Tuesday, December 6

EXODUS TO FREEDOM

Exodus 12:31-42

Freedom begins with obedience. The Israelites were in bondage to Egypt. God gives a command to Moses and Aaron to take His people and their flocks and herds and go worship Him. This calls for obedience. The fate of God’s people depends on Moses and Aaron’s obedience. If they had not obeyed then, God would have chosen another. Moses and Aaron told the people how to prepare for the upcoming journey out of Egypt and into the much desired Promised Land.

The Lord called for a holy day named the Passover. This was a day to be remembered for all generations to come. The Lord had afflicted the Egyptians with plagues. The tenth and final plague was the death of the firstborn, whether human or animal, because of the disobedience of the Egyptians. In the event a family would take a lamb and kill it and sprinkle its blood over their doorposts, it would keep the angel of death from killing the house’s firstborn. To kill this precious lamb would also take obedience to God. The Passover lamb represents Jesus. Jesus shed His blood on the cross for us so that death would pass over us, if we believe in Christ. We need to mark our hearts, the doorposts of our being, with the soul-saving blood of Jesus. Now in this, we see a parting away from an old life, and walking towards a new one.

Now the Egyptians, after the coming of the angel of death, were urgent in expecting the Israelites to leave because they saw that God was with the Israelites. The Bible says the Israelites did according to the word of Moses, and borrowed—"for keeps"—the Egyptian’s things of gold, silver, jewels, and fine raiment. The people then took their dough, before it was leavened, and their kneading troughs, and began their exit of Egypt as God commanded them. You see, these verses are full of obedience. God tells Moses; Moses obeys. Moses tells the people, and the people obey. And then the Lord showed all of His favor on the Israelites and blessed them and they spoiled the Egyptians. They obeyed the call and came out of the old and dead life where they were in bondage to sin, and stepped into the new and holy life that they were called to live. They came out of their dead life with great rejoicing and festivity. Here they began their journey that was to take them into the Promised Land of freedom. However, their journey was prolonged in the wilderness because of disobedience. They started out in obedience, but ended in complaining and disobedience.

We must turn to the Lamb of God, who is the only one who can save us from sin, and take us out of our disobedience. May we live for Christ and take up our part in obedience in our generation. Obedience really does bring freedom. Please let God guide your steps this Christmas season in obedience, and then you will have a truly Merry Christmas!

~ Anthony Parrotta