Give Thanks

Give Thanks
Words of Faith 10-19-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Exodus 12
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, [2] "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. [3] Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. [4] If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of Lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. [5] The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. [6] Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. [7] Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. [8] That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. [9] Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire--head, legs and inner parts. [10] Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. [11] This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord's Passover.
[12] "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn--both men and animals--and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. [13] The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

Isn't it remarkable to consider the care with which the Lord planned the redemption of Israel? The remembrance, called Passover, is intricately planned and woven into the event itself. Tearing the Israelites out of the grasp of Pharaoh would happen on a dramatic and painful night that was to be forever remembered.
The Lord set out this new beginning to be the first month of the Hebrew year. This fresh beginning began for each family with a lamb. A spotless lamb would provide the mark of redemption for each home, but this would not be some impersonal sacrifice. The Lamb was taken into the home and cared for. The number of days that the Lamb was in the house was three. The men of the household would go and get the Lamb on the 10th day and then, on the 14th day, would slaughter it.
During these three days, it would be examined for defects, cared for, cleaned, and loved. This is the same number of years that Jesus was among us before He was our Passover lamb and the same number of days He was examined before Israel in the last week.
The marking of the door frame with the blood of the Lamb would serve as a sign to the Lord that a particular house was covered and entrusted by faith to the Lord. These homes were passed over when death came to the firstborn of each house.
Redemption does not come without painful sacrifice. As participants in the New Covenant, we know these events point toward another redemptive event. After centuries of remembering the Passover, Jesus became our Passover Lamb once and for all (1 Corinthians 5:7). We are completely redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect (1 Peter 1:19).
Jesus also was not an impersonal sacrifice. He came and lived among us for a time and we grew to love Him. As a result of the sacrificial death of Jesus, the Lamb of God, the destructive plague of death has passed over us. We are given the gift of Life. In him was life, and that life was the light of men (John 1:4).
The greatest gift we have is this Life that the Lord has provided for us through the sacrificial death of Jesus. Nothing is more precious than the freedom He has won for us from the Egypt of sin and death. There is nothing more powerful than the mighty work of God to bring us out of bondage. Give thanks with a grateful heart.

Father God, I give thanks to You for all that You have done for me. I rejoice in knowing that You have redeemed me and made a way for me to enjoy life eternal. I celebrate the greatest gift of all-- the gift of Your Son, the Lamb. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.