Easter - Day 04
Day 04 - Thursday, March 28
Read Exodus 12
Highlight
Whether you have been around church for a long time or you just started coming, you have likely heard from the stage or read in the Bible words or concepts that seem difficult to grasp.
You are not alone - Passover Festival is one of those Bible celebrations that I always heard about but did not fully understand. As I grew up, I can remember Easter services, kids small group discussions, and the story of the Exodus all talking about Passover and the death of the firstborn. It did not make a lot of sense to me, and as a kid, I was just glad to be the second born in my family. Jokes aside, I was surprised to find that the actual festival and explanation is far simpler than I thought. It is a historically important event, worthy of remembrance, yet the actionable festival is sacredly simple.
For the first Passover - God directs each Hebrew family to select a perfect, unblemished year old lamb to be sacrificed in place of their firstborn. This sacrificial lamb is to then be eaten in haste and in your traveling clothes out of faith knowing God is about to deliver you out of Egypt. There will be no time to pack, no time for leftovers, and no ability to receive what was lost - your firstborn son - if you did not partake in the splashing of blood on your doorframe for when the Lord’s angel passed over your house. That first Passover was important, the event had a high cost.
Yet, it is the remembrance each year of that first passover in Egypt that is to remind the people how far God has carried them. An entire nation is mourning, because of the death of their firstborns. While another nation has been delivered from the same consequence, because they obeyed God and sacrificed a lamb to take their place.
While at first the Passover Festival seemed like a difficult concept. I slowly began to connect where God had used the Exodus story of the first Passover to foreshadow His redemptive plan for all nations.
Reflection & Prayer
For this reading plan we will be using a tool to guide our study of Scripture that’s called the S.O.A.P. Method. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. We recommend you use a journal with this method and write out your thoughts on each of these areas for each day of reading. It doesn’t have to be long-winded and you don’t need a fancy journal. But for anyone that has not journaled before, the benefit is that it often helps us focus and avoid distractions during prayer and Bible study.
S.O.A.P. Method
Scripture - Pick a verse or two that stood out to you and write it in your journal. Be looking for a “Holy Spirit Highlight.” What did you read and think “I needed to hear that” or felt like it was written just for you?
Observation - Now write some observations about the verse(s) or passage. What is this passage or verse saying? About God? About people? How is Jesus revealed in these verses?
Application - Now write a few sentences on how this passage applies to your life. Is there truth about God that you are to believe? A promise to receive? Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something you need to do or stop doing in light of God’s truth?
Prayer - Now write out a prayer to God in response to this Scripture. This is a way to turn God’s Word to you back to Him. Be honest and express your heart to Him. God always listens and He delights in your prayers. (Psalm 34:15; Proverbs 15:8)
Read Exodus 12
Highlight
Whether you have been around church for a long time or you just started coming, you have likely heard from the stage or read in the Bible words or concepts that seem difficult to grasp.
You are not alone - Passover Festival is one of those Bible celebrations that I always heard about but did not fully understand. As I grew up, I can remember Easter services, kids small group discussions, and the story of the Exodus all talking about Passover and the death of the firstborn. It did not make a lot of sense to me, and as a kid, I was just glad to be the second born in my family. Jokes aside, I was surprised to find that the actual festival and explanation is far simpler than I thought. It is a historically important event, worthy of remembrance, yet the actionable festival is sacredly simple.
For the first Passover - God directs each Hebrew family to select a perfect, unblemished year old lamb to be sacrificed in place of their firstborn. This sacrificial lamb is to then be eaten in haste and in your traveling clothes out of faith knowing God is about to deliver you out of Egypt. There will be no time to pack, no time for leftovers, and no ability to receive what was lost - your firstborn son - if you did not partake in the splashing of blood on your doorframe for when the Lord’s angel passed over your house. That first Passover was important, the event had a high cost.
Yet, it is the remembrance each year of that first passover in Egypt that is to remind the people how far God has carried them. An entire nation is mourning, because of the death of their firstborns. While another nation has been delivered from the same consequence, because they obeyed God and sacrificed a lamb to take their place.
While at first the Passover Festival seemed like a difficult concept. I slowly began to connect where God had used the Exodus story of the first Passover to foreshadow His redemptive plan for all nations.
Reflection & Prayer
For this reading plan we will be using a tool to guide our study of Scripture that’s called the S.O.A.P. Method. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. We recommend you use a journal with this method and write out your thoughts on each of these areas for each day of reading. It doesn’t have to be long-winded and you don’t need a fancy journal. But for anyone that has not journaled before, the benefit is that it often helps us focus and avoid distractions during prayer and Bible study.
S.O.A.P. Method
Scripture - Pick a verse or two that stood out to you and write it in your journal. Be looking for a “Holy Spirit Highlight.” What did you read and think “I needed to hear that” or felt like it was written just for you?
Observation - Now write some observations about the verse(s) or passage. What is this passage or verse saying? About God? About people? How is Jesus revealed in these verses?
Application - Now write a few sentences on how this passage applies to your life. Is there truth about God that you are to believe? A promise to receive? Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something you need to do or stop doing in light of God’s truth?
Prayer - Now write out a prayer to God in response to this Scripture. This is a way to turn God’s Word to you back to Him. Be honest and express your heart to Him. God always listens and He delights in your prayers. (Psalm 34:15; Proverbs 15:8)
Posted in Easter 2024