Lessons to Learn From the First Passover.

• The Passover
• Let’s look at the story of the Israelites on the first Passover. 
  • The Passover: Exodus 12
• Lessons to learn from the Passover in the Old Testament. 
  • There are instructions and conditions to be met before deliverance. 
    •  Let me just highlight a few of the ways that we make the Holy Spirit uncomfortable. 
    • Here are some of the ways that you can prepare yourself for your deliverance. 
  • In the instructions, there are conditions that require a clear distinction between you and your enemies. 
  • The third thing is that there is a set time for your deliverance.
  • There is recompense as you ‘Pass over.’
    • The deliverance signifies a new beginning 
• Conclusion

What is Passover and what lessons can you learn from it? How can you apply these lessons to your life? Today we will take a look at all that. But first, let’s understand what Passover is by looking at the story in Exodus 12.

The Passover

 Passover, Hebrew Pesaḥ or Pesach, in Judaism, holiday commemorating the Hebrews’ liberation from slavery in Egypt and the “passing over” of the forces of destruction, or the sparing of the firstborn of the Israelites, when the Lord “smote the land of Egypt” on the eve of the Exodus. Passover begins on the 15th and ends on the 21st (or, outside of Israel and among Reform Jews, the 22nd) day of the month of Nisan (March or April). On these seven (or eight) days, all leaven, whether in bread or other mixture, is prohibited, and only unleavened bread, called matzo, may be eaten. The matzo symbolizes both the Hebrews’ suffering while in bondage and the haste with which they left Egypt in the course of the Exodus. Passover is also sometimes called the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

Passover simply put means overcoming and getting to the other side. Before we can look at the story of the Israelites, let me ask you this, have you been experiencing opposition and oppression for years? Have you felt like you have been going through the same mountain repeatedly? Do you want to experience freedom from all the things that have been holding you in bondage for a long time? Then this word will not only encourage you but get you excited to dream and pray again. 

Let’s look at the story of the Israelites on the first Passover.

The Israelites had been oppressed for 400+ years and it seemed like they were not going to be delivered. Let me backtrack a little.

The Israelites had gone to Egypt to escape the famine that had plagued the whole world. And through Joseph, his brothers, father, mother, and their entire families were saved. In fact, they found favor in the land and were given the best land which was in Goshen( read Genesis41-50). Now years later, after that entire generation had died, there arose a king who did not know much about Joseph or couldn’t care less. Whatever the case was, he felt threatened by the fact that they were numerous and thought they would empower the Egyptians, so what happened was, he decided that they should work for them simply put become their slaves.

So the Israelites were subjected to forced labor. It was while they were going through these, that they cried out to God for deliverance and God heard their cries. 

Many years later the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned under their slavery and cried out. Their cries for relief from their hard labor ascended to God: God listened to their groanings. God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. He saw what was going on with Israel. God understood. Exodus 2:23‭-‬25 MSG

We see that their groanings reached the ears of God and He knew it was time for Him to act. That was how Moses was recruited to deliver the Israelites from their bondage. Unfortunately, the process was no easy thing as the Pharoah at the time was not willing to let them go. There had to be a plague THAT God sent to get his attention. Pharaoh did not crack until the last plague and that is where the Passover comes in. Let’s check it out. 

The Passover: Exodus 12

God said to Moses and Aaron while still in Egypt, “This month is to be the first month of the year for you. Address the whole community of Israel; tell them that on the tenth of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one lamb to a house. If the family is too small for a lamb, then share it with a close neighbor, depending on the number of persons involved. Be mindful of how much each person will eat. Your lamb must be a healthy male, one-year-old; you can select it from either the sheep or the goats. Keep it penned until the fourteenth day of this month and then slaughter it—the entire community of Israel will do this—at dusk.

Then take some of the blood and smear it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which you will eat it. You are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire, that night, along with bread, made without yeast, and bitter herbs. Don’t eat any of it raw or boiled in water; make sure it’s roasted—the whole animal, head, legs, and innards. Don’t leave any of it until morning; if there are leftovers, burn them in the fire. “And here is how you are to eat it: Be fully dressed in your sandals on and your stick in your hand. Eat-in a hurry; it’s the Passover to God. Exodus 12:1‭-‬11 MSG

That was not all regarding the instructions given. But so that it can make sense to us, let’s divide each section into points. This will help us dig a little deeper and learn how we can apply it too. 

Lessons to learn from the Passover in the Old Testament.

There are instructions and conditions to be met before deliverance.

The Israelites had to consecrate themselves and follow a specific diet plan. They could not just eat anything. God instructed them to eat only Unleavened bread. This meant bread without yeast. Yeast has been used to refer to pollution in the Bible. The point to note here is not necessarily the diet plan, but the consecration aspect that God requires from you. It is important that you know as a child of God, you have been translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of Light.

This simply means that you are not to indulge in worldly things that pollute you body which is the Temple of God. The minute you became a Christian, you were branded God’s own creation and the Holy Spirit now lives inside you. So anytime you do anything that’s contrary to what the Bible asks of you, you are violating and polluting your body and making it uncomfortable for the Holy Spirit. Would you want to inhabit a place that makes you feel uncomfortable? Why then do we make the Holy Spirit feel uncomfortable?

Let me just highlight a few of the ways that we make the Holy Spirit uncomfortable.

• Gossiping
• Lies
• Fornication and adultery 
• Going places that do not welcome the HOLY spirit
• Going back to your old ways after you have been saved
• Bitterness 
• Anger and resentment. 
• Jealousy and envy
• Pride and arrogance. 
• Being mean and selfish

These are just some of the things we need to look out for as we are awaiting deliverance. The truth of the matter is that if we do not change, we give room for the enemy to rent us. Remember the enemy is always prowling around looking for someone to devour. The enemy does not care how small the opening, is as long as its there he will take root. And that can hinder you from experiencing your breakthrough. The enemy also accuses us day and night. And when there is a case against you, you can experience some sort of delay in your deliverance. 

As you await your deliverance so that you can step into your new beginning, let me ask you this, have you done the work needed? Maybe you are wondering how you can do the work.

Here are some of the ways that you can prepare yourself for your deliverance.

• Repent of your sins. The truth of the matter is THAT Jesus died for your sins and paid the price. This tells you that when you repent, God has the right to forgive you and He will. He also says that as far as the East is from the West, He remembers your sins no more. 
• Receive God’s forgiveness. It is one thing to repent and a whole other thing to ask for forgiveness. Receive the forgiveness that comes through the finished works of the cross.
• Ask the Holy Spirit for help. The Holy Spirit is always willing and ready to help you deal with all the junk that’s hindering you from moving forward. He wants to show the instructions God has given you. He also wants to show you the strategies you need to take so that you can see it all come to pass. 

Let me ask you this, do you know what God expects of you as you step into your deliverance? Reading the Bible is one of the most important keys that can help you know WHAT God expects of you. The Israelites had to eat their meal a specific way. The same thing goes for you, there is an instruction that is specific to you, that will help your step into your deliverance and breakthrough. This will require you to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and His voice too. In order to recognize when God is speaking, you will need to spend time with Him. It is His sheep that hear His voice and recognize it. Can you discern when God is speaking to you?

In the instructions, there are conditions that require a clear distinction between you and your enemies. 

When God comes to deliver you, what state will He find you in? God asked the Israelites to smear blood on the doorposts. This was for the separation and for the angel of death to clearly identify them. Obviously today, we know that salvation is what sets us apart. And this is made possible through the Blood of Jesus Christ. But it will require you to say yes to Jesus so that you can be set apart and become a part of Him. God because of free will never force you to do anything you do not want to. That’s why salvation is a personal choice. Through salvation, you receive protection as God hides you under the shadow of His wings. As long as you are hidden in Him, God will not strike you when He comes to avenge you. 

“I will go through the land of Egypt on this night and strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, whether human or animal and bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am God. The blood will serve as a sign on the houses where you live. When I see the blood I will pass over you—no disaster will touch you when I strike the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:12‭-‬13 MSG

Now imagine what happened to anyone who decided to ignore this instruction, their firstborn child and animals were killed. The same protection was given to the Egyptians who decided to do what God commanded. This was a foreshadowing of Jesus’ Blood. The protection does not come because of your good work. It comes because you are under the covenant and God never breaks covenants. In fact, it was because He remembered the covenant that He acted. It is vital to know the benefit of the Blood of Jesus as this will help you to discover the benefits and become a part of the people who inherit the blessings and the benefits of the covenant. 

The third thing is that there is a set time for your deliverance.

The Bible makes it clear that God delivered the Israelites on the very day He had set. He had set the day He would deliver them. This goes to show that God is not slow to keep His promises, but He is waiting for the appointed time. 

The Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, God’s entire army left Egypt. God kept watching all night, watching over the Israelites as he brought them out of Egypt. Because God kept watching, all Israel for all generations will honor God by keeping watch this night—a watch night. Exodus 12:40‭-‬42 MSG

Could it be that God is yet to deliver you because it is not yet time? God always hears our prayers, but sometimes He delays in answering them because the set time has not yet come. And maybe the reason why your deliverance is seemingly taking long is that God’s appointed time had not yet come. If you have been crying out to God for deliverance, do not grow weary. Keep pushing because in the end, He will answer and you will experience joy because the strongholds will be completely broken. 

There is recompense as you ‘Pass over.’

God instructed the Israelites to ask for jewelry and all the fine things from the Egyptians. And God gave them favor in their eyes. So in short, they received their wages in full. God will never take you through a season of pain and not reward you. He always wants you to get to the other side and experience restoration

 He is the Restorer and the Redeemer after all. Maybe you have been going through so much pain and agony that you have lost everything. God wants you to know that He will restore everything that the enemy stole from you. Isn’t it interesting to note the same Egyptians that oppressed them were the same ones that rewarded them? God will use your enemies, to bless you. But it requires you to surrender totally to Him so that you can see it all come to pass. Remember the only way it will work is if you follow the leading of God.

The deliverance signifies a new beginning 

God told the Israelites that that month would signify the beginning of the year. And the same will be your portion. When God delivers you, you will not look like what you went through. It will be a new beginning and the beginning of the rest of your life. When Pharaoh promoted Joseph, he did not look like what he had been through. Despite the fact that he had been in bondage for years. It was the same case for Ruth when Boaz redeemed her. Ruth was no longer a widow, but the Co-owner of the very vineyard she had gleaned from. This is one of the most beautiful qualities of God. When He redeems and delivers, you will not look like your past and you will forget everything you have been through. 

Conclusion

As we approach Passover this year, I want to encourage you to allow the story in Exodus 12 to fuel your faith. And for you to believe once again. Where doubt had reined, let faith and hope take over. Jesus is the Passover Lamb. He is your deliverer and you have the opportunity to step into the new because He already paid the price. Follow what He asked you to do and embrace what He has for you. It might tarry, but your deliverance will surely come to pass. And when it does, you will be like those who were in Zion. God wants you to experience His goodness and make you whole.