Leadership and Passover – some hard lessons
As a Christian, Passover has been meaningful to me both as the annual Jewish tradition that brought Jesus to Jerusalem and a chilling story from the Old Testament. Each Easter season, I find myself going back to the events in both the Old and New Testaments because there are so many Leadership and Passover lessons here.
Quick Overview
For those unfamiliar with the story, here are the main characters. Moses was a reluctant man who was not confident in his ability to speak publicly. And yet he was drawn by God into confronting the most powerful world leader at that time regarding the issue of slavery and oppression – the Pharaoh of Egypt. Pharaoh was walking around like he was God. When approached by Moses, he was not buying ANY of what Moses was saying about God. He kept referring to God as if he was just one of many gods people find and worship. Pharaoh was also the head of the country and needed the slave labor for his country to function. The story unfolded like a modern day court drama where each side presented their case – except here, people were actually doing miracles and real plagues broke out.
Passover
Finally, there was what writers and movie people call an “inciting event”. It is now referred to as Passover. God had finally had enough of Pharaoh’s belligerence. It was time for His Jewish people to be freed. So God dispatched an Angel of Death to Egypt to kill the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. The Jewish families were instructed to put lamb’s blood on the sides and tops of their front door frames. If the door was marked with blood, the Angel of Death would pass on by – OR “passover“. If there was no mark, there was no moving on. No passing-over.
The Day After
The day after Passover most of people in the land realized Something was terribly wrong. Exodus 12 says “29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.”
They began making the connection to something out there more powerful than Pharaoh. Sadly, there was a lot of evidence that day that Moses’ God had sent one final, devastating plague. Pharaoh realized it too. God flexed His will and got tired of putting up with a man who claimed there was no other greater… I am sobered by what that looked like but not surprised that Pharaoh got put in his place. It was a clarifying moment. The relieved Jewish families had clarity; sadly the grieving Egyptian families had clarity too.
Pharaoh felt the power of God personally for the first time. After digging in his heels and flexing his power, he suddenly saw God touch his own family. From that point forward he could not get rid of the Israelites fast enough. He breaks out the cash (gold and jewels in his day) and helps them pack! Pharaoh did not end up being remembered as the most perceptive man in the land. In fact, his claim to fame was a hardened heart which resulted in a hardened head.
Choosing a Legacy
Leadership was evident in both Moses and Pharaoh. Listening is a choice. Obedience is a choice. Moses was obedient – Pharaoh was obnoxious. God used them both. Seriously though… who wants to be the one that God uses to point out what NOT to do? Today, I am thankful for the Bible because it is timeless and I am learning from both the good and bad leadership examples. I am also reminded that God’s justice can seem painfully slow many times and yet it can also seem startlingly swift. My guess is that the Passover was still a HUGE relief – even after over 400 years of slavery under the Egyptians.
So, here’s to being used by God – in a good way! And never forgetting these Leadership and Passover Lessons.
