the most meaningful experience you can enjoy and should be a tremendous opportunity to express our overwhelming gratitude for God’s goodness and grace toward us and to renew our commitment to walk in loving obedience all the days of our lives.
Shalom and a blessed Pesach to all of you,
Barbara
www.foryourglory.org