The Passover
Bible Study Time 10-22-06
Church links:
Bible Study Time 10-22-06
Last week we looked at the fact that Abraham was saved by faith. God declared him to be righteous because He believed in the Lord, and he demonstrated his faith by believing what God said. In Romans, Chapter 4, Paul pointed out that Abraham believed God and was saved by faith before he was circumcised and before the Law was given. This illustrates for us the fact that salvation by faith has nothing to do with religious ceremonies or with our own good works. Paul went on to declare in Ephesians 2:
Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)
8 For by grace are (you) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Abraham was saved by grace through faith, but after Abraham accepted that he was going to have a son, the Lord also revealed to Abraham that his descendants were going to be strangers in a strange land and that they would serve the people of that land for four hundred years.
In fulfillment of God’s promise, Abraham did have a son, and Abraham named that son Isaac. Then Isaac had a son named Jacob whose name was later changed to Israel. Israel then had twelve sons, and their families grew into the twelve tribes of Israel.
Just as God had predicted, the twelve tribes of Israel moved down into Egypt where they became the slaves of the Egyptians for four hundred years. As the four hundred years of prophecy drew to a close, God started setting the stage for Israel’s return to the promised land.
God determined that Moses would be the man who would deliver Israel from Egypt. When Moses was born, he was protected by Pharaoh’s daughter and ultimately raised in Pharaoh’s house, but Moses had to leave Egypt because he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Jew. It looked like Moses would never have anything to do with the nation of Israel, but after spending 40 years on the backside of the desert, God called Moses to return to Egypt and lead the children of Israel back to the land of Canaan.
When Moses returned to Egypt, Pharaoh would not let the people go, so God sent many plagues upon the Egyptians. He turned the water into blood. He sent plagues of frogs and gnats and flies. Boils appeared on humans and animals alike. There were plagues of hail and locusts and darkness. Then, finally, the Lord said that He was going to send one final plague, and that after that plague, the children of Israel would leave the land of Egypt. Before this last plague, Moses went to Pharaoh and said:
Exodus 11:4-8 (NLT)
4 . . . "This is what the LORD says: About midnight I will pass through Egypt.
5 All the firstborn sons will die in every family in Egypt, from the oldest son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the oldest son of his lowliest slave. Even the firstborn of the animals will die.
6 Then a loud wail will be heard throughout the land of Egypt; there has never been such wailing before, and there never will be again.
7 But among the Israelites it will be so peaceful that not even a dog will bark. Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites.
8 All the officials of Egypt will come running to me, bowing low. 'Please leave!' they will beg. 'Hurry! And take all your followers with you.' Only then will I go!" Then, burning with anger, Moses left Pharaoh's presence.
Moses then went to the children of Israel and said:
Exodus 12:2,3,5,6 (NLT)
2 "From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you.
3 Announce to the whole community that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice . . .
5 This animal must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no physical defects.
6 "Take special care of these lambs until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then each family in the community must slaughter its lamb.
This lamb was to be a picture of the Lord Jesus whom God gave as the spotless Lamb of God who came into the world to shed His blood for the sins of the world. Therefore, the lamb which was selected there in Egypt had to be watched for three days, from the tenth day to the fourteenth day, to make sure that it had no disease. It had to be without spot and without blemish.
After the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, the Apostle Peter said:
1 Peter 1:18-19 (NKJ)
18 . . . you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
19 but (you were redeemed) with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
Just like the lamb in Egypt was watched for 3 days, Jesus Christ was placed under the scrutiny of the scribes and Pharisees for 3 years. Jesus went about healing and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and at the end of that three years, they arrested Jesus and brought Him before the High Priest. However, they had no legitimate charge of wrongdoing that they could bring against Him. He was without spot or blemish. Mark 14 and verse 55 says:
Mark 14:55-56 (NKJ)
55 Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.
56 For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.
After three years of intensive scrutiny, the Jewish religious leaders could not find one charge that they could bring against the Lord Jesus.
In Exodus, Chapter 12, God gave further instructions to Moses, saying:
Exodus 12:7-10 (NKJ)
7 'And (the people) shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
8 'Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9 'Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire-- its head with its legs and its entrails.
10 'You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.
After the lamb was slaughtered, its blood was placed upon the doorposts and on the lintel of the doors, and then the lamb was to be roasted in the fire. In this same way, the Lord Jesus had to shed His blood and endure the fires of hell in order to pay for our sins. Before His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus prayed,
Matthew 26:39 (NKJ)
39 . . . "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."
The Lord Jesus came to do the Father’s will, and there was no other way to save us from our sins. The Lord Jesus had to take our judgment upon Himself to deliver us from the curse of sin. The lamb in Egypt could not be eaten raw, and neither could it be boiled in water. It had to go through the fire. Only then could it be taken into the home and eaten.
Accordingly, when the blood of Christ is applied to the door of a believer’s heart, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus is able to enter into that heart. On the cross, the Lord Jesus accomplished everything that was required to prepare our hearts to be the dwelling place of God. Paul said (I Corinthians 3:16), “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
At the first Passover, the spotless lamb was sacrificed. It was roasted in the fire, and then it was taken into the home where it was eaten. Jesus said:
John 6:51 (NKJ)
51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."
When we partake of Jesus Christ, the living bread, we are nourished and strengthened so that we can do all things through Christ who strengths us. However, before we can partake of His spiritual life, we must believe that He went through the fires of hell and that He suffered there on our behalf. We must open our hearts to His Spirit so that the life of Jesus Christ can flow in and through us, and so that we can show the light of Christ to those around us.
When Moses talked to the people about eating the lamb, he said (Exodus 12:11), “And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD'S Passover.”
As they ate the lamb, they needed to be ready to travel. God was going to deliver them from the bondage of the Egyptians, and they needed to have their robes tied up and cinched with a belt around the waist. This was important so that as they moved rapidly out of Egypt, they would not stumble and fall.
After we have put our trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and after we have opened our hearts to His Spirit, we must have our waste gird about with the truth of God’s word. Without an understanding of God’s word, we are doomed to stumble and fall in our walk with the Lord.
As we feast upon the word of God, we become partakers in the life of Christ. This is how we open our hearts to Jesus Christ, by feasting upon the word. Jesus Christ is the living word of God, and it is the Spirit of Christ who brings to life the written word.
In our present day and age, we gain access to Christ through the written word of God. As we read it and study it, the Holy Spirit interprets it and applies it to our hearts. As we study the word rightly divided, we show ourselves approved unto God as workman who do not need to be ashamed. (II Timothy 2:15)
As the Jews in Egypt ate the lamb, they were to have their sandals on. Likewise, as we feast upon the word of God, we are to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace so that wherever God sends us we will be able to effectively share the gospel of Jesus Christ which is the gospel of peace.
Don’t you like that expression, the gospel of peace. The gospel of Jesus Christ truly is the gospel of peace. There can be no peace in this world without Jesus Christ, and there can be no peace in our hearts without Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life, and He is the One who gives the peace that passes understanding.
As they ate the Passover lamb in Egypt, they were to have their staff in their hand. The staff is a symbol of authority. It is used for stability, and it can be used as a weapon. Likewise, the open Bible is our symbol of authority today. In spite of the fact that it was written by 40 different men over 1500 years, it has never been proven wrong in any of its historical or scientific facts. Approximately 2500 prophecies appear in the Bible and about 2000 of them have already been fulfilled to the letter. When we speak the words of the Bible, we can speak with authority because:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJ)
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Bible is like the staff in that it gives us stability in our lives. The devil is the master of confusion and yet the word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4 says:
Hebrews 4:12 (NKJ)
12 . . . the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
When we get to know the Bible, we not only come to an understand of who God is, but we gain insight into who we are. Our peace with God flows from the spiritual unity which the Holy Spirit creates within us. The Holy Spirit takes a life that is fragmented and distorted and reshapes it into an integrated whole. This is what we call integrity. The Holy Spirit gives us integrity, and the result is a life which is stable even in unstable and stressful times.
Back in Egypt, God told the children of Israel:
Exodus 12:12,13 (NLT)
12 On that night (when you observe the Passover) I will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn sons and firstborn male animals in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the LORD!
13 The blood you have smeared on your doorposts will serve as a sign. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.
Today, we live in an age of grace. God is not overtly demonstrating His wrath and His anger against those who live in sin, but someday the judgment of the Lord will come, and he who has the blood of Jesus Christ applied to his heart will be protected when the day of judgment comes.
The Bible says that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) By nature we are far from God and from His salvation but now in Christ Jesus we who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)
Colossians 1:13-14 (NKJ)
13 (God) has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
God is saying to us today, when I see the blood I will pass over you.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)
8 For by grace are (you) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Abraham was saved by grace through faith, but after Abraham accepted that he was going to have a son, the Lord also revealed to Abraham that his descendants were going to be strangers in a strange land and that they would serve the people of that land for four hundred years.
In fulfillment of God’s promise, Abraham did have a son, and Abraham named that son Isaac. Then Isaac had a son named Jacob whose name was later changed to Israel. Israel then had twelve sons, and their families grew into the twelve tribes of Israel.
Just as God had predicted, the twelve tribes of Israel moved down into Egypt where they became the slaves of the Egyptians for four hundred years. As the four hundred years of prophecy drew to a close, God started setting the stage for Israel’s return to the promised land.
God determined that Moses would be the man who would deliver Israel from Egypt. When Moses was born, he was protected by Pharaoh’s daughter and ultimately raised in Pharaoh’s house, but Moses had to leave Egypt because he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Jew. It looked like Moses would never have anything to do with the nation of Israel, but after spending 40 years on the backside of the desert, God called Moses to return to Egypt and lead the children of Israel back to the land of Canaan.
When Moses returned to Egypt, Pharaoh would not let the people go, so God sent many plagues upon the Egyptians. He turned the water into blood. He sent plagues of frogs and gnats and flies. Boils appeared on humans and animals alike. There were plagues of hail and locusts and darkness. Then, finally, the Lord said that He was going to send one final plague, and that after that plague, the children of Israel would leave the land of Egypt. Before this last plague, Moses went to Pharaoh and said:
Exodus 11:4-8 (NLT)
4 . . . "This is what the LORD says: About midnight I will pass through Egypt.
5 All the firstborn sons will die in every family in Egypt, from the oldest son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the oldest son of his lowliest slave. Even the firstborn of the animals will die.
6 Then a loud wail will be heard throughout the land of Egypt; there has never been such wailing before, and there never will be again.
7 But among the Israelites it will be so peaceful that not even a dog will bark. Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites.
8 All the officials of Egypt will come running to me, bowing low. 'Please leave!' they will beg. 'Hurry! And take all your followers with you.' Only then will I go!" Then, burning with anger, Moses left Pharaoh's presence.
Moses then went to the children of Israel and said:
Exodus 12:2,3,5,6 (NLT)
2 "From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you.
3 Announce to the whole community that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice . . .
5 This animal must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no physical defects.
6 "Take special care of these lambs until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then each family in the community must slaughter its lamb.
This lamb was to be a picture of the Lord Jesus whom God gave as the spotless Lamb of God who came into the world to shed His blood for the sins of the world. Therefore, the lamb which was selected there in Egypt had to be watched for three days, from the tenth day to the fourteenth day, to make sure that it had no disease. It had to be without spot and without blemish.
After the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, the Apostle Peter said:
1 Peter 1:18-19 (NKJ)
18 . . . you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
19 but (you were redeemed) with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
Just like the lamb in Egypt was watched for 3 days, Jesus Christ was placed under the scrutiny of the scribes and Pharisees for 3 years. Jesus went about healing and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and at the end of that three years, they arrested Jesus and brought Him before the High Priest. However, they had no legitimate charge of wrongdoing that they could bring against Him. He was without spot or blemish. Mark 14 and verse 55 says:
Mark 14:55-56 (NKJ)
55 Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.
56 For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.
After three years of intensive scrutiny, the Jewish religious leaders could not find one charge that they could bring against the Lord Jesus.
In Exodus, Chapter 12, God gave further instructions to Moses, saying:
Exodus 12:7-10 (NKJ)
7 'And (the people) shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
8 'Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9 'Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire-- its head with its legs and its entrails.
10 'You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.
After the lamb was slaughtered, its blood was placed upon the doorposts and on the lintel of the doors, and then the lamb was to be roasted in the fire. In this same way, the Lord Jesus had to shed His blood and endure the fires of hell in order to pay for our sins. Before His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus prayed,
Matthew 26:39 (NKJ)
39 . . . "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."
The Lord Jesus came to do the Father’s will, and there was no other way to save us from our sins. The Lord Jesus had to take our judgment upon Himself to deliver us from the curse of sin. The lamb in Egypt could not be eaten raw, and neither could it be boiled in water. It had to go through the fire. Only then could it be taken into the home and eaten.
Accordingly, when the blood of Christ is applied to the door of a believer’s heart, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus is able to enter into that heart. On the cross, the Lord Jesus accomplished everything that was required to prepare our hearts to be the dwelling place of God. Paul said (I Corinthians 3:16), “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
At the first Passover, the spotless lamb was sacrificed. It was roasted in the fire, and then it was taken into the home where it was eaten. Jesus said:
John 6:51 (NKJ)
51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."
When we partake of Jesus Christ, the living bread, we are nourished and strengthened so that we can do all things through Christ who strengths us. However, before we can partake of His spiritual life, we must believe that He went through the fires of hell and that He suffered there on our behalf. We must open our hearts to His Spirit so that the life of Jesus Christ can flow in and through us, and so that we can show the light of Christ to those around us.
When Moses talked to the people about eating the lamb, he said (Exodus 12:11), “And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD'S Passover.”
As they ate the lamb, they needed to be ready to travel. God was going to deliver them from the bondage of the Egyptians, and they needed to have their robes tied up and cinched with a belt around the waist. This was important so that as they moved rapidly out of Egypt, they would not stumble and fall.
After we have put our trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and after we have opened our hearts to His Spirit, we must have our waste gird about with the truth of God’s word. Without an understanding of God’s word, we are doomed to stumble and fall in our walk with the Lord.
As we feast upon the word of God, we become partakers in the life of Christ. This is how we open our hearts to Jesus Christ, by feasting upon the word. Jesus Christ is the living word of God, and it is the Spirit of Christ who brings to life the written word.
In our present day and age, we gain access to Christ through the written word of God. As we read it and study it, the Holy Spirit interprets it and applies it to our hearts. As we study the word rightly divided, we show ourselves approved unto God as workman who do not need to be ashamed. (II Timothy 2:15)
As the Jews in Egypt ate the lamb, they were to have their sandals on. Likewise, as we feast upon the word of God, we are to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace so that wherever God sends us we will be able to effectively share the gospel of Jesus Christ which is the gospel of peace.
Don’t you like that expression, the gospel of peace. The gospel of Jesus Christ truly is the gospel of peace. There can be no peace in this world without Jesus Christ, and there can be no peace in our hearts without Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life, and He is the One who gives the peace that passes understanding.
As they ate the Passover lamb in Egypt, they were to have their staff in their hand. The staff is a symbol of authority. It is used for stability, and it can be used as a weapon. Likewise, the open Bible is our symbol of authority today. In spite of the fact that it was written by 40 different men over 1500 years, it has never been proven wrong in any of its historical or scientific facts. Approximately 2500 prophecies appear in the Bible and about 2000 of them have already been fulfilled to the letter. When we speak the words of the Bible, we can speak with authority because:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJ)
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Bible is like the staff in that it gives us stability in our lives. The devil is the master of confusion and yet the word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4 says:
Hebrews 4:12 (NKJ)
12 . . . the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
When we get to know the Bible, we not only come to an understand of who God is, but we gain insight into who we are. Our peace with God flows from the spiritual unity which the Holy Spirit creates within us. The Holy Spirit takes a life that is fragmented and distorted and reshapes it into an integrated whole. This is what we call integrity. The Holy Spirit gives us integrity, and the result is a life which is stable even in unstable and stressful times.
Back in Egypt, God told the children of Israel:
Exodus 12:12,13 (NLT)
12 On that night (when you observe the Passover) I will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn sons and firstborn male animals in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the LORD!
13 The blood you have smeared on your doorposts will serve as a sign. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.
Today, we live in an age of grace. God is not overtly demonstrating His wrath and His anger against those who live in sin, but someday the judgment of the Lord will come, and he who has the blood of Jesus Christ applied to his heart will be protected when the day of judgment comes.
The Bible says that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) By nature we are far from God and from His salvation but now in Christ Jesus we who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)
Colossians 1:13-14 (NKJ)
13 (God) has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
God is saying to us today, when I see the blood I will pass over you.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Church links:
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