Remember
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance. (Exodus 12:12-14)
It was finally time for the people of Israel to be freed from Egyptian captivity. This final plague, where God would snuff out the life of every firstborn in Egypt - except in the homes where a lamb's blood had been placed on the door frame - would be the conviction of the heart of Pharaoh. Through Moses, God gave the Israelites instructions on how to prepare to leave quickly, and those practices were to be observed regularly to remind them of God's provision. At midnight weeping arose throughout Egypt, and the Egyptians begged the Israelites to leave - even giving them silver and gold for their journey. They were headed for the promised land and it would not be easy or fast, but God made sure they had more than they needed.
While God was setting the stage with the pharaoh, God was also building trust with the Israelites. They were leaving the certainty of slavery for the unknown, and they would need to be able to look back and remember what God had done in order to continue to trust God to lead them forward.
There are many forms of captivity and God is able to bring us out of them all. What may seem like a time of needless delay may actually be a time of preparation. As we are waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises, God gives us evidence of God's faithfulness that will sustain and strengthen us. May God encourage our souls as we take time to regularly and intentionally remember the ways and times that
God has brought us through.
1 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful. 2 Let Israel be glad in its Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King. 3 Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre. 4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with victory. 5 Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands, 7 to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, 8 to bind their kings with fetters and their nobles with chains of iron, 9 to execute on them the judgment decreed. This is glory for all his faithful ones.
Praise the LORD! (Psalm149)
