When
I See the Blood
The LORD God had promised in
His covenant with Father Abraham, "Know certainly that your
descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will
serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And
also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall
come out with great possessions." Genesis 15:13, 14.
The families of
Israel would first be welcomed into Egypt with respect and honor.
Joseph had been taken down first as a slave and sank even lower to a
shackled prisoner. Through the providential working of God he
was exalted to become the savior of Egypt. Under his watch
care Israel enjoyed peace and tranquility.
In the years
following Joseph's death there arose a new Pharaoh over Egypt, who
did not know Joseph. (Exodus 1:9). Israel became a slave
nation driven by taskmaster's whips to the full limits of
their strength and endurance. ". . .The Egyptians made the
children of Israel serve with rigor. And made their lives
bitter with hard bondage---in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of
service in the field." Exodus 1:13, 14.
The time came for
God's judgment to fall on Egypt and for Israel to be delivered from
captivity. Pharaoh was given opportunity to voluntarily let
Israel go free several times, but he refused. As a result
Egypt suffered nine plagues that devastated the land. The
last, and worst, would shortly follow.
GOD MADE A DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN ISRAEL AND THE EGYPTIANS ". .
.That you may know that the LORD does make a difference between the
Egyptians and Israel." Exodus 11:7.
This is significant
in that one of God's qualities is that He is not a respecter of
persons (Acts 10:34, and other verses). Powerful factors must
be at work for God to respect one person over another or one nation
over another. The powerful factors that are apparent in this
case are:
1. Israel was God's chosen people to provide
God's inspired revelation to the world and the lineage through which
God promised His Messiah (Christ) would come. (See Deuteronomy
7:6; 14:2; Psalms 33:12; 135:4; Isaiah 43:10, 20; 44:1, 2; 48:10 and
Romans 9:3-5). The Egyptians were a people who rejected Israel
and Israel's God and chose false gods.
2. The Israelites would accept and appropriate
God's provision of the Passover Lamb and it's shed blood as their
protection from the sentence of death of the firstborn in every
house in Egypt. The Egyptians would not. (This was the same
distinction God made between Abel and Cain. (Genesis 4:3-5).
GOD CAME DOWN TO
JUDGE. "Thus says the LORD: About midnight
I will go out into the midst of Egypt; and all the firstborn in the
land of Egypt shall die...." Exodus 11:5.
The culture of the
day was that the firstborn son received twice as much inheritance as
the other children and succeeded his father as leader of the family.
There is much evidence that God has made the first born a type of
all mankind's first birth,---the birth of the flesh. His
blessing is taken from the son born first and passed to the son born
second...representing the spiritual birth by the Holy Spirit.
This was true of Cain and Abel; Ishmael and Isaac; Esau and Jacob;
Manasseh and Ephraim; David's firstborn by Bathsheba and
Solomon.
In Egypt God
pronounced the curse of death on every firstborn child. His
curse still abides on all who have only experienced the birth of the
flesh. The day is coming when the curse will be carried out.
GOD PROVIDED
REDEMPTION FROM THE CURSE. "On the tenth of this month
every man shall take for himself a lamb...a lamb for a
household...keep it until the fourteenth day...Then the whole
assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight."
Exodus 12:4, 6.
These lambs were a
type of Christ.
A lamb was slain for each family. We later find there were
over 603,000 men who qualified as warriors. It is estimated
there was a minimum of two million Israelites and that it would
require some 250,000 lambs to meet the requirement. God
refers to these thousands of lambs eighteen times in the singular as
"it". They were a type (or picture) of "The Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world." This was John the
Baptist's introduction of Jesus. John was the man God chose to
introduce Jesus to Israel...and all mankind. Please consider
the following truths of Scripture:
1. The lamb had to be without spot or blemish.
The Christ had to be without sin in order to die for our sins.
Jesus ". . .Was in all points tempted as we are, yet without
sin." Hebrews 4:15 In 30 A.D. on the tenth day of
Nissan (April) the Passover Lamb was set apart to be inspected four
days. On that same day Jesus entered Jerusalem and presented
Himself four days for examination by Pharisees, Sadducees,
Herodians, the high priest; the rulers of Israel, and the governors,
Pilate and Herod. Pilate's verdict was, "I find in Him no
fault at all." John 19:38.
2. The lamb's blood had to be shed. God
gave the reason for this in Leviticus 17:11, "For the life
of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the
altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that
makes atonement for the soul." In our New Testament
we read, ". . .For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed
for us." 1st Corinthians 5:7. "Knowing that you
were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold...but
with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot. . .foreordained before the foundation of the world. .
." 1st Peter 1:18-20. On the fourteenth day of
Nissan, shortly after 3:00 p.m. Jesus cried out, "It is finished"
and yielded His spirit to the heavenly Father (John 1930).
This was the very time when the blood of the Passover lambs were
being shed so that the lamb could be prepared for the Passover meal
at 6:00 p.m.
3. The lamb's body had to be roasted with fire.
This pictured the innocent Lamb of God receiving the full
condemnation for sin in place of all mankind that committed the sin.
Please consider: "For He (God) made Him (Jesus)
who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him." 2nd Corinthians 5:21.
". . .How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered Himself to God, cleanse your conscience from
dead works to serve the living God." Hebrews 9:14.
It was the blood of
the Passover lamb that provided protection to every family in
Israel. It is the blood of Christ that protects every person
who places their faith in Christ as their Savior.
GOD GIVES NEW LIFE TO TRUE
BELIEVERS. " This month shall be your
beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year
to you." Exodus 12:2.
Israel already had a
calendar. It began with the month Tishri which falls between
mid-September and early October. It marked the time of annual
harvest. However, from this point Israel would also have a new
spiritual calendar which marked their new spiritual life through
acceptance of God's provision of redemption. Many Israelites
would continue to believe that they inherited a living relationship
with God by being born into a family that descended from father
Abraham. This was exactly what the apostle Paul was addressing
when he wrote, ". . .For they are not all Israel who are of
Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of
Abraham, but 'In Isaac your seed shall be called.'" Isaac
was a supernaturally born son who made it possible for the
supernaturally born Jesus to pay the redemption price for all
mankind. Only those who accept God's provision of redemption
by faith experience a spiritual birth by the Holy Spirit and become
God's children. That is why Jesus bluntly told Nicodemus, "You
must be born again." John 3:7. He went on to say
that man's part in bringing this to pass is placing faith in Him as
the One Who purchased our redemption by being lifted up (on the
cross). John 3:14-16.
GOD REQUIRES HIS REDEMPTION
TO BE APPROPRIATED. ". . .Every man
shall take for himself a lamb. . ." 12:3.
". . .According to each man's need you shall make your count for
the lamb. 12:4
"Your lamb shall be without blemish. . ." 12:5
The lamb's blood
must be caught in a basin.
Exodus 12:21, 22.
This pictured the sentence of death being carried out on an innocent
sacrifice.
Protection came when the blood was applied..
". . .Take a bunch of
hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the
lintel and the two doorposts." 12:22. On the lintel
the blood would provide protection from judgment above and on the
doorposts it would provide protection from the defilement of sin
below. Hyssop was a shrub that contained a cleansing element
(See Psalm 51:7 and 1st John 1:7)
The lamb was eaten
as a feast. This speaks of meditation on God's promises
until faith is produced in the heart. Jesus spoke of this when
He said, ". . .Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and
drink His blood, you have no life in your. Whoever eats My
flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up
at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is
drink indeed." John 6:53-55. We must understand that
Jesus is talking about personally appropriating His sacrificial
death for our sins by faith.
The lamb was eaten
with bitter herbs. 12:8. This speaks of repentance
taking into account a life of bitter bondage and a regret of a
meaningless life before coming into a relationship with God.
The lamb was eaten
in haste. ((See Exodus 12:10). This emphasizes the
importance of having completed all preparations and being ready to
begin the departure march from the land of bondage. "We
then...plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For He says, 'In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day
of salvation I have helped you." 2nd Corinthians 6:1, 2.
GOD PASSED THROUGH EGYPT TO
SMITE THE EGYPTIANS. See Exodus 12:12, 23.
At every home where there was no blood the firstborn died including
the house of Pharaoh. ". . .And there was a great cry in
Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead."
Exodus 12:30. Pharaoh and the people of Egypt experienced God
bringing His judgment to them. They still did not repent,
forsake their false gods and embrace Jehovah. They wanted
Israel and Israel's God to leave their land.
GOD PASSED OVER ISRAEL IN
MERCY. "And when I see the blood, I will
pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you
when I strike the land of Egypt." Exodus 12:13, 23.
God was concerned
about seeing one thing---the blood of the lamb. He had no
concern as to whether the firstborn was an Israelite or an Egyptian;
whether the firstborn had been devoutly religious or irreligious, or
even whether the firstborn had been impeccably moral or immoral.
His one concern was, "Had the blood of the lamb been appropriated by
faith and applied to the front door."
When we stand before
God His one concern will be, "Have we appropriated the blood of the
Lamb of God by faith and applied it to the door of our heart.
Copyright © 2002 Thomas E Berry
All Scripture quoted from NKJV unless otherwise noted
Copyright © 2008 Truth Helpers Inc.
|