Marked for Life

Context

Moses has gone to Egypt to free the Hebrews from servitude.

To convince the Pharoah the King to release the children of Israel, God, through Moses, has afflicted Egypt with a series of signs — the famous 10 Plagues.

The first Nine Plagues

Water of the Nile river turned to Blood.

Frogs

Gnats

Flies

Death of Livestock

Boils

Hail

Locusts

Darkness

Despite these afflictions, the Pharoah would not release Israel.

So, a tenth, and final, plague was threatened: the death of all the firstborn sons throughout the land of Egypt. The Lord said to Pharoah, Israel is my first born son, and since you will not release my son, your firstborn shall be forfeit.

Pharoah did not relent, and so it came to pass on the specified night that the angel of the Lord, passed through Egypt and the lives of all the firstborn sons of Egypt were extinguished. And there was great sorrow in Egypt and the Pharoah released Israel from bondage.

The Hebrews were not affected by the plague of death. The LORD had given them instructions to mark themselves so that the angel of death would pass over their houses.

Today’s reading recounts the instructions that the LORD gave to Israel.

Text

Exodus 12:1–14 “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. 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. 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. 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.”

Introduction

We have markers to show what groups we belong to.

employee badge: I work for this company

Military insignia — I give and receive orders.

tattoo — iron man tattoo, I have accomplished an athletic goal.

Wedding band — I am in a committed covenant of love

We use markers to indicate who we are, where we belong.

Exodus 12. God gives his people a mark — that shows who they are and where they belong.

Exegesis

The sign he gave them was the blood of a lamb on the doorposts and lintels of their homes and meal together.

God was very specific about these signs.

Of the lamb’s blood: you will take a lamb, without blemish, and slaughter it.

Some of the blood you will place on the doorframe of your house.

In this way you will be marked. When the angel of death passes through, I will see the blood and passover your house and you will be spared from the destruction of Egypt.

He was specific about the meal.

You will eat it in haste. Sandals on feet, staff in hand.

In a posture of travel. For the next day you set out for the promised land.

Combined these two signs marked the people for who they are and where they belong.

You are my people.

You belong in the promised land.

By obeying God’s command - by marking their doors and eating the meal in the prescribed way, the Hebrews were saying: This household belongs to God and he has provided a way for us to be saved.

On the night of the passover, the Lord did judge Egypt with death….but passed over Israel because they were marked for life.

The Passover sign — the sacrifice and the meal — however, was not just for one night. The event was to be commemorated for the rest of Israel’s history.

It was a marker to be a passed on to all Jews:

God commanded the Israelites to reenact the events on an annual basis, so they would never forget that they belonged to the Lord. Even when all around them was sorrow or death, God had marked them as his own.

Interpretation

The marker of the Passover was not a badge or a wristband or ring — it was the blood of a lamb and a sacred meal.

The Exodus passover teaches us about the passover of the New Testament.

The New Testament reveals to us that just as Israel was in bondage to Egypt, so on a spiritual level all people are in slavery to sin. Satan, the enemy of our souls, is like the Pharoah of old. His heart is hard and he will not set us free.

But God has come to the rescue of humanity, just as he rescued his first people long ago.

God has set a day for the judgment of the powers of darkness. Sin and death, Satan and his minions, will be destroyed.

But God offers a mark to those who would be saved.

The mark upon the people of God today is blood, just like it was in the book of Exodus.

The blood not of an animal,…but the perfect blood of the holy Son of God.

The Son of God, Jesus, was the lamb of God whose blood was shed to mark his people for deliverance.

The story of the NT passover night is well known to us.

On the evening of his death, Jesus had a meal with his disciples. They were preparing the Passover of Exodus. They were eating the food and recounting the ancient story and prayer and songs.

Then Jesus pronounced a new Passover was at hand.

Jesus took bread and wine, and linked them to his body and blood.

He took the bread: This is my body broken for you. He took the wine: this is my blood shed for you.

When Jesus was crucified his arms were outstretched on the beam of a cross. His blood streamed down on the right and left, creating a doorway marked with blood.

Fulfilling his word: in John 10:9: I am the door. If anyone enter by me, he will be saved.”

Jesus promised that those who place their faith in him, are marked by him so that when the day of judgment comes, they will not be destroyed but saved.

Peter preached in the first sermon: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”

This promise was not just for the people of Jesus’ day. It is for today too. Just as the Lord commanded the Israelites to celebrate the passover meal through all of history, so Jesus commanded his church never to forget what God had done for them through his death and resurrection.

Jesus said, eat this meal in remembrance of me.

So the Christian church has celebrated the Lord’s table through the generations.

We hold up the bread and the wine — the body and blood of Jesus — and we are reminded that although the power of sin and death all around us out there, we are God’s people and we belong in eternal life.

It is a brief and simple meal, like the passover of old, for it is intended to remind us that this world is not our final home, but we are on a journey to the full life of the Kingdom of heaven.

Application

We have markers in our lives. I’ve worn badges, uniforms, team suits, even a wedding band.

We are attracted to these markers because desire to be clear about who we are and to know where and with whom we belong.

We want that on a spiritual level too.

We join the church in membership. We have a church name tag. Mug. Shirt. Church merch.

I belong to God, the community of faith, living into that.

A reflection of a deep desire: to know that we are God’s people and we belong with him in glory.

God wants that for us. God wants us to know that we are his people and we belong with him and each other forever.

he gives us a mark. And that is the most important we can have.Gives us faith. Confess Christ.

The real mark is spiritual,

forgive my sin

set me free from it

to nourish me for my journey

bring me to eternal life.

Conclusion

Meditate briefly. Whatever sorrow hardship death around you; it will not touch you. You are marked as the Lords. You belong to the lord. Your ultimate destiny is heaven. There you will be. Take all of these days under that mark.

14 Those who love me, I will deliver;

I will protect those who know my name.

15 When they call to me, I will answer them;

I will be with them in trouble,

I will rescue them and honor them.

16 With long life I will satisfy them,

and show them my salvation. (Psalm 91:14–16, NRSV)