Verse: Exodus 6:6-7 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
Read pp. 25-34 The Messiah in the Feasts of Israel by Sam Nadler
The Seder is an ordered meal rich in symbols that is intended to commemorate the Passover in Exodus
and fulfil the commands of the Torah given in Exodus and Leviticus. The Seder takes place in family
homes and is directed by the head of the house. One of the major elements of the Seder is the four cups
of wine that are drunk throughout the meal. This tradition was created during Roman times by the
rabbis and it is connected to the four “I will” covenant promises of Exodus 6:6-7. The tradition to drink
the four glasses during the Passover meal is not specifically commanded in the Torah. However, it does
serve to complete the command to tell of the Lord’s deliverance at Sinai (Ex 12:26) when your children
say to you, “What do you mean by this service?” (See also Deuteronomy 6:20, 32:7; Joshua 4:6,21;
Psalm 78:3-6).
The four glasses can represent the renewed acceptance of the four covenant promises declared in
Exodus 6 every year as we observe the Feast of Passover. These promises were first established in the
covenant of Abraham and see their ultimate conclusion in Jesus our Messiah. These four cups pattern
the steps our Messiah completes as we find deliverance and restoration through His life. The last of the
four cups represents the delight of God that He would be our God and we would be His people dwelling
in His peace and safety. This is nothing less than the very Sabbath rest of YHWH.
Meaning and significance of the four cups.
1. Sanctification – “I will bring you out” (Exodus 2:24-25). God heard; God remembered, God
looked, God acknowledged His people. Israel was identified as the people of YHWH distinct from all others.
2. Deliverance – “I will deliver you”. Also called “the cup of plagues”. God moved relentlessly to
destroy everything that kept His people in slavery to powers of Egypt.
3. Redemption - “I will redeem you” (buy you back). This is also called “the cup of blessing” and
“the cup of the new covenant”. Jesus said, “This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out
for you” (Matthew 26:27-39).
Jesus prayed in Gethsemane:
Matt 26:39-40
And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." ESV
Jesus drank the cup of judgment. He bore the judgment of God against humanity while He
Himself was completely guiltless, just as the lambs which were offered in Exodus had
“purchased” the deliverance of Israel from the final plague were themselves guiltless.
Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29).
Ps 116:12-13
What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? [How can I repay Him
for all His bountiful dealings?] I will lift up the cup of salvation and deliverance and call
on the name of the Lord. AMP
4. Restoration – “I will take you” (meaning “I will marry you”). Also named “hallel”, “praise”,
“acceptance” or “I will acquire you as a nation”. This is called “restoration” because God wants
to restore us to our original position and purpose. In the language of the Bible, restoration does
not just mean that we get repaired like an old piece of furniture that is scraped down and
refinished. Restoration carries the implication that we become better than the original. We
become “born again” or “born from above” (John 3:3), no longer slaves to the carnal nature
(Colossians 2:13).
Joel 2:25-26
And I will restore or replace for you the years that the locust has eaten--the hopping
locust, the stripping locust, and the crawling locust; My great army which I sent
among you. And you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the
Lord, your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you. And My people shall never be put
to shame. AMP
Ephesians 2:19-22
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the
saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure,
being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being
built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. ESV
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away;
behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to
himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling
the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us
the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making
his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For
our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God. ESV
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