THE LAMB.
We get another beautiful picture of the lamb as a type of Christ in the Passover lamb of Ex. 12. God’s dear earthly people were in cruel bondage to Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and God had sent His servant, Moses, to deliver them. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he refused to let the people go. God sent nine terrible plagues upon him and his people, of which you may read in Ex. 7, 8, 9 and 10. Still he refused, so the Lord said, “Yet will I bring one more plague upon Pharoah, and upon Egypt, afterwards he will let you go hence.” 11:1. And this was to be the plague: “All the first born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh even unto the first horn of the maid servant and there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it anymore.” 11:5,6. Now the Lord did not intend that this plague should fall upon his own people, the children of Israel, so He told Moses what they were to do in order that they might escape. We find it in Ex. 12:3-133Speak 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: 4And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor 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. 5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6And 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. 7And 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. 8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. 10And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. 11And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover. 12For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite 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. 13And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:3‑13). “They shall take every man a lamb without blemish, a male of the first year; and the whole congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts, and on the upper door post of the houses, for I will pass through the land of Egypt this night and will smite all the first born in the land of Egypt, and the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.”
Here again we see a substitute. Had not the lamb died, the first born must have been slain on that night of judgment. But we see more here. While God’s eye was resting on the blood outside the door, what were those within doing? Feasting on the lamb whose blood sheltered them. Yes, the same lamb roast with fire, was their food. And now I want to ask you dear children do you see Jesus in all this? For all my desire is to point you to Him. Jesus is the One who shed His precious blood to make an atonement for our souls—to shelter us from the judgment of God. Jesus is the One who died in our stead. Jesus is the food of our souls. When you learn how much He has done for you, you will love to sit down and think of Him, and that is like an Israelite feasting on the roasted lamb. We were studying about the passover one day in Sunday school, when a dear little girl, with a happy look, said “I do love to hear about Jesus!” As I looked in her bright face I thought; there is one who is feasting on the Lamb.
There were two things to be eaten with the lamb which we will notice briefly. One was “unleavened bread,” the other, “bitter herbs.” v. 8. Now leaven, we find from God’s word is a type of evil.
See 1 Cor. 5:6, 7, 86Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7Purge 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: 8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:6‑8). “Christ our pass-over is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of “sincerity and truth.” The bitter herbs represent repentance or judgment of sin in ourselves: for however we may be rejoicing that we are saved through the blood of His cross, there will ever be sorrow when we think, “It was my sins that nailed Him there.”
Now, dear children, do remember that if you are sheltered from judgment by the precious blood of Jesus, it is according to God’s estimate of its value—
“When I see the blood I will pass over you.”
E. G. B.
ML 06/17/1900