infuse - Internalizing the Passover

Email article to a friend. Internalizing the Passover By Anika E. Sandy-Hanson The beginning of God’s Holy Days often evokes many feelings within us. Sometimes we view them as a great opportunity to be out of school and socialize with our church friends during the week. Maybe, we see the Holy Days as a bit of an inconvenience whose end we can’t wait for. These days signal time for cleaning house, abstaining from our favorite leavened food and making up the work missed from school. Do some of us even view these days as a confusing mandate set by our parents, guardians and ministers? Whatever view we may have, it is important to view all Holy Days in the correct perspective.
It is often easier for human beings to just participate in traditional practices rather than try to internalize them. Following the crowd in this arena is just as dangerous as following our peers in harmful activities. It is true that on the surface we may not understand how following the Holy Day commandments without internalizing them can be harmful to us, but read to understand the point.
In Exodus 12 the Passover commandments were handed down to Moses and Aaron, they then passed them down to the rest of the people. This is the first example of following the crowd. The Israelites were given the commands directly; however, the scripture shows us that many Egyptians also chose to follow the instructions given by the Lord. They did not follow the rest of the country. Instead of looking to their Pharaoh for instruction, they realized the God of heaven was the one to follow. Due to this internalizing, a “mixed multitude” left Egypt along with the Israelites (Exodus 12:28). In this account the Egyptians made the difficult choice and internalized God’s commands, rather than just doing things the old way. Many Israelites followed the crowd. They kept the Passover as commanded by Moses, but did they really internalize it? To answer this question, let’s examine what they did soon after keeping this sacred feast. Exodus 14:10-12, “And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.” Is this the reaction of people who truly believed that God is Almighty? Could they have kept the Passover with their whole hearts or were they simply doing what they were told? The evidence seems to show us these people were not completely sold on the might of God; in fact, many accounts lead us to believe most Israelites never really understood and internalized the Holy Days, commandments and general teachings of the Father. Instead, they were tossed to and fro according to where the rest of the nation went. If the King and other people followed God, then they did too. If there was rampant sin and disobedience, then they were to be found in that group. Only a few Israelites had true,personal relationships with God. It was this ingredient that allowed this select group to stand up and choose God even when the choice was hard. This personal relationship is what each of us needs to develop. We have to prove the truth of the Sabbath, Passover and the other Holy Days. In these modern times we have examples of individuals who were given the truth, but when church leaders presented other alternatives, they followed that crowd. There is no way to determine if these individuals ever believed the truth, but we do have a scripture that exemplifies this phenomenon. Matthew 13:20-21 reads, “The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.” This entire parable gives us a script for how we should operate. There are three possible ways for us to react to God’s commands and truths. We can be: on the path, where Satan snatches the truth, on rocky places where we only believe for a time, in thorns where other cares choke our belief, or on good soil where we produce fruit and multiply (Matthew 13:1-23). It should be our goal to grow in good soil, well nourished through Bible study and prayer, and protected and groomed by God’s love. During this Holy Day season we should ensure we spend time internalizing God’s Holy Days for fruits that will last a lifetime. i