Exo
12:12-14 KJV For I will
pass through the land of Egypt this night,
and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and
beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am
the LORD. (13) And the blood shall be to you for a token
upon the
houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass
over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you,
when
I smite the
land of Egypt. (14) And this day shall be unto you for a
memorial;
and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations;
ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
Exo 12:26-27 KJV And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? (27) That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. Jos 4:1-7 KJV And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, (2) Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, (3) And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. (4) Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: (5) And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: (6) That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? (7) Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. Jos 4:10-5:1 KJV For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until every thing was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over. (11) And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people. (12) And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: (13) About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. (14) On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. (15) And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, (16) Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. (17) Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. (18) And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before. (19) And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho. (20) And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. (21) And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? (22) Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. (23) For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: (24) That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever. (5:1) And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.
This familiar series of events occurred in Israel's history 40 years after God took them out of Egypt when PASSOVER occurred.
Exo 12:1-3 KJV And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, (2) This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. (3) Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: Joshua 4:(19) And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho. (20) And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. The PASSOVER lamb was "taken" on the tenth day of the first month.
Exo 12:6 KJV And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. Exo 12:7 KJV And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. Notice how many times the term PASSED OVER is used in the texts.
It was the lamb and its blood that gave the victory to Israel.
But their obedience would rise to new level altogether 40 years later when they would believe God enough to see God dry up the Jordan River, and ENTER THE PROMISED LAND.
Since there were twelve tribes of Israel who crossed, twelve stones were to be put into the Jordan riverbed to replace twelve others tones taken from the riverbed and set up in Canaan.
We know that JESUS is our Passover. 1Co 5:7 KJV Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: WE IDENTIFY WITH THE PASSOVER LAMB, just as Israel came up out of Jordan the same day the lamb was taken from the flocks, AND BECOME PASSOVERS OURSELVES -- in union with Jesus -- when we finally come to a place of faith wherein we can let God's power loose and let all the world know GOD IS MIGHTY! Josh 4:(24) That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever. People need to know God is mighty.
Frank Small had a powerful Jesus Name revival in the early 1900's for two solid years in this very city of Winnipeg, just a few blocks away from where we sit tonight.
Israel was such a reproach to God;'s name before this. Not only did they doubt they could enter Canaan, but look what else happened. Exo 32:25 KJV And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) Num 16:1-3 KJV Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: (2) And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: (3) And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? Num 16:28-33 KJV And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind. (29) If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me. (30) But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. (31) And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: (32) And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. (33) They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. Similarly today people do not even recognize pastors over their lives in the church, as though they need no man over them.
Heb 13:7 KJV Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. People who become passovers are not rebellious or doubters or idolators.
Joshua 4:(24) That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever. (5:1) And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel. These kings feared God BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL.
God fought for them at the start: Exo 14:14 KJV The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. But now we read: The people passed over, the ark passover, tribes passed over and 40,000 men of war passed over. Jos 4:13 KJV About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. We now fight WITH THE LORD. They let God appear as mighty to the world! If we never get over our unbelief, and fear and rebellion in not allowing men of God to rule and guide our Christian lives, we will never become passovers.
And monuments were set up representing the PEOPLE who became PASSOVERS.
Jesus is a landmark passover!
The day they came out of Jordan was the day they encamped in Gilgal.
People let go of things and then take them back.
Now, you do not passover Jordan unless you first believed Him enough to cast away fear and unbelief.
Joshua 5:1 And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel. UNTIL WE WERE PASSED OVER.
It was then that Joshua saw an angel with a sword, and acted so different form the doubters 40 years before in challenging this stranger. Get involved at the altar.
Let's become PASSOVERS and memorials. The first passover was a memorial forever.
Exo 12:26-27 KJV And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? (27) That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. When Israel passed over it also became a memorial for ever. Joshua 4:21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? (22) Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. (23) For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: Those lamb's lost their blood - the life of their flesh -- to be passovers.
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