How Often We Need Reminding - Our God Saves Us

Exodus 12:24–27 (ESV) You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. 25 And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. 26 And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’ ” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

The Passover feast is central to Israelite worship in the Old Testament. It is the most important of the feast and it begins the new year for the people of God. They were to celebrate this convocation as a community every year forever. Think of that! Every year forever!

Why does God instruct them to repeat this feast every year? Because it is a reminder to the entire nation - we are who we are because of God's power and salvation, not our goodness or works!

I think about how God specifically stipulates that AFTER they have possession of the land they are to STILL keep this solemn feast as a people with unleavened bread, roasted lamb and bitter herbs. The prosperity God gives is not to become their boast! All is grace! 

In this chapter, God anticipates the questions the children will ask: Why are we doing this? And the answer would come from someone who raised those children, "We were slaves in Egypt, but the Lord delivered us with a mighty hand." 

This is the command: every older generation was to tell the younger generation - we are who we are ONLY because of God's faithfulness and strength. He made us and not we ourselves.

Imagine if the Church acted like that! Imagine if the older Christians constantly reminded the younger Christians they were only who they were by God's grace and strength. Imagine how wonderful that setting would be for new Christians to enter. Imagine how "inclusive" that setting would be for sinners who are still working a lot of things out in their lives. Imagine how attractive that setting would be for those worn out on the treadmill of trying to make a name for themselves in the fast-paced rat-race of American individuality.

This is the account of the Apostle Paul. Whenever he recounts his life it is never with words suggesting a self-made example of hard work and stick-to-itiveness. The Apostle Paul always lowers himself as he gets older. From "least of the Apostles" in 1 Corinthians 15 to to "least of sinners" in Ephesians 3:8 and finally to "chief of sinners" in 1 Timothy 1 (one of his final letters).

The job of any "mature" Christian is never to feel like they've arrived. The job of a mature Christian is more humble gratitude before God because you've wrestled longer with the old nature and experienced more time under God's grace.

The alternative is an ugly form of Christianity that drives most people from the church.

In our passage, the Israelites responded wonderfully in the beginning:
Exodus 12:28 (ESV) Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

Sadly, the nation would at several places forget the passover. Yet we should also note that whenever great reform came to the nation, it was marked by this feast above all others (See Josiah, Hezekiah). The passover feast reminds God's people that ONLY GOD can make us who we are.

Christians have a table where this is supposed to happen. It's the Lord's Table. We come to it remembering not the death angel but the one who defeated death for us. We come to the table to remember and give thanks (the Greek word for thanks is "Eucharisto").

Let's keep that up!