The Passover and Exodus

Exodus 12:1-42
The first thing I notice about the 10th plague is that no longer do the Israelites passively participate. God gives them instructions that have them agreeing to their help. During the hail, they had to acknowledge the threat and stay indoors, but other than that they hadn't had to do anything, but today they must participate. In order to be saved they must live according to what God says. They must place the sign of God on their household.

The next thing I noticed was, like yesterday, they are to have a plan for telling the story of being saved to the little ones: Why is this night different than any other night?

What does this plague tell us? This death of the firstborn is horrible to imagine. Do we put ourselves in positions where we ignore all the signs of God in our lives, until finally there is only death? Death of the future? Without these firstborn part of the future is lost, the inheritance due to the firstborn is lost.

It is no wonder the Egyptians are in a hurry to have them leave, and say Go before we are all dead.

Verse 42 says: "It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations."

I have noticed we all like to keep anniversaries, or even smaller remembrance dates 6-months 6-weeks or some such thing to keep the new-ness fresh by remembering the special occasion. This remembering that the Lord asks for, is for our sake. Without that remembering we will forget the grace that was extended. We will not keep the relationship fresh. Today we can ask what makes this day special from any other day?

See you tomorrow
-maggie