Passover

Still, maybe our hearts are unsure if God wants to save us. So let's consider the Passover, which we read about in Exodus 12. Consider how the enslaved Israelites, who were oppressed by the Egyptians, might struggle to believe that God loved them or that God would ever save them.

During Passover, at twilight, God mandates that each household in the assembly kill a lamb. The theologian Walter Kaiser explains the ritual, "Here in Exodus we see no priests, no altar, and no tabernacle; families commune in the presence of God and around the sacrificial lamb that is the substitute for each member of that family."

So even though Jesus hadn't yet come, God was at work to save his people and to be with his people. Not just from their slavery, though I imagine that was extremely important to every Israelite, but God made a way for his people to be with him.

Why would our glorious, holy God want to be in the presence of recently emancipated slaves? What did they have to offer him?

What we see in this story is God's stunning commitment to his people.

And what do we read in John 1? We see John the Baptist announce the identity of Jesus: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

It is amazing that God saved his people from slavery. This should at a minimum motivate us to be abolitionists.

God's commitment includes this and goes beyond this. He takes away not only the sin of slavery, but the sin of the world.

What God did for the Israelites, he has done for us. The Israelites thought a lamb needed to die. But God knew that he would have to die.

In 2024, Americans owed around 1.6 trillion, 1.7 trillion dollars in student debt. Maybe you're thinking, ok, I'm part of that number. I've got about 1% of that debt in my name.

But imagine that you're rich. You're worth tens of millions. You say, ok, I'm burdened by this debt. I'm going to sell everything I own and give it to cover this debt. I'll end up bankrupt, but at least it will free others from their debt. You would be a hero to make that kind of sacrifice for others.

What we're talking about makes 1.6 trillion dollars look like a few grains of sand. Our debt to God is far, far greater.

But who covered the payment? God himself, at God's expense. Our First Love is a Great Savior.