God Brings a New Start
God tells the Israelites that a change is coming. It will be a radical, complete change. For the last 400 years the Hebrews, the children of Israel have lived in Egypt. First as guests but then when a new Pharoah come to power, the Israelites were reduced to slavery.
But on this night, all that would change. There will be a new year from now on.
The Jewish nation in the Old Testament had two calendars, a civil calendar that began in our September–October, and a religious calendar that began in our March–April. New Year’s Day in the civil year is called “Rosh Hashana” which means “beginning of the year”. – W. Wiersbe, Be Delivered
But here the Lord says that now, Passover would mark a new beginning of months. This would be the beginning of the religious year, Passover would focus not on the harvest or crops but on a sacrificed lamb and the peoples relationship to God.
And on this first Passover, they will end their years of slavery and begin a new life, in a new land. Because of Passover, they would be free.
God Always Brings Change
As you read the Bible, as you study God and His interaction with man, you find that when God reaches out to man, it always brings a change. Experience God is so powerful that it always brings change.
Before Moses experienced God at the burning bush, he was a simple shepherd, after he experienced God he was a prophet, leader and nation builder. The Hebrews were slaved before they experienced God after the experience they were free and they became conquerors. David the shepherd became a King. Peter, James and John the fishermen became Apostles that changed the Pagan world.
God always Brings Change. The Bible is a record of one change after the other, from creation, to the flood, to the beginning of the nation of Israel, to the new Jerusalem, and New Heaven and earth. God changes hearts, he changes nations, He changes churches.
This is what scripture says.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.
Revelation 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
For us as Christians we need to understand and even anticipate that when we experience God, there will be change. Something must change, something must become new in me, because I experiencing God cannot leave any one the same as they were. God is too powerful not to bring change.
And let me add this, when God brings change, or a new life it always means leaving the old behind. The Israelites had to leave Egypt. It was a monumental undertaking, 400 years had to be left behind.
God’s new direction is never easy but through His power it is possible and by His will it is required.
No matter how hard it is to change, or how difficult it is to leave things behind, we need to embrace the change that God will bring because it always, always will be better than the old.
