Passover (renamed “Easter” by Christianity) is central to the Christian faith. It reminds Christians that our redemption did not begin with the cross. It began in the Garden of Eden and took thousands of years to complete. God chose the Jews to introduce Jesus and invited us into His story of redemption. Their story is our story because of Jesus.
The words of God to Moses restated the promise He gave Abraham. Abraham did not see its fulfillment but looked through time and believed what God told him. Four centuries later, God appointed Moses to lead Abraham’s family out of Egyptian slavery. The doubt and fear of the Hebrews indicate they had forgotten what God said to them:
“And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage: I am the LORD.”
Exodus 6:7-8 KJV
The Egyptians were mighty. It seemed impossible to escape. The “Promised Land” seemed but a myth even though Father Abraham was told of the difficulty beforehand: “Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years, and that nation whom they shall serve will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance” (Genesis 15:13-14). And it happened!
The incredible rescue of God’s Chosen people who were put through immense pressure to make them strong, unique, and powerful people pointed the world not only to the Land of Promise but, more importantly, to the Savior of the world. A Savior to rescue the world from sin’s bondage is beautifully pictured in the Passover—every part of it representing the Father’s redemption. Their plight was an example of our escape from sin’s cruel slavery.
Before Egypt, we must understand how the struggle in the Garden of Eden set the stage. The first verse to notice took thousands of years to fulfill (Genesis 3:15). In this passage, God promises that one day he will send a Savior who will crush the head of the serpent. Therefore, Passover was a result of what began a few thousand years earlier (actually, from the foundation of the world). It is a reminder for us to have patience in God’s process.
Faith is the key component. Blood sacrifice always required faith. From the first sin, Adam and Eve had faith in God’s covering for them. Subsequently, every lamb given to the priests was a symbol of faith that God would recognize the blood and cover the sins. The prophecy of the lamb, who would take away all iniquity, took thousands of years to be fulfilled (Exodus 12, Isaiah 53, Psalm 34:20, Psalm 22, Zechariah 12:10).
John, the last of the Old Testament prophets, recognized the Lamb of God because of the Jewish story of redemption, the temple sacrificial system, and his appointment to be the forerunner of Jesus. Many had given up on prophesies. Many created wrong interpretations but the Jews who believed ignited the world.
”The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
John 1:29 KJV
During the last few days of this Passover, let’s remember the most important promise God fulfilled: Redemption through the death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus). This story began with the creation of the world and is still unfolding.
Possibly, you have faced one hardship after another. It’s easy to look at adverse circumstances and feel that God changed his mind. We question God’s Faithfulness when a promise seems delayed or processed differently than expected. Yet, every Word in scripture is coded with God’s DNA to fulfill itself, and every Rhema word spoken to you that lines up with the written word is still active and alive. Never let go of His promises to you. We have proof that God keeps Covenant with His People.
“With his blood–not the blood of goats and calves–he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.”
Hebrews 9:12-14 NLT
