The First Passover
Exodus 12:1-30
- We’re continuing our study through the book of Exodus.
- As we study each passage, we’re asking the question, “What does this passage say about honoring God?”
- Last time we were together, we looked at the description of the tenth and final plague, the death of the firstborn.
- We saw that there are times when God says, “Enough!”, but in the process, He takes care of His people and He warns His enemies.
- Today, we’re going to look at the First Passover, and we’re going to see the process, the purpose, and the power of Passover.
- Obviously, the Passover is extremely special and sacred to the Jews just like the Lord’s Supper and baptism are special and sacred to Christians.
- But there’s something about the first time you get to participate in one of these that makes them memorable and important.
- I’m reminded of that day many years ago when I was baptized.
- We were living in Colorado, and my father was helping a pastor of a church on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation.
- My brother and I talked with my father and told him we wanted to take that step to make a public profession of our faith.
- He was so excited, and let our pastor know.
- The church we were in was tiny and didn’t have its own baptismal tank, so the pastor took us to the church down the street to use theirs.
- I’ll never forget having my family there, smiling at my brother and I as Pastor Griggs baptized us both, one right after the other.
- It was a special day, and I’ll never forget it.
- I’m also reminded of the first time I had the honor of baptizing a person, and at the time, I wasn’t a pastor, I was still in High School.
- My father was pastoring here at Baring and we had our annual church picnic.
- At the time, we were having it out in Meddybemps at Sissy Johnson’s camp, and the East Machias Baptist Church was our sister church, so they joined us.
- As we were eating, my father asked me if I’d like to help him with a baptism, because he knew I was called to be a pastor someday.
- I was elated, smiling from ear to ear, and was honored that my father would ask me to take part in such a significant moment.
- That was a special day for me, when my father and I baptized a woman who was a recent convert.
- I’ll never forget that.
- Anyways, here in Exodus, we read about the First Passover being celebrated almost 3000 years ago, but time has not erased its memory…
- The First Passover is still remembered and celebrated to this day.
- So, let’s look now at three things we can observe about the First Passover.
I.) The process for Passover- Vs 1-11
- Everything for Israel was about to change.
- God was going to deliver them from Egypt, and they were going to begin their journey to the Promised Land.
- Basically, they were starting over, so this new calendar was symbolic of their new start…
- It would also help them always remember exactly when the First Passover occurred…in the first month of this new calendar.
- It’s interesting because God was delivering His people from Egypt on the seventh month of the civil calendar, which was the month of September…
- Remember, the number seven is God’s number of perfection, so that shows the significance of this month.
- The seventh month of the civil calendar was now the first month of Israel’s religious or sacred calendar, called ‘Abib’, and later, during the Babylonian captivity, the name of this month was changed to ‘Nisan’ which means “early” or “start.”
- So, this was the beginning of a new and great start for Israel.
- Then, in vs 3, God uses a new word for Israel…
- He says, “Speak to all the congregation of Israel…”
- This new word means “community as a religious entity.”
- It suggests a new beginning, and I truly believe God is encouraging Moses and Israel by once again referring to newness.
- Next, God describes to Moses the process for the Passover, and it begins with the choosing of a lamb.
- The lamb would have to be big enough to feed a household, and according to Jewish Rabbi’s, each lamb had to be big enough to feed a household of at least 10 people, but not more than 20.
- You say, “Well what if I have less than 10 people in my house?”
- Well, one of the things that I love about God is that He never overlooks even the smallest amount of people…numbers aren’t everything to Him…
- So, notice in vs 4 that God provides arrangements for the smaller families, so they’re not left behind…
- “Let him and his neighbor join together and share the meal together.”
- Not only did this provide for the smaller and poorer families, but it also ensured that there wasn’t a lot of leftover food to be wasted.
- On top of that, it encouraged the people to be a close, tight-knit community.
- Not only did the lamb have to be big enough to feed a household, but in vs 5, we see that it also had to be a male of the first year and be without blemish.
- So, the sacrifice had to be perfect, with no imperfections, no disease, no deformities, and faultless.
- It would be a pure, wholesome sacrifice for God Almighty.
- As to why it had to be less than one years old, Rabbi Kalisch says, “This tender age, the type of innocence, made it peculiarly adapted for a sacrifice of the Covenant to be concluded between God and Israel as a nation.”
- And of course, as New Testament believers, we understand that this perfect, faultless lamb also represented a person, Jesus Christ, who would come as the Perfect, sinless Sacrifice and give His life for the sin of the world.
- So the lamb had to be big enough to feed a household, it had to be a perfect male without blemish of the first year, and it also had to be taken in to the home for 4 days.
- One of the reasons for this is that by taking the lamb into their home for 4 days, the Jews were, in a way, making it a part of their family.
- You see, God wanted this sacrifice to be precious.
- By having the lamb in their home 4 days, and then sacrificing it, they were both cherishing it, and then mourning it after the sacrifice.
- I watched a YouTube video that showed what this might look like.
- A little baby lamb was in the living room of a house, bouncing up and down, playing with one of the kids.
- There was lots of smiles and laughter, and you could tell that family was keeping that lamb as a pet, keeping it as part of the family.
- Now, obviously, 4 days isn’t a long time, but it’s long enough for you to grow attached to it.
- And that’s the idea…this little lamb is perfect and cherished, but to show their appreciation and love for the Lord, they sacrificed it…
- It wasn’t an easy sacrifice to make, but they did it anyways out of their love and devotion to God Almighty.
- Another reason for this is because sheep were one of the false deities of Egypt.
- At the time, many of the Jewish people weren’t yet followers of God, so many of them worshipped the gods of Egypt, including sheep.
- So, by taking the sheep into their home for 4 days, it would give them time to think about what they were doing, and what it meant.
- It wasn’t just being done out of passion.
- Then, at the end of that 4 days, the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel killed their sheep at twilight.
- Once again, we’re seeing that they are being brought together as a community, worshipping together all at the same time.
- After they killed the lamb, the blood was placed on the doorframes of the houses and the meat was roasted.
- Some believe that when the blood dripped down from the doorframes, that it formed a figure of a cross in the doorway…a picture of when Jesus Christ would come and shed His blood as a Sacrifice for the sin of the world.
- 1 Corinthians 5:7 tells us that Jesus is our Passover Lamb! He was the perfect sacrifice when He gave His life for us on the cross!
- In any case, the blood on the doorposts was sprinkled on with a hyssop, and the meat was roasted…
- The reason it was roasted was because they were going to be leaving Egypt very quickly, so roasting was the fastest way to cook it.
- God also tells them to eat unleavened bread, which once again had to do with them leaving Egypt quickly, and there would be no time for the dough to leaven.
- They had to eat this meal with bitter herbs, and this was a symbol of the bitterness of the Egyptian bondage they were under.
- God was about to deliver them from this bitter bondage!
- In vs 9, God tells them not to eat the meat raw or boiled…
- The Egyptians and other heathen nations would make their sacrifices to their gods, and then they’d eat the meat raw…
- The Israelites were going to be starting afresh, like I said earlier, and God didn’t want them to continue eating raw flesh…from now on, it would be cooked.
- Not only would that please God, but it also would be good for their health, since raw meat is really bad for you!
- If they tried to boil the lamb, the meat would have to be cut up and divided in order to cook it.
- God wanted the lamb to be whole, just like He wanted His nation to be in perfect unity.
- As one Rabbi explains it, “One meal, at one table, eaten whole and eaten entirely (nothing left till the morning). “
- In vs 11, we see that while eating their meal, they needed to have their loins girded…
- These were long and loose robes that they wore, and when they were going on a long journey, they would fasten up round the waist with a girdle or belt.
- They would also have shoes on their feet, which weren’t generally worn in the house, but they had to be ready to leave.
- They had to have their staff in their hand which was an important tool used while walking in the desert.
- They also had to eat in haste, because at any moment, the Lord would be taking the lives of the firstborn in Egypt, and Pharaoh would finally let the Israelites go.
- So, this entire meal had to be eaten in faith…faith that God was going to do what He said, and they would be leaving Egypt very soon.
- This entire feast was for the Lord, who provided for His people, and today, it’s still celebrated in the homes of many Jewish families.
II.) The purpose of Passover- Vs 12-20
- When I joined the Army, they had just switched over to the Army Combat Uniform, which was a digital pattern uniform with a lot of Velcro.
- Each part of the uniform has its own unique purpose.
- For example, on both the left and right shoulder, you’ll find these little shiny black squares, which are usually covered up.
- You wouldn’t think much of them because they seem to be such an unimportant part of the uniform.
- However, they do have a purpose.
- When our guys went out on night missions, it was important that air support be able to see who the friendlies were.
- These little black squares were for infrared feedback, so they provided both day and night recognition for friend or foe recognition.
- The guys looking down at us from the sky could see the little black boxes shining on their screens because of the infrared reflection.
- Obviously, the purpose of these were to minimize the risk of accidentally killing our own guys.
- So even though they seem small, and the average person wouldn’t know what they were there for, those little black squares had a purpose.
- In the same way, there is always a purpose when God is at work, and that’s what we see with the First Passover.
- All of this step-by-step process for Passover that God has just been explaining to the Israelites has a purpose…
- In vs 12 and 13, God explains that He is about to strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, man and beast.
- Not only will He be judging the Egyptians through this, but He’ll also be executing judgment against all the gods of Egypt.
- Then He says in vs 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; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”
- So, when they sacrificed the lamb, it wasn’t a pointless or worthless sacrifice…
- It was an act of worship to God, who in turn spared their firstborn because of their obedience in putting the blood on the doorframes.
- Not only that, but through this first Passover, future generations of Israelites were going to be blessed because the day would become a memorial.
- Future generations may not have been there for the first Passover, but by remembering the first Passover, looking back and celebrating it every year, they would be reminded of God’s love, faithfulness, and goodness to His people, as He delivered them from slavery.
- So now, as God explains the purpose of the Passover, He provides some regulations to follow in celebration of the Passover Festival outside of Egypt.
- For seven days after they ate the Passover Lamb, they were to eat only unleavened bread as part of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
- The purpose of this was to continue celebrating God’s deliverance and redemption of Israel from Egypt.
- Really, the Passover Feast and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were so closely connected with each other that many Jews considered them as one feast.
- In order to celebrate this Feast, the Jews would cleanse their homes of leaven.
- Leaven was a picture of sin and corruption because leaven “puffs up” the lump of dough, just like sin and pride “puffs us up.”
- If for some reason, a person chose to eat leaven during this time, they would be banished from the camp of Israel, separated from covenant rights and privileges, becoming like one of the heathens.
- That’s because it would be willing disobedience to God, and also ungratefulness for what God did for Israel.
- In vs 16, we see that on the first and seventh days, the people were to gather together for a special service, coming together to worship God and celebrate.
- During this seven days, they were prohibited from working, because this was a special time for reflection, fellowship, and worship.
- The only thing they could do was prepare food, but even in doing that, their thoughts were on God.
- So, the Passover and Unleavened Bread feasts were an ordinance to be obeyed and a ceremony to be observed, and the Passover was a festival involving a sacrifice.
- You know, I think it’s important for us as Christians to think about salvation as something we should celebrate.
- So often, we get stuck in a rut, and we lose that excitement about salvation that we should have.
- The Israelites were told by God to keep this Feast and Festival once a year.
- That way, they would remember what He did for them.
- But it was also an exciting time for them, a time to celebrate, a time to worship, a time to thank God for what He’d done for them.
- When’s the last time you just sat back and thought, “Wow, Jesus loves me, and I’m one of His children! I’m going to be with Him for all of eternity!”
- Coming to church is definitely an opportunity for that excitement to come out…
- You know, when we’re singing the worship songs and hymns…
- It’s okay to raise your hands in adoration of our Great God!
- But you should be doing that at home, and in your car, and at the store…
- Everywhere you go, having your thoughts fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ, excited to be part of His family.
- How about when you tell other people about Jesus?
- Are you passionate about what He’s done for you?
- Psalm 98 says, “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. Sing to the Lord with the harp, With the harp and the sound of a psalm, With trumpets and the sound of a horn; Shout joyfully before the Lord, the King.”
- One of my favorite brothers in Christ to be around is Dr. Larry Newman.
- When I was in High School, he used to work at the health center with the nurse.
- When he came in, everybody knew it because he’d be playing hymns with his accordion.
- Some of the kids would poke fun of him, but he didn’t care.
- He had the joy of the Lord, and God gave him that gift of music, so he uses it to show others!
- When I go to his office for doctor’s appointments, he’s usually humming a song during the check-up.
- That’s because he loves the Lord and he’s not ashamed to show it.
- So just like the Passover had a purpose, and the people celebrated it every year, we as Christians have a purpose, and we should be celebrating as well.
III.) The power of Passover- Vs 21-30
- Moses now calls all the elders together and tells them everything God just told him.
- They would lead the way in getting the nation to follow these instructions.
- Something interesting here is that we’re given an extra detail about the blood on the doorposts.
- Vs 22 tells us they used the hyssop to apply the blood on the doorposts.
- Throughout Scripture, hyssop was used to apply blood for the cleansing of sin.
- In Leviticus 14, we’re told that part of the ceremony for cleansing a leper was to use the hyssop to apply blood on the person.
- In Number 19, the hyssop was used to make the ashes of a red heifer for the purification of water, and it was also used to apply the purification water.
- Then, in Psalm 51, David is repenting of his sin, and he says, “purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean!”
- So hyssop was always connected with purification through sacrifice.
- Interestingly enough, hyssop was even involved in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
- In John 19:29, we’re told that Jesus was offered sour wine to drink, and the sponge it was soaked in was put on a bunch of hyssop.
- That was just before He said, “It is finished!”
- He was the Perfect Sacrifice!
- After the elders tell the people what God has said, we’re told in vs 27 that the Children of Israel bowed their heads and worshipped, and then, they went and did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.
- If they chose to ignore God’s instructions, they would not have been delivered.
- It’s possible that some of the Israelites didn’t’ believe God, and suffered under the judgement, and it’s also possible that some of the Egyptians did believe God, and were spared the judgment…
- Either way, God blessed those who were obedient.
- In vs 29 & 30, the final plague is carried out, and there was a great cry in the land of Egypt.
- Israel was God’s firstborn, but Pharaoh and Egypt refused to let them go, even after 9 plagues.
- Because of their stubbornness and wickedness, God took the firstborn of Egypt.
- Finally, after 10 plagues that have completely devastated and destroyed Egypt, Pharaoh is broken before God.
- That’s because the Power behind the Passover was God Himself, and no one, not even Pharaoh or his gods, could stand against Him.
- I was thinking about the Passover in relation to our salvation today.
- Jesus Christ our Lord had a purpose for His life.
- 1 Corinthians 5:7 says, “Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us.”
- In John 1:29, John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
- In 1 Peter 1:19, we’re told that we’re redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
- So, as we can see from Scripture, the Passover Lamb is a picture of Jesus Christ.
- Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, left His place in Heaven and willingly came to this earth to become one of us.
- Just like the Passover Lamb, Jesus was perfect, sinless, without blemish or stain.
- Just like the Passover Lamb could be shared among multiple households, salvation is open to all people and the Good News of what Jesus has done for us should be shared with all people.
- Just like the Passover Lamb lived with a household for 4 days, Jesus Christ lived among men for 33 years, loving people, doing miracles, preaching salvation…
- Then, just like the Passover Lamb was offered as a sacrifice to God, Jesus willingly offered His life on the cross as a sacrifice for the sin of the world.
- He did it because you and I deserve death because we’re sinners.
- He did it because we can’t do anything on our own to get to Heaven…
- He did it because a perfect sacrifice had to be made so that the sin of the world could be forgiven.
- Jesus willingly offered His life on the Cross, as His enemies beat Him, mocked Him, whipped Him, and nailed Him to a cross.
- Jesus didn’t deserve any of that…me and you deserved it because we’re sinners…
- Yet Jesus did it because of His love for the world.
- Just like the blood of the Passover Lamb saved the Israelites from the final plague, the death of the firstborn, the blood of Jesus saves you and me from the spiritual death that comes to those who reject Jesus and His sacrifice.
- That spiritual death involves a place called the lake of fire, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- We don’t want anyone to go there, and neither does Jesus…that’s why He willingly sacrificed His life for all people!
- God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life!
- Just like God delivered the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt, He will deliver you from your slavery to the power of sin and will give you new-life.
- So, you must turn to Jesus in belief, Christ our Passover.
- If you’ve never done that, I encourage you to make that decision today.
