Tag: Passover

Morning Musing: Exodus 23:14-17

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“Celebrate a festival in my honor three times a year. Observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you are to eat unleavened bread from seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, because you came out of Egypt in that month. No one is to appear before me empty-handed. Also observe the Festival of Harvest with the first fruits of your produce from what you sow in the field, and observe the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field. Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

What kind of celebrations do you have as a regular part of your family’s rhythm? Are they all calendar holidays, or do you have some that are more personalized than that? Those celebrations, whatever they happen to be, are more significant than you might realize in terms of shaping your understanding of the world and how it works. Celebrations like that give us a framework for what we understand to be true. This doesn’t necessarily mean they help us get the truth right, but they create a belief framework for us. In the same way, they frame out for us what is right and what kinds of things are important. When God was going through the process of establishing Israel as a people, He gave them instructions to create some regular celebrations as a part of their rhythm. Let’s take a look at the first real introduction He gives to these here.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 13:1-2

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“The Lord spoke to Moses: ‘Consecrate every firstborn male to me, the firstborn from every womb among the Israelites, both man and domestic animal; it is mine.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Firstborn children – especially firstborn sons – have long held an incredible significance in human cultures around the world. Monarchial societies depended on them to be the next king in the line of royal succession. They are the ones who often carry the weight of continuing the family name. They are looked to as the leader of the family when the previous generation begins to pass on. The expectations of success on them are often high. It’s a lot of weight to bear. As God is framing out some of the instructions for the Passover celebration once the Israelites reach the Promised Land, He gives some instructions regarding the firstborn son of everything in the nation that are a bit challenging to get our heads around. Let’s talk about them.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 12:12-13

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“I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, both people and animals. I am the Lord; I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

One of the ministries I follow fairly closely has a phrase they repeat pretty regularly. It goes like this: ideas have consequences; bad ideas have victims. When we believe things that are wrong, not only will we do things that are wrong, but bad things will eventually come to us and those around us. The wrong beliefs of the people of Egypt had finally brought them to the point we find ourselves addressing this morning. God was bringing judgment against the nation in the form of the death of all of its firstborn. We have talked about it once before. We’ll talk about it one more time in the days yet to come, Lord willing. Today, let’s take a look at a couple of details in this next part of the story that give us a better picture of what was really going on here, and the nature of God’s perfect justice.

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Morning Musing: Luke 22:19-20

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“And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever been in a moment, but didn’t realize you were in a moment? What I mean is, have you ever been somewhere at a time that was really significant, but you didn’t realize it in the moment you were there? That’s what happened to the disciples on the night of the Last Supper. They were in a moment that would change the world almost as much as what would happen the next day, but they didn’t have a clue it was happening.

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