Transcript

The true story is told of a woman who had finished shopping and returned to her car. She found four men inside the car.

She dropped her shopping bags, drew a handgun out of her purse, and screamed, “I have a gun, and I know how to use it! Get out of the car.” Those men did not wait for a second invitation; they got out and ran like crazy.

The woman, somewhat shaken, loaded her shopping bags and then got into the car. But she could not get her key into the ignition, no matter how she tried. Then it dawned on her: her car was parked four or five spaces away!

She loaded her grocery bags into her own car and then drove to the police station to turn herself in. The desk sergeant to whom she told the story nearly fell off his chair laughing.

He pointed to the other end of the counter, where four men were reporting a carjacking by an old woman with thick glasses and curly white hair, less than five feet tall, and carrying a large handgun. No charges were filed.

You see, she thought it was her car, but it really belonged to someone else.

Having trusted Christ as our Savior, we might mistakenly still think our lives are our own, but they really belong to God. We are redeemed and bought and paid for by the blood of Christ. We now belong to God, and are His forever.

Israel was redeemed out of her bondage in Egypt and belonged to God, and the Passover marked a new beginning for the nation Israel. And it’s the same when you trust Christ as your Savior, it is a new beginning. God makes everything new at our salvation.

As 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

By the Passover, Israel was liberated from bondage in Egypt and it was the dawning of a new day and the beginning of a new life for them as a nation.

And it’s the same when God liberates us from the bondage of our sins by the Cross, we have new life in Christ, and it can be the beginning of a whole new transformed life as we live for the One who bought us and set us free.

Exodus 12:1-3: “And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

“Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house.”

The Passover and Israel’s deliverance from Egypt changed their reckoning of time. God commanded Moses and Aaron that Israel should count the month of their deliverance from Egypt as the first month of the year.

This was so significant and historic that they needed to rearrange their calendar because of it. Thus, Passover and the month Nisan marked the beginning of their religious year. And the Passover focused on the Lamb.

So their year was to begin with the focus on the Lamb, and to build their lives around the remembrance of when the blood was applied and their deliverance from bondage.

So it is with our redemption from our sins. Our freedom from sin’s bondage is so significant, that everything should change from that point forward.

Life and how we live it and view it should be based around our new life in Christ and when the blood of Christ was applied to our hearts by faith.

The focus of our days and years should be on the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, and we should build our lives around the remembrance of our deliverance from sin’s bondage by Christ. Our redemption should dictate who we are and all that we do.

Israel was enslaved by a powerful monarch in Egypt. Moses had told Pharaoh God’s message to “Let My people go.” But Pharaoh stubbornly would not. Pharaoh is a picture of sin and Satan, who try to prevent the deliverance of their captives.

Satan is determined to resist God and keep people in bondage to their sins. For there to be deliverance there needed to be death and the shedding of blood.

Thus, God said in Exodus 11:4-6: “Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.

“And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.”

On a certain night, death would visit the land of Egypt and visit every house. It was to take place in the darkness, at midnight, and the eldest, the firstborn in every family would suddenly die.

Here in Exodus 12, Israel’s redemption was at the door, but they were not automatically exempt from the last plague of the death of the firstborn.

There was only ONE WAY of preventing this, and everyone who believed God and obeyed His instruction were delivered from the judgment of death.

God’s final judgment on Egypt was tempered with mercy and a perfect provision. The provision was a life for a life, a lamb to die in the stead of the firstborn.

Death came to every single house in Egypt that night, Israel included. In each home there was either the death of the firstborn or the death of the lamb.

And so the picture is that we either experience spiritual eternal death ourselves, or we trust God’s promise and the Lamb who died in our stead, who shed its blood that we might live.

The Passover teaches that there is only one way to be delivered from the God’s judgment of death, and it is through the Lamb and the application of its blood.

The Passover did not take place until the 14th day of the month, but the lamb for the Passover needed to be observed for four days. Thus, God’s instruction for what Israel should do begins on the 10th day of the month.

The detailed instructions for the Passover in chapter 12 include what animal to select, when to kill it, what to do with its blood, how to cook it, what to do with leftovers, and how to dress for the meal.

On the 10th day of the month, Israel was to select a lamb and separate it from the flock. It was appointed unto death four days before it was actually slain.

Isaiah 53:7 is a prophecy of Christ and how He would be led as a lamb to the slaughter. Peter wrote in his first epistle, that believers are redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world” (1 Pet. 1:19-20).

It was God’s eternal purpose for Christ to come to the world to die the death of the Cross. He was appointed unto death as THE Lamb of God. Christ knew He came to this earth for the Cross, and constantly spoke of the “hour” of His approaching death.

Exodus 12:5-6: “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

“And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.”

The Israelites were then to observe and examine the lamb they separated out for 4 days to determine if it was suitable to be their Passover lamb.

They needed to make sure it was perfect in every way and had no blemishes.

And of course, the Lord Jesus Christ was perfect, sinless, without blemish. He was born sinless through the miraculous conception of the Holy Spirit.

And He lived a perfect, sinless life. Hebrews 4:15 says that Christ “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Again as Peter wrote, Christ was “a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1:19).

Peter also wrote that Christ “did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth” (2:22). Paul wrote that Christ “knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21). He was the Perfect Lamb of God.

Nothing but a perfect sacrifice could satisfy the requirements of God against sin, who Himself is perfect. One who had sin in himself could not pay for the sins of others. He would have to pay for his own sins.

Thus, only one who was sinless could pay the sin debt of others. Only the sinless Son of God incarnate could offer an acceptable sacrifice for our sins. And this He willingly did for us out of His infinite love and grace.

Christ also was observed for 4 days in Jerusalem after His Triumphal Entry and prior to His crucifixion. During those days, He was tested, interrogated and asked questions repeatedly, but none could find fault with Him.

He was asked questions about paying taxes, marriage in the resurrection, what the greatest commandment was.

At the end of this time, Matthew 22:46 reads, “And no man was able to answer Him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask Him any more questions.” He passed every test. He was perfect in every way.

Before moving on to the next verse we would call attention to a progression here. In verse 3 it is “a lamb”; in verse 4, “the lamb”; in verse 5, “your lamb.”

It goes from an unknown entity, to knowing about it, to being your personal lamb.

It goes from distance to closeness, from being just A lamb, to being THE lamb, to being YOUR lamb. That’s often how it goes with people’s observation of Christ. Many see Him as just another person, just a lamb.

Then they might go to the next step of seeing Christ as THE Lamb, that He is God’s Son and THE Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

But deliverance from sin doesn’t come until you see Him as YOUR Lamb, that He is Your Lamb personally, that He is your personal Substitute who took your place and died for you and for your sins personally.

During the period of close observation, they fed and cared for the lamb. By the end of the fourth day it would have won the affection of the entire household, especially the children. And that perfect lamb, by that point would have become YOUR lamb.

Being their lamb, each member of that household would have felt its death on their behalf, seeing that innocent lamb shed its blood to save their firstborn.

And God means for us to feel the death of Christ on our behalf. He wants us to feel Christ’s sacrifice made for you personally as your Lamb.

This can result in change to our lives as we feel the weight and gravity and the love and grace of Christ’s death for us. He was innocent. He was perfect. And God wants us to look at the Cross by faith and see the agony He experienced, the blood He shed, the pain of being forsaken by His Father, see the death that He died.

He willingly did it for you and for me. It’s because He loved me that He gave Himself for me. He did it so you and I would be delivered from God’s wrath.

The Passover was instituted by God as a day that would be unto Israel “for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever,” verse 14 says.

This remembrance of Israel’s deliverance from bondage in Egypt and their new life was to never end. And likewise, the remembrance of our new life in Christ and the deliverance from the bondage of our sins by the Cross of Christ, will never end.

The Cross is here in the pages of Scripture, so that we will never forget. God’s Word is eternal, and for eternity, we will never forget. And when we personally see our Savior’s nail-scarred hands and feet throughout eternity, we will never forget.

People say, Remember the Alamo. And they forget. They say, Remember Pearl Harbor. And they forget. They say, Remember 9/11. And they forget. But as believers, we will never forget the Cross.

Because of the death of Christ, we have redemption through His blood the forgiveness of sins, we are righteous, we are accepted in the Beloved, we are reconciled to God, we have peace with God, we have access to God, and on and on.

We will never forget the sacrifice of our Lamb Who died for us and for our sins in our place that we might live and have hope and a home in heaven forever.

Next the Lord instructed Moses: “and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.”

The word “evening” here in the Hebrew means “between the evenings” or “between the two evenings.” The Jews divided the day into morning and evening. And their days went from evening to evening, because God created the night first and then day.

After sunrise till noon, all was morning, after that all was evening. Their first evening began just after twelve noon, and continued till sunset; their second evening and their new days began at sunset.

Thus, the killing of the Passover lamb was done between the two evenings, or after noon and before sunset and the beginning of the second evening, while it was still the fourteenth day of the first month.

And the Lord Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb, died during this time as well, between noon and sunset on the Passover, just after 3:00pm.

Exodus 12:7-8: “And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

“And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.”

After killing the Passover Lamb, they were to take its blood and “strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses.” Verse 22 teaches that they were to do this by taking “a bunch of hyssop” and dipping it in the blood that is in the basin.

Interestingly, when Christ cried out “I thirst” at the Cross, a hyssop branch was used to lift a sponge filled with vinegar to Him so He could drink (John 19:29).

Hyssop was present at the fulfillment of the death of the true Passover Lamb.

God specified that Lamb should be killed and that the blood of the Passover Lamb from the bason should be applied to the door posts, on each side and the top. The “bason” in verse 22 was not a container in the sense we use the word basin today.

It speaks of the threshold of the home. This was a ditch which was dug just in front of the doorways of houses to avoid flooding.

The Israelites were being taught to kill their lambs by their doors. The blood from the lamb would then run into the depression at the threshold. Then they were to take their hyssop brush and dip it into this bason and strike the lintel and each side post.

The blood had to be applied for them to be saved and safe from the destroyer. The death of the lamb alone would not do; its blood had to be applied as God instructed.

Christ died for all and has shed His blood for our redemption. But it is not until that blood is applied to your soul by trusting that Christ died for your sins and rose again, that you are saved from God’s judgment of eternal death.

The Lord told Israel in verse 13: “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.”

When God saw the blood on the doorposts of the homes of the Israelites His judgment passed over them. The blood was the only means of deliverance from wrath and death.

And in this, we have a principle that is just as true for us, the Body of Christ. And this is why our Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:7: “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”

When we trust Christ as Savior the blood of Christ is applied to our hearts.

Now forever God sees that blood applied to our hearts and thus His judgment passes over us and we are safe from His judgment, saved from eternal death and we live.

And we are safe in Christ just like those Israelites were safe in their homes with the blood applied on the doorposts.

Exodus 12:8-10: “And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

“Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

“And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.”

The Lord instructs Israel to eat that night after killing the Passover Lamb and applying the blood to their doorposts. They were to eat the lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs. They were to roast the lamb over fire. They were told not to eat it raw or to boil it.

The animal was to be prepared whole, “his head with his legs.” Verse 46 of this chapter says, “neither shall ye break a bone thereof.” No bones were to be broken In the Passover Lamb. This was fulfilled by Christ, the Passover Lamb, at the Cross.

As the true Passover Lamb, Psalm 34:20 prophesied of Christ at the Cross: “He keepeth all His bones: not one of them is broken.”

Then at the Cross, they broke the legs of those who were crucified with Christ to hasten their deaths because of the sabbath day that was fast approaching.

John 19:33,36 then reads, “But when they came to Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, they brake not His legs…For these things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of Him shall not be broken.”

Israel was taught in the Passover to fully consume the lamb that night, and any leftovers were to be burned up.

The lamb was so special that it could not be treated like ordinary food. It was treated in a special way, because it pictured the most Special One of all, God’s Son.

The lamb was roasted with fire. The whole lamb was to be consumed. Any leftovers were burned with fire. Fire in Scripture speaks of God’s judgment. And as Christ was made sin for us, He suffered the fire of God’s wrath and judgment against our sins.

As the Lamb was completely used up and burned, it reminds us how Christ’s sacrifice was an all-consuming, complete sacrifice. He gave everything for us.

Exodus 12:29: “And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.”

The plague of death of the firstborn took place just as God promised. From the throne room in Egypt to its dungeons and everyone in between, all the firstborns died. All except those who had the blood of the lamb applied to the door posts of their homes.

It was a night of judgment, but the substitutionary death of the Passover Lamb brought safety to those who applied the blood to their doorposts.

The blood of the lamb applied made them safe, their trust in God’s promise made them sure. And God was faithful to His Word.

When the Israelites shed the blood of the lamb at the door and then applied that blood at the top of the doorpost and on the two sides, it pictured the Cross.

As that blood was applied on the two side posts, it was a picture of the outstretched arms and nail-pierced hands of the Savior.

And as the blood was applied to the top of the doorpost, it pictured His head on which was His crown of thorns, which was driven into His head by a soldier hitting Him across the head with a stick after that crown had been placed on Him.

As the Lamb had its blood shed at the base of it, it pictured His nail-pierced feet.

And as the blood ran and dripped down from that top doorpost to the threshold below and the blood was on the two side posts, you have a beautiful picture of the Cross.

And you have a picture of how the blood ran down and was shed from our Savior, the Lamb of God, at Calvary, to the ground below.

Those inside that blood-sealed door on that Passover night found safety. They were protected by it and God’s judgment passed over them. And the next morning they left their bondage in Egypt, redeemed by the sacrificial blood of the Lamb.

We too have been redeemed by the sacrificial blood of the Lamb. We are free from our sins. We are safe in Christ. We belong to God. Out of gratitude for all this, may we live a transformed life in the new life we have in Christ.