Religion
What is the promise of the Passover?
By Ronald W. Holmes, Ph.D.
Special to the Outlook
The Lord has made countless promises to humankind. One of the promises is “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10: 13). In Wednesday Night Bible Study at First Timothy Baptist Church on Nov. 1, the critical question is: What is the promise of the Passover?
Utilizing the book, Beyond the Sunday Sermon, Dr. Ronald Holmes’ message focused on the life of the Israelites through (1) the preparation of the Passover, (2) the purpose of the Passover and (3) the power of the Passover. Holmes said when we prepare for something such as school, church and work, we make ready for the outing beforehand. Prior to the Lord’s second coming, we must be prepared for His arrival to earth. We must get our house in order. This was the case for the Israelites who had to prepare for the Passover as instructed by God in Exodus 12: 21 – 22. God told Moses to prepare the Israelites for a great deliverance from bondage. They had been in captivity for over 400 years, said Holmes.
In key point two, Dr. Holmes indicated when we have a purpose for something, it will provide how the situation, activity, or event is going to be done. The purpose of the Passover was to keep the Israelites alive while God was killing everything in the land of Egypt such as the first-born and first-born animals (Exodus 12: 29). The Passover provides an illustration of what God can do when he has had enough of our ignorance, arrogance, selfishness, foolishness, stupidity and captivity of his people. The Passover provides an illustration of the binding power of the covenant of the blood, said Holmes.
Regarding the power of the Passover, Dr. Holmes revealed that in one moment, day, or night, the power of the Lord can turn your life around just like he did for the Israelites. This is illustrated in Exodus 12: 29. It reads, “And it came to pass at midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt from the oldest child of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the oldest child of the prisoner in jail; and all the firstborn of the animals.” When the enemy sees that you have victory through the Lord, Satan will get behind thee (Matthew 16: 23). This was the case with Pharaoh. After 10 plaques, he finally got the message to let God’s people go as recorded in Exodus 12: 30 – 31, said Holmes.
In short, Dr. Holmes highlighted several lessons to be learned from this story about the Israelites. One lesson to be learned is that we don’t have to get upset with people who do us wrong. The Lord has a way of turning things around such as making the enemy our footstool (Psalms 110: 1). Another lesson is that Jesus can and will take care of us. He is the mighty God because he has all power in his hand. He delivered the Israelites from bondage, and that’s the promise of the Passover.
Next Wednesday’s bible study lesson (Nov. 8 at 7 8) is, “The Power of Living on Yet” from the book, “Beyond the Sunday Sermon”. The book can be purchased online from Amazon.com. To virtually attend the bible study go to the First Timothy Baptist Church’s website, YouTube or Facebook.
Dr. Ronald Holmes is the author of 26 books and publisher of “The Holmes Education Post,” an education focused Internet newspaper. His books for children cover topics such as the coronavirus, solar system, flowers, careers and school bullying. His books for adults focus on religion, hazing, workplace bullying, bipolar disorders, issues in education and completing the dissertation.
