“This annual festival will be a visible sign to you,
like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead…”
“…It is a reminder that the power of the Lord’s mighty hand brought us out of Egypt.”
Exodus 13:9, 16
I have vivid memories of branding day on our Nebraska ranch. There was great joy as neighbors joined together…men rounding up the calves on horseback, ladies cooking the celebration feast, and children watching wide-eyed as the brands were forever embedded in the hide of those little calves.
So, it is quite intriguing to me that God would liken the Passover to a mark branded on the hand or forehead: a brand on the head to help them remember their miraculous deliverance…a brand on the hand to show that deliverance was not by THEIR own hand, but by the power of the LORD’s mighty hand. The Passover celebration would forever brand them as God’s special children.
On our ranch, it was extremely important that my father mark every newborn calf with his unique brand, just in case they ever wandered into another pasture. Likewise, on the day of our re-birth, we are marked with Our Father’s unique brand. No matter how often we wander to foreign pastures, that brand on our hearts will be a constant reminder of WHO delivered us and WHOSE hand we can trust. And without a doubt, our Shepherd God continually searches every foreign pasture, always looking to bring back home those with His special brand.
I’m so grateful…with God’s unfailing love, I am branded for life!
