The Passover of Israel - Jesus the Passover Lamb
The First Passover / Unleavened Bread All Points to Jesus Christ the Messiah and Lamb of God That Takes Away Our Sins
Today’s Verse
“One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” (Romans 14:5 ESV)
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely.’ ”(Exodus 11:1 ESV).
After the previous nine plagues of Egypt, God still had one final judgement against Pharaoh. God initially warned Pharaoh what would happen if he refused God. At about midnight, death would sweep through the land, and kill all the first born sons in Egypt - including the first born cattle.
“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’”(Exodus 4:22-23 ESV).
Pharaoh decreed the death of all the firstborn in Egypt when he refused God. God made a way for the people to avoid the judgement, however. God is always fair. He always allows a way out if we choose to obey.
The First Passover just before the Exodus
Each of the Israelites were instructed to sacrifice an unblemished lamb at twilight. They were to roast it, and eat all of it, and not leave any leftovers. If anything was left, it was to be burned up.
They were to take some of the blood of the lamb, and put it on the door posts in order to alert the Lord to passover that house.
“ For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 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 no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.”(Exodus 12:12-13 ESV).
Passover - basic instructions
Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses. Leaving any leaven in the house was cause for being cut off from Israel.
On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly.
On the seventh day you shall hold a holy assembly
No work shall be done on those days.
What everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you.
You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever.
Kill the Passover lamb and save the blood in a basin for the doors.
Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin.
Everyone is to stay inside their house until morning.
Anyone who placed the blood of the lamb over their doorposts would be saved from death coming to their home. If a person refused to be saved from the judgement by placing the blood on their doorposts, death of the firstborn would take place that night - even if they were Hebrew; they too must obey God in order to be saved. They were God’s chosen people, but the were still required to obey.
The Passover/ Feast of Unleavened Bread would become a story that the people of Israel told through all the generations so that they would always remember the Exodus and would see how it points to Messiah.
“And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’”(Exodus 12:25-27a ESV).
Pharaoh finally relented. After death came through the city and all the firstborn of Pharaoh and his people died, Pharaoh finally, and unwillingly, submitted to God.
“And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, ‘Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!’ ” (Exodus 12:30-32 ESV).
After being in Egypt for 430 years total, the 12 tribes of Israel were released just as God promised.
God instructed them to always celebrate the Passover, and to consecrate all the firstborn animals and sons. The sons would be redeemed, and the unblemished animals would be used as a sacrifice.
The Passover and Jesus - listed are a few comparisons from the Passover that were meant to point to Jesus.
The blood of the unblemished sacrificial lamb - Jesus is the lamb of God who was without blemish (sin) (John 1:29).
The Firstborn in Israel was saved, and in Egypt the firstborn was a sacrifice. Jesus was God’s firstborn son that was sacrificed and redeemed.
The blood on the doorposts saved Israel from death - Jesus blood saves us from death. We are justified by the blood (Romans 5:9).
Leaven is a symbol for sin. No leaven was to remain in Israel during Passover. Jesus removes the leaven in us (sin) (1 Corinthians 5:6).
The exodus freed Israel from slavery. Jesus frees us from the slavery of sin.(Romans 6:17).
The people of the Exodus were marked - “It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”(Exodus 13:16). Jesus carried the mark of crucifixion on his hands (John 20:25). We are marked (sealed) by the Holy Spirit for salvation (2 Corinthians 1:22).
What do we celebrate today?
Christians tend to celebrate Easter as a memorial of Jesus death and resurrection, while Jews celebrate the Passover - sadly missing that it pointed to Jesus, the Passover sacrifice, The Messiah.
The main importance is to glorify God no matter what special day, or celebration (Romans 14:5) we want to dedicate to Him.
The story of the first Passover was to become a sign post for the Hebrews, and us, that it all leads to Jesus. When we celebrate today, we are celebrating our salvation from the slavery of sin because our Passover lamb, Jesus the Messiah, shed his blood and was redeemed from death so that all who believe in Him would be eternally saved and free from eternal death.
Tomorrow we will watch as Israel leaves Egypt…will Pharaoh really let God’s people go?…
Verses to Explore
“He [Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world”.(1 John 2:2 ESV).
“And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand…” (Revelation 14:9ESV).
“So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.’ ”(John 20:25 ESV).
“For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”(Exodus 13:15-16 ESV).
“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.”(Romans 6:17-19 ESV).
Today’s Prayer
Father today I want to thank you for the sacrifice you made, giving Jesus as our Passover lamb. We know that it is only through Him that we will live in your kingdom free forever from sin. We pray that our lives reflect that joy and peace so that the world will see the light of the Holy Spirit in us. We pray that is there is anything hindering us - any leaven we need to get rid of - please show us Lord, so that we can become more and more refined. We pray for blessings today on all your people. Amen and to you be all honor and praise. ❤️
The Passover in Egypt - source
An example of The Passover Meal as shared by modern Jewish practice and tradition - source
