Today I want to focus on a passage in chapter 12 which is chock full of meaning, symbolism and foreshadow of what Christ would do on the cross many many centuries later. God is so cool in how he delivered the Israelites from His judgement on Egypt and then how He delivers us from our sins when we have Christ as our Lord and King.
Please read the following passage. It is a tad long, but worth taking another look at so hang in there and soak in all of the rich symbolism.
Exodus 12:3-13 (New International Version)
3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb [a] for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire—head, legs and inner parts. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.
12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
I was so overwhelmed with this passage at the thought of writing about it on this blog, but I knew it had to be done. So, I don’t pretend to know every nuance of symbolism, but I will make a list of what was meaningful to me.
**Sacrificing the Lamb: Christ is referred to as the Lamb of God (see John 1:29) You will recall that in the Old Testament days, God required a blood sacrifice as atonement for sin. A lamb was often used in this ceremony. I love verse 5 in the ESV. It says that the lamb will be without blemish. Our Christ, was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. With out blemish, without blame, completely innocent on our behalf. As innocent as a precious lamb…
**Blood covering the door frame: there is all kinds of meaning that I can’t go into (lack of knowledge) regarding the placement of the blood on the door. But, right now we will focus on the fact that blood was shed and that the blood was a sign to God to pass over that house. A sign to not pass judgement on those people. When we are in Christ, we are covered in His blood and our sins are passed over and forgiven. It is so powerful to remember this daily and worship Christ by thanking Him for shedding His blood. We are covered by His blood, covered by His love, and covered by His power (through the Holy Spirit).
**God’s judgement-all I have to say is DON’T MESS WITH GOD! His wrath is not pretty. But, again, as mentioned before, when we are in Christ, we are passed over.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
**Eating all of the Lamb: God didn’t want any leftovers in this meal. The symbolism here is to take all of Christ. When Christ comes again, I don’t want Him to find any leftovers in my fridge! I want to take all of Christ everyday and leave nothing on the table. I want to experience everything, love Him with all my heart, serve Him to the best of my ability and not miss a single blessing from Him.
This part of Exodus is not a pretty picture. In fact, it is down right gory. But, you have to admit that the event that is foreshadowed in this passage is down right glorious! So, go… Take the Lamb, leave nothing on the table, be covered in the blood, and thank the LORD for passing over your sin!