The Plan

The Plan

Learning about God's Plan for Salvation at South Shore Trinity Lutheran Church

Week 8 - the Exodus and the Passover

This week the plagues continue and finally culminate with the angel of death. Before the last plague strikes though, God gives instructions to His people for the Passover meal. The Passover meal was a meal in which a lamb was sacrificed and its blood was painted over the doorways of the Israelite families as a sign to the angel of death that the families inside the house were the Lord’s. When the angel of death saw the mark, he would “pass over” that house. This Passover meal and sacrifice was to be repeated every year to remind the Israelites what God had done for them.

The Passover lamb was also a hint at God’s ultimate plan for humanity’s rescue from sin. At the first Passover the lamb was sacrificed so that the family would be spared from physical death. That first sacrifice foreshadowed Jesus death on Good Friday when He was sacrificed for us as the perfect Passover Lamb to save us from Eternal death. Because of Christ’s blood, eternal death and damnation pass over us and we are saved.

John the Baptist saw this connection when he excitedly pointed to Jesus and told everyone, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”  (John 1:29) The whole point is driven home even further by the fact that Jesus’ death takes place as the nation of Israel is celebrating Passover. Jesus even institutes communion while He and the disciples are having the Passover meal; pointing them to the fact that they are to be saved by His blood.

Exodus 4:1-17

God gives Moses signs for Pharaoh

Week 7 - Moses and the Exodus

The account of Moses and the Exodus has been told and retold over and over again in books, TV, and movies. Unfortunately, it has often only been told as an isolated event in the greater history of the world and the deeper meaning of the events are missed.

There are two big things that are regularly overlooked. The first thing is that Moses is a type of Christ and foreshadows Jesus’ leading His people out of their slavery to sin. Moses is not THE Savior but he is a savior sent to save God’s people and much of his life echoes what the true Savior, God’s Son, will do in the future.

Secondly, the story of the Exodus is neither the beginning nor the end of the story. Instead, it is a chapter in God’s greater plan to save the world.  The book of Exodus shows God’s continued faithfulness to His people and that He has not forgotten His promise to bring a Savior to the world through Abraham’s descendants. 

Week 6 - Joseph

Joseph’s story is a roller coaster of events. Last week he was living the highlife as Jacob’s favorite son and then he was betrayed and sold into slavery by his own brothers. As a slave he rose to the highest position possible in the house of Potiphar and then, after he was falsely accused, he was thrown into prison. Finally, he rises again to a place of prominence. The whole account is an up and down ride with twists and turns around every corner.

The important thing for us to notice for our daily lives is that in all of these readings God is always with Joseph, even in the middle of his mess. God watches over him when he is at home with his family and when he is in prison. God gives him strength when he is tempted, and as we will see this week, God gives Joseph the ability to forgive. Through all these events, God is putting Joseph in a place to make sure Abraham’s descendants survive the famine and His promise of a Savior will be fulfilled.