Keeping Vigil

Keeping Vigil
Words of Faith 10-25-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Exodus 12
[40] Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. [41] At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord's divisions left Egypt. [42] Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come.

The length of Israel's time in Egypt is a matter of some debate. Here it is said to be 430 years. We hear the same in Galatians 3:17. This varies from some other passages that give the length as 400 years or about 450 years. Then the genealogy of Moses and Aaron only adds up to 215 years in Exodus 6:16-20, but we can see deliberate omissions in that list.
So, let's not get lost in the weeds.
The bigger truth in these few verses is the Lord's vigil over Israel that night. "Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come" (v 42). This becomes the basis for the observance of the Passover.
There is a clear play on the word shamar, which means "watch," "preserve," or "keep vigil." Just as Yahweh watched over Israel that night, Israel was to watch for Yahweh by keeping this feast perpetually. The night was to be observed by all future generations as a "Watchnight Service," for on that night, the Lord "preserved" or "kept" the destroyer from touching them.
God has given His people a variety of ways that we are to "keep vigil." The Passover meal is a powerful remembrance of God's mercy and grace to bring His people out of bondage and set them on a path toward the Promised Land.
Jesus celebrated this Passover Seder supper with His family and disciples. At this meal, Jesus established a new meaning and gave us the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. He did so that we would never forget the great price that Jesus was paying for our sin, to free us for salvation. He gave new meaning to the elements of bread and wine. We also keep vigil with this sacred Supper perpetually until His return.

Father God, may I be found faithful in my acts of remembrance and observance. May I honor the great gift of salvation by grace through faith in my remembrance of the sacrifice of Jesus. Give me times of drawing near to Him. 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.