Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old: ye shall take it from the sheep; or from the goats: and ye shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at even. And they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side-posts and on the lintel, upon the houses wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; but that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand: and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s Passover. Exodus 12:5–11.
The Passover preceded a great deliverance, and the children of Israel had to prepare themselves for the forthcoming event. They were like pilgrims preparing for a journey; they were getting ready to possess their inheritance in Canaan, and they partook of the lamb in a special way. To be in readiness, they had to be dressed with their loins girded, their shoes on their feet, and their staff in hand. Each of these items has a special significance.
When the loins are mentioned in the Scriptures, it is usually in reference to preparation for some great exertion. After Elijah had destroyed the prophets of Baal on the mountain, he girded his loins and outran Ahab’s chariot (I Kings 18:46). When they girded their loins it meant they pulled loose clothing up and tied it in a knot, so that it would not hinder them. Then they were ready to war, ready to run, ready to do anything.
Hebrews 7:5 speaks of the sons of Levi as being yet in the loins of Abraham, indicating that the loins were regarded as the area of fruitfulness—the seed of Abraham was still in him. Therefore girding the loins implied a preparation for fruitfulness, to bring forth a people unto God.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth. Ephesians 6:14. In the Bible the area of the loins and the stomach was considered as the center of the emotions: the feelings, deep loyalties, and relationships of man. John asked, “If thou seest thy brother in need and shuttest up thy bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in you” (I John 3:17). It doesn’t say shut up your heart, it says bowels of compassion. Jesus said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink, and out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37, 38). People like to dress that up in modern language and say, “out of his innermost being.” But, it’s good to retain the original phraseology of the Scriptures because though it may seem a bit archaic, there’s a meaningful significance behind each term.
Jesus admonished His disciples to be as the servant whose loins are girded in readiness to serve the Master when he cometh. A slave must gird his loins to be unhampered in his work. When Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, He first laid aside His robe and girded Himself with a towel. When we partake of the Passover, our loins are girded in a spiritual sense of our readiness to be fruitful, to march, to serve, and to fight.
The Israelites were also directed to have their staff in hand. When Jacob returned and faced Esau, he made the remark, I am not worthy of the least of all the lovingkindness and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two companies. Genesis 32:10. Jacob, fleeing for his life with only a staff in hand, returned after many grievous dealings at the hand of Laban with two companies. The poorest man could own a staff. David went forth to meet Goliath with a staff, a sling, and five smooth stones. The staff was a weapon of war, and also provided protection against reptiles along the way.
When the Lord told his disciples to go forth, … he calleth unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits; and he charged them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no bread, no wallet, no money in their purse; but to go shod with sandals: and said he, put not on two coats. Mark 6:7–9. Like Jacob, we are to go forth with only a staff, but we will come back two companies. We won’t have much when we start out but the precious seed, and we’ll return rejoicing, bearing the sheaves.
The Passover was the prelude to the Communion. During the Passover Jesus took the Passover bread, and said, “This is My body”; He took the wine and said, “Divide it among yourselves.” They were preparing for a new day, something different from anything they’d ever seen before.
We also must make preparation for the greatest appropriation any people has ever made. We must take up a staff and gear our thinking toward traveling and progress, not just trying to hold our own, but violently moving on to possess everything God has for us. There must be no drawing back; our shoes are to be on our feet, our loins girded and a staff in our hand, as we ready ourselves to press forward. Whenever people dare to make the preparation and move forward to appropriate, the abundance comes.
Do you remember the story of the widow whose sons were going to be sold into slavery because she could not pay her debts? She besought the prophet and he told her, “Go forth and borrow vessels, not a few, and take the cruse of oil and start pouring.” Every vessel was filled before that cruse of oil stopped flowing. According to her preparation, so was the deliverance she received, for she sold the oil to pay her debts (II Kings 4:1–7). How much preparation are you making? Are you a beggar, holding a tin cup out to the Lord for pennies, or are you tugging great vessels prepared for the blessings when the Lord starts pouring? The preparation must precede the appropriation. Start thinking about the greatness of God’s promises.
One day the host of the Moabites came against the children of Israel, ready to subdue them. Water was very scarce and the prophet Elisha gave the word that they were to dig ditches throughout the valley. Some of the people were probably unhappy with the prophet because of the hard work involved, but God had given the promise that there would be ample water for the army, the flocks, and the herds. When God brought the water to fill the ditches, the prophet said, “That’s the least of what God will do—He will give you a mighty victory over the Moabites.” When the Moabites came over the hill, the reflection of the sun on the water made it look like blood; and they said, “That’s the flowing of blood; the battle is over.” Then they came running in to take the spoils, unprepared for battle, and were defeated (II Kings 3:16–24). It’s time for us to dig ditches; there’s going to be a lot of water. There will be great victories. The preparation must precede the appropriation. When the Lord sets something before you, you must do something in acknowledgement that you’re believing for the impossible.
After Jesus packed some mud on the eyes of the blind man, he told him to go to the city reservoir and wash. I imagine he was jostled and almost stepped on as he groped his way along the narrow streets of Jerusalem. He had nothing to help him find his way except his staff. He washed and returned seeing. His preparation preceded the appropriation of the blessing.
We can grieve and feel our case is hopeless, that there’s no answer. We can stand mourning like Mary and Martha, until we’re told, “Roll away the stone.” Prepare for a miracle, because it will come forth. It’s time to seek God until He comes and reigns righteousness upon us.
Every one of us must be in readiness for God to move in us. God will do what you expect Him to do, but He rarely does that which you don’t expect of Him. God will do what you have prepared your heart for Him to do. If you believe for God to give you something, that’s what you will receive.
Lord, give us the faith of a little child to prepare and to begin to believe.
If you have often been disappointed, no doubt it was because you really believed in your heart that it wouldn’t be so. God answers prayer. Even if one person after another holds up his hands in despair, let the promises of God be true and every man a liar. They are true; and if you will only make the preparation, God will meet you.
What a tragedy if we don’t make that preparation. This Passover is one of the few that we will keep before we shall break bread and drink wine with the Lord in His Kingdom. The Lord said, “I’ll not drink of this fruit of the vine anymore, until I drink it anew in my Father’s Kingdom (Matthew 26:29).” Week by week we can anticipate a closer presence of the Lord in our Communion services. Through the Lord’s Supper will come those events that are spoken of in the Greek manuscripts as the appearances of the Lord. He will appear to select companies, here and there: those who have purified their hearts and made themselves ready. That is to be the first event, according to the prophetic schedule. Sometime we may be taking Communion and behold Him standing in our midst. Here and there the appearances have already begun in the earth; the Lord is appearing to His people again. Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Hebrews 9:28b. Every man who has this hope within him purifies and readies himself for an appearance of the Lord to his heart. Don’t doubt it, don’t waver in it, for it is already happening.
Put on that girdle. Put on those shoes. Take that staff in your hand and prepare your thinking. You’re going to take a journey. At the midnight hour the angel will pass through. We’re preparing for war. Like the twelve going out to minister the Word, we are ready with our loins girded with truth to overcome falsehood and to prevail over the lying spirits and demons that come against us. We’re girded about with a towel, ready to wash our brothers’ feet, ready to serve and be fruitful. We must be ready to leave everything behind, and to possess what we’ve never before possessed. In our spirit we must be ready to move out. By the precious blood of the Lamb we are set free from everything that is restricting, binding and enslaving. By that blood we have access unto God and unto the precious heritage and promises and possessions that He has for us. By the body of the Lord the veil is rent, and a new and living way into the presence of the Father is opened.
We must occupy the land until He comes, even if we might be there the rest of our lives or only until tomorrow. We must be ready to march, pressing ahead with all diligence, doing everything we can to fulfill the will of the Lord. No man knows the day or the hour when the Lord will come, but we want to be ready, as servants waiting for their Master’s return, serving and doing the thing He wants them to do.
Do you yearn to be in readiness and preparation, not just for that eventuality of the Lord’s coming, but for the greater works and the exploits? Live in expectation and earnestness trying to appropriate fully each day. In the morning, believe for those things to happen before noon; at noon believe for them before sundown, and in the watches of the night believe to see the things of God loosed in fullness before the sunrise. Live moment by moment, hour by hour. If in the mercy of God you have a few more hours, do not presume upon them, but walk with that preparation of heart, that expectation and anticipation, that this be the day you are found perfect and complete in Him, walking in all that He’ll give you to walk in.
Lord Jesus, we know the Passover has no significance for us as believers into thy name unless we learn the full meaning of the Passover, and come to see Thee, O Thou Lamb of God, as He that takes away our sin and causes judgment to pass over us. Search our hearts, and as we keep the spiritual significance of this Passover, we ask for a great portion of anointing to rest upon your people, for grace to flow down, bringing a release from limitations.
Lord, we ask that You help us in this hour, that passiveness and indifference will leave us forever. We don’t have days or months or years to be presumptuous with time. We must redeem the time because the days are evil. We don’t know how fast the world is going over the precipice into the total judgments of God. We don’t know how much longer we have to proclaim the living word, to sound forth the last witness the Remnant is ordained to bring to this earth, before You bring an end to the old and the beginning of Your Kingdom that will fill all the earth. Lord, we’re asking that You loose us from indifference, passivity, and blindness. Help us to awake out of sleep and arise from the dead and enter into the life of Christ: the life that He would bring. Stir our spirits as they’ve never been stirred before and bring us into the anticipation of what You want us to be at this very moment. Amen.