1-14-15. Make Every Effort To Remember God’s Grace-my devotional

Exodus 12:43 to 13:16                                                           Kevin E. Jesmer

Key verse: 13: 14                                                                        1-14-15

“In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

Part 1: Be Part Of The Community Of Faith By God’s Grace (12:43-51)

In Exodus 12: 43-51 the Lord gives Passover regulations, “43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover meal: “No foreigner may eat it. 44 Any slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised him, 45 but a temporary resident or a hired worker may not eat it. 46 “It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones. 47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate it. 48 “A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat it. 49 The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you.” 50 All the Israelites did just what the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.”

There are several important spiritual principles that can be found in these regulations.

First, anyone participating in the Passover meal must be fully devoted to the Lord and to the fellowship of believers. Look at Exodus 12:41-43, “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover meal: “No foreigner may eat it. 44 Any slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised him, 45 but a temporary resident or a hired worker may not eat it.”  There were lots of foreigners among the Israelites. They came out of Egypt with the Israelites. That was OK. They could be with God’s people in the Exodus. They tasted freedom along with God’s people. They were recipients of God’s grace. But they were excluded from the Passover meal if they were not fully committed to the Lord and the body of God’s people.

It is like this among Christians. God has redeemed us from our slavery to sin. He has saved us from the power of sin and death. He has rescued us from this Fallen world, from the grave and from hell. He has given us grace, forgiveness, clear life direction and a living hope in the Kingdom of God. This was all accomplished through the Gospel. It was all because of what Jesus accomplished though his suffering, death and resurrection. Our conversion, because of the grace afforded us through the Gospel, is our Exodus. We are set free to be children to God.

Jesus is our Passover Lamb. (John 1:29) We are called to remember what he has done for us during the Lord ’s Supper. We eat the bread and drink the wine in remembrance of Jesus. Jesus once said in John 6:52-54, “52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (NIV)

We remember our Lord and Savior until the day he comes again to take us home to the Kingdom of God. The bread we eat represents his body broken for us. The wine represents his blood spilled out upon the cross for us. When we partake of the Lord’s Supper we repent of known and unknown sins. We accept God’s grace of forgiveness. We take Jesus into the very core of our being…our heart, mind and soul. We internalize Jesus. He fills us with his presence. We are his and he is mine. In order to properly partake of the Lord’s Supper we need to surrender to Jesus. We need to come to him in humility and with thanksgiving.

Anyone who is not a Christian, or who is not seeking to know Jesus, or are stubbornly holding onto sin, or are not inclined to have Jesus being their all in all, can never partake of the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner. They just don’t “get it”. They are like a temporary resident or a hired worker. (45)  In fact the Bible has a warning for those who try to partake in the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. 1 Corinthians 11:26-29 read, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.” (NIV)

That is why I believe that God told the Israelites that the foreigners could not eat the Passover meal without their whole family being circumcised. Look at verse 48, ““A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat it.”  It does not mean that they could not eat the Passover. It means that they needed to plunge in and make the God of the Israelites their own God. They needed to devote their all to the God who redeemed them from slavery in Egypt. Then they become Israelites and they can eat the Passover. Likewise, anyone who comes to Jesus by faith can become one of God’s people. They can partake of the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner. God extends his hands of grace to all peoples’ of all nations.

Second, partaking of the Passover was not a private affair, but a community affair. Look at verses 46-47, “It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones. 47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate it.” (NIV)  The people could not just prepare a lamb feast in the privacy of their own tents and eat it alone or just with their nuclear family. They needed to come out of the privacy and the comfort of their own homes and prepare the feast and eat it all together. It brings all people of all racial, economic, social, and educational and spiritual levels together to worship the Lord.

How easy it is for us to bypass the fellowship of believers. We only think that our faith is a personal affair that we partake in privately. If they could, there are some people who would make church an event that they only watch on television and they get the Lord’s Supper sent to them in the mail or make their own in their kitchen. God knows our tendencies. And so he told the ancient Israelites to come out of their house and celebrate the Passover as a community. The same goes for Christians today. We need to make the effort, in the midst of our business, in the midst of cold weather, in the midst of a myriad of inconveniences, we need to deny ourselves and join the community of believers to at least share in the Lord Supper. It is just that simple.

Part 2: Commemorating God’s Grace Through Two Events (13:1-16)

There were two ceremonies which God gave his people to remind them of his grace in delivering them from Egypt. First, every firstborn male, whether man or animal, was to be consecrated to the Lord and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

First, the consecration of the firstborn male.  Look at Exodus 13:1-2, and verses 11-16, “The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”

Verses 11-16, “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised on oath to you and your ancestors, 12 you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord. 13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons. 14 “In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’ 16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

The firstborn male of every type of creature belongs to God. The first born of each animal, except the first born male donkey, was to be sacrificed to the Lord. The first born male donkey could be redeemed by the sacrifice of a lamb in its place. (I guess sacrificing one’s mode of transportation and livelihood, the donkey, was not required.) If there is no lamb then the neck of the first born male donkey should be broken and thus sacrificed. The firstborn son of the Israelite family must be redeemed by a lamb sacrifice.

Such an act required faith. It is not easy to sacrifice the first born male of each female of your livestock. Why not give a sickly, hundredth born male and sacrifice him, after you know that many more males will be accepted? But God was asking them to sacrifice the strongest and the first. This takes faith.

Such an act was an exercise in deeply remembering the grace of God. It was a reminder. This command, coupled with the costly sacrifice, was not easy to forget for to make the sacrifice, people would have to prepare before hand.

It was a sacrifice that honored God. It costs the giver something. King David wanted to make a sacrifice and so he came to a man and inquired about his threshing floor to make a sacrifice.  The man wanted to give the threshing floor to David for free. Read how the conversation unfolded in 1 Chronicles 21:23-25, “Araunah said to David, “Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this.” 24 But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.” 25 So David paid Araunah six hundred shekels of gold for the site.”  From this I can see that when we make a sacrifice to the Lord, we can not offer the Lord a sacrifice that costs us nothing. It is like, we can’t just take a couple pennies out of the sides of our couch and fling them at God, thinking that we have made an offering. An offering should be worthy of God. And the first born male of the livestock and lambs were worthy of God.

What is the principle here? Of course we are not going to sacrifice lambs and our newborn pets. I believe the point is that God wants us to remember his grace of deliverance that we have been given through the Gospel. God’s grace came at a great price, the suffering and death of his One and Only Son. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is our Deliverer and Redeemer. It is because of Jesus that we are forgiven and set free to live a new life with a living hope in the kingdom of God. We must never forget this grace, regularly reminding ourselves. May God help us to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. (2 Tim 2:1) May God’s grace have first place in the heart and life of every family, starting with my own heart.

Next, the feast of unleavened bread. Look at verses 3-10, “Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast. 4 Today, in the month of Aviv, you are leaving. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ceremony in this month: 6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the Lord. 7 Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. 8 On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. 10 You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.”

The ancient Israelites were to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. On the night they were delivered they had to move quickly. They couldn’t wait around for the bread to rise before baking it. Time was of essence. When God told them to leave, they needed to leave. And so they baked bread for the journey without yeast. It would not have air bubbles. It would be firm flatbread.

Not having yeast is to commemorate the grace of God, that comes quickly, like a flood. Yes, the Israelites were in slavery for 400 years. There was a purpose for that. The 400 years was like an embryo in womb waiting nine months to be born. After the 400 years of suffering in slavery, a new nation comprised of people of faith would be born. The birth came quickly. After many plagues and the constant pleas by Moses and Aaron, “Let my people go!”, Pharaoh finally relented and let the 3 million Israelites go free. The letting go of the 3 million people was like the opening of a spigot on a dam. Nothing could stop the water from flowing. It was illustrated in the 2014 movie, “Exodus” as the people were shown literally pouring out of their shanty towns. That part of the movie made me shed tears, because I could see what God was accomplishing through this great release, the coming of Jesus and the Gospel into the world.

God’s grace poured into my heart like a flood 28 years ago. I was a 22 year old new grad from college. I did not believe in Jesus. I was a hedonist who did not think about Jesus and spiritual things.  I had no problem with that. But at least I was interested in Christianity. At a Bible conference at MSU (Michigan State University) we studied the lives of people in John’s gospel who were touched by the love of Jesus. I could see that the Bible was something deeper than any human being could every produce. I was amazed by the very real solutions that Jesus gave for human problems. I faced the fact that there was every reason to believe and no reason to not believe. A short conversation with a missionary about what the Bible said about marriage, was the proverbial straw the broke the camel’s back. I repented of my unbelief. Jesus forgave me of all my sins. The Holy Spirit occupied my heart like flood and I became a child of God. Just like that my darkness was turned to day. I was born again. Jesus called me to come out of the world and follow him. The outpouring of his grace was quick. He maintains me along my life’s journey. Thank you Jesus!

Not having yeast could also mean that they people of faith need to move when God tells them to move. When God calls us, there may not be time to fully prepare. Think about Lot and his family. God told them to get out of Sodom and don’t look back. They left everything behind and fled to the mountains. But Lot’s wife was not ready to pick up her skirt and run. She looked back thinking about all the things she left behind. And do you remember what happened? She turned into a pillar salt. (Gen 19:26) When we answer God’s call it is like putting our hands to the plow. Look at Luke 9:61-62, “Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” 62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (NIV) The young man in this passage was called to follow Jesus. He hesitated to answer Jesus’ call. He was allowing yeast to permeate his heart.

God has called me to be his disciple in 1986. It was a dramatic calling. I shed tears in a dorm room of Michigan State University when the epiphany of the Gospel flooded into my heart. It was such a spiritual release. I was overcome with emotion. I was literally born again with a new hope in the Kingdom of God and a new life direction to live for the glory of God and share his life giving Gospel as I  move forward on my pilgrimage to the kingdom of heaven where I will dwell with Christ forever and ever. But it all began with a call, “Follow me!” I could have tarried. I could have hesitated, and in so many ways I did. My hesitation was like yeast. I wanted to take the time for dough to rise before baking it and leaving my old life behind. But God had mercy on me. He forgave me of my “yeast-y-ness” and helped me to follow Christ.

A person may have answered Jesus’ call to be a disciple with very little hesitation at the beginning of his life of faith. But later in life, they begin to hesitate following Jesus. They reject the pull of the Spirit of God. This is like yeast permeating their lives. This is serious business. Look at verse 7, “Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders.”  Responding to the call of God is a lifelong exercise, not just a sentinel event.

God wanted all future generations to remember his grace poured out. Look at verse 8-10, “On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. 10 You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.” (NIV) Read also 13:14. “In the days to come, when your son asks you, “What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

What a better way to commemorate something than to make a compulsory public holiday of it and instructing the youth? That is what God wanted the Israelites to do. They could remember God’s grace for thousands of years by teaching their children that God is the almighty God who redeemed them from slavery, loves them and wants to work through them for great and glorious purpose.

God’s people of every generation must plant a sense of the history of the grace of God in their children. We do this with our holidays like Christmas and Easter and Thanksgiving Day. We also teach our kids in Sunday School and also through teachable moments at home. Parents could share their life testimonies to their kids. They could also tell about how God has blessed their family over the years. There are so many creative ways to pass the Gospel onto our kids.

I pray for wisdom to pass the Gospel onto my kids. I am little disconnected and disengaged lately for a myriad of reasons. But it is my responsible that the Gospel may be planted  this young hearts, that they may know Jesus, be blessed, bear the fruit of righteousness and gain eternal life. But also so that they may pass on Gospel faith the next generation too.

I am really inspired by the fact that there are young people actually asked their parents, ““What does this mean?” They were asking, what does the grace of God and the deliverance of God mean?  Wow! That would blow my mind. I have never heard a child ask that question. I realize that the Jews have instituted this question into their religious practice, so that when the oldest son asks it at the Passover meal, he be just automatically asking it with thought. But how nice it would be for our kids to have the heart of the boy Jesus in the Temple or little Samuel. Mostly kids remain quiet, struggling with world. I would totally faint if a child asked me that question. I pray for the young people of our nation to ask deep and inquisitive questions, searching for the deep meaning of God’s grace of deliverance.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your redeeming grace. May this be forever on my heart and lips. Help me to tell the next generation and the next and the next about your amazing love.

One Word: Always remember the grace of God.