The Passover!
www.moravian.org/daily_texts/
Psalm 33:6-11
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Exodus 11:1-12:20
Exodus 12 - The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. 14 “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance.
Matthew 21:23-32 - The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
Reflections:
As we start a new week together, we are reminded of the most important story for the Jewish people, the Passover. Pharaoh’s hearts was hardened by the Lord so that he would not let them go and worship Him on the holy mountain, but after today’s plague, the Pharaoh will insist that Moses and the Israelites go. On this day, which became known as the “Passover”, the angel of death struck down all the firstborn of the Egyptians, whereas he “passed over” the Israelites’ homes, whose doorframes where marked with the blood of the innocent lamb.
God provided the innocent lamb for the sacrifice of atonement. The innocent lamb of a sheep or goat (a 1 yr old) stood in the place for the firstborn Jewish boys. The following 7 days were celebrated as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as all yeast was taken out of the home on the 1st day after the Passover to the 7th day. God was so serious about this ordinance, that he commanded that anyone not observing this would be cut off from the community of Israel.
Though God provided everything that was needed for the Israelites, they still had a choice to do what God had said or not. Jesus tells a similar story of two sons. As he asked the one to go and work in the vineyard he declined, then changed his mind and went. The other one initially said he would, then he did not go! Jesus uses this short story to compare the Pharisees and teachers of the law with the tax collectors and prostitutes. Though the leaders had the revelation of God through the Law and the Prophets, they rejected Jesus. Whereas the tax collectors and prostitutes had nothing, but they said, “Yes” to Jesus.
As you begin your week, reflect on what God has done for us through the giving of His Son, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And then ask yourself, am I more like the first son, or the second one?
But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" God said, "I will be with you." Exodus 3:11-12
It is not those who commend themselves that are approved, but those whom the Lord commends. 2 Corinthians 10:18
As we recall in a common Advent hymn: "Not in our own strength, Lord, we move; your kingdom falls not when we fall, but forward presses day by day until your truth is known to all." Dear Lord, remind us always that it is only by your grace that we have been justified. Amen.
Psalm 33:6-11
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Exodus 11:1-12:20
Exodus 12 - The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. 14 “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance.
Matthew 21:23-32 - The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
Reflections:
As we start a new week together, we are reminded of the most important story for the Jewish people, the Passover. Pharaoh’s hearts was hardened by the Lord so that he would not let them go and worship Him on the holy mountain, but after today’s plague, the Pharaoh will insist that Moses and the Israelites go. On this day, which became known as the “Passover”, the angel of death struck down all the firstborn of the Egyptians, whereas he “passed over” the Israelites’ homes, whose doorframes where marked with the blood of the innocent lamb.
God provided the innocent lamb for the sacrifice of atonement. The innocent lamb of a sheep or goat (a 1 yr old) stood in the place for the firstborn Jewish boys. The following 7 days were celebrated as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as all yeast was taken out of the home on the 1st day after the Passover to the 7th day. God was so serious about this ordinance, that he commanded that anyone not observing this would be cut off from the community of Israel.
Though God provided everything that was needed for the Israelites, they still had a choice to do what God had said or not. Jesus tells a similar story of two sons. As he asked the one to go and work in the vineyard he declined, then changed his mind and went. The other one initially said he would, then he did not go! Jesus uses this short story to compare the Pharisees and teachers of the law with the tax collectors and prostitutes. Though the leaders had the revelation of God through the Law and the Prophets, they rejected Jesus. Whereas the tax collectors and prostitutes had nothing, but they said, “Yes” to Jesus.
As you begin your week, reflect on what God has done for us through the giving of His Son, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And then ask yourself, am I more like the first son, or the second one?
But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" God said, "I will be with you." Exodus 3:11-12
It is not those who commend themselves that are approved, but those whom the Lord commends. 2 Corinthians 10:18
As we recall in a common Advent hymn: "Not in our own strength, Lord, we move; your kingdom falls not when we fall, but forward presses day by day until your truth is known to all." Dear Lord, remind us always that it is only by your grace that we have been justified. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment