A Sign For You

 

Exodus 10:1-13:16, Bo “Come”

As is usually the case, there are just so many points that I could run with in this week’s reading.  In this section of scripture, we find the final three plagues.  We are introduced to the Passover.  We see God killing the first born of all the Egyptian children.  We can make the connections to Yeshua on the cross as the “unblemished” lamb of God.  We could enter into a debate as to whether or not these events pointed toward Him, or if He and His work on the cross are pointing back to these events.  We could use this debate to discuss what it is to have “faith” in Him, to be His, to trust in Him, and to walk in accordance with His ways.  All of this could lead us into a discussion of what walking in “faith” prior to Yeshua looked like and how this walk of “faith” relates to our current “faith” walk.  We could talk about how the children of Israel had “light” in their homes when everything else was so dark that it had an oppressive “feel” about it.  We could talk about God hardening Pharoah’s heart, and the list of potential topics just keeps going.

In the end, as I approach what I am about to share, from what I believe to be the epicenter of this section of scripture, maybe some of these things will naturally flow into the discussion.  For me, the thing that is jumping out the most is found in Exodus 12:13.  Here is how it reads in the NASB:

“The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”

As I read this, my mind immediately went back to Exodus 3:13 when Moses saw God in the burning bush.  It was then that Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” (Exodus 3:13 NASB)

What I am seeing is something that I believe to be very important.  You see, here, in these later chapters, after God has revealed Himself to these people in a way that He had not revealed Himself to the earlier generations, He is telling them something very important.  Something that is like a string that is laced through this entire section of scripture.  What He is saying is, “it isn’t just about me”.  What I hear God saying is, “I want you to know who you are just as much as I want you to know who I AM”.

In last week’s readings we were introduced to the “name” that God wanted the children of Israel to know Him by.  But it really isn’t about the “name”, it is really all about the character.  I do understand that in the Hebraic, names are VERY important and if we understand the name, we understand the character behind the name.  For me, this is the most important part of last week’s parsha.  This is what I was attempting to capture in what I shared.  The point is, God was about to reveal Himself to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in a new way.  Last week’s blog was all about what aspect of His character He intended to reveal, and how those aspects of His character manifest within the dynamic of the relationship between Him and His people.  Moving into this week, I am seeing another really important aspect of what God was attempting to reveal about His character, what it is to be His, and what it looks like to walk in the confidence and freedom that He desires “His children” to walk in.

In Exodus 12:13 we find God telling Moses to tell the people “The blood shall be a sign for you”.  On the other side of the coin, we find several verses where God, through Moses, is saying just the opposite to Pharaoh.

In Exodus 8:23 we hear him saying that when He puts the plague of flies on the land that He would put a division between “My people and your people” (Exodus 8:23 NASB).  This theme continues into Exodus 9:4 where we see Him saying He will “make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt” (NASB).  Finally, in Exodus 11:7 when speaking of the death of the first born, He says so “that you may understand how the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.” (NASB)  In all of this, I hear God basically saying, “Pharaoh, all these signs are intended to show you that you are not mine, Israel is, you are not.”

What really hit me hard is what Moses is relaying from God regarding who would be impacted by this last and final plague.  In verse 11:7 He says, “all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well.” (NASB)

What is really important to note is that the distinction is not between what we would tend to see as good and evil, or even between what we would consider innocent or guilty.  The distinction line is, who is His and who is not; He sets His distinction between the Children of Israel and those that are not.  This is what is really hitting me in this week’s reading that God is revealing to this generation that I do not believe that He had revealed to any other. 

For this generation, He is saying, I am going to make a distinction between you and all the other people of the world.  It doesn’t matter if they are good or if they are innocent.  It doesn’t matter if they are the slave girl or even the child.  Either they are of the children of Israel, or they are not.  It is that simple.

Later in this week’s readings we hear God telling Moses to relay to the people how they are to wear the “sign” upon their forehead and upon their arms.  He also tells them that the celebration of the Passover is to be a perpetual festival that will forever remind them of their relationship to Him and what He did for them in setting them free from Egyptian bondage.  All of this reminds me of the tsit-tsit (the tassels) that are worn at the corners of the garments.  These are worn to remind us of the Torah and the way of life that God has given us that set us apart from the rest of the people of this world.

But with all of this said, why was God providing them with a “sign” for themselves?  For me, when I contemplate this, I can’t help but hearing Psalms 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (NASB).

I think this is what it is really all about.  God was about to visit the entire nation, Moses told the children of Israel that God was going to be visiting every house, and any house that did not have the sign, He would kill the first-born children.  The children of Israel knew that something really terrible was going to happen that night, and they needed a sign to know that they would not be impacted.  I believe this is what God was revealing.  I believe that He was preparing them for a new life, a new way, and a new journey.  I believe that what He was saying is that “When you are mine, I will protect you, but make no mistake, I will ask you to walk through the valley of death, but fear no evil, I will be with you”.

What I am seeing is that when we do what God tells us to do, and we chose to live lives that are in harmony with Him and His ways, we should come into a very important realization.  Just like the children of Israel were reminded of something when they saw the blood on their doorposts, so should we when we look at how we are living, how we are trusting Him, and how we are different from the world around us.  All of these things should remind us that He is with us, that He will be with us, that He will see the “sign”, and His “death” will pass over us.

Knowing who we are does not always protect us from hardship, pain, struggle, or even death.  The children of Israel had to endure several of the plagues that God sent upon Egypt.  The entire nation of Israel was taken into captivity several times.  In leading the children of Israel out of Egypt, He led them into the desert.  Daniel and his friends trusted in God when they were about to get thrown into the fiery furnace.  They knew that one of two things was going to happen. Either they were going to live, or they were going to die. Either way, they knew they were going to be safe because they were stepping into the fire with Him. 

Knowing who we are is all about knowing that we are in a relationship with Him.  And a huge part of knowing what it is to be in a relationship with Him is to know how He distinguishes between those that are His and those that are not.  Just like the children of Israel had to do it His way and not attempt to prove that they were His in any other way that they felt “should” convey the message, we too must learn who He is and what it looks like to live in such a way that He sees the same signs we do that say “I am His”.  Those that chose to follow Him and accept doing life in the ways that He says are set apart will know who they are and in the same way will be recognizable to Him.  We look different, we think different, and we interact with the world around us in ways that are uniquely Him.  In so doing, we join Him in a story that is much bigger than life itself. 

In John 3:5 Yeshua said “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (NASB)

When we accept Yeshua as the perfect, unblemished, lamb of God, put to death for our sins, we accept that what He did for us was done so that we may remain in a right standing with God.  As we remember the truth of this while also walking, to the best of our ability, in harmony with what the Holy Spirit has revealed to us as supported by the Word itself, we are reminded of who we are in Him.  We can visualize His blood on the door posts of our homes, and rest assured that we too are safe, that we have been adopted into the family of the children of Israel, and that when He looks upon us, He sees us as one of His.

In this, we too can walk in the confidence of knowing that although death is just on the other side of the door, He is with us.  Just like Daniel and his friends had to acknowledge, either we will live, or we will die, either way, He is with us, so must we.  This is the peace that we have when we are reminded of who we are in Him.  Ultimately, our confidence remains in Him, not in the things of this world, not in health, not in prosperity, not in His giving us the things that we want.  But that no matter what happens, He will not take us before it is our time, He will not withhold from us unless it is for a greater purpose, and as He uses His rod and His staff to guide us, it is done in the fulness of His love.  This is what it is to be His and to understand His character.  And sometimes, when the fires get hot, and the journey becomes difficult, when death is just outside the door, having a sign is just the thing we need.

As we partake in communion, celebrate His holidays & festivals, or simply walk in His ways, we are reminded of our unique relationship with Him.  In these “signs” that He has given us, we are reminded of who He is, of His faithfulness, and of His love.  As we gaze, meditate, or focus our attention on these “signs” we are reminded of who we are, that He loves us, and that He died for us.  As we walk in a way of life that is distinct from the rest of the world, He uses us to give them a sign that reveals to them what they are capable of being a part of.  I pray that as each of us allow these things to be a “sign” of remembrance to these things, that we each remember how important it is to allow His light to shine through us so that we become an attractive beacon of His light so that those who see the “signs”, recognize the distinction, and comprehend what they are capable of becoming a part of, that they are actually attracted to it.  I pray that as He reveals these things to us and to the world, for each of us on the side for which we stand, that we all comprehend what it is to be His and long to be in deeper relationship with Him, not for what He offers, but simply for who He is.

I pray that his has been a blessing to you and that in and through what I have shared you have come to a place of new understanding, new growth, greater peace, and most of all, a greater desire to know Him in all of who He is.  Amen Amen