The Passover And The Passover Lamb Series

I remember hearing a striking sermon preached by a friend of mine. My friend became a Christian as an adult from a Jewish background. He was preaching on the Passover and his experience growing up where the Passover was observed in his home every year. It was an intimate family time for them.

In preparation the family would clean the house before Passover there were symbolic customs.

• The front door of their house remains open.

• There is wine representing the redemption of the Israelites from slavery under the Egyptians.

• There was an empty chair at the table for Elijah. A cup was placed at his seat.

• There was saltwater representing the Red Sea.

• There were bitter herbs representing the Hebrews bitter life as slaves (Exodus 1:13-14).

• There were chopped apples and nuts representing making brick from Clay.

• There was unleavened bread representing purity from sin.

• The Passover lamb without blemish or defect was slain.

Exodus chapter 12 tells the story of the First Passover and the connection with the final plague. The Plague of death. There is a definite connection from the Passover in the Old Testament and the Lord’s supper of the New Testament. From the first Passover in Egypt until the time that Jesus celebrated the Passover there have been certain themes that have continued in importance. In the Lord’s supper the wine represents the shed blood of Jesus to atone for our sins. In the Lord’s Supper Jesus took the bread to symbolize his body that would be broken.

The context of this first Passover the children of Israel are in Egypt, and they are awaiting the tenth and final plague, the plague of death that will inflict the Egyptians and Passover the Israelites. The firstborn in every household of Egypt will die. There will be not exceptions in Egypt from the palace to the dungeon.

The Passover was to be celebrated by the whole community of Jews. It was a family affair, a thanksgiving meal. Each household would take a lamb for their family, one per family. The exception would be if the family was too small to eat a whole lamb they would share with another family.

There is a substitutionary element of the lamb. In Egypt the firstborn would die. In the Hebrew household the death of the lamb took the place of their firstborn. It was a blood sacrifice as a substitute. The blood was sprinkled on the doorposts.

Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. (Exodus 12:7)

When the Israelites sprinkled blood on the doorposts this represented an expression of faith in God. It was faith in God’s ability to rescue them in the plague of death. It was faith in God to ransom his people and release them from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. It was a bondage that lasted 430 years.

The Israelites were to eat the roasted meat, the bitter herbs, and the bread without leaven. It was to be eaten in haste, ready to go. They had their staff in hand during the meal.

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. (Exodus 12:11)

There were to be ready for their marching orders. They were to be prepared for deliverance. They were ready for the miracle. They were exercising their faith in God. This is to be a lasting ordinance.

“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance. (Exodus 12:14)

The Passover is to be celebrated every year. They are to remember this time during the tenth plague. When the Lord went through and strikes down the firstborn in every household of Egypt with the plague of death.

The angel of death will see the blood on the households of Israel and pass over that house. They are so secure that not even a dog will bark in Goshen where the Israelites live. There will be a start distinction between Egypt and Israel. One is death and the other deliverance.

But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. (Exodus 11:7)

Among the Egyptians there is loud wailing in every household. It was worse than it has ever been or ever will be. When the plague struck there was not an Egyptian house without someone dead.

There were all those Israelites ready to exit Egypt. Over a million of them. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. (Exodus 12:5). On that very day the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt. What a moment of victory. They should never forget it.