#DailyDevotion All You Will Ever Get Is God’s Promise

Lent day 39 Friday

Read Ex 12:29–32; 13:1–16

Exo 12:29-30  At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.  (30)  And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead.

 

To prepare Pharaoh to let His people go, the Lord killed all the firstborn of Egypt and Israel, both man and beast who did not believe His word.  That word being, place the blood of the lamb on the lintel of your doors to preserve their lives.  Those who did believe the Word of the Lord were spared.

 

Today we recognize and remember the death of another firstborn, the firstborn of Mary and the only begotten Son of God.  Jesus, not at midnight, but at midday the sky turned dark as midnight.  God the Father forsakes the Son.  The Son becomes sin so we may become the righteousness of God.  Jesus suffers the wrath of God there in the darkness for three hours even as Egypt was in the darkness for three days.  At the ninth hour (3pm) Jesus commends His spirit to the Father and breaths out his last breath.

 

Now God has another promise.  All who put their trust in Jesus’ sacrificial death will not taste death.  We have a promise that on the cross God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the world to Himself.  We have the promise that all who believe and are baptized into His name will not perish but have eternal life and that this promise is for our children as well.  We have the promise that Jesus’ body and blood assure and deliver unto us the New Testament in which God places His law in our hearts, He becomes our God and we His people, that we would know Him and that our iniquity is forgiven and our sins are forgotten.  Indeed we have the promise that if we believe in Jesus, even in His Name, we will not die but possess eternal life and even if we do die we will be raised on the last day to eternal life.

 

Now you have the Word of God like the Israelite and the Egyptians.  If you believe it, that is you trust that this Word is true, then like the Israelites who believed the Word of the Lord and place the blood of the lamb upon their doors, then you will live eternally with God and Christ in the new heavens and new earth.  If you don’t believe it then you will perish likewise like the firstborn of Egypt.  This is not rocket science nor is it Sisyphus’ or Hercules’ task.  It’s pretty darn simple.  So, what are you going to do.

 

Lord Jesus Christ, on this day, by your innocent suffering death and burial, you atoned for the sin of the world.  You squashed the head of Satan  by obtaining for us forgiveness of our sins.  You reconciled the world to the Father by the spilling of your blood.  Grant us faith now to believe this and grant us your Holy Spirit that like the Israelites who believed your Word in Egypt we may live such lives which demonstrate that trust.  Amen.