“the Beginning of Months”
The Passover was Israel’s fundamental institution. It marked the commencement of their history as a nation and as a people in special relationship with Jehovah. That night in Egypt was never to be forgotten by them.
The Passover chapter opens very suggestively. “Jehovah spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year unto you” (Ex. 12:1-21And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. (Exodus 12:1‑2)). The month in question was Abib, otherwise Nisan (Ex. 13:44This day came ye out in the month Abib. (Exodus 13:4)), and corresponded to our March-April. It had hitherto been the seventh in order of reckoning; from the time of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt it was to be accounted the first. Redemption thus gave the people a new start with God. Even so is it now. When a man acknowledges himself a sinner in God’s sight and takes refuge under the blood of the Lamb, he begins life anew — a new point of departure, a new mode of being altogether.
“Every Man a Lamb”
Ten plagues in all fell upon Egypt; from nine of them the captive Israelites were markedly exempt. But when the angel of death must be sent through the land, Israel could be exempted no longer. However favored these people might be, in God’s sovereignty, they were sinners like all others (Ezek. 20:5-95And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the Lord your God; 6In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands: 7Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. 8But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. (Ezekiel 20:5‑9)). If, therefore, they were to be spared the last dread stroke, it must be on some righteous ground. This is why the lamb was necessary.
The instructions concerning the lamb were very comprehensive. “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” (Ex. 12:33Speak 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: (Exodus 12:3)). In thus insisting upon a lamb, Jehovah was thinking of Christ, and 1 Corinthians 5:7 puts this beyond all dispute: “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” Accordingly, this story of Israel in Egypt has its voice for us, for nothing counts with God but Christ. “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:2929The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)). The Lamb is our sole hope.
“the Tenth Day”
While the Passover month was to be henceforward considered the first in the year, the lamb was not to be slain on the first day of that month. We read in Exodus 12:33Speak 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: (Exodus 12:3), “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.” Ten days were to run their course before the death of the victim. The number “ten” represents the full measure of human responsibility. Thus we have ten commandments in Exodus 20, ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-131Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 25:1‑13), and ten pounds in Luke 19:1313And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. (Luke 19:13). The ten days speak to us, therefore, of the ages of responsibility (or probation) which ran their course before God sent forth His beloved Son to be the Lamb of God, the One to take away the sin of the world. Men proved, during forty centuries, that under every variety of circumstances and conditions there was nothing but evil in their hearts. This terrible fact having been fully demonstrated, God sent forth His Son. “When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:66For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)). God’s “due time” is set forth typically in “the tenth day” of Exodus 12.
The Fourteenth Day
The lamb was to be taken out from the sheep or from the goats on the tenth day of the month; nevertheless it was not to be slain on that day. “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” (Ex. 12:66And 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. (Exodus 12:6)). The victim was for three or four days under the immediate observation of those for whom its blood was to be shed. This finds its answer in the years of the public ministry of the Lord Jesus. When He emerged into public view, He was, as it were, “taken out” on the tenth day and “kept up” until the fourteenth. During His three and a half years of ministry, the Saviour lived in the fierce glare of hostile criticism, and His spotless life proclaimed His fitness to die for the sins of others. He was thus divinely competent to take up the sin question and settle it to the eternal satisfaction of God.
“Kill It”
Death is everywhere stamped upon our chapter, and especially upon the solemn words of verse 6, “The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.” The lamb must die; the blood of the innocent must be shed if the guilty were to be spared.
Death lies upon men everywhere as the fruit of sin. Because “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)), the righteousness of God demands that if any are to be spared this sentence, then death must fall upon another instead. A living lamb would not suffice in Israel; a living Christ could not suffice for us. Thousands of lambs were slain by Israelites that night, and yet in the mind of God there was but One. Christ is God’s first great thought, and to Him every sacrifice pointed. There is no salvation in any other.
“Take of the Blood”
In Exodus 12:77And 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. (Exodus 12:7), for the first time in Scripture, we have blood mentioned in connection with man’s deliverance and blessing. In the Book of Genesis, blood is spoken of as evidence of human guilt, but now it comes before us as the means whereby God’s believing people were sheltered from destruction. From this point onward to the close of the Bible, the doctrine of atoning blood stands out in unmistakable characters. By blood, and by blood alone, can men be saved. These were the instructions given to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: “They shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of the houses wherein they shall eat it” (Ex. 12:77And 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. (Exodus 12:7)). Further on in the chapter we hear Moses addressing the elders of Israel thus: “Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning” (Ex. 12:21-2221Then 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. 22And 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. (Exodus 12:21‑22)).
The meaning for us in this day is plain enough. Christ, the Lamb of God, has been slain; His precious blood has been shed, and all that God requires from the sinner who would escape His wrath to come is to accept these mighty facts in simple-hearted faith. On the righteous basis of the blood of Christ, every believer is brought to God, accepted and taken into favor in the risen One, and entitled to know it in the power of the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven.
“When I See the Blood”
The blood of the lamb was the divine requirement, and nothing else could be accepted in its stead. Here is Jehovah’s message to the people: “I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. 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” (Ex. 12:12-1312For 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. 13And 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. (Exodus 12:12‑13)).
The blood was the confession on the part of those who sprinkled it that they were personally only worthy of death and that they sheltered themselves under the death of another. To God the blood witnessed that death had already entered the houses upon which it rested, and this justified Him in passing by such houses. Sin could only be expiated by blood. The blood of Christ has made it righteously possible for God not only to exempt from judgment the sinner who believes, but also to take such a one into His heart of love forever!
“Eat the Flesh”
The blood of the lamb having been sprinkled according to the ordinance of Jehovah, the flesh of the animal was to be cooked and eaten. So we read, “They shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 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” (Ex. 12:8-98And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. (Exodus 12:8‑9)). Eating has in Scripture the double force of appropriation and identification. In John 6:51-5751I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. (John 6:51‑57) the Saviour insists upon the necessity of eating His flesh and drinking His blood in order to have and enjoy eternal life. Israel’s feeding upon the lamb in Egypt is thus typical of our appropriation today of the once-slain Christ.
But there is more than this. It was distinctly forbidden to boil the flesh, as also to eat of it raw. It must be “roast with fire.” Fire is the emblem in Scripture of the holiness of God in judgment. Feeding, as it were, upon the roast lamb, I enter in some measure into the awful judgment which fell upon Christ as my sin-bearer. The “bitter herbs” which accompanied the roast lamb are suggestive of the same principle. The realization that my sin is so serious in the sight of God that nothing could save me but the death of Christ is bitter indeed, though the knowledge of redemption yields exceeding joy.
“Ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire” (Ex. 12:1010And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. (Exodus 12:10)). In like manner, the work of Christ is not a progressive but a completed thing, definitely and eternally. So divinely efficacious is it that nothing further could ever be required.
The Stroke
Men’s threats are sometimes mere idle words, but not so the predicted judgments of God. The dread sentence took effect on the night of Israel’s Passover. “There was not a house where there was not one dead” (Ex. 12:3030And 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. (Exodus 12:30)). There was no respect of persons, yet while desolation spread itself throughout the land of Egypt, the houses of the Israelites were absolutely unharmed. They could eat and drink in peace, with girded loins and staff in hand, prepared to march out of a scene which was not their home.
We are ourselves living in a solemn moment in the world’s history. The gospel day is ending, and the hour for God’s judgments to begin will shortly strike. Then the once-crucified Lord will come forth as the divinely-appointed Judge of those alive and the dead. Happy are those who, as guilty sinners, have fled to the Saviour for refuge, trusting solely in His precious atoning blood. Such are eternally secure.
“for a Memorial”
That night in Egypt was to be kept in perpetual remembrance by the people of Israel. “Ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever” (Ex. 12:1414And 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. (Exodus 12:14)). Year by year the Passover feast was to be observed in Israel, and in this way the goodness of God was to be kept alive in the minds of the people. The Lord’s supper comes to mind here. The Saviour was on the eve of death when He instituted it, and during the whole period of His absence, the Lord’s supper remains with the church as the memorial of her once-slain Lord and Saviour. As the children of the Israelites were to be carefully instructed as to the meaning of the Passover feast, let us in this day see to it that we are not only ourselves under the shelter of the blood of the Lamb, but that our children are also instructed in this divine security. The wrath of God against all ungodliness is a tremendous reality, from which nothing can screen either ourselves or our children but the Saviour’s blood.
Adapted from W. W. Fereday