Through a series of divine appointments and events, God’s chosen people end up as slaves in a foreign country. Now, before we go further, this was all by plan. Even God says so.
‘The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” -Exodus 7:5
The first time I read this I was thinking that God was saying, ‘I’ll show you, Egyptians! How dare you take my people, without me knowing? I will show you my might because of your sneaking behind my back and oppressing my people! I'll punish you now.’
But I don’t think that is what is being communicated. God allowed His people, and even ordained that they go into the land of Egypt. So really what is happening is that God set up this situation to show the Egyptians, the Israelites, and the whole world who Yahweh, I AM, the LORD is and His power over all things, among many other reasons. God was not surprised by the oppression of His people, but rather allowed it, so that He might show Himself as God Almighty.
Think about that in your life. Push that on your circumstances. Consider that there is a much bigger purpose than you can see and much more being accomplished than pain on your part. God is working in all of creation to show Himself as God Almighty! He wants the Glory and the Fame! When I consider my circumstances in light of Scripture like this, I want to be humbled and quiet, not prideful and loud. Wow.
God then decides, as only God can decide, that the time has come to rescue His people from their misery and suffering. God sends Moses, albeit hesitantly, to tell Pharaoh to let God’s people go. Pharaoh would not let them go, and hardened his heart against God. God instrumented nine different plagues on the people of Egypt to show His power, authority and preeminence. Pharaoh refuses to change after the first nine plagues. God then reveals that He will take the first-born of every household in Egypt including the Israelites. However, God prescribes a remedy. A perfect lamb was to be killed and the blood was to be painted on the doorway.
“The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.” - Exodus 12:13
God was teaching the nation of Israel (the promised nation to Abraham, his grandfather) and preparing their hearts to understand the nature of perfect blood atonement. He paints an early picture of the sacrifice that Jesus will be for us one day.
What a beautiful picture of that final day. When God sees the blood Jesus on the judgment day – He will pass over us. Nothing else will allow God in His Justice to overlook the sin in our lives. Only the blood of Jesus. Not our good works. Not our nice homes. Only the blood of Jesus will suffice. The perfect, costly sacrifice.
Imagine if the Israelites would have said, ‘We won’t worry about sacrificing our best lamb according to God’s instruction, we’ll just give this little scrawny one over here.’ or ’God knows that we are His people so we don’t have to worry about the sacrifice.’ or ‘Surely we have been good enough, there’s no need in giving up a good lamb.’
I wonder if we say the same things, just not about sheep.
‘God does not really want my whole life. He just wants me to be a generally good guy.’ or ‘He’ll take me home to glory when he’s ready, but I’ll just live how I want for now.’ or ‘Yeah I’m saved, because I prayed that prayer when I was little, and I go to church and I am a lot better than most people.’
I am not so sure that we want to bank life or death, eternity with Jesus or not on trying to bend the words of God to fit our comforts.
‘Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom, which He has promised to those who love Him?’ – James 2:5
‘The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His Grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith.’ – Romans 3:22-25
‘Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus.’ – Acts 3:19-20
God commands them to remember this every year by the Feast of Unleavened Bread. One major reason that God tells the Israelites that He is doing this, is so that future generations will know the mighty things that God did for their family. How forgetful are we of the things that God has done in our lives? How long does it take after God shows Himself as faithful for us to begin to doubt Him or question Him? I know for me it is not very long. I often wallow in doubt and fear, because I have forgotten how God has showed Himself so faithful in my short life. We need to remember who God is and what He has done; not only in our own lives, but through His Word that He has given us.
May we be stirred to remember who God is and what He has done.
May we be stirred to know that our salvation is only by Jesus’ blood.
May we be stirred to love Him more.
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