„h It is the Precious Blood of Jesus that makes atonement for the world
„h There is also a protection from the blood covering
„h When God set Israel free from bondage of Egypt, He sent plagues on Egypt to break Pharoah¡¦s stubborn heart
„h The 10th and final plague was the straw that broke the camel¡¦s back
„h God told Moses, (Exo 11:6) "Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again."
„h God also said that He would provide a way of escape for all those who believe the commandment Moses gave and follow the instructions - That way of escape was by the blood covering
MAIN TEXT:
Ex 12:3-22
3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ¡¦On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.
„h It was the father¡¦s duty to provide the lamb for his family¡¦s house
4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man¡¦s need you shall make your count for the lamb.
„h Sharing the lamb with neighbors pictures how believers today should share the Lamb of God
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
„h In part 1, we saw how Jesus perfectly fits these requirements
6 Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.
„h The last half of Jesus¡¦ time on the cross, the synoptic gospels all report that a super-natural darkness hung over the land
„h Luke 23:44, Matt 27:45, Mark 15:33
7 And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
„h Notice God does not say to put in on the threshold of the door, because the blood covering should not be trampled under foot
„h Heb 10:27-30 Anyone who has rejected Moses¡¦ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
„h First, those who reject the blood of the new covenant will suffer a "worse punishment" than those who reject Moses¡¦ law (death w/o mercy)
„h Second, just as those who reject the law suffered death w/o mercy, there is no mercy for those who die rejecting Jesus¡¦ sacrifice
„h Third, This judgement will come on those who in time past, "was sanctified"
„h This indicates that sanctified people can apostatize to a place of final rejection
„h The blood of Jesus is to be esteemed, not trampled
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.
„h Eating the flesh of the Passover lamb, symbolizes eating (partaking of) of Christ¡¦s flesh
„h John 6:51 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." 52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?" 53 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever." 59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum
„h Prov 9:17 & Hosea 10:13 - eating is spoken of figuratively as partaking of sin
„h 1 Cor 10:3 all ate the same spiritual food,
„h Rev 10:10 John ate the book in his vision
„h Neither did he literally mean to drink His blood
„h Believing what he did for us upon the cross is partaking of His flesh and of His blood
„h The children of Israel were instructed to eat the flesh of that first Passover lamb
„h The nation was given supernatural strength (Exo 13 teaches that the whole nation walked at least a full and full night without rest or food)
„h The nation was also totally healed before they left (Ps 105:37 "He also brought them out with silver and gold, And there was none feeble among His tribes. ")
„h Christ¡¦s sacrifice gives more than atonement, more than protection, it gives supernatural strength and healing
We are to partake of the Lamb with purity
„h Leaven represents iniquity, false doctrine, uncleanness and legalism - 5 truths are illustrated here:
„h First, Leaven bread was never offered in a blood sacrifice - Exo 23:18
„h Second, Leaven bread was never offered in a burnt offering Lev 2:11
„h Third, Jesus pictured the corruption of the church-age w/ fermented leaven - Matt 13:33
„h Paul warned the church of Galatia about false doctrines Gal 5:9 "A little leaven leavens the whole lump."
„h Jesus warned in Matt 16:6 "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."
„h Fourth, Leaven signifies hypocrisy - Luke 12:1 "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." - playing church
„h Fifth, leaven typifies lust - Hos 7:4
10 You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.
„h This teaches us that our time to partake of Lamb is limited - don¡¦t wasted time
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.
„h The idea of "eating it in haste" again reminds us that our time is limited and we should get all we can
„h Isa 55:6 Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike 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.
„h But we must look down at verse 23 as well Ex 12:23 "For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. "
„h We see two different beings that will pass through - One who protects, One who destroys
„h Notice the Lord guards over the blood-sprinkled doors & does not allow the destroyer to come in
„h Who is our protector?
„h Who comes to steal, kill and destroy?
13 Now 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 the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. 15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat--that only may be prepared by you. 17 So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. 18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.¡¦ "21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.
„h One meaning for the Hebrew word for "Passover" (pesach) is "to ward off a blow"
„h The blood was a "sign or token", an evidence of divine protection
„h Without the blood, destruction was inevitable
„h Covered by the blood, protection was guaranteed
We Must Stay Under The Blood
„h There was one condition the blood-covered sons had to keep
„h They had to stay under the blood that covered them or they forfeited their divine protection
„h Vs 22 "¡KAnd none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning"
„h Though we have protection under the blood of Jesus, we can forfeit protection by not abiding in Him
We Must Accept The Blood By Faith
„h During the time each household was applying the blood to their doorway - the firstborn was inside
„h He was on the inside and blood was being applied to the outside
„h He was not allowed to stick his head out and see the blood that covered him
„h Neither can we see, w/ natural sight, the blood
„h They had to take it by faith - We also must take it by faith
* Much of the research I am gleaning from David Alsobrook, a leading authority on this teaching
