Passover and Exodus – Exodus 12:1-42

“Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.”
  
The Exodus account is the central event of Old Testament history.   It is the event that defines Israel as a nation, and the series of events that demonstrates God’s unfailing faithfulness to His children.  The Israelites cried out from under the yoke of their oppressors, and God heard them and took action.  For generations, the Passover feast celebrates and reenacts the moments when God reached out with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.


I find it fascinating that God’s instructions for that first Passover included the idea that this would be a lasting feast for generations to come.  God hasn’t actually delivered them yet… Pharaoh hasn’t actually let them go yet… and they haven’t yet crossed the Red Sea.


And yet, God is not only promising deliverance, but He is outlining a yearly celebration of the deliverance that is yet to come.  Before they have been delivered, they are to celebrate the deliverance… and God tells them that this feast is to be a lasting ordinance, a celebration for generations to come.


If you’ve ever skipped ahead to the last chapter of a suspenseful book, you know that you read the story differently if you already know the ending.  In a very real sense, God is allowing Moses and the Israelites to read the last chapter!  They know that they’ll make it through this night of terror because God tells them that they’ll have children and grandchildren with whom they’ll celebrate the feast for years to come.


In the midst of whatever difficulty you’re going through this week… take a moment and flip ahead to the end of the Book… because we know how that Story ends too!