Passover
Exodus 12:4-8
The Gospels in the New Testament give us the best
explanation of salvation; however, in the Old Testament the story of Passover was
first passage of salvation. The lamb's blood is needed to save the people of Israel.
John 1:29 ESV
[29] The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him,
and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
In the New Testament, we understand that Jesus
is the lamb of God which takes away sin.
Exodus 12:7 ESV
[7] “Then they shall take some of the blood and
put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
Although the Hebrews were told to eat the lamb,
it was not enough to be saved. They needed to put the blood on the doorposts so
the angel of death would pass over.
Much the same it is no good to hear and know about
salvation and what Jesus has done. We have to put into practice what God and His
word tells to do.
James 1:22 ESV
[22] But be doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving yourselves.
We have to walk in the light and have fellowship
with each other. Jesus’ blood has cleansed us from our sin so that we can have fellowship.
1 John 1:7 ESV
[7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses
us from all sin.
We have to repent and turn away from our wicked
ways. We need to do more than just ask for forgiveness and do good works at church.
It is a deliberate choice to change our lives and live for God.
Acts 3:19 ESV
[19] Repent therefore, and turn back, that your
sins may be blotted out,
Following Jesus is not easy. Following God is
also not easy. The children of Israel went through this in the desert. They wanted
to return to their old lives. It is easy to forget the misery we have escaped from.
Exodus 14:12 ESV
[12] 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.”
God did not want the Israelites to forget the
bitterness of slavery. Bread without yeast does not taste as good regular bread
and bitter herbs are strong. God did not want us to forget about the misery sin
brings. It is not to make us feel guilty but remind us of the grace God has given
us.
Exodus 12:8 ESV
[8] They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted
on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.
We must remember that God is with us. Just as
the Israelites were instructed to remember what God told them to do and how He freed
them.
God wants them to select largest most perfect
of the Lambs. After a year, they are no longer Lambs but sheep.
Exodus 12:5 ESV
[5] Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male
a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,
There is very much a community aspect of sharing.
This has always been God's plan to save everyone. It was not limited to one or a
certain group.
Exodus 12:4 ESV
[4] 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.
We too need to share the Gospel to others. Jesus
is the only path to salvation. If we accept Jesus' grace it will overflow in us.
