Day 22 – Exodus 13-15; Luke 4-5

Old Testament reading: Exodus 13-15

“Let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor 5:8). Again we see the significance of the events and feast associated with the Passover. The feast here is not a reference to the Lord’s Supper, as Paul would take up that topic in chapter 11. Rather, he is speaking to the purity commanded by those who have been participants in the blessing of the Passover. For seven days following the Passover, Israel was commanded to put away all leaven from out of their houses under the threat of death (Ex 12:15). Exodus 13 marks the feast of unleavened bread as a perpetual memorial to God’s deliverance from Egypt, and not just deliverance, but deliverance by the strong hand of God (vv 8-9). Exodus 13 also details God’s guidance through the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. This phenomena is referenced by Isaiah in connection with the day of the Branch of the Lord, Jesus Christ (Isa 4:2-5).

New Testament reading: Luke 4-5

Today’s reading affirms the rejection of Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy (4:16-30) and serves to illustrate Paul’s statement that in due time Jesus died for the ungodly (Rom 5:6). Some believe and teach that Jesus came to establish an earthly kingdom but was rejected by the Jews, as if He didn’t foresee this rejection and failed in His purpose for coming.  Jesus’ rejection was planned according to the foreknowledge of God, and was not an unforeseen roadblock on the road to the establishment of the kingdom. Additionally, Jesus’ death was not only to be carried out on God’s schedule, but also had to be accomplished in God’s way. Aside from the issue of timing, being cast off a cliff was not in accordance with the Scriptures that foretold of the type of death he would die. Neither did the stoning He escaped in John 8:59. Jesus had to die by crucifixion (Psa 22:16-18; Isa 53:4-5; John 3:14). Of necessity, everything had to take place according to the eternal purpose and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:23).