And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
The ordinance to be kept forever is the Passover direction given before God's final judgment on Egypt for Israel's preservation and departure, binding parents, children and descendants as a lasting law. That night each household was to slay an unblemished lamb or kid, mark the door with its blood, and eat it roasted with unleavened bread and bitter herbs in haste, because God would pass through Egypt to smite the firstborn and judge its gods. The blood was the token on Hebrew homes that marked them as God's people, so that when seen the destroyer would pass over and not destroy those sheltered within in obedient faith. That blood and slain lamb pointed to the saving blood and death of Christ as the Lamb of God for the sins of the world, cleansing believers and sheltering them from wrath, received only by those who act in faith. The service was to keep the deliverance in living memory by rehearsing it to the children, and it still binds God-fearing parents to gather their children within covenant protection and teach them God's law before the coming judgment.
Passover Night and Command
The Passover was instituted as a solemn ordinance on the night of the last plague upon Egypt, which was the most severe of all, more severe than any plague before it. Moses made known beforehand to Pharaoh and to the people of Egypt and to the Israelites the nature and effect of that plague. The king and his idolatrous priests still opposed letting Israel go to the very last, though the Egyptian people wanted Israel to be permitted to leave. That night was terrible to the Egyptians and glorious to the people of God.
The thing to be observed forever is the Passover direction given before the final judgment on Egypt for Israel's preservation and departure. It binds Israel, parents, children, and descendants as a lasting ordinance, requiring faith proved by works in separating into their own houses under the token of blood to escape God's judgment, with those who did not obey suffering with the Egyptians when the destroyer struck. It was to be kept through yearly education, with the service recalling the lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs, sprinkled blood, death-dealing angel, death of the firstborn, and march from bondage, and with parents telling children when asked how the destroying angel slew the firstborn of man and beast in Egypt but passed over every blood-marked Hebrew house so none inside died. That yearly keeping reenacted the first night with a night assembly, men with girded loins, shoes on feet and staff in hand, a hasty meal of lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and in solemn silence a rehearsal of the sprinkled blood, the death-dealing angel, and the march from bondage, while on the journey families recounted past experiences to the children, sang the songs of the wilderness wandering, and chanted God's commandments, so bound up with nature and kindly association the lesson was fixed in memory to stir the imagination and impress the heart.
That night each family, alone or joined with others, was to slay a lamb or kid without blemish, sprinkle its blood with hyssop on the two side-posts and upper door-post, and eat the roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs at night, girded, shod, and staff in hand, in haste, because it is the Lord's passover. This rested on God's declaration that He would pass through Egypt that night to smite all the firstborn of man and beast and execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, with the blood as a token on the houses so that when He saw the blood He would pass over them and the plague would not destroy them when He smote Egypt, while there was mourning among the Egyptians and the destroying angel coming at midnight would not enter that marked house. God gave the command at the birth of Israel as a nation to deliver Israel from Egypt so they could keep His law, which He later proclaimed to them at Sinai. Before the death of the firstborn, families were to gather their children into their own homes with every door-post marked with blood and remain within the protection assured by that token, making civil, religious, and social life serve to preserve children from harmful companionship and to make them familiar from their earliest years with the precepts and principles of God's law.
Blood, Christ, and Remembrance
The blood was a token upon the houses marking the Hebrew homes and marking the Israelites as God's people, so that when He saw the blood He would pass over them and the plague would not destroy them when He smote Egypt. The destroying angel coming at midnight would not enter that house, and all were to remain within under the protection assured by that token. Protection required separating into their own blood-marked houses, as faith proved by works, and those who did not obey the instruction would suffer with the Egyptians. Any Hebrew child found in an Egyptian habitation on that night was destroyed.
The blood placed on the lintel and side posts symbolized Christ's saving blood, which alone saved the Hebrew firstborn from the curse. It represents Christ's blood, which cleanses believing sinners from sin and shelters them from God's coming wrath, with its protection made possible through Christ's redeeming blood. This provision benefited only those who acted in faith by carrying out what God commanded.
The slain lamb taught the people about Christ's death and represented Christ's death as the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world. Once Christ was slain there was no longer need to sacrifice a lamb to represent His death. After the Jews rejected Christ, keeping the feast became a worthless form.
The service was to keep the deliverance from bondage in memory, recalling the lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs, sprinkled blood, death-dealing angel, death of the firstborn, and march from bondage. It was to turn minds from worldly cares to God's works and mercy, to strengthen love, reverence, and trust, to preserve remembrance of God's care for His people, and to impress the story on the heart. When children asked what the service meant, parents were to tell how the destroying angel slew the firstborn of man and beast in Egypt but passed over every Hebrew house marked with blood so none inside died.
The lasting ordinance was kept through yearly education at Jerusalem, where the paschal service reenacted the first night. There was a night assembly, with men having girded loins, shoes on feet and staff in hand, a hasty meal of lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and in solemn silence a rehearsal of the sprinkled blood, the death-dealing angel, and the march from bondage. On the journey families recounted past experiences and stories to the children, sang the songs of the wilderness wandering, and chanted God's commandments. So bound up with nature and kindly association the lesson was fixed in the memory of child and youth to stir the imagination and impress the heart.
Guarding Children Today
The separation required on that night remains instruction for those living in the last days to prepare for coming judgment by gathering their children into their own homes and houses. As Israel was to come out from among the Egyptians into blood-marked houses and remain within under that token, so families now are to bring their children out of the cities and away from those who disregard God's commandments. That withdrawal is specifically away from classes voicing Satan and disobeying God's commandments, away from harmful companionship, with the associations of children carefully guarded.
The same lasting ordinance binds parents today who love and fear God, as Israelites indeed, to keep their children under the bond of the covenant within the protection of sacred influences made possible through Christ's redeeming blood. Civil, religious, and social life are to be made to serve this end, preserving children from corrupting contact and making them familiar from their earliest years with the precepts and principles of God's law. This means establishing church schools and giving them the Word of God as the foundation of all education, before the overflowing scourge comes upon all dwellers on earth.
The ordinance to be kept forever is the Passover direction given before God's final judgment on Egypt for Israel's preservation and departure, binding parents, children and descendants as a lasting law. That night each household was to slay an unblemished lamb or kid, mark the door with its blood, and eat it roasted with unleavened bread and bitter herbs in haste, because God would pass through Egypt to smite the firstborn and judge its gods. The blood was the token on Hebrew homes that marked them as God's people, so that when seen the destroyer would pass over and not destroy those sheltered within in obedient faith. That blood and slain lamb pointed to the saving blood and death of Christ as the Lamb of God for the sins of the world, cleansing believers and sheltering them from wrath, received only by those who act in faith. The service was to keep the deliverance in living memory by rehearsing it to the children, and it still binds God-fearing parents to gather their children within covenant protection and teach them God's law before the coming judgment.
Passover Night and Command
The Passover was instituted as a solemn ordinance on the night of the last plague upon Egypt, which was the most severe of all, more severe than any plague before it. Moses made known beforehand to Pharaoh and to the people of Egypt and to the Israelites the nature and effect of that plague. The king and his idolatrous priests still opposed letting Israel go to the very last, though the Egyptian people wanted Israel to be permitted to leave. That night was terrible to the Egyptians and glorious to the people of God.
The thing to be observed forever is the Passover direction given before the final judgment on Egypt for Israel's preservation and departure. It binds Israel, parents, children, and descendants as a lasting ordinance, requiring faith proved by works in separating into their own houses under the token of blood to escape God's judgment, with those who did not obey suffering with the Egyptians when the destroyer struck. It was to be kept through yearly education, with the service recalling the lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs, sprinkled blood, death-dealing angel, death of the firstborn, and march from bondage, and with parents telling children when asked how the destroying angel slew the firstborn of man and beast in Egypt but passed over every blood-marked Hebrew house so none inside died. That yearly keeping reenacted the first night with a night assembly, men with girded loins, shoes on feet and staff in hand, a hasty meal of lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and in solemn silence a rehearsal of the sprinkled blood, the death-dealing angel, and the march from bondage, while on the journey families recounted past experiences to the children, sang the songs of the wilderness wandering, and chanted God's commandments, so bound up with nature and kindly association the lesson was fixed in memory to stir the imagination and impress the heart.
That night each family, alone or joined with others, was to slay a lamb or kid without blemish, sprinkle its blood with hyssop on the two side-posts and upper door-post, and eat the roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs at night, girded, shod, and staff in hand, in haste, because it is the Lord's passover. This rested on God's declaration that He would pass through Egypt that night to smite all the firstborn of man and beast and execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, with the blood as a token on the houses so that when He saw the blood He would pass over them and the plague would not destroy them when He smote Egypt, while there was mourning among the Egyptians and the destroying angel coming at midnight would not enter that marked house. God gave the command at the birth of Israel as a nation to deliver Israel from Egypt so they could keep His law, which He later proclaimed to them at Sinai. Before the death of the firstborn, families were to gather their children into their own homes with every door-post marked with blood and remain within the protection assured by that token, making civil, religious, and social life serve to preserve children from harmful companionship and to make them familiar from their earliest years with the precepts and principles of God's law.
Blood, Christ, and Remembrance
The blood was a token upon the houses marking the Hebrew homes and marking the Israelites as God's people, so that when He saw the blood He would pass over them and the plague would not destroy them when He smote Egypt. The destroying angel coming at midnight would not enter that house, and all were to remain within under the protection assured by that token. Protection required separating into their own blood-marked houses, as faith proved by works, and those who did not obey the instruction would suffer with the Egyptians. Any Hebrew child found in an Egyptian habitation on that night was destroyed.
The blood placed on the lintel and side posts symbolized Christ's saving blood, which alone saved the Hebrew firstborn from the curse. It represents Christ's blood, which cleanses believing sinners from sin and shelters them from God's coming wrath, with its protection made possible through Christ's redeeming blood. This provision benefited only those who acted in faith by carrying out what God commanded.
The slain lamb taught the people about Christ's death and represented Christ's death as the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world. Once Christ was slain there was no longer need to sacrifice a lamb to represent His death. After the Jews rejected Christ, keeping the feast became a worthless form.
The service was to keep the deliverance from bondage in memory, recalling the lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs, sprinkled blood, death-dealing angel, death of the firstborn, and march from bondage. It was to turn minds from worldly cares to God's works and mercy, to strengthen love, reverence, and trust, to preserve remembrance of God's care for His people, and to impress the story on the heart. When children asked what the service meant, parents were to tell how the destroying angel slew the firstborn of man and beast in Egypt but passed over every Hebrew house marked with blood so none inside died.
The lasting ordinance was kept through yearly education at Jerusalem, where the paschal service reenacted the first night. There was a night assembly, with men having girded loins, shoes on feet and staff in hand, a hasty meal of lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and in solemn silence a rehearsal of the sprinkled blood, the death-dealing angel, and the march from bondage. On the journey families recounted past experiences and stories to the children, sang the songs of the wilderness wandering, and chanted God's commandments. So bound up with nature and kindly association the lesson was fixed in the memory of child and youth to stir the imagination and impress the heart.
Guarding Children Today
The separation required on that night remains instruction for those living in the last days to prepare for coming judgment by gathering their children into their own homes and houses. As Israel was to come out from among the Egyptians into blood-marked houses and remain within under that token, so families now are to bring their children out of the cities and away from those who disregard God's commandments. That withdrawal is specifically away from classes voicing Satan and disobeying God's commandments, away from harmful companionship, with the associations of children carefully guarded.
The same lasting ordinance binds parents today who love and fear God, as Israelites indeed, to keep their children under the bond of the covenant within the protection of sacred influences made possible through Christ's redeeming blood. Civil, religious, and social life are to be made to serve this end, preserving children from corrupting contact and making them familiar from their earliest years with the precepts and principles of God's law. This means establishing church schools and giving them the Word of God as the foundation of all education, before the overflowing scourge comes upon all dwellers on earth.