The Jewish people are currently celebrating Passover, which ends Sunday evening.
Passover is a Biblical feast that God instituted as an everlasting memorial for all generations to forever remember God’s deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 12:14).
Exodus 12:25-26 says,
“It will come to pass when you come to the land which the Lord will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’” So the people bowed their heads and worshiped.”
Notice in the above passage, the intrinsic link between observing this feast and the Covenant Land that He would give to the children of Israel, “just as He promised”.
The Jewish people would not be in the land of Israel today if they had continued to live in bondage under the antisemitic regime of Egypt’s Pharoah. But God is faithful to keep His Covenant and still today holds to account those who persecute the Jewish people and deny Israel’s right to dwell safely in the land of their inheritance.
GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES
It is God’s promise to Israel that should cause Christians without any hesitation to support the Jewish people’s existence in the land of their inheritance and their right to live safely and securely. Israel’s jihadist enemies seek Israel’s destruction. The UN attempts to delegitimise the Jewish connection to the Land. Politicians cower in appeasement to those who have antisemitic motives. But God has not rescinded His Word that the Land of Israel is part of the Jewish people’s inheritance. God keeps all His promises to His people.
The Jewish people don’t occupy the Land – they own it. The State of Israel is a fulfilment of God’s promise to His people that the Lord will give them the land, just as He promised.
We are witnessing this incredible fulfilment in our days. But we are also living in days of great challenges for the Jewish people. There are 59 hostages that remain in captivity in Gaza – it is unclear how many remain alive. This Passover we renew our commitment to pray for their release – LET MY PEOPLE GO!
HIS AUTHORITY
When the Lord told Moses to approach Pharoah for the first time, He renewed His covenant to the Jewish people, reminding them about the land given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as a heritage forever:
“I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.’”
Exodus 6:7-8
This Passover we pray for the Lord to increase our faith and to give us courage coupled with wisdom. Moses approached Pharoah with boldness because of the Covenant reminder that God gave him upon the commission. We therefore do not advocate for Israel and the Jewish people in our own strength, our own wisdom, or in our own authority. We act in accordance with God’s Word in His strength, His wisdom and His authority.
DEBT OF GRATITUDE
In Exodus 12:26, we read how Israel must give a response to their children when asked about the meaning of the Passover. If the Jewish people had not faithfully continued telling generation after generation about the miracle of Passover, Jesus and His disciples would not have been participating in the remembrance the night before Jesus was crucified.
Therefore, Christians owe a debt of gratitude to the Jewish people for their obedience in telling their children about the Lord’s deliverance from Egypt. Had this observance not been faithfully passed on, we as Christians would not be able to receive such precious revelation of Christ becoming our Passover Lamb. Today, let us give thanks for God’s provision to us “just as He promised”, and be faithful to tell future generations of the marvellous works of the Lord.
