May we lean into this Passover evening as we, too, are quarantined in our homes amid a devastating plague.
We’re almost being forced to stop, rest, and remember who is in control. It’s a Passover that is unique and beautiful not just for Jews in Israel and those living abroad, but for Christians, too. But God has allowed for the entire world to experience something eerily similar to what the Israelites experienced back in Exodus 12. Is there a deeper connection to what is happening in Israel and in the world today on this unique Passover, when we’re also required to stay behind closed doors because of the worst pandemic in a century? Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Included in the Ten Commandments is a commandment to keep the Sabbath holy, but there is a connection to Passover we often miss: Interestingly, each of the seven feasts God instituted in Leviticus 23 is associated with Sabbath, and Passover is no different. I’ve been thinking a lot about this year’s Passover.
#Israel lockdown free#
It may be the first time Israel has been on lockdown over Passover since just before the Exodus-when God sent the last of the 10 plagues upon Egypt to convince Pharaoh to set the Hebrews free from slavery and to allow them to worship God. Residents will sit down for their Seder 1 with only those family members living in their home. No visitors (even extended family) are allowed. today, Israel time, and there are strict consequences for breaking it. They remember how God then miraculously brought them out of slavery in Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm (Deut 5:6, 15).īut this year for Jews living in Israel, something is different.īecause of the coronavirus, Israel’s government ordered the entire nation to be under complete lockdown starting yesterday, the eve of Passover, through at least Friday, to stem the spread of the coronavirus during the Passover holiday. For thousands of years, Jewish families around the world have gathered on this night to recount God’s command to mark their homes with the blood an unblemished lamb and how those who obeyed were spared from the final plague: death of the firstborn. Sundown tonight marks the beginning of Passover, a weeklong feast instituted by God in Leviticus 23:4–8. Facebook Twitter Reddit Pinterest Email LinkedIn
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