WHAT DO YOU SEE?
Being a dad is one of the greatest joys and blessings of my life. Baylee and Hadley have filled my life(Amandas as well) with such fun, joy, and laughter! I remember praying for both of them, and now seeing my answered prayers every day, is a reminder from God that He hears, answers, and honestly expects me to take care of them well!
One thing I have noticed with them a lot lately, is that I see myself in them! They both have developed mannerisms and say phrases that I say. And sometimes that is a good thing, and sometimes it can be a bad thing.
This morning, we finished up reading about the plagues that God had sent to the Egyptians because Pharaoh wouldn’t let God’s people go.(this isnt the main point of the devotion this morning, but when God tells you to do something, and continues to send signs, save yourself heartache and obey.)
The last plague that God sent was the death of the firstborn throughout the land. He told His people in Chapter 12 the instructions of what we call the Passover. I have put the first 14 verses below, so you can gather context as we go through this morning!
Exodus 12:1-14
1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month is to be the beginning of months for you; it is the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month they must each select an animal of the flock according to their fathers’ families, one animal per family. 4 If the household is too small for a whole animal, that person and the neighbor nearest his house are to select one based on the combined number of people; you should apportion the animal according to what each will eat. 5 You must have an unblemished animal, a year-old male; you may take it from either the sheep or the goats. 6 You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembly of the community of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight.
7 They must take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where they eat them. 8 They are to eat the meat that night; they should eat it, roasted over the fire along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or cooked in boiling water, but only roasted over fire—its head as well as its legs and inner organs. 10 You must not leave any of it until morning; any part of it left until morning you must burn. 11 Here is how you must eat it: You must be dressed for travel, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in a hurry; it is the Lord’s Passover. 12 “I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, both people and animals. I am the Lord; I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. 13 The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 “This day is to be a memorial for you, and you must celebrate it as a festival to the Lord. You are to celebrate it throughout your generations as a permanent statute.
As we look at the passover, we can absolutely see Jesus represented and portrayed in the physical aspects of the passover. I want to show you those this morning as we see that Jesus is OUR passover.
1. Jesus is our spotless sacrifice. In verse 5, we see that the Children of Israel are told that they must take an unblemished animal. Why did it have to be unblemished? Because sacrifice had to be the best. Perfect! God demands perfection, and if it was left to us to be perfect, we would all be doomed. None of us are perfect. Never could be. But Jesus was. And Jesus laid His life down, His perfect spotless life, for you and me as a sacrifice for out sin! Because He was perfect, that gives us right standing with God if we accept it!
2. ONLY the blood can save us. In verse 7, they were instructed to take the blood of that sacrifice. Nothing else was going to allow them to be saved. Hebrews 9:22 says
“According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
There is an old song that says “It’s still the blood that saves from sin. It is still the blood that cleanses within. From the highest star in Heaven, to the depths of the sea, it is still the blood of Jesus that brings victory for me.” Nothing else can do what the blood of Jesus can do. It covers us. It cleanses us. It concretely gives us hope! There is power in the blood!
3. The blood must be applied personally. Verse 7 also says that the blood had to be applied to each house. You can’t get by on your mamas knowledge of Jesus. You cant get by on my knowledge of Jesus. It must be personal. it must be internal. You can’t apply the blood for your kids, or cousins, or parents, or friends. You and I MUST apply it PERSONALLY!!
4. The sacrifice must be received fully. I watch a lot of different videos on Tik Tok. One I like to watch is big dogs eating their food, because a lot of them get fed whole chickens or meat with bones in it. Those dogs will eat every bit of that food, including bone and all. In verses 9b-10a they are commanded to eat all of the sacrifice, and not leave any of it. They had to get it all. When it comes to Jesus and the life we find in Him, we need to understand it is an all or nothing thing. Jesus should get all of us. And that should give us joy more than anything, because He knows our faults, failures, and wrongs, and still wants us. He took it all on Himself when He died on the cross!
5. The sacrifice gives way to freedom. The Israelite people were going to be free. They would no longer be in bondage to the Egyptian people. Egypt in Scripture is a picture of sin.(don’t you see the resemblance and picture of being freed from sin because of the blood of Jesus?) We are free, because He was crucified. We have been given an amazing gift, because He gave us His all!
When I look at my children, thankfully most of the time I see their mama! But sometimes, I see myself! If you and I will just look just a bit at Scripture, you will Jesus in A LOT of the stories that we read! Today, may I just encourage you and challenge you to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for you! When you read Scripture, always look and see if you see Jesus in that story! The Bible is just a storybook about Jesus anyway! Be encouraged today!