Prelude to Passover

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This is the first message in a series of sermons presented during the Lenten season in which details about the Passover in the Old Testament are viewed in relation to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for our salvation. This message talks about the ways God announces His deliverance and personally participates in it.

Written Excerpts:

Exodus 12:13 ^(KJV)  And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

Introduction:

Do you have a son? If not, do you have a grandson? Or, maybe a brother?

I want you to imagine what it must have been like to be alive in Egypt during the time of Moses. I know it’s next to impossible to truly picture it, because our living conditions today are not even close to what they were then. But think of how exciting yet frightening it must have been to witness all of the plagues God was bringing upon the land of Egypt. Then, imagine the fear and uncertainty after the most “powerful” man overseeing all of those plagues announces the final plague: “God is going to send a death angel over the entire land and kill the first-born son of every family who fails to obey His specific instructions for protection.”

Think about your concern as a parent over making sure you understand and exactly follow the instructions God has communicated to His spokesman, Moses. Imagine the intense excitement, yet anxiety on the evening the lamb for your family is slain, prepared and eaten. Did the blood get applied to the doorway as prescribed? Yes. “Are you sure it was applied?” “Yes, I’ve checked it two or three times.”

On the night of the death angel’s visit to Egypt, the two most important questions on the minds of every Israelite were these:

1. Has the lamb been slain and properly prepared?

2. Has the blood been applied to the door?

I’ve been reading a book titled, “Messiah in the Passover” edited by Darrell Bock and Mitch Glaser. It is published by Chosen People Ministries. I have felt led to do a series of messages during Lent that focus on the Passover story as it relates to Jesus Christ. So, starting today and continuing for the next few weeks, I want to do a series of messages on that theme. I’ll be using material from their book as the basis for these messages.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, I want to talk to you today about some inspiring truths leading up to Passover.

I.     When God plans a mighty rescue He provides prior announcements.

God’s promise to Abraham

Genesis 15:13-16 ^{(NKJV) 13} Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. ¹⁴ And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶ But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."

Estimates on dating by one Bible Dictionary indicates that this moment in Abraham’s life could have occurred between 2080 and 2075 B.C. Estimates regarding the date of the Exodus place it at 1446 B.C.  This means God gives Abraham the first hint about the deliverance approximately 630 years prior to the event!

God’s prophetic words through Joseph

Genesis 50:20, 24-25 ^{(NKJV) 20} But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. And Joseph said to his brethren, "I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here." 

In verse 20, the phrase “to save many people alive” may have reference to both Israelites and Egyptians.

Vv. 24 & 25 “will surely visit you” – same Hebrew word that is used in:

Exodus 3:16 ^{(NKJV) 16}  Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, "I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt;

Exodus 4:31 ^{(NKJV) 31} So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

OT scholars believe that there is an intentional correlation to the meaning of Joseph’s words and Moses’ words.

Prophecies of Messiah 

Plenty of OT Prophecies

Then in NT:

Simeon and Anna

Also, John 1:29 ^(NKJV) The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Just like Joseph “prophesies” the visitation of God in deliverance (and Passover) so John “prophesies” the sacrifice God’s Lamb would make for the sins of the world.

God has already given us announcements about the next really great rescue and deliverance He has planned when Jesus returns as King of kings and Lord of lords.

II.    When God plans a mighty rescue He gets personally involved.

Exodus 6:2-8 ^{(NKJV) 2}And God spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them. I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Therefore say to the children of Israel: 'I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.' "

Author, Robert Walter, informs us that the four promises in verses 6-7 serve as the basis for the four cups used during the traditional Jewish celebration of Passover. (We’ll probably talk more about that in the future.)

Notice the four promises:

1.   I will bring you out.

2.   I will deliver you.

3.   I will redeem you.

4.   I will take you for my people.

Walter Kaiser, in his commentary, explains that all four of the verbs that make up these promises are given in the Hebrew past tense indicating that God is so certain of their accomplishment that they are viewed as having been completed.

Robert Walter – The first two promises, God will bring Israel out and deliver them from Egyptian bondage, speak of how He will physically transfer Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land, and in the process change the status of His people from slave to free.

The third promise – God will redeem Israel. He will repurchase those who previously had belonged to Him.

The fourth promise – God will take Israel to Himself. This points to the close, special relationship that God and His people will enjoy beyond their redemption. Christian and rabbinic scholars see this being fulfilled at Sinai with the establishment of the covenant.

We have said in previous sermons, Israel hadn’t done anything to deserve God’s special blessing. It was purely because of God’s grace that He chose them, even hundreds of years earlier. 

The ancient Passover in Egypt is a clear example of the permanent Passover God provided for our deliverance and rescue from sin. In the redemption God has provided He delivers from the bondage of sin and establishes a covenant with us through the blood of His own Son. That covenant is meant to be a life-long relationship maintained through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion:

Today we have been talking about the “Prelude to Passover.” 

When God plans a mighty deliverance He usually gives plenty of prior announcements about it.

When God plans a mighty rescue He get personally involved and “takes matters into His own hands.” He will exercise His omnipotent power to bring the enemy down and provide a miraculous deliverance for His people.

Why, because God desires a relationship with people. He wants them exclusively for Himself. He will not tolerate any rivals.

In these days leading up to Easter, let us seek the Lord for a closer and closer walk with Him. Let us purpose to not only find His deliverance from “Egypt” (sin) but also find His abiding presence guiding us all the way to “Canaan.”

Our closing song today is A Closer Walk with Thee