ABOUT THIS EPISODE
The Lord spoke to Moses in the Desert of Sinai in the first month of the second year after they came out of Egypt. He said, "Have the Israelites celebrate the Passover at the appointed time (Numbers 9:1-2).
We all experience times when our lives feel like a desert; life comes apart, dreams die, and help is nowhere to be found. It's not always major tragedy that leads to the desert; small things piled up can do it, too.
The Bible includes several important desert experiences. In those spaces, idols are stripped away, human strategies are shown to be useless; there is fear and loneliness. We are likely to experience what some call ego desperation – acknowledging that our life is not in our control. The pillars of human power, pleasure, and possession are smashed. We feel powerless, miles away from sources of immediate gratification, the owner of little or nothing of material value. One cannot barter one's way out of loneliness and silence. We can only wait until it passes on the wings of faith and hope.
Survival experts have strategies for making the most of a desert situation; in the same way, the Bible offers us strategies for thriving in spiritual deserts. One strategy is remembering previous rescues by our faithful God.
He brought Israel out of Egypt. She spent centuries in bondage, but God remembered his people and freed them after sending ten plagues upon the Egyptians. These plagues were a polemic against the Egyptian gods: they worshiped the Nile, so God turned it into blood; they worshiped the sun, so God made it dark. The final plague was the death angel passing over Egypt and killing the first-born child in every home.
God protected the first-born child of every Israelite by commanding them to kill an unblemished lamb, sprinkle its blood on the doorposts of their homes. When the angel saw the blood on the doorposts, he spared the child in that home. The feast instituted to celebrate that event was called Passover.
The blood of the lamb protected the child inside the home. Israel's first rescue was God's deliverance from Egyptian slavery. But in the desert, it's difficult to remember. So, God tells Israel to celebrate the Passover – remember God's mighty acts.
This is a major reason Christians gather for worship services – to remember God's mighty act of redemption in Jesus Christ. While at worship, we are reminded of God's love for us and our faith and hope are renewed. When you are in the desert, do not neglect to gather with God's people. As difficult as it often is, go and be reminded. Remember our God.
As you journey on, go with his blessing:
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.
