January 25, 2006 - Exodus 12-13 and Matthew 16
As I read Exodus 12 and 13 this morning I was overwhelmed by one theme, and it was not the details of the Passover. It was the fact that God made this the first month of the year for the Jews, and He commanded them to keep this Passover as a memorial forever. Why did God put so much emphasis on keeping this observance instead of the details of the Passover? I believe there are at least two reasons. The first reason is that it is so easy for people to forget what God has done. Time washes away what has happened, if we don't make a conscious effort to remember. The second reason is even more important. All of the details of the Passover lamb and observance with the unleavened bread point to Jesus. Therefore, they could not fully understand the significance of the Passover until Jesus came and died for them. That is why remembering and passing it down to their children was so important to God. He wanted them to see eventually that Jesus is the ultimate Passover Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. Jesus' blood will keep us safe from eternal death in Hell, if it is applied to our hearts. What a marvelous lesson, when we see it all together with the rest of the Bible.
Matthew 16 is just as profound, and it is similar. We should take God at His Word. We should not need signs for proof. We should take the signs He gives us and believe in Him. We should beware of people who need more signs to trust God. After all, God reveals Himself to each person in his or her heart. That is what happened to Simon Peter. It was God who showed him that Jesus was the Christ, not man. We should believe God's revelation of Himself to us. However, Peter failed to continue to trust Jesus. He would not consent to His death. He would not listen to the Word of God, so Jesus called him Satan. He said he was mindful of the things of men and not God. How did that happen? He quit believing God's revelation, and he started going by his own logic. That never works. We must remember God's Word and God's works in the past, and we must trust Him, simply trust Him. That is the key to walking with God in this life. Don't make it complicated. Trust God and His Word. Remember what He has done in the past and trust Him for today and tomorrow.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 14-15 and Matthew 17.
Matthew 16 is just as profound, and it is similar. We should take God at His Word. We should not need signs for proof. We should take the signs He gives us and believe in Him. We should beware of people who need more signs to trust God. After all, God reveals Himself to each person in his or her heart. That is what happened to Simon Peter. It was God who showed him that Jesus was the Christ, not man. We should believe God's revelation of Himself to us. However, Peter failed to continue to trust Jesus. He would not consent to His death. He would not listen to the Word of God, so Jesus called him Satan. He said he was mindful of the things of men and not God. How did that happen? He quit believing God's revelation, and he started going by his own logic. That never works. We must remember God's Word and God's works in the past, and we must trust Him, simply trust Him. That is the key to walking with God in this life. Don't make it complicated. Trust God and His Word. Remember what He has done in the past and trust Him for today and tomorrow.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 14-15 and Matthew 17.