Torah Commentary Archives
Pesach "Passover"
Exodus 33:12 - 34:26
Ezekiel 36:37 - 37:14
Now What?
The night had been filled with emotion as the Hebrews ate of their Passover meal in haste. On the one hand was a sense of excitement about what the coming days would bring as they prepared to make their journey out of Egypt. On the other hand was a sense of despair as the sun rose the next day and they looked toward a country they had once called home, a prosperous land that was now in ruins. The wails of mothers who had lost their firstborn during the night could still be heard as far away as Goshen. The panic of the people of Egypt could be felt in the air. This morning they were being told to turn their backs on the land they had once called home and to pack their new possessions, and do it quickly. The prophesied time of return to their true home was at hand. They were the generation chosen to see the events unfold.
It was all happening too fast though. Many of the people felt that life was out of their control. They wondered if the timing was truly real or if this man Moses was really sent by Elohim. Who did he really think he was anyway? Why him? This is not the way they had all imagined the end of their life in Egypt would be. What about my job? Don't I need to give a two-week notice or something? How about a forwarding address? These were all questions that went through the minds of the Hebrews as they prepared in haste to leave the place they had once called home. Yes, the sun was rising from a quite sleepless night. But although the sun was especially bright that day there was a darkness of confusion that filled the hearts of many Hebrews. What would this day bring? They were afraid to ask!
Centuries later. Many years had passed since that celebrated day in Egypt. History recorded the events with great detail. The promised redemption had come just like He had said it would. But this morning was different. The confusion of three million Hebrews so long ago could not compare to the confusion of this day. The lives of a handful of men and women He had referred to as His family had taken a turn they had not seen coming. Life seemed to be not only on hold, but had stopped altogether. Confusion, anger, despair and fear were only a few of the emotions that gripped them. Night had come hours early the day before. The sun was now rising over the Mount of Olives, but no outward light could help the darkness they felt on this morning.
The events of Egypt had brought the faithful together so many years earlier. They had provision and they had a leader. But for the disciples, the One whom they had looked to for everything was now gone. He was dead and from their distance and vantage point they stared at a stone, rolled in front of the entrance to a tomb. They stared in wonder. How could they have been so wrong? Why had they not listened to their family members who had told them this new life would never work out? Why had they strayed from the ways of the religious leaders of the day? Why had they not just followed the traditions they had been taught as children? Confusion and despair gripped them all and would only grow worse in the coming days.
But there were words He had spoken to them in the final days rolling around in the back of their minds, just barely out of their grasp. What good would those words do them now though? He is dead. The life, the redemption from the Romans, that seemed so sure just hours before, was now impossible. He is dead! But what are those words they kept trying to bring to the front of their minds?
We usually read the Scripture far too fast, do we not? We forget that verses that are read in moments may have taken days, weeks or even years to live out in reality. The tragedy of missing this concept is that we miss one of the great points of scripture, which is to learn from the example of those who walked before us. With that said, what are we to learn here? Many things of course, but very high on the list is to remember that His plans normally do not come to pass the way that we thought they would. Another one would be that in the end His plan was always better and accomplished a far greater work for our lives than the plan we had dreamed up.
Let us all take some time in these days of Passover and First Fruits to consider the lives of the people who were leaving Egypt as well as those who lived the long days just after the death of Yeshua. The days prior to His resurrection. Maybe as we consider their uncertainty of the future and the emotions they must have dealt with, it will help us to prepare our own lives for another fulfillment of prophecy, the one that is happening right before our eyes.
Have a blessed Passover season.