The Hebrews that feared God were to slaughter a lamb at twilight and place some of the blood on the sides and top of their doorframes. God had always known where his people lived and the plagues had not affected them. But, now the blood was to be a “sign” (‘ot), which, like to first three signs Moses showed Pharaoh, would provide information, insight and understanding that, if responded to in faith, would provide mercy and deliverance. The blood was a visible public display to serve as a sign to everyone (believer or skeptic, Hebrew or Egyptian) that Yahweh had destroyed the firstborn of those without the blood, but had “passed over” those with the sign of the blood that had been applied at his command and in agreement with his word.
When the Lord saw the blood of this sign applied to the door frame he would “pass over” (pasah, verb, or pesah, the noun translated “Passover”).
God would strike the firstborn throughout Egypt that refused to apply the blood of the slaughtered lamb on the door frame. The death of the firstborn would not only include human families, but also the animal kingdom. And, since many of the images of the gods of Egypt were portrayed as creatures of the animal kingdom, the death of the firstborn among the animals would be an attack and a judgment on those Egyptian gods. No Egyptian god would escape this judgment and each of them would suffer the consequences of not being able to protect the image of their deity and symbol of their power. |
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Jesus seemed to warn of the Pagan tendency of “clergy” separating themselves from the common “laity” by
wearing “special” clothing or accessories to
distinguishing themselves. "Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets."
(Luke 20:46)
During the first two centuries clothing was not used to separate the " ministers" from the ones who were to support the "ministers." Clerical "dressing up" for church began in the 300's AD when the clergy distinguished themselves from the laity by adopting the dress of the Roman government officials. Today the "clergy" often seeks to separate themselves from
the laity with robes or suits
or some other accessory
worn publicly. |
