Bg:
v.1-2 (BKC) This feast was to mark a new age in the history of Israel (the first month, the first month of your year). Though the events in this chapter occurred in the seventh month according to the civil year (which began in September–October) this is the first month in Israel’s religious calendar. This month is called Abib (lit., “fresh young ears” of, e.g., barley). This was when barley was to be harvested (March–April). With a new calendar the Israelites were to receive a new identity as the favored people of the true God
Repeated phrases:
(1) Lamb
In this ordinance, God told Israelites to pick, care for, kill, apply its blood, roast, and eat a lamb. A perfect, male, one year old lamb, a sacrificial v.27 (the substitutionary death ) animal was the main character, which commemorate the Passover event.
(NET) v.27 The fact that this word is used in Lev 3 for the peace offering has linked the Passover as a kind of peace offering, and both the Passover and the peace offerings were eaten as communal meals.
Reflection: Having a sacrifice, a substitute for their lives, and having peace with God were the centers of the nation Israel. What about me? What is my identity? Is having the substitutional death of Jesus and peace with God the center of my life/ministry/what I want others to know?
(2) Household
(NET) The Passover was to be a domestic institution. Each lamb was to be shared by family members.
v.27 the deliverance was remembered in each households. They would worship God together for their deliverance.
Why? Because the parents can teach the children the meaning of the Passover and worship together v.26-27. In other words, family is the unit for education about God in God's design.
Reflection: How can I help other family to achieve that? Teaching children in the church should be just a supportive role to their Christian parents (e.g. Dada and Victor, Nancy, etc).
Details is given to:
(1) The portion
4 If any household is too small for a lamb, the man and his next-door neighbor are to take a lamb according to the number of people—you will make your count for the lamb according to how much each one can eat.
(NET) Each man who is the head of a household was to determine how much his family could eat, and this in turn would determine how many families shared the lamb.
(2) The killing and eating v.6-11
(3) Keeping forever v.24-25
That means they should observe the ceremony when they enter the Promised Land v.25. Do not forget the mercy of God when they settled down.
The responses:
27bThe people bowed down low to the ground, 28 and the Israelites went away and did exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.
Reflection: When Israelites repeatedly celebrated the Passover, they should not just go through the ritual, but have a understanding, obedient, thankful, and worshipful heart. Do not forget about God and His mercy on me. This should not be just a ritual to me neither.
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