“So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, to bring them up out of that land into a good and large land, a land flowing with milk and honey”
(Exodus 3:8).
Passover is a wonderful time of remembrance when we reflect on & how God delivered and provided for His Chosen People. For 40 years, He sustained our ancestors in the wilderness. In a desolate land, He provided manna for food and water from rocks. Through all that time, the clothing of the Israelites never wore out.
He had promised to give His people a new home, a Land of our own. It was a spacious and good land, fertile and abundant. The Israelites were free, and we were on our way to a new life in the Land God had already allocated to us.
As Believers, we’ve been given a new life as well. When we received Jesus, God’s Word says we actually became new creatures, and our old life has passed away. And it’s not only new life but abundant life flowing with living water. We are no longer slaves, and Jesus has removed from our backs the burden of our sin.
Remembering the Israelites’ journey in the wilderness, we realize that they didn’t always trust that God’s Word was true. As a result, the whole generation that came out of Egypt – all except Joshua and Caleb – missed out on the Promised Land.
We, too, can miss enjoying our new life in Messiah when we seek after other things, choose our own way or let fear overtake us. Let’s press on, as Paul urges us, to lay hold of what God has offered us. As we trust in God, we’ll be like a tree planted by a river, with roots consistently absorbing the living water no matter the season.
“For He satisfies the thirsty soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (Psalm 107:9).
Exodus 16:15, Numbers 20:8, Deuteronomy 29:4, 1 Corinthians 5:17, John 10:10, John 7:38, John 4:14, Isaiah 53:11, Numbers 14:28–30, Philippians 3:14, Jeremiah 17:7–8
The following is excerpted and condensed from the booklet Shabbat: A Sacred Rhythm of Rest, by Jewish Voice Ministries International.
The Body of Messiah lost a spiritual giant
