What does "no foreigner or hired servant" teach about God's covenant requirements? Setting the Scene God introduced the first Passover on the eve of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. The meal was more than food; it was a covenant marker that distinguished God’s redeemed people from everyone else. Reading the Key Text “Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘This is the statute of the Passover: No foreigner may eat of it. But every slave who has been purchased may eat of it, after you have circumcised him. A foreigner or hired servant may not eat of it.’” Why the Line Was Drawn • The Passover was a family meal for those under the blood of the lamb (Exodus 12:7, 13). • “Foreigner” points to someone outside Israel’s covenant; “hired servant” describes one who labors for pay but has no permanent share in the household. • God required circumcision (v. 44; cf. Genesis 17:9-14) as the visible sign of belonging before the meal could be eaten. What the Phrase Teaches about Covenant Requirements • Covenant participation is never casual. God sets clear, non-negotiable terms. • Identity comes before privilege. Only those marked by covenant obedience (circumcision then; faith in Christ now) may enjoy covenant benefits. • Relationship, not mere proximity, grants access. Living among God’s people or working for them was insufficient without personal covenant commitment. • Ownership matters. A purchased household slave, once circumcised, could eat; a day-laborer could not. Redemption brings inclusion. Grace within Boundaries • God made a way for outsiders who desired Him—circumcision opened the door (Exodus 12:48). • The stipulation balanced holiness (protecting the meal’s meaning) with mercy (welcoming any who embraced the covenant). • Similar boundaries appear later: only the circumcised male could keep Passover (Exodus 12:48), only ritually clean priests could eat holy offerings (Leviticus 22:10-13). New Covenant Fulfillment in Christ • Jesus is “our Passover lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7). • Entrance is now by the new-birth circumcision “made without hands” (Colossians 2:11-14), accomplished through faith and pictured in baptism. • Once we “were foreigners to the covenants of the promise,” but now we “have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:12-13). Practicing the Principle Today • The Lord’s Table, like the Passover, is for those who confess Christ and have publicly identified with Him (Acts 2:41-42). • Church membership and baptism function as covenant markers, reminding us that grace is free yet entered on God’s terms. • Guarding the ordinances protects their witness, while inviting all people to Christ upholds God’s heart to include anyone willing to embrace His covenant. |
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