Tag: Lamb for a family
An ancient picture of salvation!
Scripture reading for January 22nd: Exodus 10-12
My wife and I adopted two girls from Russia in 1999. They were 8 and 9 years of age and spoke no English when they came to America. We were eager to share our faith in Jesus with them and took them to church each week. We had to communicate in sign language most of the time. For Easter of 2000, I used an illustrated sermon with a live lamb, a knife, a basin of red paint, and a door frame. I explained the story of the Passover lamb. That day, one of our girls prayed to receive the Lord as her Savior! Our little girl grasped what Pharaoh failed to see!
God sent Moses to decree the plagues to attack the idols of Egypt. Scripture states that Pharaoh hardened his heart through the first few plagues. (Exodus 8:15, 32) After the plague of death on Pharaoh’s animals, it states that “the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart.” (Exodus 9:12) This hardening is what happens when truth is rejected and we refuse to hear God’s voice.
The last plague was the death of all the firstborn. The only way to prevent the death of a firstborn son or daughter or animal, was to obey God’s plan. A spotless lamb was to be brought into the house on the tenth day of the month. They were to keep it until the fourteenth day and slaughter it at twilight. The elder in the home was to take blood and sprinkle it on the doorpost and over the lentil. Every family member was to be inside. The lamb was to be roasted in the fire and eaten. At midnight, the death angel would visit each household. When he saw the blood on the door post of a house, he would pass over that home.
The lamb that was slain was a picture of Jesus Christ! God did for us what we could not do for ourselves! Praise Him today for this beautiful picture of our salvation!
“Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast–as you really are, for Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1st Corinthians 5:7)
Go and Worship!
Scripture reading for January 22nd: Exodus 11-12
God’s people always have hindrances and battles concerning worship. There are forces in this world opposed to worship. Whenever we set ourselves to press in and worship the Lord, a battle ensues. The battle is often with our own flesh. The flesh is opposed to the Spirit and the Spirit opposes the flesh. Other times, this battle is with wicked spiritual forces that refuse to let us go and worship! This conflict comes to a culmination in today’s reading from Exodus!
Pharaoh had been particularly stubborn about letting God’s people go and worship. Through five plagues, he had repeatedly hardened his heart and refused to listen. Through four more plagues, he had been hardened by God and refused or set limits on how far God’s people could go to worship. Finally, when the last plague took the firstborn of every household in Egypt, men and animals, Pharaoh decided to listen! (Exodus 12:30-32)
God’s people, however, were kept safe from this final plague of death of the firstborn. They had listened to God’s instructions, taken a lamb for each household, and killed it. The head of the house took some of the blood and put it on the door posts and tops of the doors. They had eaten the lamb’s flesh, roasted by fire, while dressed to leave Egypt. (Exodus 12:6-11) Preparation for worship always includes a sacrifice to cleanse and heal God’s people.
This meal was to become a lasting ordinance to be commemorated yearly by the Israelites. (Exodus 12:17-20) This meal was being celebrated about 1500 years later by Jesus Christ with His disciples in the upper room right before He was crucified as the final sacrifice for sins. (Matthew 26:18-20) At that meal, Jesus revealed to them that the unleavened bread represented His body, broken for them. The cup represented His blood shed for them for forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:25-28) His sacrifice would prepare these disciples and all who would believe in Jesus for a life of freedom and worship. This meal was also to be kept as a memorial, remembering Jesus’ sacrifice until He would come again!
What a God we have! He has plans for those who will follow Him by faith! He desires for us to worship Him and has prepared the necessary sacrifice! It is complete and we are able to worship Him any time of day or night! Take a moment and thank Him!