Before Israel was to head into the promised land (under the leadership of Joshua), Moses reminded the nation of the mighty power by which God had delivered the Israelites from Egypt, the warnings He had given to encourage faithfulness, the way He had dealt with disobedience and rebellion, the commands He had given on the mountain, as well as the promises associated with the settling into the land, provided the people continued to be mindful of their covenant relationship with God. They were also reminded of the remembrance feasts to be observed at the specified times during the year.
One of the major remembrances was that associated with their deliverance from bondage in Egypt. The Passover was to be observed annually during the month of Abib, the first month of the Jewish sacred calendar. It was to be an abiding remembrance of great significance for the generations to come.
Connected with this observance we read. . .
“(3) You shall eat no leavened bread with it. Seven days you shall eat it with unleavened bread, the bread of affliction — for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste — that all the days of your life you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 16:3 ESV)
The remembrance of those days of affliction were to be remembered along with how — by God’s mighty power — they had been delivered from it. In the heaviness of the unleavened bread was to be a reminder of the heavy hand of Pharaoh while they had lived in that land of bondage.
Jesus is the One Who provided the transition from the Passover observance to that of the Lord’s supper. He provided this new focus in the presence of His disciples the night He was betrayed. Our Lord, Himself, became the “Passover lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7) to adequately provide our salvation and the complete removal of the guilt of our sins. And as we partake of the unleavened bread as we gather on the first day of the week, we are to remember the body of our Lord given in our place. It was for our sins that He was afflicted, as was prophesied by Isaiah. (Isaiah 53:4-7) And it is by Him that we are delivered from the affliction of bondage to our sins.
What a glorious provision we have received from our Lord. Because of Him, we have been freed from guilt. We have been delivered from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:9) We have been set free from the fear of death. May we never forget the remembrance of such a deliverance as we have received!
Have a great day REJOICING IN OUR DELIVERANCE!
Carl
