“Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste…” (Exodus 12:11).
You and I must receive Jesus’ saving work on the cross from a standpoint of readiness and expectation. The people of Israel were commanded to be dressed as if ready to travel; they had to eat the Passover “in haste,” expecting to walk out of slavery quickly. Indeed, Pharoah sent them packing that same night! Do we also expect to see God’s power as a result of our faith in Jesus?
As Moses saw through 40 years in the wilderness, the physical departure from Egypt could not deliver the people from slavery to sin. Though Moses was anointed to lead Israel out of physical slavery, God sent His Anointed One to deliver us from spiritual captivity. The first mention of Jesus’ Name in the whole Bible gives this explanation: “for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The physically unblemished sacrifice of a Passover lamb correlates to a spiritually unblemished sacrifice of the Perfect Son of God. The physical exodus correlates to a spiritual freedom from sin. The physical circumcision correlates to a circumcision of the heart.
Regarding the Passover, “no uncircumcised person may eat of it” (Exodus 12:48). Apply this to receiving Jesus as our Passover Lamb. No uncircumcised heart can be truly confident of deliverance from God’s wrath through Jesus. After all, the lintel and doorposts of the new covenant are not physical; we apply the blood of Jesus to our hearts. As surely as Old Testament circumcision brought a definite change to the body, now the work of the Holy Spirit undeniably changes our hearts when we receive Jesus.
But if your heart has been changed, then take a stance of readiness to walk. We must say, “Lord, you’ve changed my heart. Now, my life is going to follow.” We dare to say, “Lord, your blood is on the doorpost of my heart, so now I will walk in freedom right out of sin’s slavery – and quickly!” If anything in your life contradicts God’s Word or disturbs your conscience, expect God to mightily free you from it – and quickly! Do not allow dubious Christian platitudes like, “We will always struggle with sin,” or, “That’s a very common sin,” to quench the hunger for freedom that the Holy Spirit is fostering in your heart. And show your confidence in God’s power to free you by earnestly seeking Him and resisting evil. Jesus delivers, but we cannot be passive. Gird up the loins of your mind; be sober and hope in the promises of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13). Let the good news of peace with God prepare your feet for travel (Ephesians 6:15).
Pastor Alex
Teaching Pastor
The Rock Church