Nougat 2

Hello

Our reflection on the Passover ends today; and so, it’s a long chew. For me however, today’s Holy Nougat helps us understand the connection between the First and Second Passovers.

““Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight.

But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Then your children will ask, ‘What does this ceremony mean?’ And you will reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt..’” Exodus‬ ‭12:6, 13, 26-27‬a ‭NLT‬‬

“He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.” Luke‬ ‭22:19-20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Again I remind us that the Passover is God’s gift to us. Our commemoration of the Feast represents relationship, obedience and humility/gratitude. It is about our relationship; because we dare to recognize God’s mercy and love and observance is claiming that relationship of God as Savior-Redeemer. Subsequently, we acknowledge that it is God’s gift, offered even BEFORE the fulfillment of the Passover promise; our obedience says we accept God’s sovereignty and yield ALL to God’s care. And in yielding; we humble ourselves before God; grateful for the gift of Life.

‘What life?’, you might ask. I’m so happy you asked. For the Hebrews and whoever else smeared that Blood upon the doorposts; it was life outside of Egyptian slavery. (And yes, they missed the mark that first generation; but they benefited from the freedom). For us, the recipients of that second promise (covenant), we gain Abundant Life through our faith in Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, the Passover ceremony/act required

• the slaughtering of a spotless lamb (ie in good health, and without scarring etc)

• the collection of the lamb’s blood and

• the mark of the lamb’s blood over the door of the houses

In so doing the angel of Death would know that all inhabitants were Believers – they were Hebrews who believed that God would do as promised. I suspect that some Egyptians, like Moses’s adoptive mother, might also have protected her home but who knows?)

We note that those criteria hold true for the First and Second Passover. In the First, several lambs and birds were slaughtered according to the size of the households. But the Second Passover only required One lamb: Jesus our Messiah (Christ). The First Passover involved liberally and literally marking the frames of the doors; and that saved the entire household; the Second is about the Doors of our Souls; an individual decision.

The Passover meal was repeated annually, and was open to non-Hebrews in their midst; the Passover Covenant is to be re-enacted ‘as often as’ we ‘can in memory of’ He Who became sin for us.

The Promise and the New Covenant. Both ratified in Blood. Both offered by a God Who loves us so so much. Both inviting us to Life in Fullness.

Will we accept?

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May all we seek be found in Christ