The Passover Lamb

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God gave us rituals and traditions as a way to remind us of what He has done and what we need to do.

We celebrate Christmas and Easter, for example, and every year we are reminded of Jesus’ birth and death.

Passover was a celebration given by God to remember the actual passover. The Last Supper was a celebration of Passover and we celebrate and remember at least once a month with Communion.

As we talk about Propitiation today we will talk about the Passover, how it pointed to Jesus, and what it all means for us. Last week we talked about what propitiation is, this week we will talk about what propitiation does for us, and next week we will talk about the glory of Jesus through His propitiation.

Exodus 12:1–8 (ESV)

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.

Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.

Remembering the Story

God promised to make Abraham a nation

Joseph was in command in Egypt

Jacob, Israel, and all his family moved to Egypt, 70 people

Many years passed and a new Pharoah grew afraid and enslaved Israel

430 years later God called Moses to free Israel

The Plagues

Water turned to blood

Frogs

Gnats

Flies

Death of Egyptian livestock

Boils

Hail

Locusts

Darkness

The Passover

With the other plagues there was a distinction between Israel and Egypt; it was dark for Egypt but not Israel, Egypts livestock died but not Israels. With the Passover there would not be a distinction between the nations, the only distinction was made for those who had the blood of the lamb on their doorposts. Let’s take a closer look at that lamb.

Exodus 12:1–13 (ESV)

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.

Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.

Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.

For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 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 no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

The Lamb

One lamb per household

Without blemish

A male a year old

Kept in the house 4 days

Killed at twilight

Blood spread on doorposts

Eat the entire lamb

Must be roasted on the fire, no bones broken

Eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs

Any that remained had to be burned

Eat it with belt fastened

Eat it with sandals on

Eat it with your staff in hand

Eat it in haste

God’s Judgment

Man

Beast

gods of Egypt

Covered by the blood

Israel was set free

The Lord’s Supper

Matthew 26:26–28 ESV

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

My body, My blood

New meaning

Passover for the world

Bread of life

Blood for the forgiveness of sins

Propitiation Accomplished

Israel freed from slavery

The world now free from slavery to sin and death

Romans 8:1–4 ESV

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.