PREPARATIONS FOR A NEW LIFE
Exodus 12:1-14
INTRODUCTION
God sent Moses to Egypt to tell Pharaoh to let the Hebrew people
go. The Pharaoh refused. God sent 10 plagues on the Egyptians
before the Pharaoh would release the Hebrew nation
The 10 Plagues of Egypt in Order are water turning to blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the killing of firstborn children. These plagues are recorded in the Bible and were sent by God after Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites leave Egypt.
After each of the first nine plagues, God harden the Pharoah’s heart so he wouldn’t
release the Hebrews. It was after the 10th plague that the Hebrews were released
According to the Book of Genesis, the patriarch Jacob was given the name Israel (Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל, Modern: Yīsraʾel, Tiberian: Yīsrāʾēl) after he wrestled with the angel (Genesis 32:28 and 35:10).
The text starts with the beginning preparations of the Hebrew people just before
the 10th plague.
THE PASSOVER, IS A DIVINE ORDINANCE.
V:1. 1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.
A. Whenever God comes into your life it is the start of something new.
1. My dad had a saying, "Every day is a holiday if you want it to be".
2. If you start your day putting God first, you open the door to new
possibilities.
3. The Hebrew nation that grew up in slavery, was prepared for a
journey to freedom.
4. It would be a life-changing chapter in their lives.
B. The Lord changed their calendar.
1. The first month of their new religious calendar was called Abid “fresh young
ears”
2. It was March-April, the time of the barley harvest.
3. Israel received a new identity.
4. God continued the promise made to Abraham; you will be the father
of many nations. From a group of Hebrews in slavery to a blessed nation
of God called Israel, independent of man to dependent on the true
and living God.
C. The nation started with worship of God, following His Command.
1. After nine plagues of God, the pharaoh Egypt refused to release
Israel from slavery as commanded.
2. Israel was prepared for this last plague, the killing of the firstborn
male of every family.
3. The killing of the lamb represented Jesus’ sacrificial death for the
salvation of believers and the atonement of sin.
4. Every family of this new community of Israel was to prepare a
lamb to eat as part of the Passover event.
5. The selection of the lamb took place on the 10th day of the month.
THE PASSOVER LAMB, A SYMBOL OF CHRIST
V:4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 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.
A. The selected lamb was taken care of for 4 days.
1. The family became familiar with the lamb. We establish a relationship
with Jesus before we knew the true meaning of His sacrificial death.
2. Every household shared in the sacrificial rite.
Those families that were too small to eat a whole lamb were commanded
to share with another small family.
3. The lamb was an Egyptian deity. God showed disrespect for the idol
god of Egypt killing what they considered sacred.
B. The lamb must be without any blemishes.
1. Jesus our Lord and savior was without sin
2. A year-old lamb was considered mature and full grown.
3. At the fullness of time Jesus became our sacrificial lamb.
4. When Jesus’ disciples were mature in the Word, Jesus sacrificed
Himself.
C. The time of the sacrifice was twilight, between sunset and dark, which is between 3 to 5 PM
1. God gives us time to follow his commands.
Roasting the lamb on an open fire would take time.
2. God is in no rush, but His timing is important.
THE BLOOD OF REDEMPTION
V: 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 — head, legs, and inner parts.
A. The blood on the doorpost marked the houses the death angel would
pass over.
1. When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior we accepted the blood
that He shed on the cross as our pass-over. We passed from death
into eternal life.
2. We passed over the eternal flames of hell.
2. The bitter herbs represent st hardships of life, grief, and sorrow.
The Israelite experience hundreds of years of oppression and torment
which the meal symbolized the end of.
B. The roasting of the meat over fire may have represented the cleaning of sin
by our faith in Jesus.
A ONE-TIME SACRIFICE
V: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.
A. All of the lambs were to be eaten that night which represents our completion in Jesus’
1. There were to be none left over because Jesus' death was a one-time
event.
2. Once saved there is no need for another sacrifice of Jesus.
3. The bread cooked without yeast symbolized the nation leaving
Egypt in haste.
When we accepted Jesus as the savior, salvation was immediate.
B. The new nation in Christ was to eat fully clothed and ready to
leave.
1. Once we ate the bread of life which is Jesus, we were fully
clothed in righteousness leaving a life of sin and entering into the
body of Christ.
2. Jesus is our Passover. He is the firstborn of the body of Christ.
THE PASSOVER, A SYMBOL OF REDEMPTION AND JUDGMENT
V:12 "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn — both men and animals — and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
A. Jesus died on the cross at twilight.
1. At His death there was a solar eclipse of the son casting darkness
over the promised land.
2. Jesus died in preparation to judge the whole world of sin.
3. Only those who accept Christ as Savior are saved from eternal
destruction.
B. The final plague killed the firstborn male of every Egyptian
family including the son of the Pharaoh
1. According to the Bible Knowledge commentary;
Exodus 12:12-14
The purpose of this final plague was like the others: to bring Judgment on all the gods of Egypt (cf. Numbers 33:4), thus showing that God is the LORD. Pharaoh's eldest son and successor supposedly had divine properties. Min, the Egyptian god of reproduction, and Isis, the goddess of love who attended women at childbirth, were Judged as impotent by this climactic plague and catastrophe.
(from Bible Knowledge Commentary/Old Testament Copyright © 1983, 2000 Cook Communications Ministries; Bible Knowledge Commentary/New Testament Copyright © 1983, 2000 Cook Communications Ministries. All rights reserved.)
2. Our faith in Jesus is a sign to the world of our eternal salvation.
3. God promised that the blood of Jesus is our victory over sin
IN MEMORY OF JESUS
V:14 "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall
celebrate it as a festival to the Lord — a lasting ordinance.
A. Today we no longer kill animals for atonement of sins.
1. Jesus is the final sacrifice. We are under grace and not the law.
2. We celebrate Passover according to Jesus' command under grace.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
B. The Law given by Moses was complete in Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:15-16
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
NIV
Colossians 1:18-19
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
NIV
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