Proper 18 / Pentecost 16 / OT 23
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
... when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
-- Exodus 12:13
This is the biblical explanation of the origin of the Passover feast that has been a center of the Jewish faith ever since. The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt and had cried out to God who initiated a process to liberate them. This was the final plague of a series of plagues that God invoked in Egypt to loosen Egypt's control over the slaves. Note the careful ritual that was established to recall this event. The Jewish calendar was arranged to mark this anniversary of freedom as the beginning of a new year. The meal celebrating this event was a family celebration. While the people were eating the lamb, it was clearly a sacrifice to God. The lamb was to be one year old and without blemish. It was to be completely eaten that night. They were to eat it hurriedly and dressed ready to travel at a moment's notice. The blood of the lamb, which bore God's gift of life, was to be painted on the doorposts and lintels of the house. When the final plague began, God would move through Egypt bringing death to the firstborn animals and humans except on those homes in which God saw the mark of the blood. God would pass over those houses. As Jews continue to celebrate this event, they are reminded that they are the people whom God loved and rescued from slavery. This festival reveals a critical aspect of the nature of God. God is willing to get involved to correct injustice. Our freedom is a gift from God and an expression of God's love for us. "You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord."
-- Exodus 12:13
This is the biblical explanation of the origin of the Passover feast that has been a center of the Jewish faith ever since. The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt and had cried out to God who initiated a process to liberate them. This was the final plague of a series of plagues that God invoked in Egypt to loosen Egypt's control over the slaves. Note the careful ritual that was established to recall this event. The Jewish calendar was arranged to mark this anniversary of freedom as the beginning of a new year. The meal celebrating this event was a family celebration. While the people were eating the lamb, it was clearly a sacrifice to God. The lamb was to be one year old and without blemish. It was to be completely eaten that night. They were to eat it hurriedly and dressed ready to travel at a moment's notice. The blood of the lamb, which bore God's gift of life, was to be painted on the doorposts and lintels of the house. When the final plague began, God would move through Egypt bringing death to the firstborn animals and humans except on those homes in which God saw the mark of the blood. God would pass over those houses. As Jews continue to celebrate this event, they are reminded that they are the people whom God loved and rescued from slavery. This festival reveals a critical aspect of the nature of God. God is willing to get involved to correct injustice. Our freedom is a gift from God and an expression of God's love for us. "You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord."
