"The Passover and Salvation"(Exodus 12:4-8)

Exodus 12:4-8

 

From the Old Testament, the story of the Passover best foreshadows the salvation that is later to be experienced through followers of Christ. Some of the foreshadowing in Exodus 12, is shown in the regulations of food. These same food restrictions for the Passover feast are significant to Christians and carry deep meaning.

 

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John 1:29 ESV

 

The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

Exodus 12:13 ESV

 

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

James 1:22 ESV

 

Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,

Acts 3:19 ESV

 

Genuine repentance is not just confessing our sins, but making the efforts to avoid sin and change our behavior. We also need a genuine heart that calls us to return to God.

 

Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Exodus 14:12 ESV

 

Bitter herbs and unleavened bread were food which God also commanded to be eaten with the lamb. The bitter herbs represented the bitter labour experienced through slavery.

 

How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”  Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Matthew 16:11-12 ESV

 

The false teachings of the Pharisees were their wrong interpretations of the scriptures. Unleavened bread or bread without yeast is pure bread. It is God's word that has not been tainted, or corrupted. Our interpretation of God's word needs to be pure and free of foreign contamination, or we will be like the Pharisees.

 

The Israelites were blessed to know God just as we are blessed to know God. However, many of us have probably come to a dreadful conclusion when we reflect on ourselves. We see just how terrible our sins are and then how far we are from God. There may be a temptation not to know ourselves or even avoid God, yet John Calvin tells us that,

"Without knowledge of self, there is no knowledge of God Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other."

Yes, we need to know ourselves no matter how ugly and detestable that might be. Although this knowledge of self and how sinful we are might be too much to bear, this same knowledge is needed to have knowledge of God. When we try to deal with our own sin, we fail. Our sin is great, but God is greater than all our sins.

 

Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,

Exodus 12:5 ESV

 

A lamb is a sheep that is under one-year old. The lamb chosen would have been the biggest and the best that was under a year old. The lamb would never reach its full potential, and this in itself is a worthy sacrifice to God. To take what would be best, what would be most valuable and then use it completely for God's kingdom is a profound payment without equal. It was also meant to be shared with all whose hearts were prepared for the Lord.

 

And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.

Exodus 12:4 ESV

 

If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.

Exodus 12:48 ESV

 

The lamb, of course, is Jesus and we need to feast of his message of salvation and share the gospel with others.

 

“For   God so loved   the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not   perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 ESV

 

We are saved by the grace of Jesus. It is only the grace of Jesus which can and does save us. His Grace is more than enough to save us and cleanse away our sins.