Monday, February 5, 2007

The Passover - a Good Bite

Part 1 - The Passover
Tonight as I was studying my Bible study (The One and Only Jesus by Beth Moore) I learned a little bit about the Passover and it makes me want to learn much more. I was looking at Luke 22:14-46 when Jesus took the cups at the Last Supper. So then I had to go back and read Exodus 6:6-7 to learn about the 4 cups of the Passover. Beth Moore provided this background: During the Passover celebration there are four cups which represent the 4 "I wills" that God told Moses after He said, "I am the Lord." (There's a statement in itself - to be thought about for quite a while!)
Anyways, the 4 "I will"s are:
1. I will bring you out - the Jews called this the cup of sanctification
2. I will deliver you from their bondage - this is the cup of the plagues
3. I will also redeem you with outstretched arms and with great judgments - the cup of redemption
4. I will take you for my people - the cup of in-gathering

Before Jesus got the third cup (Luke 22:18) He told His disciples that He wouldn't be drinking and more of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. Then in verse 20 He gave them the 3rd cup - the cup of redemption. And then He showed them how He was to become the 3rd cup (Luke 22:20-22) He is our Redeemer. In Luke 22:42 He asks God to take away this cup and He wrestles with His will vs. God's will. Look back at Exodus 6:6. God said, "I will redeem you with outstretched arms and with great judgments." Jesus redeemed us with His arms outstretched on a cross. The great judgments are coming at the end of the world - and then we will drink the 4th cup with Him in glory!
I want to study the Passover more, so that I can learn the parallels between the rituals of Passover and what happened (and is still going to happen) at the Last Supper in Luke 22 and the supper of the Lamb in Revelations. I want to claim the 4 "I will"s as promises for my life.
Part 2 - a Good Bite
God's Word is so rich! Too often I read it too fast, not looking too deeply into each verse, and wondering why I don't understand more. It's like eating too fast. When you eat too fast you don't even really taste the food, and are too often not satisfied at the end of the meal. I've read the story of the Passover many times - but never stopped to investigate it, or to really think about each word. Beth Moore really encourages that - stopping to think about each word, and to visualize each "scene."
Lord, help me to slow down, to savour each "bite" of Scripture- to "taste and see that the Lord is good." (Psalm 34:8)

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