Passover was an ingenious command of God because He used it for so many purposes.
First, Passover protected the people of Israel from the plague suffered by the Egyptians. The death of a firstborn was a particular blow in the days when firstborns carried special significance and enjoyed special status. For Pharaoh, it meant the death of the heir to the throne. Blood – specifically, the blood of a lamb – on the doorposts is a strange idea, but it was the way God provided for their relief, and that’s all that mattered. Those who adhered to God’s way saved their firstborn; those who didn’t, lost theirs. Sovereign, Almighty God has the power to have the only opinion that matters in the relief from judgment.
Second, Passover fed the people just before they left, with fortifying food that wouldn’t weigh them down. They were ready to go when they received word. And they didn’t leave a mess behind in their haste. I delight in little details like that and what they reveal about God.
Third, Passover ensured that the people would remember this event. The remembrance would include
- their slavery in Egypt. It is important to remember what life was like before God’s intervention on their behalf, because it is a picture of what life would be like now without His intervention. Hopefully that remembrance drives them to embrace God.
- the judgment of which God is capable. This remembrance would serve to prevent their taking God for granted.
- His mercy toward anyone who will obey Him. This remembrance should not only drive them closer to God in love as they recall and reflect on His mercy to them, but also remind them of the importance of obedience. It might serve as a renewal of a commitment to God.
- His amazing power that brought them out of slavery. This remembrance would give them cause to celebrate God in praise, which is an important foundation upon which a relationship with God is built.
- their foundation as a nation under God’s leadership. Remembering the history of their nation’s founding would direct them back to the path from which they may have strayed.
All were very important for them to remember, and they are important for us to remember as well. Although it is incredible to think that they would forget such a thing, history shows that it is possible, in that Egypt does not remember it.
Remembrance of God’s work on our behalf is very important to Him, for it gives us cause for praise and thanksgiving, it helps us to know Him better, and it gives us encouragement and endurance. For these reasons Satan does not want us to remember, and he will try to snatch away from us memories of encounters with God that we think we couldn’t possibly forget. I can attest to this, for once I had an amazing encounter with God that was absolutely unforgettable. Incredibly, I would have forgotten about it in the stress of grief and pain of loss, had I not later found the account recorded in a journal. We must take a lesson from God’s institutionalization of the Passover celebration, and choose to make a way to remember our encounters with God.
Fourth, Passover gives us an object lesson for what Messiah has done for us. Jesus was crucified at Passover. God was preparing a way for us to gain a measure of insight into what His death accomplished for His New Testament people, through this account and His establishment of the institution of its remembrance. Can you spend a few moments prayerfully reflecting on what Passover teaches about what Jesus has done for you?