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September 15 Daily Devotional

(Monthly Theme: Exodus)

Passover

Rev. Andrew Kuyvenhoven

" '... when I see the blood, I will pass over you.' " —Exodus 12:13

Bible Reading

EXODUS 12:1-13

Devotional

The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for four hundred years when God delivered them. That night they ate their Passover meal. Bitter herbs were on their tables to remind them of their bitter slavery. Unleavened bread reminded them they were in a hurry to leave. For that reason they also ate standing up, staff in hand. But the main course of the meal was the Passover lamb. Their houses were marked by the blood of this lamb. By eating this lamb, they experienced communion with the One who delivered them.

Ever since that night, Passover has been celebrated to remember this deliverance. It is called Passover because the judgment of God "passed over" the houses of all those who had the blood of the lamb on their doorposts.

This great salvation story of the Old Testament points forward to the salvation proclaimed in the New Testament, for God is coming again in judgment. No mansion will be missed, no apartment dwelling will be overlooked, no hut will be skipped. But the judgment will "pass over" all the families who have communion with the blood of the Lamb, that is, all the households that belong to Jesus.

That's the reason you must not remain in your sins until judgment day. God hates sin so much that his Son had to die on the cross to pay for it. So the first thing you must understand is that you are a sinner, and God hates sin.

You must also believe that this judgment on Jesus was designed to save you. You must believe the picture of the Old Testament and the gospel Word of the New Testament, which together say of Jesus: "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). God loved us so much that his Son died to save us.

Now God invites us to celebrate the Passover in the New Testament sense: we may have communion with Jesus Christ and his people. We escape the slavery of sin and the curse of judgment. We are free to serve our God, and we are traveling to the promised land.

REFLECTIONS

How does thinking of the sacrament of communion as "Passover in the New Testament sense" deepen the meaning of the sacrament for us?


Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.

 

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