Over the last few weeks, we’ve learned it all starts by trusting God. We saw the symbolism in the Passover – the lamb had to be chosen and loved, slaughtered and its blood applied, and then roasted and eaten – demonstrating our relationship with God.
This week, we read the final instruction in Exodus 12:25-28, “When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’ Then the people bowed down and worshipped. The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.” The lamb had to be eaten and celebrated as a family.
The meal was prepared for the family and was to be eaten by the family. God’s desire is for the entire family, not simply the parents. Had the families not chosen the lamb, loved it, slaughtered it, and applied the blood to their homes, their children would not have been protected by the blood. They could not have been delivered from Egypt.
Consider what happened after the Passover, God went through Egypt and visited every home where the blood of the lamb was not applied to the doorpost, killing every firstborn just as He said He would. At the same time, the Nation of Israel (millions of people) walked out of Egypt, free and no longer slaves. They were not empty-handed, but blessed as the Egyptians who remained gave them all their gold, silver, and valuables. Can you see it? Can you imagine how amazed, astonished, and overwhelmed the Israelites are? In a single move, God takes them from slavery to wealth and freedom. The Israelites are leaving, overjoyed, a stark contrast to the gut-wrenching experience happening in every Egyptian home. It is the “distinction” God had told them about, and it all started with trusting God.
How then can we show our trust and love for God? In the same way, of course, by choosing Him, following Him, and loving Him with our whole hearts. Let us take a trust step together this week – trusting Him with something we’ve never given Him before.