Sabbath: Passover
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 26th of July 2025
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study: Exodus 11:1-10, Micah 6:8, Exodus 12:1-30, 1 Corinthians 5:7, Exodus 13:14-16, Hebrews 11:28.
Memory Text:
“ ‘And it shall be, when your children say to you, “What do you mean by this service?” that you shall say, “It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households” ’ ” (Exodus 12:26-27, NKJV).
The tenth and last plague is about to fall. The last warning is given; the final decision must be made. It’s truly a matter of life or death. Not only the life of an individual but the prosperity of families and the entire nation is at stake. Pharaoh and his officials will be responsible for the fate of many people, either for life or for death. Pharaoh’s attitude toward the living God of Israel will determine not just his future but that of his nation.
How do we feel, and what do we do, when the gravity of circumstances lies heavy upon us and we have to choose the next step and direction, a choice that can greatly impact the lives of many others besides ourselves?
God is more than willing to grant us wisdom, understanding, and power to do what is right (1 Corinthians 1:30, Philippians 2:13).
The problem, however, is that, in our own stubborn hearts, we don’t always want to do what is right. We know what it is, but we refuse to do it. In the account of the Exodus, one man’s refusal to submit to God, even in face of overwhelming evidence, brought tragedy upon many others besides himself, which is often how it works, anyway.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 2.
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The big message of the Passover is deliverance: deliverance from the tenth plague and deliverance from bondage into a nation lead by Jehovah. While we can make theological comparisons to our present situation where we look forward to freedom from bondage to sin and the eternal Kingdom of Heaven, we mustn't become so heavenly-minded that we forget there is a message for us living in the reality of modern oppression and control.
The Passover became an important symbolic ordinance that is still kept even by non-observant Jews, It is steeped in tradition with special foods, ceremonies, and readings from the Torah. The irony is that for many modern Jews, the symbolism has become more important than the principles they represent.
Seventh-day Adventists have inherited the Passover in the form of the Communion Service, and while the meaning was changed by Jesus, there is a danger of the symbolism becoming more important than the meaning. Our ultimate deliverance from the bondage of sin is meaningless if we ignore the oppression of those within our horizon of influence.
Matthew tells this little story:
We are not to forget that we are partners in the delivery business with Jesus.
The tenth plague was the most devastating calamity that God caused upon the Egyptian people. It caused the greatest pain, sorrow, and sadness. It is truly remarkable to see how God can turn a tragic event into a symbol of salvation for the entire human race (the Passover lamb) . God gave firm instructions to the Hebrew community to remember this event (Exodus 12:26-27). God wanted this event to be a perpetual memorial for deliverance. For Christians today, the Lord’s Supper/Communion is the fulfillment of this memorial; Jesus instituted it during Passover (Luke 22:7–20). As we participate in the ordinance of humility, it is worth remembering its background and, by the grace of God, never to have the heart of Pharaoh.
Just as the lamb's blood saved the Israelites from death, Jesus’ blood saves believers from eternal judgment (1 Corinthians 5:7).