The birth of the ancient nation of Israel was truly a unique event.
Imagine it from the perspective of an ancient Israelite living in Egypt. You are a slave. You have been your entire life, as have your parents and grandparents before going back several generations. You do not have much of a national identity. All you have ever known is servitude to Egypt and the Pharaohs.
Your entire life has been spent in fear of the Egyptian gods. Clearly they are powerful, otherwise you wouldn't have been enslaved. Your ancestors worshiped a God too, YHWH his name was, but no one seems to have heard from him in a while. You live in abject terror of the horrors they, embodied by the living god-king Pharaoh, might do to you and your family. Thousands of men, women, and even children have been slaughtered at this tyrant's command.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Moses arrives. This man is a Hebrew like you, but he was raised under very different circumstances. He grew up in the house of Pharaoh, living in the palace. Then, after killing a slave driver, he vanished. That was forty years ago. Now he has returned, and he is bearing strange news.
YHWH, the God of your ancestors, has sent Moses to lead you out of Egypt.
As you would expect, Pharaoh doesn't take kindly to this and increases your work load and stops supplying necessary material. Well, so much for that idea. Clearly the gods of Egypt are stronger than this YHWH.
Then the plagues came.
These plagues are not random punishments inflicted upon Egypt by God. They are direct challenges to the most important gods and goddesses of Egypt. YHWH has declared war on them all. Perhaps most surprising to you, a slave who has lived under the "power" of these deities your whole life, YHWH is winning.
The Nile turns to blood. YHWH soundly defeats Hapi, god of the Nile.
Frogs plague the nation, demonstrating YHWH's dominance over Heket, goddess of fertility, who has the head of a frog.
Then the dust of the earth became lice, showing YHWH's authority over Geb, god of the earth.
A plague of flies descended upon Egypt. This shows YHWH's defeat of Khepri, god of creation, who has the head of a fly.
Then the livestock are killed, demonstrating YHWH's superiority over Hathor, goddess of love, who is shown with the head of a cow.
Then boils broke out on the Egyptian people. Clearly Isis, the goddess of healing, could do nothing against the power of YHWH.
Then, in a show of power over the sky god Nut, YHWH takes command of the skies and causes fire and hail to rain down upon Egypt.
After this locusts swarm the country, decimating the Egyptian crops. Clearly YHWH has defeated Seth, god of disorder, by bringing such calamity.
Then darkness covered the land of Egypt. The most important god in the pantheon, Ra the sun god, had been overshadowed by the might of YHWH.
Still, after all of this, Pharaoh would not yield. And so YHWH declared that there would be one final plague. This one would directly challenge Pharaoh, son of Ra and embodiment of Osiris god of death. It is during this time of upheaval for Egypt and the Hebrews that YHWH, through Moses, forges the national identity of Israel.
During this final plague the Hebrews, God's people, will not be simple bystanders. They will instead be gathered at a table, eating the prescribed food, awaiting the promised deliverance. It is simultaneously a celebration of YHWH's victory over their enemies, thanksgiving for God passing over them with his wrath, and a time of looking ahead to freedom.
So, under the blood of a lamb, the people of God gather. They ate the flesh of the lamb that was slain for their deliverance. They celebrate the triumph of God over their enemies. They recognize that they in no way deserve this mercy of being spared, and thank God for his grace. They look ahead to the promise of true liberation and home in the promised land.
Every year since the Jewish people celebrated this same feast with the same intent. This is their identity. They are a people rescued from slavery by the grace of God, by the blood of a lamb, with great purpose towards a promised land.
Sound familiar?
Imagine it from the perspective of an ancient Israelite living in Egypt. You are a slave. You have been your entire life, as have your parents and grandparents before going back several generations. You do not have much of a national identity. All you have ever known is servitude to Egypt and the Pharaohs.
Your entire life has been spent in fear of the Egyptian gods. Clearly they are powerful, otherwise you wouldn't have been enslaved. Your ancestors worshiped a God too, YHWH his name was, but no one seems to have heard from him in a while. You live in abject terror of the horrors they, embodied by the living god-king Pharaoh, might do to you and your family. Thousands of men, women, and even children have been slaughtered at this tyrant's command.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Moses arrives. This man is a Hebrew like you, but he was raised under very different circumstances. He grew up in the house of Pharaoh, living in the palace. Then, after killing a slave driver, he vanished. That was forty years ago. Now he has returned, and he is bearing strange news.
YHWH, the God of your ancestors, has sent Moses to lead you out of Egypt.
As you would expect, Pharaoh doesn't take kindly to this and increases your work load and stops supplying necessary material. Well, so much for that idea. Clearly the gods of Egypt are stronger than this YHWH.
Then the plagues came.
These plagues are not random punishments inflicted upon Egypt by God. They are direct challenges to the most important gods and goddesses of Egypt. YHWH has declared war on them all. Perhaps most surprising to you, a slave who has lived under the "power" of these deities your whole life, YHWH is winning.
The Nile turns to blood. YHWH soundly defeats Hapi, god of the Nile.
Frogs plague the nation, demonstrating YHWH's dominance over Heket, goddess of fertility, who has the head of a frog.
Then the dust of the earth became lice, showing YHWH's authority over Geb, god of the earth.
A plague of flies descended upon Egypt. This shows YHWH's defeat of Khepri, god of creation, who has the head of a fly.
Then the livestock are killed, demonstrating YHWH's superiority over Hathor, goddess of love, who is shown with the head of a cow.
Then boils broke out on the Egyptian people. Clearly Isis, the goddess of healing, could do nothing against the power of YHWH.
Then, in a show of power over the sky god Nut, YHWH takes command of the skies and causes fire and hail to rain down upon Egypt.
After this locusts swarm the country, decimating the Egyptian crops. Clearly YHWH has defeated Seth, god of disorder, by bringing such calamity.
Then darkness covered the land of Egypt. The most important god in the pantheon, Ra the sun god, had been overshadowed by the might of YHWH.
Still, after all of this, Pharaoh would not yield. And so YHWH declared that there would be one final plague. This one would directly challenge Pharaoh, son of Ra and embodiment of Osiris god of death. It is during this time of upheaval for Egypt and the Hebrews that YHWH, through Moses, forges the national identity of Israel.
During this final plague the Hebrews, God's people, will not be simple bystanders. They will instead be gathered at a table, eating the prescribed food, awaiting the promised deliverance. It is simultaneously a celebration of YHWH's victory over their enemies, thanksgiving for God passing over them with his wrath, and a time of looking ahead to freedom.
So, under the blood of a lamb, the people of God gather. They ate the flesh of the lamb that was slain for their deliverance. They celebrate the triumph of God over their enemies. They recognize that they in no way deserve this mercy of being spared, and thank God for his grace. They look ahead to the promise of true liberation and home in the promised land.
Every year since the Jewish people celebrated this same feast with the same intent. This is their identity. They are a people rescued from slavery by the grace of God, by the blood of a lamb, with great purpose towards a promised land.
Sound familiar?
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