THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #93 | THE LIFE OF MOSES #75
Pastor Christopher Choo
Lesson 3777
THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #93
THE LIFE OF MOSES #75
Lessons From Passover #1
The New Testament has over thirty explicit references to Passover, and over twenty occur in the Passion narratives of Jesus' last week in Jerusalem.
If that were not sufficient to confirm the link to the Lord Jesus, Paul explicitly declared, “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7).
The Passover is more than history; its message is the everlasting gospel. It has lessons for sinners still in sin’s bondage and in jeopardy of the sentence of death, and lessons for saints whose memories need to be stirred to think on the grace that rescued them from bondage and death to liberty and life.
One principal lesson
stands out from the first Passover.
1. PASSOVER IS AN EXAMPLE OF GOD'S SOVEREIGN GRACE
On that fateful night in Egypt, some were going to die and some were going to live.
The death sentence was on all the firstborn in the land of Egypt (11:5), but the Lord “put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel” (11:7).
The question is, why?
Israel was certainly not delivered because of their righteousness.
The Scripture is clear that they were guilty of the same sin and idolatry as the Egyptians (Josh. 24:14; Ezek. 23:8, 19).
They were not delivered because of their afflictions nor because of any inherit worth or potential for they deserved their bondage and they had no merit.
Israel’s bondage pictures the spiritual bondage of every individual, born in sin, held under sin’s dominion and power, incapable of freeing self.
Later, Moses explained directly that God loved them because He loved them (Deut. 7:7, 8). The reason God spared the firstborn in Israel was found within Himself.
The first Passover and every following celebration of it was a reminder of grace. It is a reminder to every believer that the only reason he will not die the death of the wicked is because of grace.
Let us pray.
Father God,
It is difficult to understand Your sovereignty.
For we like to box You in our neat little theological notions of what You should or should not be doing.
Help us to understand that Passover teaches us the hardest lesson of Your sovereign grace in electing the Jews over the Egyptians or for that matter the Gentiles.
It does not seem fair that You love the Jews who are no less idolatrous than the Gentiles at the time of the first Passover.
But that is the very nature of Your sovereignty. You have Your reasons which we are trying to understand.
It is Your sovereign choice and Your choice was based on love.
For salvation is of the Jews and there it extends to the Gentiles - so all are finally included in Your love under the hegemony of Christ our Passover Lamb.
Thank You for this simple yet profound understanding of Your sovereignty.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
N.B.
Today we studied how Passover introduces important theological concepts like the Sovereignty of God
Tomorrow we shall study how Passover is linked to the related concept of Atonement.
Both are important to a fuller understanding of God's love and justice.
Please stay onboard.
