Most of us who travel by air are constantly pushing against the 50 pound per suitcase weight limit. We all carry too much baggage in this life. Never ready for a hasty departure. Such was not the case on the night God commanded His people Israel to leave Egypt.
On that night, after Pharaoh had endured nine plagues, the Lord revealed to Moses that all the first-born in Egypt would be killed by the death angel. He commanded that a spotless male lamb be slain at twilight. One for each family. The sides and tops of the doorframes were to be covered with the blood of the lamb. The death angel would see the blood and passover that house.
Good Most High must be an artist in His heart because He has painted so many pictures for us. In the beginning, the shedding of blood to cover our sins required a lamb for a man. At the time of Moses, it was a lamb for a family. Later it was a lamb for a nation. Do you see where this is going? At Calvary, we beheld the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The next time you sing "Mary had a little lamb, it's fleece was white as snow", remember Mary's perfect lamb, Jesus, who has become the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Back to that night in Egypt. God gave instructions to roast the meat of the lamb over an open fire and to eat it with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. The fire pictures God's wrath that was poured out on His Son for us. The meat was a picture of what Jesus said at His last supper in Jerusalem. "Take, eat, this is my body given for you". The bitter herbs are to remind us of the bitterness that our sin produces. The unleavened bread reminds us that a little bit of leaven corrupts and causes us to be puffed up.
The people were told to eat in haste and be ready to leave at a moment's notice. Their cloak tucked into their belt, sandals on their feet and staff in the their hand. During the night, Pharaoh commanded Moses to leave Egypt. They left in haste and camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth.
Pharaoh changed his mind and pursued the Israelites. His armies, like the death angel that had struck the first-born of Egypt, surrounded them. The inevitable outcome was genocide and death at the edge of the Red Sea. Moses stretched out his hands and the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind until the sea bed was dry. All the people passed over to the promised land. When the armies of Pharaoh pursued them, Moses stretched out his hand and they were drowned when the sea returned to it's place. The picture at the top is the Red Sea looking toward the Promised Land.
Once again, God has painted a picture of what occurs when we reach the end of our sojourn on Earth. We are pursued to the sea by the angel of death. There is no escape unless God provides a way across to the promised land. Just as He did for Israel, He does for us. For my beloved Val, this is a historical event. For me, it is in future.
A few days ago, Tyler and I were in the car together. he said, "momma in Heaven. I want to go there". God's Spirit reveals great wisdom to two-year olds. He knows that she is in a very real place. He misses her as we all do. To me, Heaven has taken on a new dimension of being closer since my beloved is there.
Hosea asks two questions in Hosea 13:14, "Where o death is your victory? Where oh grave is your sting?" Just as the armies of Egypt were swallowed up by the Red Sea, Paul provides us the answer to Hosea's questions in I Corinthians 15:54. "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
Rick Pollock, a friend of Mark Clements and web developer from Salt Lake City, is putting the final touches on a slide show of Val's life. Soon to be published here. Also, we will shortly link a clip of Val's graveside and memorial service through You-Tube. Stay tuned.
This Sunday, Mother's Day, we were invited by Trevor Hoffman, the Padre's closing pitcher (Hell's Bells for all you Padres fans) to share his box behind homeplate for the game. They are going to do a tribute to Val on the stadium big screen.
