Exodus 12:1-51

God has a very distinct purpose for His work in the land of Egypt.  He wants to show that He does not tolerate sin and rebellion but that He will judge it in the severest fashion imaginable.  God also wants to demonstrate that He is kind and gracious and that He provides a means of escape from His judgment through the shedding of blood.  These events are about far more than simply liberating Israel from Egypt.  They are prefigures of the sacrifice of Christ and our liberation from sin as a result of His death for us.

THE PASSOVER REQUIRED PREPARATION: The Lord made it very clear that the children of Israel needed to make preparations for the Passover.  They had to choose a perfect lamb and then make a sacrifice of the lamb, apply the blood of the lamb to the doorframes of their homes and then eat the lamb completely burning anything that was left over.  Escape from the judgment of God required this process.  God cannot simply ignore the sins of men.  Provision had to be made and then men had to respond to that provision in faith.  The children of Israel simply had to believe the Lord and obey what He told them to do.  Obedience was the clear evidence of their belief in both the judgment and God’s provision for them.  We are not automatically safe from the wrath of God because we are born into a Christian home or because we know the Gospel.  Salvation from God’s impending and eternal judgment is conditional upon our faith in and obedience to the Gospel.  We must trust in Christ alone and have His righteousness applied to our hearts.  Salvation requires this preparation.

THE PASSOVER WAS FOLLOWD BY CONSECRATION: Immediately following the Passover the children of Israel were to start a weeklong celebration called the feast of unleavened bread.  Liberation is something that should be celebrated and commemorated.  However, this was not a feast of extravagant foods, it was solemn occasion to commemorate freedom and practice restraint.  I believe that this feast is a symbol of sanctification in the lives of true believers.  Salvation is an event while sanctification is a process.  Yeast in the Scriptures often represents sin, so eating bread without yeast is and illustration that once we have been liberated from the penalty of sin through the gift of salvation; we should seek to be liberated from the daily practice of sin in our lives.  Perfection will only happen in heaven.  However, we have been set free from the power of sin through the cross of Christ and the desire of the true believer’s heart is to become like Christ.  Salvation results in sanctification.

THE PASSOVER RESULTED IN LIBERATION: God sent the angle of death through the land of Egypt and every home that did not have the blood of the lamb on the door lost the first-born from within that home.  This judgment did not spare anyone; from the crowned prince to the common laborer, every first born son died that night.  The pain and sorrow was so great the Pharaoh finally let the children of Israel go without condition.  The fear of God struck deep into the land of Egypt along with pain that was widespread and profound.  Pharaoh realized that his pride had cost him the life of his son and the sons of all of his people.  His pain, regret and shame must have been great, but it was too late.  All of the other plagues he and the people could eventually recover from, but there was no bringing back the sons of Egypt.  Israel was not only set free to go but left with all the wealth of Egypt.  Rejecting Christ brings complete and constant judgment.  Trusting Christ brings freedom and everlasting life.  Salvation grants liberation.

THE PASSOVER IS A CLEAR ILLUSTRATION: From this time on, the children of Israel were to celebrate this Passover feast so that they would never forget how they had been set free from slavery.  It is easy for us to forget events with time.  It is even easier for us to forget history from the past generations.  If order to prevent this from happening the feast was established so that when children asked why they had this special feast, the parents from all succeeding generations would have to remember and tell the story of the Passover.  This would be a time to look back at what God did but also was meant as a time to look forward to the coming of Messiah who would not only set men free from slavery but bring them forgiveness of sin.  Just as we celebrate communion to remember the cross of Christ as well as anticipate His return, the Passover looked back on liberation from Egypt and looked forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ.  God is clearly using these events as an object lesson to prepare the way for the coming of Christ.  God has graciously revealed Himself and His plan to us through the Scriptures and the history of the world.  Salvation comes through revelation.