Êxodo 12

Êxodo 12

Trapp - “Christ came in the evening of the world; in the ‘last hour’ (1 John 2:11); when all lay buried in darkness; in the eventide of our sin and death.” J Vernon McGee on the phrase the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it (Note it does not say each household is to kill it) - This portion of Scripture is quite interesting. Note that each family had a lamb. Thousands of lambs must have been slain that evening, but the sixth verse reads, “Israel shall kill it in the evening.” These many lambs were speaking of another Lamb. God looked at all of these lambs as that one Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was the Passover offered for us. This feast was pointing to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world. Exodus 12:7 'Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. Ex 12:22,23 Eph 1:7 Heb 9:13,14,22 10:14,29 11:28 1Pe 1:2 Blood on Lintels and Doorposts THE SIGN ON THE DOORWAY Notice the "way out" was through the door marked with blood. What a picture of Jesus' words in John 14:6 , “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." In Ex 12:13 the blood was called a sign - "The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live." Moreover, they shall take some of the blood - Blood of the slaughtered lamb. It is notable that the only portion of the sacrifice which was given to God was the blood of the lamb (goat). The rest of the sacrifice was eaten by each family or if not eaten, it was to be burned (Ex 12:10). THOUGHT - Note that this act would require faith in the Word from Jehovah. Intellectual acceptance would not be sufficient. One had to believe the Word about the blood of the Lamb protecting the firstborn from death and had to act on that belief by applying the blood of the Lamb to the doorway. The principle is clear -- genuine faith obeys. To say one believes and to not obey is not true faith and the consequence would be destruction of the firstborn. Today to say one believes in Jesus and yet to fail to obey His precepts and commands (in the power of the Spirit) is not genuine faith and the result will be eternal destruction. One is reminded of Jesus' frightening warning to the Jews in His Sermon on the Mount... Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does (present tense - habitually, enabled by the Spirit) the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE (present tense = habitually, as their lifestyle) LAWLESSNESS.’ (Matthew 7:21-23+) One may ask "Why use blood as the sign? Throughout the Old Testament, the shedding of blood often signifies entrance into, and being part of, the covenant with God (see, for example, Gen. 15:9–17; 17:9–14). Blood is the essence of life, and thus it symbolizes the extremity of the covenant relationship extending to life and death. The Hebrews bear the sign of God and live; the Egyptians have no sign and many die." The LORD of hosts my Shepherd is-- O sweet these words to me; And Thou, dear Lamb, will be my Guide Throughout eternity. --Kendrie and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it - The blood is to be applied on the doorway before eating any of the lamb. The doorposts are are either side and the lintel is the top portion of the doorway. Many commentators have note a suggestion of the sign of the Cross when blood was applied horizontally and then vertically, and this certainly is possible. The purpose is stated in Ex 12:13 that it is to be an external sign that the people within are numbered among the people of the LORD and are safe from death of their firstborn.