God Redeems His People
Our text:
Exodus 11, 12
We know as Christians that God saves one individual at a time. We have a personal, one on one, relationship with our Father who is in Heaven. This came only through the blood of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Once saved, Born Again, we each have our duty to be available for God’s work and in some cases God will call on certain ones for a more specific duty, such as Preachers, Pastors, Missionaries and other things.
What we see in the Book of Exodus is something different. God redeems an entire nation to serve Him.
Exo 4:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
Exo 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
Exo 4:23 And I say unto thee, [Let my son go, that he may serve me]: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.
Paul wrote:
Rom 9:4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
This adoption was not individual as one lost being saved. No this adoption was an entire nation being singled out as objects of God’s special favors.
Jer 31:9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
The title "firstborn" speaks of honor and privilege and in the Bible times the firstborn was to receive a double portion.
The first request from Moses was for Israel to sacrifice unto the Lord:
Exo 3:18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, [that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God].
1.) This has not changed! The "blood" is still required to avert God’s judgment.
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Only as a sinner places the "blood of Jesus" between himself and a Holy God can we stand in His presence.
2.) Only after this, can come service!
Dan 3:17 If it be so, [our God whom we serve] is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
Dan 3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
3.) Only after this comes the feast!
To the Jew the feasts of the Tabernacle.
To the child of God the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
This contest between Pharaoh and Jehovah was almost ended. This king had passed many opportunities to repent. Warning after warning and plague after plague had been sent yet he refused the Word of God.
God does not back down nor bend His rules to make it easier for repentance. There is only one way to become friends with this God:
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
This Pharaoh only had one answer up until this time:
Exo 5:2 And Pharaoh said, [Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice] to let Israel go? [I know not the LORD], neither will I let Israel go.
Pharaoh had seen the wrath of God and he would now see the judgment of God.
*****Our text:
Exo 11:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.
Exo 11:2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.
Exo 11:3 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.
Exo 11:4 And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
Exo 11:5 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.
Exo 11:6 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.
Exo 11:7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.
Exo 11:8 And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.
Exo 11:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.
Exo 11:10 And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.
"One More Plague"
The Bible says:
Psa 78:43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:
Psa 78:44 And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.
Psa 78:45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
Psa 78:46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.
Psa 78:47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.
Psa 78:48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
Psa 78:49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
Psa 78:50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;
Psa 78:51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
There is no withstanding the angel of death! No amount of wealth and certainly no amount of science can provide deliverance from death:
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
The Palace was not more secure than the servant quarters.
In verse two we see the word "borrow". Many say that God teaches His people to be deceptive and dishonest but nothing could be further from the truth.
The Hebrew word "sha’al was translated in this verse as "borrow". This Hebrew word is used 168 times in the Old Testament, 162 times it is translated "ask, beg, or require".
Even though this is true, why should the Lord tell his people to "ask" anything from a people that for at least 80 years had made slaves of Israel. They had never been paid for the work done in those many years. Lawfully they were entitled to those things as payment.
Spiritually speaking the world owes a great debt for the presence of God’s people. It was Christians that began most all charitable institutions and also most of the schools and hospitals.
We can be sure that on the day of the "rapture" the world will see the true blessing of the Church depart from it for several years.
God will always fulfill His promises:
Exo 3:21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, [ye shall not go empty]:
God had also told Abraham these things:
Gen 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and [afterward shall they come out with great substance].
*****all the firstborn shall die
It is a tremendous loss for any soul to be judged of God because he truly wants us all to join Him in Heaven.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; [but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that "any" should perish], but that all should come to repentance.
When a lost soul crosses our path and when given the opportunity we do not witness to them of salvation it may have been their last chance and they may end up in Hell.
This Pharaoh had rejected to even consider that the Israelite people should worship their God. They were an abomination to him and his people and he considered their value to be only as slaves with no rights at all. In how many nations has this not taken place, even in America.
We can dwell on the death of these that could have repented and gone with the Israelite people or we can look upon those that were not harmed because of obedience.
It is a right saying to repeat:
Pro 9:10 [The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom]: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Pro 9:11 For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.
But to be foolish:
Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but [fools despise wisdom and instruction].
To be a Christian and to fear the Lord is to believe that He will never do anything that is unrighteous.
Jer 4:2 And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Paul wrote to the Church in Rome:
Rom 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and [to make his power known], (endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction):
Rom 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Rom 9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Why not just punish this Pharaoh? We can be sure that this nation treated this Pharaoh as a god and stood by him.
Exo 14:17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and [they shall follow] them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
Exo 14:18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
You see the Lord does put a difference in those that obey the Word of God and those that do not!
"that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel"
God shows the Power of His "Grace"!
God has one rule for Himself:
Rom 9:14 [What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid].
Rom 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, [but of God that sheweth mercy].
Rom 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
This same God sits on the throne today:
1Co 4:7 [For who maketh thee to differ from another?] and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
That answer is that, It is God that makes the difference and It is God that chooses those to receive His "Grace".
There is no creature in this world that is not under the direct control of this Almighty God!
Morally the children of Israel were no better than these Egyptians:
Lev 17:7 And they shall [no more] offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations.
Joshua said:
Jos 24:14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: [and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt]; and serve ye the LORD.
Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
We can see that the people of Israel also worshipped the false gods of Egypt.
God had said:
Eze 20:6 In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:
Eze 20:7 [Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt]: I am the LORD your God.
What we see is that God delivered Israel not because of any worthiness but simply because He had promised Abraham.
What do we see in "typology"?
1.) Israel was in bondage to a cruel king.
(the natural man a captive of the Devil)
2Ti 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
2Ti 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
2.) They cried out because of their bondage not knowing the Redeemer at that time.
(the natural man finally realizing that he is a sinner and aware of his lost condition)
We can know God also hears the cries of the poor and wretched. God remembered HIS COVENANT before they had "faith".
You see God raised up His redeemer before anyone knew they needed one!
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
You see God made a Covenant with His Son Jesus Christ before the foundation of this world which is the basis of His respect for the Church.
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 [According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world], that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
3.) When Pharaoh heard of God’s intentions we see that he increased the burdens of the children of Israel
We can be sure that whenever Satan senses that of one of his, has realized their lost condition he will immediatly increase their burden for evil and not for good. Satan will distort the word of God!
Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, [Yea, hath God said], Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
We see more and more versions of God’s Word (or so called) that does this very thing.
The Blood, The Virgin Birth, The Bodily Resurrection of our Lord being set aside by these perversions of God’s WORD.
It is not until that lost soul turns away from everything [in his own self] and puts his trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ that salvation and then peace of soul is obtained:
Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
When we realize we have no righteousness:
Isa 64:6 [But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags]; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
And this will lead to death of the soul:
Rom 6:23 [For the wages of sin is death]; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We cannot know the gift of God, which is eternal life [but only through Jesus Christ our Lord!]
*****Our Text:
Exo 12:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
Exo 12:2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
Exo 12:3 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:
Exo 12:4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
Exo 12:6 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.
Exo 12:7 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.
Exo 12:8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
Exo 12:9 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.
Exo 12:10 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.
Exo 12:11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’S passover.
Exo 12:12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
Exo 12:13 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.
Exo 12:14 And this day shall be unto you 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.
Again we will see in these scriptures that God will put a difference between His children and those of Satan. It will be so in the "rapture of the Church" and it will be so in His millennial reign on this earth and it will be so throughout at the White throne of Judgment!
One might ask, what is that difference? That difference is God’s "Grace"!
Though the Egyptians and the Israelites were the same in "SIN":
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
God’s Holiness could not then and cannot now ignore "Sin"!
1.) God made no exceptions for the angels:
2Pe 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
2.) Even those of the church were at one time the children of wrath:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
3.) God did not even make an exception for His Son:
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
4.) God will not ever clear those guilty of "sin":
Exo 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, [and that will by no means clear the guilty;] visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
There is no REPRIEVE FOR SIN!
Only a merciful God could come up with a solution!
Rom 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Still every demand for justice had to be satisfied. Every claim of Holiness had to be met.
THERE HAD TO BE A SUBSTITUTE!
The sentence of death had to fall on an INNOCENT victim!
God described our own world and our own nation of America for us:
Isa 1:6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
Isa 1:7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
We need only look at the place we live to know that this is still true.
IT WAS ONLY THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT LAMB THAT MERCY COULD MEET RIGHTEOUSNESS!
Psa 85:7 Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.
Psa 85:8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
Psa 85:9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
Psa 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
This true story we have of God redeeming the children of Israel from Egypt is in "type" the Lord Jesus Christ as He went to that cross to redeem all that believe on Him.
1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. [For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us]:
1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Jesus Christ was our "Passover" that brought to us "Life" eternal.
It was the Lord’s Passover:
Exo 12:11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: [it is the LORD’S passover].
The death of our Lord "Glorified God" even if none were saved by the doing of it.
Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Joh 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
Joh 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
You see God did provide Himself a LAMB that we may be saved through His Work!
Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, [God will provide "himself" a lamb] for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
We as believers are "justified" freely by His "Grace" through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
It is Jesus Christ who paid the price of our salvation as our substitute:
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, [and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour].
Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: [but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself].
This Jesus will return:
Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Heb 10:13 [From henceforth expecting] till his enemies be made his footstool.
We will see in these scriptures the most complete picture in "type" of the sacrificial work of the Lord Jesus Christ:
I.) "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you"
God told Israel that only from this point was the time of the existance of Nation of Israel to be counted. Not the passover night(14th and 15th) but the first of this month.
As Christ Jesus was that Lamb what we see now is a world that is dated back to the Birth of Christ. (BC) Not the year of the world but the Year of the Lord. There has never been anyone besides our Lord that has so influenced this world. When Jesus came it changed the entire calender
But greater than that is the relationship of the believer:
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Because of the work of Jesus Christ everyone that believes will begin life anew.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Gal 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
II.) "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"
We see that this lamb was separated from the flock appointed to death four days before it was actually slain.
What we know is that Jesus Christ was marked for death before He was actually slain on the cross:
Mat 26:2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
Mat 26:3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
Mat 26:4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.
The day Jesus said this is (1) the two day (1+2) and the day of (1+2+1=4)
Add:
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
We know in numerology that the number four represents the "world":
Jesus was also singled out for death four years before He was crucified:
Num 14:34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, [even forty days, each day for a year], shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
(4 days)
Eze 4:6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: [I have appointed thee each day for a year].
Jesus was in the fourth year of His ministry when He was slain and John the Baptist had said:
Joh 1:36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
This was the beginning of the ministry of the Lord. (Each day for a year)
Some also point out that as Jesus could not begin His ministry until the age of 30 by Jewish law then 30= 3 times 10. It was on the tenth day the lamb was chosen to be slain under the command of Moses.
III.) "Your lamb shall be without blemish"
Lev 22:21 And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, [it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein].
Lev 22:22 Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD.
Nothing but a perfect sacrifice could ever satisfy the requirements of God, who in Himself is Perfect!
A sinner can never atone for another sinner and not for himself!
God can only be satisfied with that which will "glorify" Him.
Gal 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
God said:
Mat 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, [This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him].
It is God who called Jesus worthy of the death at that cross on Calvary’s Hill.
Jesus Christ was the only "lamb" without blemish!
IV.) "a male of the first year"
This lamb was to be one tear old, the fulness of it’s strength.
To apply this to Jesus we know that He died for us:
1.) Not in old age.
2.) Not in childhood.
3.) Not in boyhood.
4.) Not in His youth.
Jesus died for us in the fulness of His MANHOOD.
Psa 102:24 I said, O my God, take me not away [in the midst of my days]: thy years are throughout all generations.
What do we see in these scriptures?
1.) Verse 3 says "a lamb"
2.) Verse 4 says "the lamb"
3.) Verse 5 says "your lamb"
When we accept the Lord Jesus as our Saviour we realize it is a personal relationship.
Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, [who loved me, and gave himself for me].
V.) "the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening"
We can see how this verse was fulfilled. When it was decided by the assembly of Israel to release Barabbas, Pilate did this by popular vote of the Jewish nation. They all yelled "crucify Him".
Mar 15:8 And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.
Mar 15:12 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?
Mar 15:13 And they cried out again, Crucify him.
Mar 15:14 Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.
Mar 15:15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
In a like manner it is true that the sins of every individual believer was what put Jesus on that cross:
1Pe 2:24 [Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree], that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
VI.) "the fourteenth day"
This is the exact time when Jesus died on that cross! Between the evenings of the fourteenth day the fifteenth day.
The ninth hour would be three o’clock by today’s clocks!
Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Mat 27:47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.
Mat 27:48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
Mat 27:49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
Mat 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
VII.) "shall kill it in the evening"
Even in Jerusalem at this very time of the Passover Feast many lambs were to be sacrificed. But the scripture says: "shall kill it".(not them)
The plural "lambs" is not used at all in chapter 12 of Exodus.
THERE WAS ALWAYS ONLY "ONE LAMB" IN THE EYES OF GOD! THE LAMB OF CALVARY!
VIII.) "they shall eat the flesh in that night" "roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it"
This lamb was not just to be killed but also to be eaten. The children of Israel were looking at a long journey that would require much strength.
We know that this "lamb" speaks of the person of Christ Jesus. He is God’s food for His people then and now:
Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Joh 6:48 I am that bread of life.
Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
It was in His death that Jesus ordains His food for eternal life!
We cannot feed on the bread of life until we have come out of the world:
2Co 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
If we cannot walk in the light of Jesus, we cannot have fellowship with Him:
1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Those bitter herbs tell us of our conscience as we cannot have fellowship with His sufferings without remembering it was "our sin" that made His suffering needful:
Php 3:10 [That I may know him], and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
IX.) "Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire"
We know this:
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
For that lost soul, death is not the last thing they will face. They will still face the judgment of a Holy God. These are two separate things and occur on two separate times. Our God is a "sin hating" God.
Therefore: When Jesus Christ took our place on that cross, He not only had to die, He had to stand in judgment of His own Father. This "fire" in this verse speaks of the "wrath" of a Holy God.
2Co 5:21 [For he hath made him to be sin for us], who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
This is the very reason the Church will be "Raptured" out of this world before God’s wrath is shown to this world during the tribulation period. Jesus took our place even in God’s wrath.
Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th 5:10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
When Jesus said "I thirst", He was not thirsting for water, His soul was in the heat of God’s wrath. (roasted with fire) It is in this world that the Word of the Living God should not be watered down because water will hinder the action of God’s "fire".
Because Jesus went through the fire for us, we have His prepared Word, the true Bread of Life. It is not just God ‘s Word that we need for "Salvation" but we need that Glorious Person of Jesus in our hearts, our body, our minds, and Our Soul.
We cannot be the Body of Christ unless we partake of His Body. This is symbolized to the Church, by the Lord’s Supper.
X.) "ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning"
The "lamb" must be eaten the very same night it is slain. The rising sun was not to see the slain lamb.
The work Jesus did on that cross was a completed work. In His own words He said:
Joh 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, [It is finished]: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
We have have communion with God because the redemption price was paid. We must remember what the Lord has done for us and never forget but the sacrifice itself is in the past and completed. There can be no more sacrifice for our sin! Jesus paid the price and now lives on High.
Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Eph 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also [that ascended up far above all heavens], that he might fill all things.)
XI.) "And thus shall ye eat it"
That word "thus" tells us how we should be dressed when we partake of Our Lord Jesus:
1.) "your loins girded"
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
There will therefore be no hindrance in the way of our walk with the Lord. The ungirded garment would be like wearing weights and Paul wrote:
Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, [let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2.) "your shoes on your feet"
Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
There is a journey that every believer will have after accepting the Lord Jesus as his Saviour.
Moses later wrote:
Deu 29:5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and [thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot].
Deu 8:4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, [neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
What we see is that God will provide every need in the walk of His Saints.
3.) "your staff in your hand"
The staff is a sign of our daily walk with our Lord. These redeemed of God would be traveling through the wilderness in search of a new home.
So it is to the saint of God as we pass through this world.
Php 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
1Pe 2:12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
It is not that we carry our own staff because it is of God:
Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; [thy rod and thy staff they comfort me].
Don’t you just love the word of God that teaches us His truth no matter where we read!
4.) "ye shall eat it in haste"
They were to eat in haste because they did not know exactly when the Lord would come! They expected the imminent Coming of the Lord!
This is the same frame of mind we need to be in our daily walk with the Lord. Our job is to make disciples of others. We all have family members whom we believe are lost. Hell is hot and if we do not believe that the Lord can come at any time we are not listening to what God’s Word is saying to us.
Mat 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Mat 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
XII.) "when I see the blood"
The slain lamb, the blood on the door post in the shape of the cross, and the eating of the lamb’s flesh provided the protection of God’s chosen people.
God did not just pass by the house of those that obeyed but He stood guard protecting all those under the blood.
The Bible says:
Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, [to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood].
Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, [but by his own blood] he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Heb 13:10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
Heb 13:11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.
Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people [with his own blood], suffered without the gate.
Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, [and washed us from our sins in his own blood],
Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Nothing but the "BLOOD" will God honor, the living blood of Jesus shed for us all on that cross.
XIII.) "And this day shall be unto you for a memorial"
The Bible only records seven times that this feast was kept’ the last time was by Jesus Christ Himself which was immediately before He instituted the Lord’s Supper which is the memorial that the Church is to keep.
Luk 22:15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
Luk 22:16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
The last Passover.
Luk 22:17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
Luk 22:18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
Luk 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
The first Lord’s Supper.
The first passover was held in Egypt. So Jesus who was called out of Egypt:
Mat 2:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, [Out of Egypt have I called my son].
It is Jesus who is the true Passover!
*****Our text:
Exodus 12:15-23
XIV.) Exo 12:22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
We can see that the blood was to be applied to the lintel(headboard of the door way) and to each sidepost but there is one more thing we should see.
That word "basin" The Greek word (saf which comes from the Greek word saph) actually means the vestibule or the threshold.
In Judges 19:27 the Greek word "saf" was translated "threshhold":
In IIKings 12:9 the Greek word "saf" was translated "door":
This not to point out mistakes in the Word of God because there are no mistakes in the word of God. This simply means in our English translation some words had more than one meaning.
It was translated "bason" in our verse but more probably that lamb was slain at the doorway of each home and that blood was picked up from the threshold of the door and then applied to the headboard and the side post.
We can see that the blood was not applied to the threshold for it was already there. That lamb was probably slain at the entrance to the doorway.
Now we can get a clear picture in "type" of the cross of Calvary’s mountain. Jesus Christ, His own blood flowed down to the bottom of that cross. It is when the blood that Jesus shed is applied in our own lives we will undergo our "passover" and the death angel will pass on by.
XV.) "ye shall take a bunch of hyssop"
This hyssop was not connected to the lamb. This hyssop is only connected to the application of the "Blood".
The Blood of Jesus on the cross must be uniformly applied to each sinner. In "type" this is repentance. "Hyssop" speaks of the lowliness of the sinner!
Exo 12:23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
*****Our Text:
Exodus 12:24-51
To put away the leaven can be explained to the Christian in the New Testament:
1Co 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
When we are washed in the Blood of Jesus we can have communion with God!
When we read this passage we can understand that the Israelite did not put away the leaven to be saved. He put away the leaven "because he was saved". If he did not put away the leaven from himself and his household he was cut off from the congregation.
This would mean a suspension of Christian fellowship in the Church.
Paul wrote to the Church:
1Co 5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
1Co 5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
1Co 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
1Co 5:12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
1Co 5:13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
There are many in this world that just do not believe God will do as he says. This Pharaoh of Egypt had this same false belief in himself.
God has this same message from the Book of Genesis through to the Book of Revelation.
Luk 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, [ye shall all likewise perish].
Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; [but he that believeth not shall be damned].
These are the words of Jesus Christ.
It is a sad thing when God has to use the death of a family member to wake us up to the truth of His Word.
It is a true statement that God is "slow to anger" and the barer many for long periods with an open door of "His Mercy" BUT even God has His limits of long sufferance!
Let’s Pray!
LESSONS IN GOD'S WORD 