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Noel Merrick

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Exodus 12:1–28

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Exodus 12:1–28 KJV 1900

– GOD INSTITUTES PASSOVER

A. Passover instructions.

1. (1-6) Each household should take a lamb.

Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.’”

a. This month shall be your beginning of months:

The coming deliverance from Egypt was such a significant act that God told the children of Israel to remake their calendar. The new year would now start with the month of their redemption from Egypt. It was a dramatic way of saying that everything was to change.

i. “God is ever the God of new beginnings in the history of failure.

The ultimate statement is found in the Apocalypse in the words: ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” (Morgan)

ii. “Commence a nation’s annals from its evangelization.

Begin the chronicle of a people from the day when they bow at the feet of Jesus.” (Spurgeon)

iii. Speak to all the congregation of Israel:

“This is the first occurrence in the Pentateuch of what was to become a technical term, describing Israel in its religious sense… and which underlies the New Testament use of ekklesia, ‘church’.” (Cole)

b. Every man shall take for himself a lamb:

On the tenth of this first month, each family – or household – was to take a lamb, and the lamb was to live with the family for the four days until Passover (on the tenth day of this month… until the fourteenth day of the same month).

i. In this way, the lamb became part of the family.

By the time it was sacrificed on the fourteenth it was both cherished and mourned. God wanted the sacrifice of something precious.

ii. If the household is too small for the lamb:

The rabbis later determined that there should be at least ten people for each Passover lamb, and not more than twenty.

iii. “Passover was a domestic and family festival, and thus shows its early origin.

It has here no temple, no meeting-tent, no altar and no priest: but representation, if not substitution, is clearly implied.” (Cole)

c. Your lamb shall be without blemish:

The lamb was also to be without blemish. This sacrifice unto the LORD had to be as perfect as a lamb could be.

d. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats:

The Hebrew word for lamb can refer to either a young sheep or a young goat.

i. “The Hebrew seh is quite a neutral word and should be translated ‘head of (small) stock’, applying equally to sheep and goats of any age.

The Hebrews, like the Chinese, seem to have regarded any distinction between sheep and goats as a minor subdivision. Probably because of this, to ‘separate the sheep from the goats’ is proverbial of God’s discernment in New Testament times ().” (Cole)

Matthew 25:32 KJV 1900

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

ii. Israel shall kill it at twilight:

“Christ came in the evening of the world; in the ‘last hour’ (); when all lay buried in darkness; in the eventide of our sin and death.” (Trapp)

1 John 2:11 KJV 1900

11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

2. (7-11) Instructions for eating the Passover.

‘And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover.’

a. Take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses:

Before the Passover lamb could be eaten, its blood had to be applied to the doorway of the home, to the top and upon each side the blood was applied. The only part of this sacrifice given to God was the blood; the rest was eaten by each family or discarded (what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire).

i. As the blood was applied to the top and each side of the doorway, this blood dripped down, forming a figure of a cross in the doorway.

ii. The blood on the doorposts showed that the sacrifice of the Passover lamb was to be remembered in daily life.

You would see it every time you went in or out of the house.

b. And thus you shall eat it:

Then, the lamb could be eaten – but only if it had been roasted in fire, with the lamb itself coming into contact with the fire, and with bitter herbs accompanying the meal.

i. “The paschal lamb was not killed in order to be looked at only, but to be eaten; and our Lord Jesus Christ has not been slain merely that we may hear about him and talk about him, and think about him, but that we may feed upon him.” (Spurgeon)

c. Let none of it remain until morning:

The Passover lamb had to be eaten completely; a family had to totally consume the sacrifice.

i. The idea behind eating it all was that you had to take it all then, and not store up some of the rescue for later.

It was for right then, right now, and you had to receive all of it without thinking you could take a bit then and come back to it later if you pleased. We take all of Jesus, not just the parts that please us.

d. With a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand:

The Passover lamb had to be eaten in faith, trusting that the deliverance promised to Israel was present, and that they would walk in that deliverance immediately.

i. Faith was essential to the keeping of Passover:

By faith he [Moses] kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. ()

Hebrews 11:28 KJV 1900

28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

e. It is the LORD’s Passover:

The Passover was the LORD’s in the sense that He provided it:

he Passover was the LORD’s in the sense that He provided it:

· As a rescue, to deliver Israel from the plague of the firstborn.

· As an institution, to remember God’s rescue and deliverance for Israel through every generation.

· As a powerful drama, acting out the perfect sacrifice and rescue Jesus would later provide.

i. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul made it perfectly clear: For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us ().

1 Corinthians 5:7 KJV 1900

7 Purge 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:

John the Baptist drew on a similar image when he said of Jesus, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! () It seems that Jesus was actually crucified on Passover (). We see Jesus in the Passover.

John 19:14 KJV 1900

14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!

John 1:29 KJV 1900

29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

· Jesus lived with and became bonded to the human family before He was sacrificed for them.

· The sacrifice of Jesus has to be appropriate to each home, not simply on a national or community basis.

· Jesus the Passover Lamb was spotless – perfectly so, not stained by any sin, any moral or spiritual imperfection.

· It was only the blood of Jesus, His actual poured-out life that atoned for sin.

· In His death Jesus was touched with fire, the fire of God’s judgment and wrath.

· In His death Jesus received the bitter cup of God’s judgment.

· The work of Jesus has to be received fully, with none left in reserve.

· The Passover work of Jesus for His people is the dawn and prelude to their freedom.

3. (12-13) The protection of the blood.

‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike 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. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.’

a. When I see the blood, I will pass over you:

For Israel to be spared the judgment on the firstborn, they had to apply to blood just as God said they should. The blood of the lamb was essential to what God required.

i. If an Israelite home didn’t believe in the power of the blood of the lamb, they could sacrifice the lamb and eat it, but they would still be visited by judgment.

ii. If an Egyptian home did believe in the power of the blood of the lamb, and made a proper Passover sacrifice, they would be spared the judgment.

iii. Additionally, an intellectual agreement with what God said about the blood was not enough; they actually had to do what God said must be done with the blood.

b. I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt:

God regarded Israel as His firstborn, His favored people. If Egypt refused to release God’s firstborn, then God required the firstborn of Egypt as a penalty and judgment.

4. (14-20) The institution of Passover and Unleavened Bread as feasts.

‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you. So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’

a. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread:

Passover began on the tenth; on the 14th they ate the Passover, and this was the first day of unleavened bread. Then for the next seven days, they ate only unleavened bread.

b. So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt:

For the first Passover, the unleavened bread was a practical necessity – they left Egypt in such a hurry there was no time to allow for the dough to rise. After the first Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a testimony throughout your generations.

c. For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses:

Leaven was also a picture of sin and corruption, because of the way a little leaven influences a whole lump of dough, and also because of the way leaven “puffs up” the lump – even as pride and sin makes us “puffed up.”

i. Significantly, God called them to walk “unleavened” after their initial deliverance from Egypt. Symbolically, they were being called to a life in moral purity before the LORD.

ii. Some suggest there was also a hygienic aspect in getting rid of all the leaven. Since they used a piece of dough from the previous batch to make the bread for that day, and did so repeatedly, that harmful bacteria could take hold in the dough – so it was good to remove all leaven and start all over at least once a year.

B. Moses leads the people in the observance of Passover.

1. (21-23) Moses tells the elders to do as God said.

Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.”

a. Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them:

The elders were expected to lead the way. Moses instructed them to observe the Passover, knowing the rest of the nation would follow.

b. Take a bunch of hyssop:

They used hyssop to apply the blood to the doorposts and the lintel. Through the Scriptures, hyssop was often used to apply blood for the cleansing of sin.

i. In , the ceremony for the cleansing of a leper used hyssop to apply blood.

Leviticus 14:6 KJV 1900

6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:

In hyssop was used for to make the ashes of a red heifer for the water of purification.

Numbers 19:6 KJV 1900

6 And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.

In hyssop was used to apply the purification water.

Numbers 19:18 KJV 1900

18 And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave:

ii. David, in his great Psalm of repentance, said purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean ().

Psalm 51:7 KJV 1900

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Hyssop was always connected with purification through sacrifice.

iii. Hyssop was even connected with Jesus’ great sacrifice for sin. points out when Jesus was offered sour wine to drink on the cross, the sponge soaked with it was put on a bunch of hyssop.

John 19:29 KJV 1900

29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.

c. When He sees the blood… the LORD will pass over:

The LORD looked for blood. This blood sacrifice was the basis for sparing people from judgment.

i. Rescue from the angel of death didn’t happen by a prayer or a fasting or a good work; it was accomplished by a life given on behalf of others.

2. (24-27a) Passover as an enduring ordinance.

“And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. It will come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’”

a. An ordinance for you and your sons forever:

The deliverance of Passover was not only for them, but also for their children, and all generations to follow. Passover was the greatest work of redemption performed on the Old Testament side of the cross.

i. In the same way Jesus gave the new Passover, saying that His work on the cross was not only for that generation, but should be remembered and applied to all generations ().

Luke 22:14–20 KJV 1900

14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

b. When He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households:

In Passover, there was a two-fold work. First, an enemy was defeated (He struck the Egyptians). Second, God’s people were set free and given a new identity, with new promises, a new walk, a new life altogether (delivered our households).

3. (27b-28) The obedience of the people.

So the people bowed their heads and worshiped. Then the children of Israel went away and did so; just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

a. So the people bowed their heads and worshipped:

Rightfully, the immediate reaction of Israel to this announcement (before it actually happened) was worship. They honored the God who said He would do all this for them.

b. Then the children of Israel went away and did so:

In many ways these were the most important words of the whole account. As great as God’s deliverance was, the people would have never received it if they had failed to do what God told them to do.

i. We wonder if any Israelites suffered under the judgment of the firstborn because they did not believe and obey. We wonder if any Egyptians were spared judgment because they did believe and obey.

2 PRINCIPLES GLEANED FROM THIS PASSAGE FOR CHRISTIANS TODAY

1 THE PRINCIPAL OF THE BLOOD

A vital question is asked by Isaac in :

Genesis 22:7 KJV 1900

7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

“Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

That same question needs to be addressed to the religious world today, when the pulpit has largely departed from the propitiatory blood of God’s appointed and provided Lamb.

This should not be the case.

The inspired scriptures give a very clear answer to the question, “Where is the Lamb?” It sets before us the principle of blood shedding for acceptance with God.

The blood is introduced on the altar of Abel ().

Genesis 4:4 KJV 1900

4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

The principle of a blood sacrifice is first implied in , where blood was shed and a righteous covering was provided for sinful Adam and Eve.

Genesis 3:21 KJV 1900

21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Abel demonstrated the principle when he brought of the firstlings of his flock (no doubt lambs) to offer a blood sacrifice to God because of his sin.

The blood of a lamb is introduced here as an absolute necessity for a sinner’s acceptance with God ().

Hebrews 11:4 KJV 1900

4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

The blood is typified in all of Israel’s altars in the Old Testament.

Consider the example in .

Genesis 22 KJV 1900

1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. 15 And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba. 20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor; 21 Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. 23 And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.

Isaac’s greatest need was a lamb for a burnt offering. Without it Isaac must die for his own sins.

The words of verse 13 are vital to a true understanding of the vicarious nature and necessity of atonement by blood.

The ram must die in the place of Isaac.

How clearly this teaches the doctrine of substitution and satisfaction.

The centrality and necessity of the lamb appears again in on the Passover night.

Exodus 12 KJV 1900

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak 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: 4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour 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. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6 And 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. 7 And 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. 8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. 10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. 11 And 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. 12 For 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. 13 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. 14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. 15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. 17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. 18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. 19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. 20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread. 21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. 22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. 24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. 25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. 26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. 28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. 29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. 31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. 32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. 33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men. 34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. 35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: 36 And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians. 37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. 38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. 39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual. 40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. 41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations. 43 And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof: 44 But every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. 45 A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof. 46 In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. 49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. 50 Thus did all the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. 51 And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

They were to take a lamb for an house, kill it, and sprinkle its blood on the side posts and lintel of the door.

And God said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you,” emphasizing the principle of shed blood.

Shelter and covering from death and judgment are possible only by the blood of an offered lamb.

All the sacrifices of the tabernacle and temple likewise demonstrated the principle of blood shedding.

teaches the central principle of these sacrifices: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”

Leviticus 17:11 KJV 1900

11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

The life is in the blood and in order for that life to be given and taken the blood must be shed.

So likewise in order that Christ’s covenant people in union with Him might be justified and saved, the life of Christ in His incorruptible blood must be offered.

The blood is fulfilled in the offering of Christ upon the cross.

John the Baptist introduces God’s provided Lamb in the person of Jesus Christ ().

John 1:29 KJV 1900

29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

He is the perfect fulfilment of all the lambs on Jewish altars slain.

The Lord Himself at the last supper underlines the principle of the blood in relation to the covenant: “This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many” ().

Mark 14:24 KJV 1900

24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.

The eternal covenant is now confirmed and sealed with the Saviour’s blood as His life is yielded up as a ransom for many.

The blood of God’s incarnate Son had been shed, the law of God was perfectly fulfilled, the wrath of a sin hating God had been propitiated, the guilt of every believer’s sins expiated, and the soul gloriously reconciled to God and by faith clothed in righteousness divine.

The blood is magnified in the ministry of the saints and apostles.

The principle of the blood occupied a unique place in the ministries of the saints and apostles.

The apostle Paul speaks of the attribution of the blood in , saying God purchased the church with “his own blood.”

Acts 20:28 KJV 1900

28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

This is a remarkable statement that only the Holy Spirit could make. The blood is properly related to the human nature of Christ and yet the union of the two natures in Christ are so related that what is proper to the human is addressed by the name of the divine.

Does this not underline the value and efficacy of Christ’s precious blood?

In Paul speaks of the acceptance of the blood. Our acceptance in the beloved rests upon the redemption we have in His blood.

Ephesians 1:6–7 KJV 1900

6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

In the book of Hebrews we have the ascendancy of the blood; Christ’s blood ascends far above all the sacrifices of the Old Testament (, ).

Hebrews 9:12 KJV 1900

12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Hebrews 9:24 KJV 1900

24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

The apostle Peter speaks of the attribute of the blood, its sinlessness, in : “The precious blood of Christ” was “as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

1 Peter 1:18–19 KJV 1900

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

John the apostle speaks of the agency of the blood: it “cleanses us from all sin” ().

1 John 1:7–10 KJV 1900

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Finally, the blood is glorified on the throne of God in glory.

In John answers our opening question for the last time. Where is the Lamb? He is in the midst of the throne in glory.

Revelation 5:6–14 KJV 1900

6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Christ and His blood is and will be the theme of the song of the glorified saints for all eternity.

Unto Him be all glory “that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” ().

Revelation 1:5–6 KJV 1900

5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

2. PRINCIPE OF SACRIFICE

Dictionaries - Easton's Bible Dictionary - SacrificeSacrifice [B] [S]

The offering up of sacrifices is to be regarded as a divine institution.

It did not originate with man. God himself appointed it as the mode in which acceptable worship was to be offered to him by guilty man.

The language and the idea of sacrifice pervade the whole Bible.

Sacrifices were offered in the ante-diluvian age.

The Lord clothed Adam and Eve with the skins of animals, which in all probability had been offered in sacrifice ( ).

Genesis 3:21 KJV 1900

21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Abel offered a sacrifice "of the firstlings of his flock" ( 4:4 ; ).

Hebrews 11:4 KJV 1900

4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

A distinction also was made between clean and unclean animals, which there is every reason to believe had reference to the offering up of sacrifices ( ), because animals were not given to man as food till after the Flood.

Genesis 7:2 KJV 1900

2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.

Genesis 7:8 KJV 1900

8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,

Genesis 3:21 KJV 1900

21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Hebrews 11:4 KJV 1900

4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

Genesis 7:2 KJV 1900

2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.

Genesis 7:8 KJV 1900

8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,

The same practice is continued down through the patriarchal age ( ; ; ; ; , etc.).

Genesis 8:20 KJV 1900

20 And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Genesis 12:7 KJV 1900

7 And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.

Genesis 13:4 KJV 1900

4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

Genesis 13:18 KJV 1900

18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.

Genesis 15:9–11 KJV 1900

9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

Genesis 22:1–18 KJV 1900

In the Mosaic period of Old Testament history definite laws were prescribed by God regarding the different kinds of sacrifices that were to be offered and the manner in which the offering was to be made.

The offering of stated sacrifices became indeed a prominent and distinctive feature of the whole period ( ; ; ). (See ALTAR .)

Exodus 12:3–27 KJV 1900

3 Speak 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: 4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour 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. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6 And 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. 7 And 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. 8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. 10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. 11 And 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. 12 For 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. 13 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. 14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. 15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. 17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. 18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. 19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. 20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread. 21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. 22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. 24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. 25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. 26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

Leviticus 23:5–8 KJV 1900

5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. 7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

Numbers 9:2–14 KJV 1900

2 Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. 3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. 4 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover. 5 And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel. 6 And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: 7 And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the Lord in his appointed season among the children of Israel? 8 And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you. 9 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the Lord. 11 The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it. 13 But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the Lord in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. 14 And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the Lord; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.

We learn from the Epistle to the Hebrews that sacrifices had in themselves no value or efficacy.

They were only the "shadow of good things to come," and pointed the worshippers forward to the coming of the great High Priest, who, in the fullness of the time, "was offered once for all to bear the sin of many."

Sacrifices belonged to a temporary economy, to a system of types and emblems which served their purposes and have now passed away.

The "one sacrifice for sins" hath "perfected for ever them that are sanctified."

Sacrifices were of two kinds:

1. Unbloody, such as

(1) first-fruits and tithes;

(2) meat and drink-offerings; and

(3) incense.

(3) incense.2. Bloody, such as (1) burnt-offerings; (2) peace-offerings; and (3) sin and trespass offerings. (See OFFERINGS .)

2. Bloody, such as

(1) burnt-offerings;

(2) peace-offerings; and

(3) sin and trespass offerings. (See OFFERINGS .)

Dictionaries - Smith's Bible Dictionary - SacrificeSacrifice. [B] [E]

The peculiar features of each kind of sacrifice are referred to under their respective heads.

I. (A) ORIGIN OF SACRIFICE. --The universal prevalence of sacrifice shows it to have been primeval, and deeply rooted in the instincts of humanity.

Whether it was first enjoined by an external command, or whether it was based on that sense of sin and lost communion with God which is stamped by his hand on the heart of man, is a historical question which cannot be determined.

(B) ANTE-MOSAIC HISTORY OF SACRIFICE. --In examining the various sacrifices recorded in Scripture before the establishment of the law, we find that the words specially denoting expiatory sacrifice are not applied to them.

This fact does not at all show that they were not actually expiatory, but it justified the inference that this idea was not then the prominent one in the doctrine of sacrifice.

The sacrifices of Cain and Abel are called minehah, tend appear to have been eucharistic.

Noahs, ( ) and Jacobs at Mizpah, were at the institution of a covenant; and may be called federative.

Genesis 8:20 KJV 1900

20 And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

and may be called federative. In the burnt offerings of Job for his children ( ) and for his three friends ch. ( ) we for the first time find the expression of the desire of expiation for sin. The same is the case in the words of Moses to Pharaoh. ( ) Here the main idea is at least deprecatory.

In the burnt offerings of Job for his children ( ) and for his three friends ch. ( ) we for the first time find the expression of the desire of expiation for sin.

Job 1:5 KJV 1900

5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

Job 42:8 KJV 1900

8 Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.

The same is the case in the words of Moses to Pharaoh. ( ) Here the main idea is at least deprecatory.

Exodus 10:26 KJV 1900

26 Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God; and we know not with what we must serve the Lord, until we come thither.

(C) THE SACRIFICES OF THE MOSAIC PERIOD. --These are inaugurated by the offering of the Passover and the sacrifice of ( ) ...

The Passover indeed is unique in its character but it is clear that the idea of salvation from death by means of sacrifice is brought out in it with a distinctness before unknown.

The law of Leviticus now unfolds distinctly the various forms of sacrifice:

(a) The burnt offering : Self-dedicatory.

(b) The meat offering : (unbloody): Eucharistic.

(c) The sin offering ; the trespass offering: Expiatory.

To these may be added,

(d) The incense offered after sacrifice in the holy place and (on the Day of Atonement) in the holy of holies, the symbol of the intercession of the priest (as a type of the great High Priest) accompanying and making efficacious the prayer of the people.

In the consecration of Aaron and his sons, ( ) ... we find these offered in what became ever afterward their appointed order.

Leviticus 8:1 KJV 1900

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

First came the sin offering, to prepare access to God;

next the burnt offering, to mark their dedication to his service;

and third the meat offering of thanksgiving.

Henceforth the sacrificial system was fixed in all its parts until he should come whom it typified.

(D) POST-MOSAIC SACRIFICES. --It will not be necessary to pursue, in detail the history of the Poet Mosaic sacrifice, for its main principles were now fixed forever.

The regular sacrifices in the temple service were--

(a) Burnt offerings.

1, the daily burnt offerings, ( )

Exodus 29:38–42 KJV 1900

38 Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. 39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: 40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. 41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord. 42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.

2, the double burnt offerings on the Sabbath, ( )

Numbers 28:9 KJV 1900

9 And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof:

Numbers 28:10 KJV 1900

10 This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.

3, the burnt offerings at the great festivals; ( ; )

Numbers 26:11 KJV 1900

11 Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not.

Numbers 29:39 KJV 1900

39 These things ye shall do unto the Lord in your set feasts, beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your meat offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.

(b) Meat offerings .

1, the daily meat offerings accompanying the daily burnt offerings, ( )

Exodus 29:40 KJV 1900

40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.

Exodus 29:41 KJV 1900

41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

2, the shewbread, renewed every Sabbath, ( )

Leviticus 24:6 KJV 1900

6 And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord.

Leviticus 24:9 KJV 1900

9 And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the Lord made by fire by a perpetual statute.

3, the special meat offerings at the Sabbath and the great festivals, ( ; ) ...

Numbers 28:1 KJV 1900

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

Numbers 29:1 KJV 1900

1 And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.

4, the first-fruits, at the Passover, ( ) at Pentecost, ( ) the firstfruits of the dough and threshing-floor at the harvest time. ( ; )

Leviticus 23:10–14 KJV 1900

10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord. 13 And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the Lord for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. 14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

Leviticus 23:17–20 KJV 1900

17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord. 18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the Lord, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the Lord. 19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest.

Numbers 15:20 KJV 1900

20 Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering: as ye do the heave offering of the threshingfloor, so shall ye heave it.

Numbers 15:21 KJV 1900

21 Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the Lord an heave offering in your generations.

Numbers 26:1–11 KJV 1900

1 And it came to pass after the plague, that the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, 2 Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers’ house, all that are able to go to war in Israel. 3 And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, 4 Take the sum of the people, from twenty years old and upward; as the Lord commanded Moses and the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt. 5 Reuben, the eldest son of Israel: the children of Reuben; Hanoch, of whom cometh the family of the Hanochites: of Pallu, the family of the Palluites: 6 Of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites: of Carmi, the family of the Carmites. 7 These are the families of the Reubenites: and they that were numbered of them were forty and three thousand and seven hundred and thirty. 8 And the sons of Pallu; Eliab. 9 And the sons of Eliab; Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. This is that Dathan and Abiram, which were famous in the congregation, who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against the Lord: 10 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men: and they became a sign. 11 Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not.

(c) Sin offerings .

1, sin offering each new moon ( )

Numbers 28:15 KJV 1900

15 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering unto the Lord shall be offered, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.

2, sin offerings at the passover, Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets and Tabernacles, ( ; )

Numbers 28:22 KJV 1900

22 And one goat for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you.

Numbers 28:30 KJV 1900

30 And one kid of the goats, to make an atonement for you.

Numbers 29:5 KJV 1900

5 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you:

Numbers 29:16 KJV 1900

16 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.

Numbers 29:19 KJV 1900

19 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering thereof, and their drink offerings.

Numbers 29:22 KJV 1900

22 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.

Numbers 29:25 KJV 1900

25 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.

Numbers 29:28 KJV 1900

28 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.

Numbers 29:31 KJV 1900

31 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.

Numbers 29:34 KJV 1900

34 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.

Numbers 29:38 KJV 1900

38 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.

3, the offering of the two goats for the people and of the bullock for the priest himself, on the Great Day of Atonement. ( ) ...

Leviticus 16:1 KJV 1900

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the Lord, and died;

(d) Incense .

1, the morning and evening incense ( )

Exodus 30:7 KJV 1900

7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.

Exodus 30:8 KJV 1900

8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.

2, the incense on the Great Day of Atonement. ( ) Besides these public sacrifices, there were offerings of the people for themselves individually.

Leviticus 16:12 KJV 1900

12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:

II. By the order of sacrifice in its perfect form, as in ( ) ...

Leviticus 8:1 KJV 1900

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

it is clear that the sin offering occupies the most important: place;

the burnt offering comes next,

and the meat offering or peace offering last of all.

Philemon 4 KJV 1900

4 I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,

The second could only be offered after the first had been accepted; the third was only a subsidiary part of the second.

Yet, in actual order of time it has been seen that the patriarchal sacrifices partook much more of the nature of the peace offering and burnt offering, and that under the raw, by which was "the knowledge of sin," ( )

Romans 3:20 KJV 1900

20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

the sin offering was for the first time explicitly set forth.

This is but natural that the deepest ideas should be the last in order of development.

The essential difference between heathen views of sacrifice and the scriptural doctrine of the Old. Testament is not to be found in its denial of any of these views.

In fact, it brings out clearly and distinctly the ideas which in heathenism were uncertain, vague and perverted.

But the essential points of distinction are two.

First, that whereas the heathen conceived of their gods as alienated in jealousy or anger, to be sought after and to be appeased by the unaided action of man, Scripture represents God himself as approaching man, as pointing out and sanctioning the way by which the broken covenant should be restored.

The second mark of distinction is closely connected with this, inasmuch as it shows sacrifice to he a scheme proceeding from God, and in his foreknowledge, connected with the one central fact of all human history.

From the prophets and the Epistle to the Hebrews we learn that the sin offering represented that covenant as broken by man, and as knit together again, by Gods appointment through the shedding of the blood, the symbol of life, signified that the death of the offender was deserved for sin, but that the death of the victim was accepted for his death by the ordinance of Gods mercy.

Beyond all doubt the sin offering distinctly witnessed that sin existed in man. that the "wages of that sin was death," and that God had provided an atonement by the vicarious suffering of an appointed victim.

The ceremonial and meaning of the burnt offering were very different. The idea of expiation seems not to have been absent from it, for the blood was sprinkled round about the altar of sacrifice; but the main idea is the offering of the whole victim to God, representing as the laying of the hand on its head shows, the devotion of the sacrificer, body and soul. to him. ( )

Romans 12:1 KJV 1900

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

The death of the victim was, so to speak, an incidental feature.

The meat offering, the peace or thank offering, the firstfruits, etc., were simply offerings to God of his own best gifts, as a sign of thankful homage, and as a means of maintaining his service and his servants.

The characteristic ceremony in the peace offering was the eating of the flesh by the sacrificer.

It betokened the enjoyment of communion with God.

It is clear from this that the idea of sacrifice is a complex idea, involving the propitiatory, the dedicatory and the eucharistic elements.

Any one of these, taken by itself, would lead to error and superstition.

All three probably were more or less implied in each sacrifice. each element predominating in its turn.

The Epistle to the Hebrews contains the key of the whole sacrificial doctrine.

The object of the epistle is to show the typical and probationary character of sacrifices, and to assert that in virtue of it alone they had a spiritual meaning.

Our Lord is declared (see) ( ) "to have been foreordained" as a sacrifice "before the foundation of the world," or as it is more strikingly expressed in ( ) "slain from the foundation of the world."

1 Peter 1:20 KJV 1900

20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Revelation 13:8 KJV 1900

8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

The material sacrifices represented this great atonement as already made and accepted in Gods foreknowledge; and to those who grasped the ideas of sin, pardon and self-dedication symbolized in them, they were means of entering into the blessings which the one true sacrifice alone procured.

They could convey nothing in themselves yet as types they might, if accepted by a true though necessarily imperfect faith be means of conveying in some degree the blessings of the antitype.

It is clear that the atonement in the Epistle to the Hebrews as in the New Testament generally, is viewed in a twofold light.

On the one hand it is set forth distinctly as a vicarious sacrifice, which was rendered necessary by the sin of man and in which the Lord "bare the sins of many."

It is its essential characteristic that in it he stands absolutely alone offering his sacrifice without any reference to the faith or the conversion of men.

In it he stands out alone as the mediator between God and man; and his sacrifice is offered once for all, never to be imitated or repeated.

Now, this view of the atonement is set forth in the epistle as typified by the sin offering.

On the other hand the sacrifice of Christ is set forth to us as the completion of that perfect obedience to the will of the Father which is the natural duty of sinless man.

The main idea of this view of the atonement is representative rather than vicarious.

It is typified by the burnt offering. As without the sin offering of the cross this our burnt offering would be impossible, so also without the burnt offering the sin offering will to us be unavailing.

With these views of our Lords sacrifice oil earth, as typified in the Levitical sacrifices on the outer alter, is also to be connected the offering of his intercession for us in heaven, which was represented by the incense.

The typical sense of the meat offering or peace offering is less connected the sacrifice of Christ himself than with those sacrifices of praise, thanksgiving, charity and devotion which we, as Christians, offer to God, and "with which he is well pleased," ( ) as with an odor of sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable to God." (

Hebrews 13:15 KJV 1900

15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Hebrews 13:16 KJV 1900

16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Philippians 4 KJV 1900

1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. 2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. 10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 14 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. 15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. 16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. 17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. 18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. 19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 21 Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you. 22 All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household. 23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

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