This is the next in our series this week of 8 lessons explaining Jewish History as Christian Prophecy. Each day is a story connecting the Jewish Passover with the work of Jesus. You can follow along by making your own ornaments or drawing pictures or you can purchase our set of wooden ornaments based upon my hand-stitched set here. The introduction can be read here.
A New Exodus
Story Significance:
In the same way Moses came to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and bondage, Jesus comes to leads all people out of slavery and bondage to sin.
Activity for Today:
- Hang the Jerusalem Temple and the Babylon Ishtar Gate Ornament: Babylon represents our separation from the blessings of God because of our sin and the Jerusalem Temple represents living in God’s blessings (the promises of God). Jesus is the only one who can lead us over to the other side of the Jordan to the Promised Land (salvation).
Bible Overview:
God told Moses that He wanted the Exodus from Egypt to be so epic that the whole world would know that He was God. Pharaoh would know that He was God, Israel would know that He was God and they would be able to tell their children and grandchildren the great and mighty way that God brought them out of Egypt. His plan worked. Even 40 years later, when Joshua sent out spies to spy out the land, the people in Jericho were still fearful of what they had heard that God had done in the Exodus from Egypt. Then, all throughout the Old Testament God refers to Himself as “The God who brought you out of Egypt.” However, because Israel was disobedient, and their hearts were hard, God took them out of the land of His blessing and exiled them to Babylon where they would have to wait 70 years before they could return to the land promised to Abraham. However, He comforted them saying, “Once the 70 years has been completed outside of the Land, I will once again bring you back into the land of blessing. No longer will people say that I am the God who brought you out of Egypt. Instead they will say I am the God who brought out of Babylon and the scattered lands where you were exiled (Jeremiah 16:14-15) and my house will be a house of prayer for all nations! (Isaiah 56:7).
“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever, the son remains forever. If the Son sets you free you are free indeed.”
When John the Baptist came to prepare the way for Jesus He said “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord.” (John 1:23, Mark 1:3). The straight path that John was speaking of began in Babylon, the city of Exile and ended in Jerusalem, the city of the land of God’s promises. Therefore, once Jesus arrived, John would point all of his followers to Him as the messiah who was to come and lead them into the Promised Land. Jesus, whose name means Joshua, would lead them into inner freedom.
When Jesus teaches Israel He tells them that although many of them are back in the land of promise they are still slaves because they are slaves to sin! Jesus explains, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know that truth and the truth will set you free.” They answered Him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone, How is it that You say “you will become free?” Jesus answer them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever, the son remains forever. If the Son sets you free you are free indeed.”
*Here are Day 1, Day 2 , Day 3, Day 4 Lessons and the Introduction if you missed them!
And our Demonstration video and explanation:
https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.m.love/videos/10104192657253608/UzpfSTU1NzE1NTQxOjEwMTA0MTk1MjM1NjE2NTQ4/