The Passover to the Cross
The Law requires
that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of
blood, there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22).
Exodus 12 is a forerunner of salvation by the
blood of the Lamb of God.
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of
Egypt, "This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be
the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that
on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to the
size of their house, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for
one lamb he may share with his nearest
neighbor according to the number of persons, according to what each can eat.
Your lamb should be without blemish, a one year old male. You may take it
from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth
day of this month when the whole assembly of Israel shall kill their lambs at
twilight.
Then they shall take some of the blood and put
it on both of the door posts and the lintel on the houses in which they eat it.
They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread
and bitter herbs they shall eat it. It must be roasted with its head and it
legs and inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until morning;
anything that remains until morning you shall burn.
In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. "It is the LORD's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments (there was a plaque for each of the gods of Egypt): I am the LORD. 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 plaque will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
This day shall be a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast (Exodus 12:1-14). God continues with more instructions concerning this feast.
*****
God gave instructions through Moses to
the Israelites who for 400 years had been slaves in Egypt. God, who heard their
cries, would free them from their bondage and lead them into the Promised land
if they would trust and obey Him. God did not do this immediately, but
after having sent 10 plaques upon Egypt, because the Pharaoh had a hard
heart and did not want to lose his slaves. Each of the plaques represented one
of Egypt's many false gods. After having put their trust in God's Word and
obediently carrying out God's instructions, God provided the way out of the
land of bondage and to freedom. They would then journey through the desert to
the promised land.
However, after being baptized in the red sea
they will be put through a series of tests as they journey through the desert
on their way to the promised land. Faith
must be tested in every child of God in order to reveal to us (not to God) what
is really in our heart. Our faith, like gold, must be put through the fire to
be tested to determine if it is genuine. Are we truly trusting and getting to
know our One and Only living God? What areas need to be strengthened,
what sin needs to be confessed, what do we need to let go of, what lessons need
to be learned, what desires need to be exchanged for His desires, who is our
focus on, who or what are we trusting in, and who do we look to for wisdom and
direction? Are our eyes and heart fixed on Jesus the Author and perfecter of
our faith? Have we surrendered our will to His will?
Does this sound familiar? John 1:29, John
the Baptist said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
world!" He is speaking about Jesus, the promised Messiah (Christ, Savior)
of the world for all who would turn from sin (repent) and put their faith in
Christ Jesus and be covered by His shed blood.
He would be the final Lamb without blemish or
defect that would replace the millions of lambs previously sacrificed. All
those previous lambs could never take away sin, or cleanse our conscience. They
could only give a temporary cover each year untill the Lamb of God went
to the cross of Calvary as a substitute, in our place, to pay the penalty for
our sin, so as to satisfy the justice of our Holy God and to reconcile us to
Him, so that through the shed blood of Christ Jesus, we now have access to Him
at the throne of grace.
Just as the Israelites' faith was tested in the
desert, and just as Jesus' faith was tested by Satan in the desert, our
faith will be tested in many ways on our journey home.
This testing is necessary and good for building
us up in the faith. It is also necessary for us to know God in a deeper way and
learn to lean on Him more quickly. These are probably the most painful, or
stressing times in our lives, but also the most favorable time to witness, as
God can use them for our benefit and His glory.
The power of God will be working in and through
us as we rely on His wisdom and strength when we walk through the fire. Like Shadrach, Meshshach, and Abednego, Jesus
will enter the furnace with us and bring us out unsinged by the heat. He
is our Savior!
~Annie~
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