Families Within the Covenant of the Passover (Exodus 12:21-28) 5/10/2020
The Answers of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd RUTC:
Families Within the Covenant of the Passover (Exodus 12:21-28) 5/10/2020
May is called Family Month. There is Children’s Day in Korea, and Mother’s Day in America. As the center of families is worshipping online due to COVID-19, may this become a time of stacking important blessings and answers of the family. None of the prayers of believers that pray together while holding onto the covenant will fall to the ground (Matthew 18:18-20, Revelations 8:3-4). May you at least restore three blessings that God gives to families. First, family worship will be an important opportunity to affect the family’s spiritual flow. Second, may the families that have yet to fulfill family evangelism hold onto the covenant of Acts 16:13 and pray. Third, may families be able to draw a picture of how God will use your family while holding onto the word and having a forum. There are many models of a family where they held onto God’s covenant and were preciously used by God (blessing of a covenant family). Abraham’s family continued through Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and the blessing of the 12 tribes and became a family that God used. Especially focus on the mothers such as the prostitute Rahab and the foreign woman Ruth in whom works of the royal household of David were made. No matter how weak a person’s wife, a person’s mother may seem, works in which a family is made into a family of blessings will arise if they truly hold onto the covenant. If so, what covenant should our family hold onto? Let us receive the important answer through the passage concerning the Passover.
- The Passover was an event of blessing given to the Israelites while they lived as slaves in Egypt for 400 years.
It is the mystery of freedom from spiritual curses, family curses, and eternal curses that humans can never come out from by themselves. In the end, all the problems, suffering, and failures that humans face are within these three curses. God has allowed us to come out of this.
1) God told the Israelites to do one thing at that time.
The whole family came together and were banned from leaving the house. Then, they had to kill a lamb and spread the blood all over the entrance door. What does the blood signify? It signifies Christ’s blood of atonement that received all the suffering and curses we would have faced for us. We have been freed with that blood (priest’s authority), triumphed over Satan’s works (king’s authority), and now have become able to enjoy the blessing of God being with us (prophet’s authority). It was for the entire family to hold onto the blood covenant and become one (Matthew 16:18-19) “And on this rock, I will build my church.” The individual is in that church (individual church), as well as the family (family church).
2) That is why is said to “select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb” (verse 21).
There is a covenantal blessing and answer our families must hold onto and enjoy in this. Make now that opportunity.
- What kind of works will begin when holding onto this covenant of the Passover, the covenant of the blood of Christ?
The three curses mentioned previously will end and the three blessings that God has prepared will begin.
1) The spiritual curses (fundamental curse) that lives possess will end and a spiritual blessing (fundamental blessing) will begin.
① I was unwittingly bound by spiritual problems that set me up for failure. It is a problem that comes regardless of how kindly and zealously one lives (John 10:10). This is called the 12 snares, traps, and frames of Satan. The world calls this fate and destiny.
② Israel believed in God’s promise and spread the lamb’s blood and their 400-year curse (fate, destiny) ended.
Pharaoh who oppressed and afflicted the Israelites actually surrendered. Pharaoh symbolizes Satan.
③ More importantly, once these failures, suffering, fate, and destiny of curses ended, a completely new blessing began.
To what extent? They were told to take their flocks and herd when they left (verse 32). Before they were freed from spiritual problems, the sheep and cows they herded were not theirs. It was because they were slaves. However, once they were freed, all their labor and unfairly stolen things became their possession. It means that God’s blessing will commence in the field, meetings, and events that I am in. Health, family, business, and work is included in this as well. Then, new works of Canaan began. These people are called the source of blessings (Genesis 12:2, Ephesians 1:3).
2) The hidden curses of all families and households ended and the blessing of God using those families and households has begun.
① Regardless of what family or household it is, there are surely hidden problems and pains.
God says that He will end that. This is the reason families were told to select a lamb for their own family.
② How important is the family? Families must be at peace, be happy, and each and every family should be spiritually alive.
The family controls everything. Someone said, “a man wanders all around the world to find what he desires and finds it in the house.” That is why someone also said, “a happy family is like heaven enjoyed on earth.”
③ What does a family that God blesses look like?
It is a family that has the gospel. They forgive and hide each other’s transgressions and failures and forgives them inside the covenant of the blood of Christ. They help so that they may hold onto Christ and stand up again anytime and believe that failures and pain will become even greater blessings. It is a family that has the covenant. Those families will save people together and hold onto the covenant of world evangelism of saving the world. The family prays for world evangelism. With the offering of one family, possess a faith that is devoted to where you take responsibility of a missionary who can save an entire country, and also hold onto a covenant that is able to receive financial blessings. Make scholarships in each family and raise future missionaries and hold onto a covenant where you go on mission trips together and pray. They become families in which that covenant, and blessing is succeeded to the posterity. Even the family holds onto the covenant of the remnant. Later on, when your children ask you what this ceremony means, you must be able to answer them (verse 26). That is where gospel noble families are made. It is a family where God’s blessings continue and are continuously used by God.
3) Eternal curses ended, and eternal life and blessing have begun.
That is why it said to remember and keep this covenant and blessing of the Passover forever (verse 24).
① The suffering and curses in this world is already difficult, how unfortunate is it if eternal curses continue even after death?
When we lose a family member, we become sad and long for them. However, we have courage and thanksgiving because there is a hope of resurrection and heaven. It means that there are a separate blessing and glory to enjoy there. That is why we are sowing things of heaven on this earth (2 Corinthians 9:6, Galatians 6:7).
② There is another important thing. Evangelism is preparing spiritual families to eternally enjoy in that eternal kingdom.
Paul who had family pains on earth held onto this covenant and walked as an evangelist (Romans 9:1-3, 2 Timothy 4:7-8). Jesus also emphasized this word to the disciples (Matthew 12:50). This is why the church and friendships on this earth are important.
Conclusion – It is family month and Mother’s Day Sunday. May all families hold onto the covenant of the Passover and may new blessing that God has prepared begin. All mothers who are inside the gospel, covenant, and prayer are great. May you become blessed mothers.