Exodus- Our Passover Lamb

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Exodus 12:3-8

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:

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.

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:

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.

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. 

8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 

John 1:29

29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

The Passover, which is the first of the seven feasts for the children of Israel, celebrated new beginnings. These new beginnings got their start when the feast was first created by God in the book of Exodus. The feast of Passover signified the ending of the slavery that the people had endured in Egypt and the beginning of their life of freedom as they headed toward the Promised Land.

The most prominent part of the feast was the lamb. But not just any lamb. This lamb had to have special qualities.

1. The lamb was to be perfect or without blemish (v. 5).

2. The lamb was to be one year old (v. 5).

3. The lamb was to be set apart for God's purpose (vv. 5-6).

They were to keep the lamb separate for the last 14 days leading up to the feast. On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month Aviv, the people were to kill the lamb, spread the blood on the posts of their doors, and then consume the lamb that night with unleavened bread (matzah) and a bitter herb. The lamb had to be roasted by fire with its body completely intact.

Now, throughout scripture, the lamb was often used as a symbol. First, it symbolized sacrifice, a giving up of something.

Genesis 4:3-5a

3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.

4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. 

 Leviticus 3:7

7 If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the Lord.

Christ was often pictured this way with His sacrifice .

Isaiah 53:7

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

I Corinthians 5:7

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:

 Revelation 5:12

12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

 The second concept that the lamb symbolizes is that of being a place-taker. In Genesis 22, we read the story of Abraham preparing to sacrifice his son Isaac. As the two ascended up Mount Moriah, Isaac asked his father, "Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" To this Abraham responded, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering:" At the top of the mountain, Abraham was about to kill his son, when God sent an angel to stop him. Over in a thicket near by was a ram, sent to take Isaac's place on the altar. 

Jesus took our place just over 2,000 years ago.

Romans 3:24-25

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

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;

 Romans 5:8

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

The third and final symbol of the lamb, specifically of the Passover lamb, is its perfection. We already went over the verses that cover this, but here are some that confirm Christ as the perfect Lamb of God.

II Corinthians 5:21

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.

I Peter 2:22

22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

I John 3:5

5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

Jesus Christ: our sacrifice, our place-taker, our perfection, our Passover Lamb. In Revelation, this is the name that often refers to Christ: the Lamb who was slain. But worthy is this Lamb to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing!!!!

Thank you for reading! Next time, we will cover Christ in the book of Leviticus as our High Priest. Until then, God Bless!