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The Passover Lamb

Exodus 12:5-11, NIV
?? The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 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. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire?봦ead, legs and inner parts. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 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.??

Social unrest deepens due to the economic recession that is sweeping the world. It signifies that the human kingdom has fallen apart. The cause of this problem is sin. Hatred, jealousy, envy, murder, and war all come from sin. If we solve the problem of sin, God will bless us. Through the incident in Exodus, we can learn about the grace of redemption.


1. The Lamb without defect (Ex 12:5).
Before the exodus, God told the Israelites to prepare a lamb without defect which would deliver them from the angel of death. This lamb without defect symbolizes Jesus, who took away the sin of the world (Jn 1:29). Just as the lamb died for the Israelites, Jesus, the Lamb without defect, died for us on the Cross as a sacrificial offering for our sins.


2. The blood of the Lamb (Ex 12:7).
The Israelites put the blood of the lamb on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses. All the firstborn in Egypt?봟oth men and animals?봶hich were not covered by the blood were struck down. The blood saved the Israelites from death (Ex 12:29-30). God allowed the blood offering of animals in order to open the way of redemption for us (Heb 9:22). Jesus, who came to the world as the lamb of redemption 2,000 years ago, offered himself as the eternal and perfect sacrifice at once by shedding His blood on the Cross (Heb 9:12-14). Now, whoever believes in Jesus can be saved by the precious blood of Jesus, and become the children of God. There is wonderful power, the power of salvation, redemption, and healing in the blood of Jesus. There is power to fill us with the Holy Spirit, to cast out the curse, and to bring the hope of heaven.


3. The meat of the Lamb (Ex 12:8-9).
After being ready to leave Egypt and putting the blood of the lamb on the doorframes of the houses, the Israelites ate the meat of the lamb roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The meat signifies the Word of God and Jesus who came as the Bread of Life. Roasting over the fire means the meditation of God's Word in the fullness of the Holy Spirit (2Pe 1:21). The bitter herbs mean that we should remember the suffering in Egypt as the overture of God's blessings. The unleavened bread symbolizes the true faith of believers who are not influenced by the secular world. We should eat the Word of God, a spiritual meal, and gain strength every day to proceed through the world of wilderness with true faith. Difficulties must be overcome by faith, holding on to the Cross of Jesus.


4. A lasting ordinance (Ex 12:14).
God told the Israelites to remember and keep the Passover forever. God wanted the Israelites to remember the joy of freedom from Egypt and the miracles that happened during the process of the exodus. We should praise the grace of salvation (Ps 146:1-2). We should remember all the grace and love of the Cross and advance in true faith (Eph 2:8).


Let us always remember the grace of the Cross and live to please and glorify God until the day of the Lord comes (Ps 102:1-2).