The "Passover" is a memorial—something to remember something by, a memorial of our redemption. In a certain way the Israelites were God's people before He redeemed them, that is, they were His people in purpose, but not in actuality. They were His people in actuality after He had redeemed them, and only so could they be His people. If God is to have a people for Himself, taking them out of the midst of a fallen, ruined, sinful people, it must be upon the ground of redemption.
This feast was a memorial of that, and the way in which this first Passover was kept is the way in which God's people always begin the keeping of the Passover. They were in the land of Egypt where the sword of judgment was about to fall. Egypt is a well-known type of the world in power and independency of God; it was not dependent upon the God of heaven for rain. They watered their fields by foot— irrigation. There is a good deal of irrigation today. It tells of man's independency of God.
Though they were there, they were secure from the stroke coming upon the land. God was about to smite. He says, "I will smite the land of Egypt," etc. That is one simple, solemn lesson for the Christian. He is in the world upon which the judgment of God is coming—a very difficult thing to keep in mind, especially in days like these when there is a great amount of human energy, schemes of men and exclusion of God. How much there is in every way to blind the soul to the truth of the real state of things in this world before God.
There they were, and here we are—in the world as much as anyone. I do not mean as to the state of our souls, but as to our bodily presence, in the world, but not of it. We are secure from the stroke that is about to fall. The Israelites also were secure from the stroke of judgment that was about to fall. Their security was just one thing: they were under the shelter of the blood of the lamb. There was just one thing that secured them from judgment and that was not the shed blood, but the sprinkled blood.
God gave the shed blood, but God did not sprinkle the blood! Christ has died for all, and the death of Christ for all is God's provision for all. "Who gave Himself a ransom for all" (1 Tim. 2:66Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:6)), but it is only those who avail themselves of the provision made who escape the stroke. Further than that we do not go in the 12th of Exodus. We see there security from judgment.
The young Christian begins there as he partakes of the memorial of redemption, called the "Lord's Supper." "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.”
There they are, and we picture to ourselves, as we should, how they kept that Passover. They were under the shelter of blood, secure from judgment, doing just what the Christian ought to be doing: feeding upon the One who secured him from judgment. They were feeding upon Him "with shoes on their feet and staff in their hand." What a peculiar but instructive sight we would have seen if we could have looked into one of those houses where the two side posts and lintel were sprinkled with the blood of the Passover lamb and have seen them keeping the Passover according to instructions! We would not have seen them seated around a table, but standing, their loins girded, their staff in their hand, shoes on their feet and eating in haste! It is a peculiar feast, is it not? All that is solemnly and blessedly typical. How far we are answering to it is another thing! But that is one attitude of the Christian's position in this world.
As they fed, as they ate that lamb, under those circumstances, they were waiting for the signal to move! How solemnly blessed to see God giving us all this in those ages past: waiting for the signal, and that signal was for them to be gone!
The Christian is here in this world, secure by the blood of Christ from the judgment that is coming. The Lord's own word is, "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding.... Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching." Luke 12:35-3735Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; 36And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. 37Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. (Luke 12:35‑37). That is a simple, happy picture of the Christian's position. W. Potter