Tues.’s Devo- Passover and Unleavened Bread -

Read: Exodus 12:14-13:16; Matthew 20:29-21:22; Psalm 25:16-22; Proverbs 6:12-15 God went to great details to explain what must happen on this day of remembrance. This was a special festival that would be celebrated forever. It was the beginning of the Festival of Unleavened Bread. It would begin on the fourteenth day of Abib and last seven days. During the week they were to eat bread without yeast. On the fifteenth, they were to celebrate the Passover by killing a young lamb and draining its blood into a basin. With a hyssop branch they were to apply blood on the top and sides of the door frames fo their houses. They were to go inside and not come out till the next morning. God would pass over every house that had the blood applied and their first born would not die. That night, God struck down all the first born of the Egyptians and their first born animals. A loud wailing was heard throughout Egypt as people found their first born dead. Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and kicked them out of his land before they all died. The Israelites asked the Egyptians for their clothing and silver and gold and the Egyptians gave them whatever they asked for. That night about 600,000 men plus their women and children left Egypt. They had been in Egypt for 430 years to the day. They had come to Egypt to preserve their very lives from a famine and they left this time to preserve their very spiritual lives. Now they would be able to worship the Lord the way he wanted to be worshipped. On the seventh day of this festival they were to explain to thier children why they were celebrating this festival. This festival was to be like a visible sign to them, like a mark branded on their hand or on their forehead. We have just entered the seventh day and we know that sometime in this millennium, this seventh day, that the Anti-christ will try to put his mark on our hand or on our forehead. That is why we celebrate Passover, the fulfillment being when Jesus died on the cross and saved our souls. God marked us for him. When they got to the land promised them they were to present their firstborn sons and male animals to the Lord because they belong to the Lord. A firstborn donkey could be bought back. If the donkey is not bought back then its neck had to be broken. This explains why in our reading today in Matthew, that Jesus rode on a donkey into Jerusalem. This donkey was presenting the Lamb of God in its place. The donkey represents us who bring our sins and burdens to the Lord and they are crucified with him on the cross. The people spread their garments under the donkey’s feet that carried Jesus into Jerusalem to show their honor for Jesus. Others cut branches from the trees so they could walk on them. They worshipped him as the Son of David, the Messiah. They were crying out, “Hosannah” which means “save us”. Jesus was on his way to do just that. Jesus went straight to the Temple and knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of the ones selling doves. He told them that his Temple will be called a house of prayer. They had turned it into a den of thieves.” I think we are about to see a lot of that in the coming future. Judgment comes to the house of the Lord first and many of God’s churches have become dens of thieves instead of houses of prayer. Jesus healed the blind and the lame who came to him in the Temple. This is another thing we are about to see. Those who have been spiritually blind and not able to walk in the Spirit are going to be healed so they can. The next morning, Jesus was on his way back to Jerusalem when he noticed a fig tree. He went over to see if it had figs even though it was not the season for figs. It had none, so Jesus cursed it and it withered up and died. When the disciples asked about why the fig tree died so quickly, Jesus explained that if you have faith, nothing would be impossible - you could lift mountains and throw them into the sea. Jesus was referring to the Jews as a nation. They were under terrible Roman oppression which was the mountain that needed to be lifted and thrown into the sea. Jesus came as their deliverer but they were not ready. They, like the fig tree could not see the possibility of blooming out of season. They doubted their time of deliverance so they would be cursed and not receive salvation and eternal life with God. Lord, may we discern the season we are in and be prepared in our hearts to see your great salvation.