God of Forethought

"When you enter the land 

the LORD has promised to give you,

you will continue to observe this ceremony. 

Then your children will ask,

'What does this ceremony mean?'

And you will reply,

'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD,

for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt.

And though he struck the Egyptians,

he spared our families.'

When Moses had finished speaking,

all the people bowed down to the ground and worshiped."

Exodus 12:25-27 NLT

The woman worried as she watched her husband suffer in pain.  He had been through a bizarre motorcycle accident which left him with two broken feet, a sore shoulder and some scrapes and bruises.  Through the days he lay enduring the agony, she sat at his bedside, comforting him as best she could.  Inside, she was wondering how she would care for him at home, how long it would be before the swelling would go down enough so the surgeon could repair the fractures, and when the pain would subside.  So much unknown.

While this woman knew enough about God to realize a fraction of His power, she was still learning of His immense sovereignty.  Therefore, when the good news came a few days later that her beloved husband would be going home that week and that surgery was no longer necessary, she couldn't help but say, "God is good."

Yes, God is good all the time, even in the midst of the worst, while the pain is at its height, or when I don't know how I will get through the day.  God is always good.  (James 1:17)  God is also a God of forethought and planning.  In the same way that He knows what tomorrow will bring for me personally, He also had the foresight to plan for my salvation long before I came into existence.  There is no greater picture of this long-term vision than in the story of the Passover.

Slavery

Since the time of Joseph, the offspring of Jacob had been living in Egypt.  For 430 years, God's people had been living in this foreign land, much of it spent as slaves to the kings who ruled there.  As time went on, those in bondage cried out to the God of their fathers, seeking rescue from their suffering.

In God's perfect timing, He sent Moses as the mode of rescue for His people.  In the same way that the people who were identified as God's precious possession needed rescue from the oppression of the Egyptians (Exodus 3:7-10), so the ones who bear His image suffer under a different kind of bondage and require a similar kind of salvation.

Sin holds each man captive to death and destruction. (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:23)  In the same way that the Israelites were incapable of saving themselves from the cruel chains of Pharaoh, so I am completely at the mercy of my own sin, unable to free myself from the death sentence under which I suffer. (Romans 6:23)  While the people of Israel needed a rescuer to release them from the burden of slavery, so I need a savior to free me from my body of sin and death. 

How can I ever have hope when I am completely incapable of breaking free from my very flesh which puts me in opposition to God?(Romans 5:10) 

In the same way that God's people of old were slaves to Egypt, so we are slaves to sin.

Salvation

The plagues came fast and heavy, devastating the land of Egypt.  All the water turned to blood; frogs, gnats and flies infested the earth; an outbreak of disease killed all the livestock while boils devastated the people; hail and locusts destroyed crops and vegetation; darkness so thick it could be felt frightened the inhabitants. (Exodus 7-12)  There was no doubt God was sending a strong message to Pharaoh.

Nothing, however, compared to what was to come.  Death was about to enter every household in Egypt.  If the Israelites hoped to be saved from the work of the destroying angel, they would need protection from the inevitable.  Without salvation, each family would suffer the loss of their firstborn.

It is no different with me.  My sin earns me death.  I cannot escape the inevitable.  My destination is eternal separation from a holy God and everlasting punishment for my disobedience to His perfect law.  I'm doomed. (Romans 6:23)

In the same way that God's people of old were in need of protection from the wrath of God, so I need salvation from the wages my sins earn.

Blood

It seemed like a strange ritual, but each of God's people obeyed, sobered to the point of obedience by the destruction that surrounded them in the land of Egypt.  They each slaughtered the perfect year-old male sheep or goat they had set aside from the rest of the flocks, careful to follow the directions Moses had given them.  Setting aside some blood in a basin, each family dipped a bundle of hyssop branches into the warm liquid and brushed it on top of the door frame as well as on either side. (Exodus 12:21-23) 

As the LORD passed through the land that night, the blood was a sign to Him that the destroying angel could pass over that home.  All the houses without the protection of the blood suffered the death of their firstborn, both human and animal.  Loud wailing rose through the land as not one Egyptian family avoided tragedy.

In the same way that the blood of the Passover lamb protected the Israelites from the wrath of God, so the blood of the perfect Lamb of God shields those who enter under its protection by faith. (John 1:29)

Jesus, without sin himself, became sin so that I might live through His sacrifice, becoming the very righteousness of God.  (2 Corinthians 5:21)  Even though I have no hope of pleasing God in my own effort, the blood of Jesus makes it possible to do so.  I have been reconciled to the One who created me for relationship with Him.  While sin broke that bond, the blood of Jesus repaired it forever. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ my Lord who came to set me free from the law of sin and death!  (Romans 7:24-25)

In the same way that God's people of old were saved by the blood of the Passover lamb, so I am saved for eternity by the blood of Jesus.

The Lord is a God of forethought.  He knew of my bondage to sin, my need for a Savior, and that the blood of His perfect Son would be the only way to shield me from His wrath.  Nowhere is this more perfectly illustrated than in the story of the Passover, where God saw the suffering in slavery of His people, sent a savior named Moses to rescue them, and protected His people from certain death by the blood of a flawless lamb.  Since He is such a God of forethought, I can not only put my faith in Jesus Christ who is at the center of His plan of salvation, but I can trust Him to orchestrate my life with perfect foresight.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I can put my faith in the God who has my future in His hands.

When do I worry because I'm afraid of the unknown, forgetting that God sees all?

How have I failed to trust God implicitly?