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THE PASSOVER LAMB
Exodus 12
THE FEAST OF PASSOVER
This
feast was instituted while the Hebrews were still
in Egypt. Before the tenth plague brought death to
every first born, God provided a means for the
death angel to pass over the home of those who
obeyed Him, and to prepare them for a new life as
a separated and holy nation. The faithful
observance of the rites and ceremonies connected
to this event would mean the preservation of
Israel in the hour of God's judgment upon the land
of Egypt, and the beginning of a new era for the
people of God. On the tenth day of the first
month, they were to select a lamb without blemish
from the flock, and they were to keep it until the
evening of the fourteenth day. Then it was to be
killed and its flesh was to be eaten. Its blood
was to be applied on the lintel and the two door
posts on all their houses. This was the means of
their salvation in view of the coming judgment
that night. The Lord's promise to them was,
". . .when I see the blood, I will pass over
you. . ." (Exodus 12:13)
In the New Covenant, Jesus is our 'Passover
Lamb'. He laid down His life without complaint,
was wounded for our transgressions, and was
bruised for our iniquities.
When a sinner repents and surrenders to the
Lord, Jesus' blood is applied to his heart,
bringing forgiveness and birthing him into the
Body of Christ. He is redeemed [Eph. 1:7],
justified [Rom.5:9], has peace with God [Col.
1:20], and experiences restored fellowship with
our heavenly Father [Eph. 2:13].
Indeed, the Passover experience is a brand new
beginning - a new life - for the child of God. Old
things begin to pass away, and all things begin to
become new. The bondage of the world and sin, the
old lifestyle of serving the lusts of the flesh is
left behind, giving way to a new walk in the
Spirit of God. Jesus died on Calvary long ago, but
He appeared to you personally as your sin offering
in the here and now, and you beheld Him in spirit
hanging upon a cursed tree for you.
Historically He became as the Passover Lamb two
millenniums ago, but by the Holy Spirit, He
appeared to you as that same Jesus, and brought
His death into your present, in a manner more real
and wonderful than it was to those who stood
gazing in shocked anguish at the foot of the cross
that day at Jerusalem. When He appeared to you as
your Passover Lamb, you beheld Him in the spirit.
It was not the shadow of the Man of Galilee that
you saw, but the One who was slain in the realm of
the spirit from the foundation of the world. He
became manifested in power in your life in the
true Feast of Passover, not in the shadow, but in
the substance. He came to you as the Lamb, in the
eternal and infinite power of His blood, in the
authority of His life, and a new and glorious day
dawned for you, a new beginning. Historically the
death of Jesus Christ was the first step in the
process of producing a spiritual kingdom of people
who would eventually rule and reign with the Lord
over the earth and all things. Jesus spoke of the
fruit of His death in this manner:
"The hour is come that the Son of
man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say
to you, except a grain of wheat fall into the
ground and die, it abides alone: but if it dies,
it brings forth much fruit" (John
12:23-24).
Jesus died that through His death He might
become the first fruits of a vast family of sons
of God who would follow Him. [1 Corinthians
15:23]
Do not use the word Easter - it is an error
interpolated for the word Passover - see: Identification of Easter
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