“And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are; and when.I see the blood, I will pass over you and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.”
Exodus 12:13-14 KJV
The event of the Passover was the defining moment in the History of the Jewish people. It was the moment when God fulfilled one of His great promises to Abraham. It was the culminating moment of their deliverance from their bondage in Egypt. It was the moment that Israel became a nation (Gen.12:2). Israel had entered Egypt as a collection of 70 souls. (Gen.46:27). Four hundred years later they came out as a nation of 2 to 3 million people! And they came out with the wealth of Egypt; 400 years of back wages that God provided for them from their enemies. (Gen. 15: 14-15; Ex. 12: 35-36).
Because of this momentous event, the Lord instructed Israel to establish the Passover as a memorial throughout their generations. They were instructed to “keep it forever”. They were to keep it each year. The purpose was to remind the succeeding generations of the faithfulness of God who had worked powerfully on their behalf.
The Lord established seven different feasts to be observed and celebrated throughout the year in the life of Israel. The purpose of those feasts was to serve as a memorial; to help them to remember. The succeeding generations were to keep them so they would never forget the goodness of God.
Because it is easy to forget, we need memorials as well. It is important to remember and celebrate those moments of God’s intervention in our lives. Such moments as when He saved us from our sin; made provision for us; protected us; ministered healing to us or to our loved one; or revealed His Presence to us in a time sorrow and loss. Those are benchmarks of faith. We should never forget them. They are given to us to help us remember that the Lord is with us. Always!
Rev. James W. Black
A note about the image
This is a picture of a Jewish man touching a Mezuzah as he enters a Jewish home or synagogue. A Mezuzah is a beautiful and special Jewish ritual object used to mark the doorposts of Jewish homes. Originating in the Torah, mezuzahs consist of two parts – the mezuzah case and the mezuzah parchment scroll called a klaf. The klaf contained inside the case is inscribed with specific Hebrew verses: sections of the Shema prayer beginning with the famous words, Shema Yisrael. The word “mezuzah” literally means “doorpost,” and it’s a Jewish door ornament used to fulfill the commandment for Jews to hang the words of the Bible on their doorposts. They also serve to remind those entering and leaving of the covenant between God and the Jewish people.
