Thursday, January 31

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019

 

“In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt.  This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’  And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.” (Exodus 13:14-16)

 

 

The Scriptures overflow with images and symbols:  the rainbow, the Passover Lamb, the Vine and the Branches, and the Bread of Life.  God clearly communicates with us through these symbols.  Reflecting on them unlocks deeper meanings in the Scriptures.  In fact, our Lord Jesus Christ chose to communicate a great portion of His teaching through parables, whose meanings become deeper and richer with further reflection.

 

In today’s passage from Exodus 12 and 13, we read about the first Passover.  For those Israelite houses with doors covered by the blood of the Passover lamb, God would “pass over” them while carrying out a terrible 10th plague against the Egyptians:  the killing of the firstborn of every household.  The Passover lamb played a clear role in this historical moment, but it also pointed forward to another eternal Passover Lamb:  the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

In John 1:29, John the Baptist greets Jesus with these words:  “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”  He would indeed live up to those words, dying in our place to take away our sin.  His death would come at the time of Passover, going to the Cross after celebrating the Passover feast with His disciples and remembering that first Passover in Egypt.  The imagery and symbolism are unmistakable.

 

The Word of God calls us to remember God’s faithfulness in the past, trust in it for the present, and anticipate it in the future.  The testimony of Scripture shows that God will intervene and bring ultimate freedom from the bondage of sin and any oppression in this life.  He  intervenes out of love and compassion for His people.  We will experience joy as we celebrate and live in the freedom that He has provided:  “But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

 

 

Lord God, thank You for securing our freedom through the Cross.  We celebrate Your goodness and love today.  We trust You for tomorrow and beyond.  Give us a greater measure of faith and a deeper knowledge of Your compassion.  Provide opportunities for us to share Your message of hope and freedom with those who are struggling and in despair.  In Jesus’s mighty Name, amen.