Passover

After all but one of the plagues had fallen, the last one was announced and people were told how to avoid the death of their first born. There were a set of rules to follow. All who followed the rules were safe. Those who made fun of God and did not obey, had death in their family that night. Those who really cared, were serious about doing each detail that Moses told them to do. They were to find and sacrifice a lamb.

The lamb selected needed to be without spot. Nothing could be wrong with the animal.

The lamb represented Jesus who lived a perfect life. There was nothing wrong with Him. The innocent lamb about a year old, had to be killed and its blood was used to paint onto the door post and over the door. This showed that the people had faith that only Jesus could save them.

Imagine how hard that would have been if the lamb was the favorite pet lamb. It seemed like such a difficult thing to kill an innocent lamb. It was a very difficult thing for Jesus to leave heaven and come and submit to cruel hands and die on the cross for us. Because He loved us so much He went through with this awful experience.

Moses also told them to take a branch of hyssop and dip it in the blood. They were to paint it on the door post and lintel with this hyssop branch. What if they decided to use a branch of the willow tree instead? Each detail was very important. Do you think God had enough hyssop growing in Egypt for each of the six hundred thousand men to pick one and use it? There had been many plagues where grasshoppers ate up green plants, hail smashed crops and most of the green things were gone. Did God miraculously protect the hyssop for this event? God never asks us to do something that is impossible. He always provides a way to do what He has asked.

Hyssop is a plant with a square stem. It is in the mint family. It had a pungent fragrant smell. It tastes a little like peppermint and has many tiny yellow flowers. Its leaves and branches have many little hairs. This is a good plant to hold the liquid of the blood on it. Hyssop is a gray green plant with the scientific name Origanum maru and is known in Palestine as za'tar. This plant was used as a medicine for cleaning the inside of the body.

After the lamb was killed, the blood was put in a bowl. Then the lamb was to be roasted as a whole lamb and eaten. None of his bones were to be broken. All of its flesh was to be eaten. If the family was too small to eat it all, two or three families joined together to eat the lamb and the herbs and the flat bread.

Instead of sitting at the table to eat, they had to eat standing up with their walking sticks in their hand showing their faith that God was going to deliver them that night. (Exodus 12)

Flat bread was to be cooked and eaten. This bread had no yeast in it. Yeast is a symbol of sin. They also needed to make it quickly for they had to be all packed up and ready to flee out of Egypt. For 2 days after baking bread with yeast, the yeast plant is still active and finishing its reaction with sugar. Fermentation occurs and dioxide gas is released during the chemical reaction. Fermentation is a natural symbol of impurity and rotten smelly garbage. This is a symbol for sin. Sin is rotten smelly garbage. It is too bad that it does not make us feel like we do when we smell a dead rotting animal.

We stopped to look at a mother dear who had been killed by a car as it tried to cross the road at the wrong time. The dear had died a long time before we found it. Flies had laid eggs in the dead meat and these had hatched and there were thousands of larva eating the stinky dead meat. The smell was so bad, we felt dirty and in need of a shower. I wish sin was that ugly to us. Yelling, punching, fighting, stealing and lying needs to be repulsive and repugnant to us like that stinking dead animal.

Yeast is a symbol of sin for it moves the whole loaf of bread yet you cannot see it. The influence of bad language is amazing for it changes the thoughts of those who listen.

BITTER HERBS

Bitter herbs were also to be part of the Passover meal. The bitter herbs were to make them remember how bad it was being a slave in Egypt. They hated being beaten if they did not gather enough straw and make enough bricks. They hated having their babies killed. They were tired of building pyramids and large statues for the Pharaoh. They longed for freedom. The bitter herb salad tasted terrible just like the terrible life they had in Egypt.

It is not known exactly which plants were used for bitter herbs in their salads. Later Jews used two varieties of lettuce, a kind of thistle, endive and cress.

Moses had to be very patient with these slaves for they were used to violence and they had so little faith. Whenever trouble came, they blamed Moses. Those who work for God always get the blame.

Shut Door

Another direction was to shut their doors after the lamb was killed, and the blood was on the door and they were all packed up ready.

That night, while the believers in God were eating their lambs, bitter herbs, and flat bread the death angel was doing his work ordered by God. They were not to look out at the neighbors who did not believe. They were not to watch this punishment. It is never good for people to watch children be punished. There is a gleeful look of revenge in the eye of a child who has been hurt as he watches the offender getting his punishment. This is not a good thing. God wants us to pray for the rebellious not rejoice when they are punished.

There were terrible screams at midnight as the firstborn animals, and boys, girls and adults died. There were people dying all around the believers, yet they were not to go outside and look. They remembered each detail of commands was to be obeyed. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Ezekiel 33:11

God's people will not have any pleasure in it either. If you feel any joy you better get on your knees and ask God to forgive you and help you have a heart like His.

Almost Destroyed

The oldest daughter in one home that night in Egypt was very sick. She was too sick to be up watching while preparations were being made for this last night in Egypt.

This is a true story handed down to us of a household in that last night in Egypt. In Jewish culture, the father was to act as the priest of the household and if the father was dead, the oldest son living was to sprinkle the blood on the doorpost. This is a symbol of the work to be done in every family. Parents are to gather their children into the home and present Christ before them as their Passover. The father is to dedicate every person in his home to God, and to do a work that is represented by the feast of the Passover. If the father did not do it, the oldest child was to do this.

As it got dark outside, the oldest daughter became real nervous. What if dad had not put the blood outside on the door. She cried out from her bed where she lay so sick. Her father assured her that the servant had been commanded to do it and it must be already done.

Again and again she called out to her father still asking, "Are you sure that the door has the blood on the post and lintel? Over and over the father assured her that she need have no fears; that a command like this one would not be neglected by his trusted servant. She had no reason to fear.

As the hour of midnight approached, her pleading voice was heard again saying, "Father," and the tears began to flow, "take me in your arms and show me the blood on the door, then I will rest."

The father finally decided there would be no peace in his daughter's heart if he did not take her out there. He gathered up his 12 year old daughter and carried her out to look. But when they looked, a chill went up his spine. He must have gotten the torch to look again. There was no blood on his doorposts or lintel. The little girl screamed. Then her father went into a panic. He did not want to loose his precious daughter. He hurried to find a lamb and gather blood for his door. His hands were shaking. He grabbed the hyssop branch, thankful there was one growing so close to his door he could find it in the dark. He pasted his door with blood. He showed his sick daughter then rushed in and shut the door. Tears were in both their eyes as midnight came. No one died in that home, but it could have been a home of sadness. They must have hugged each other for joy and thanked the sick girl for her whining.

It is really important that the first born urge their family to have worship if the father does not do it or the mother. You can make sure that worship is done if you even have to lead it yourself. Having worship is how we put the blood on our doors. As we read our Bibles, pray and sing, we have invited Jesus to cover us with His blood.

All you need to do is get the Bible and open it after praying for God to be your teacher. Have three book marks. Start by reading a chapter at the beginning of the Bible, one in Psalms and one in Mathew on the life of Jesus. Move your marker to where you end each section and the next day read on from where you left off. All of the Bible is important yet sometimes reading all the names of grandpas and uncles and aunties slows you down. You will always have something interesting if you read in these three different areas of the Bible. By the time you have read from Genesis to Psalms, and from Mathew to Revelation, you will have read Psalms through about 8 times. There are so many good things in the Bible to help you become like Jesus

Is His blood on the door post of your heart? Is His blood on your TV? Is it on your computer internet? How about the book case, is it on all the books your read? If you can honestly say "yes", then you can trust He will protect you during the plagues that are coming.

Now is the day of your salvation. Now is the time to obey God's laws for your happiness.

At midnight everyone who did not obey God and place the blood on their doors had a person die in their family. They had all their first born animals that were left after the plagues of sickness and hail storms, die.

Streets were empty. No one went to work that day. I know what it feels like to have someone die. You have no strength to do anything. Your heart is so heavy it is hard just to walk. The streets were empty while all the Egyptians were sitting sadly by their dead pets and family members. They were in shock. The Hebrews were told to get out fast. The Egyptians were afraid they would all die. The streets were empty while the Egyptians sat in sadness. There was plenty of room for over 600,000 men besides their wives, children, animals and wagons to get out into the streets. Streets were jammed with only Hebrews all organized and headed the same way. OUT TO FREEDOM.

As they passed the huge towers, statues, obelisks, and pyramids, the slaves must have shouted for joy that they did not have to move another brick or make one. They did not have to cut another stone or drag it into place. No Egyptian delayed their exit. They were afraid they all might die. Frightened Egyptians loaded them down with their gold and silver and treasures. It was like payment for some of their years of work.

After they scurried out of the country, the Egyptians began the big job of burying thousands of dead firstborn people and animals. Imagine how the streets looked with all those families having their funerals at the same time. How sad that these had rebelled and not listened to all the warnings and pleadings of God. He gave them so many chances.

The Egyptian children had nothing to do every day but go to funerals of cousins, brothers, or sisters, playmates, uncles, aunts, grandmas or grandpas. They even cried over their dead pets.

It was three days before they decided they wanted the slaves back. They were too busy with their funerals.

You might like to try this flat bread recipe.

5T Whole Wheat flour

1 Tablespoon whole oat flour

1 Tablespoon millet flour

1 Tablespoon rice flour

1 Tablespoon barley flour

1 Tablespoon soy flour

1 Tablespoon of ground pecan nuts

1 Tablespoon of rye flour

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Directions: Mix all these together then add water till dough is sticking together. Add about 1 to 4 tablespoons of water depending on what it takes to stick together. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.