Devotions on Exodus 12:1-13; 13:1-8
Monday, The First Passover
“Moses said to the people, ‘Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, because the LORD brought you out from there by strength of hand’” (Exodus 13:3).
The classes of 1970 and 1995 gathered (virtually) in order to celebrate the fiftieth and twenty-fifth anniversaries of their graduations. Online they shared their memories of teachers, proms, athletic championships, and parties. The memories brought both laughter and tears. The years had passed by, but the memories were present and served as a bond between the classmates.
The Lord was moving powerfully in the lives of the Israelites. Using the leadership of Moses and a powerful plague, God was about to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Soon they would begin their journey to the Promised Land. Moses instructed the people of Israel to remember what the Lord was doing in their lives. A festival was created to give the people the opportunity share their memories and celebrate what the Lord had done. Those memories strengthened the relationship they had with the Lord.
Moses exhortation to remember applies to followers of Jesus today. Remember how the Lord has given us the strength to go through the tough times we have face. Remember the blessings that we have received. We can remember how we have grown and matured in our faith. Memories not only celebrate the past, they prepare us for the future.
Lord, thank you for the memories. Thank you for the way you have moved in our lives. Amen.
Tuesday, The First Passover
“Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household” (Exodus 12:3).
The story of the Exodus emphasizes the servitude of the people of Israel. They had been enslaved by Pharaoh and the Egyptian leadership. Historical records seem to indicate that they were used to build some of the pyramids. In their enslavement, the Israelites were also shepherds. They had been shepherds when they migrated to Egypt, in order to escape the famine, during the lifetime of Jacob, his son Joseph, and Joseph’s brothers. The Israelites remained shepherds throughout their sojourn in Egypt.
As shepherds, the one sacrifice they were able to offer was a sheep. Not only were sheep available, but sheep were also the fruit of their labor. The sheep, which became their Passover offering, was a part of their everyday lives.
Offerings are a part of our lives of faith. We may not offer a Passover lamb, but as followers of Jesus we have been instructed to share our time, talents and treasures—the lambs of our lives. Our offerings, like those first Passover lambs, are the fruit of our lives. There is a cost to us to offer them up to the Lord and to the service to others. Such offerings, though, when used by the Lord can save lives and can accomplish great things.
We give thee but thine own, whatever that gift may be. All that we have is thine O Lord, a trust O Lord from thee. Amen.
Wednesday, The First Passover
“If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it” (Exodus 12:4).
It is always easy to ignore the poor and needy. They have little to no political power. The poor can’t cannot financially support the campaigns of the politicians who represent them, like the rich and famous are able to do. Many people believe the poor are liabilities and not assets to the community. Often the poor live in areas that are not frequented by the working, middle and upper classes of society and they almost become invisible. Certainly, the poor don’t advertise their poverty like we flaunt our affluence.
The Lord would not allow the Israelites to ignore the poor among them Specific instructions were given to allow families to share resources. The poor and needy would not be left behind.
Followers of Jesus and members of The Way were also given instructions to care for those in need. In fact, Jesus told them that if they fed the hungry, cared for the sick, and clothed the naked it was as if they were feeding, caring for and clothing him (Matthew 25).
In some ways, things haven’t changed much in the three plus millennia that have passed since Moses told Pharaoh to “Let my people go.” There are still people who are in need and God’s children are instructed to care for those people and need their needs. There is work to be done. Let’s get started and get it done!
God of abundance, Open our eyes and hearts that we may see the needs around us and act to meet those needs. Amen.
Thursday, The First Passover
“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats” (Exodus 13:5).
Having two older brothers meant that Raul’s life was filled with hand-me-downs. Though he was never in need, he found it hard to get excited when he was given a “new” pair of jeans to wear to school. The jeans would always have been worn previously by his two brothers.
Mrs. Carmichael would occasionally bake a batch of cookies and donate it to the local homeless shelter. Her family was proud of her generosity toward those in need. They were disappointed, though, that they were only able to enjoy the burnt and broken results of her endeavors.
Gifts without blemish are always more appreciated than left overs and damaged goods. With the constant demands that are placed upon us, it is tempting to offer half-hearted efforts and second best gifts—just to get by. Our challenge is to prioritize and simplify our lives so that the time and items that we give away are the very best that we are able to offer.
Lord, inspire us so that what we give is a true reflection of the depth of our love toward you and others.
Friday, The First Passover
“They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it” (Exodus 13:7).
Blood is the symbol of life. The life blood of lambs were painted on the door posts and lintels of the Israelite’s homes. A life given so that lives could be spared. There are situations when life can be shared without death. Paul’s writes about living sacrifices. He writes in Romans “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).
Teachers sacrifice their lives to teach so that their students may learn and live. Health care professionals sacrifice their time and talents so that their patients can heal and live. Sacrifices are made so that the hungry are feed, the naked are clothed, and the lonely are visited. Communities sacrifice so that all may have enough and no one lacks the essentials of life. Our blood is painted on the door posts and lintels of our lives, so that others may live.
Lord, our lives are yours. Use them to give life to others. Amen.
Saturday, The First Passover
“This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the Passover of the LORD” (Exodus 13:11).
During the dust bowl times of the 1930’s, rain was scarce. Prayer meetings were held across the Central Plain States, with the purpose of storming the gates of heaven and asking the Lord for rain. There is a story of a young woman who attended one of the meetings. The meeting lasted for several hours. The prayers of the people were fervent. Scripture passages were read, hymns were sung and the preachers spoke words of encouragement. When the prayers ended and the blessing was given the people stood up and began to disperse. The young woman stood up and pulled out an umbrella. The people around her were surprised and asked why she brought an umbrella to the prayer meeting. The woman looked around at them and replied, “Well, we did just pray for rain didn’t we?”
The Israelites were instructed to celebrate the first Passover with their loins girded—ready for action. The Lord was going to move and their lives would be changed forever.
Followers of Jesus are tempted to pray sitting down—we don’t bring our umbrellas to the prayer meetings. Congregations petition the Lord for help to pay bills, but don’t take up an offering. We pray for those who have losses their jobs because of the pandemic. Yet, we don’t look around to see how we can help. We pray for political candidates and parties, but we don’t work to get out the vote.
Prayer is not a noun it is a verb. When we pray we need to be ready to follow through with action.
Lord, move in us, move through us and let you will be done. Amen.
Sunday, The First Passover
“You shall tell your child on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt’” (Exodus 13:8).
Parents used to think that sending their children to Sunday school was enough. The children would learn Bible stories and memorize Bible verses and sing Bible songs. This would be enough for them to catch the faith, it was thought. The mass migration of recent generations out of the church has proved this theory to be wrong.
The question still remains, “How do we pass on the faith to our children?” This verse instructs parents to use the occasion of the Passover celebration to tell their children what the Lord had done. The story of the Passover is a powerful and personal story. Generation after generation of Jews would make the story personal by saying, “this is what the LORD did for ME when I came out of Egypt. The Passover is a personal testimony.
It is good to learn the moral lessons from the Bible’s stories. We can be like David when we face Goliaths. We can love others who are different or excluded, just like Jesus did. Still, the faith needs to be shared on a person level—“This is how the Lord has moved in my life.” “Watch and see how I respond to God’s love and grace in my relationships with others. There is much that we can celebrate and much that we can share.
Lord, empower our words and actions to be our witness to our families and others. Amen.