Where He Leads I Will Follow: Right Away!

 

then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshipped. The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.  Exodus 12:27-28

 Obeying God is important. Sometimes, it can mean immediate life or death. Today we look back at the story of the first Passover, when the Angel of Death passed over the homes of the Israelites on the way to execute the plague of the firstborn of Egypt. If the Israelites had blown Moses off, thinking he was wild to have them painting blood on their doorposts and eating in haste because their time in Egypt was just about up, they would come to swiftly regret it!

 Much of the time, when we receive a command from God, either through His Word or from the Holy Spirit, it is guidance for our life, helping us to draw closer to Him or live out the blessings He has for us. Every once in a while, though, we need to obey right away at peril of life and limb. The Israelites experienced the need for this type of immediate obedience during the first Passover. My son experienced something similar a couple of years ago when the Holy Spirit told him he had to get off the freeway right away. Thankfully, he obeyed because shortly after entering the gas station, he collapsed and had a 30+ minute seizure! Had he stayed on the road, I would be telling a very different story today. You can read more about this story in the post I wrote.

 So, why did the Israelites need to paint the blood of a lamb on their doorposts? Could the Angel of Death not tell the difference between an Israelite and an Egyptian? I hardly think so! Rather, this was a picture for the Israelites, and for us, showing that our salvation can only be found through the blood of a lamb, particularly the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. It is under His covering that we are saved from sin and death. It is not because of our heritage or lineage, our grandparents’ faith cannot save us. Just like the Israelites of old, we each must follow the steps that God has laid out for us to accept the free gift of salvation He has provided through the blood of His Son, the perfect, once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sins. What are those steps? One of the simplest expressions of them is through the Romans’ Road if you want to check that out.

 The Israelites were saved both from death and from their slavery to Pharoah and Egypt through this final plague. A terrible price was exacted for their freedom, and you can imagine that they appreciated it all the more for it. But they weren’t just saved from something, they were saved for something else! They were delivered from Egypt and carried into the Promised Land. Now, there were more than a few bumps and detours along the way, they spent 40 years in the wilderness, but eventually, when they were ready, God ushered His people into the land He had promised to their ancestor, Abraham, hundreds of years before. God is a God of His Word and He can be completely trusted. He has never let us down, and He never will! So, if the Israelites were saved from slavery for the Promised Land, what are we saved from and for? That Romans Road I mentioned earlier lays it out pretty clearly. Romans 3:23 tells us that we are all sinners and a few chapters later, Romans 6:23 lets us know that the punishment, or wages, of sin is death. That’s what we’re being saved from, sin and death. And what are we being saved for? That second verse lays that out as well, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We are saved for joyous, beautiful, eternal life with Jesus our Savior in Heaven. What an incredible promise!

Here’s the Thing: When we are led by God to do something, we should not delay. In fact, if we do not obey, that is sin according to James 4:17. Praise God for saving us from sin and death and saving us for eternal life with Him in heaven. So blessed!