In the book of Exodus, it tells of how the children of Israel were in captivity, enslaved in the land of Egypt. They suffered a lot at the hand of the Egyptians. They needed a Savior to get freedom. They were looking for someone who could stand up and fight for them. Someone who would be ready to say they were willing to lead them out of bondage. God chose a man, Moses, to deliver the children of Israel!
In the Old Testament, we have a picture to understand how Jesus would be the Lamb of God even before He was born yet! We come to understand the importance of the lamb and the blood!
The day of Passover is particularly important to the Jewish. On this day in history, death passed them. The first-born males of the Egyptians, including Pharoah and his house, died. As well as the animals. However, God instructed Moses for the children of Israel to do something.
Exodus 12:5, “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.” This lamb would have to be with no blemishes (scars, flaws, defects, deformities, or discolorations)! Had to be a young one no older than a year.
God was trying to bring the children of Israel into understanding He was bringing His own Son! They may not have understood but we have come to know the significance!
Exodus 12:7, “And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lentil of the houses where they eat it.” No one would escape this death unless the blood was on the doorposts!
Therefore, that night, when the instructions were obeyed, the children of Israel lost nothing, not even their animals! They were saved! The lamb was used to cover them, and the meat was used to feed them!
These were symbols of what God would use to save all human beings from the wrath of death!
John 1:29, “The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
Jesus was coming to take the sin of the world! From the beginning! The sin of Adam, Cain and all who would ever be born! You and me! He was to be a lamb to be slain covering our sin! Shedding His own blood and His flesh for meat to us!
The next day after the Passover, the children of Israel would be free people! God was working it out for them! They could not save themselves! They could not make an army to fight for them, but God fought for them! It was God who performed all the miracles for them! He made Pharaoh submit and surrender them so they could go out free!
As the lamb had to be without blemishes, so Jesus was without sin! He did nothing wrong! Jesus walked in this crime filled world and did nothing wrong, no crime! He did not deserve to go to the cross! The freedom we have in Christ is because He died for us! We are not under the law! He agreed Himself to freely die for us because of the love! It is us who have trespassed against God not Jesus!
Hebrews 9:22, “In fact under the Law almost everything is cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [neither release from sin and its guilt, nor cancellation of the merited punishment].”
Without the offering of blood, there would be no forgiveness. As we are born, whether you are good and done nothing wrong, or keep yourself holy, it makes no difference! We are all born with a sin nature! Sin is in our life because of the nature, whether we do wrong or not! It is not the act but the human nature!
Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Hebrews 10: 12, “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.” Our sins are forgiven! It is all because of Jesus! Not because of our good works, holy or how much we pray!
The children of Israel did not escape death because they did good, were holy and righteous. Death passed them because the blood was put on the doorposts symbolizing the blood of the Lamb of God! Death stopped at any house where the blood was not found! The sounds of crying were heard all over Egypt!
The devil has beaten us down. People have died because of the bad treatment of the devil! People are looking for someone to come and save them from their problems!
God did not see anyone in the world who was righteous! So, He sent His Own Son!
People believed John the Baptist, because he was a prophet who God sent to prepare the way for His Son! John preached repentance and that Jesus; the Messiah was coming! One day John observed the one he witnessed about!
Today, the Israelites remember and still celebrate! The Believer’s need to remember. He took all of us out of our sin and made us acceptable before God! Jesus took our blame! Jesus took our sin! Israelites every year observe this day and teach their children to do exactly the same way! (Matthew 26:26-29).
Jesus during the Lord’s Supper revealed to His disciples what would happen! We observe this today, as communion. Jesus took every sickness, every problem punished in His body! He suffered very badly because of you! Not just for Israel but for the whole world! Not just for the Jews but every tribe, every person. No matter what nation, or what culture. He died so you might live!
We are in a New Covenant God has with Jesus for us! If we come out of this world, you can know where you are going! You can have eternal life with Jesus! The Old Covenant was with an error. In the Old Covenant, God did not relate to the Jews the same way as in the New. The New Covenant is for you to just know Jesus! That our sin has been forgiven and removed! God cannot remember your sins!
Jesus is standing with God representing us! When God sees Jesus, He sees the stripes He bore! God sees the wounds! God sees His blood! God is pleased with those in Christ! It doesn’t matter what you have done! Jesus has paid for that!
We can have life forever in Christ! When we call Him, He answers. He hears our prayers! He will be here for us! He is a good God! He is special for us!
Eat and drink! Remember! Receive!
On the Cross Jesus said, “It is finished,” meaning it was done! God had given His heart! If you are seeking for forgiveness; it is already done! You are not looking for your pastor or priest for forgiveness! God has forgiven you!
In the Holy of Holies, there was only the chosen priest who would go to present repentance for the sin of the people once a year. But this could not take away the sin. If the priest did not go into the Holy of Holies the right way or while inside, not do something right, he died! Whoever was to get the priest out, and they did not do according to the instructions, they died also!
Jesus broke that and we are free to meet with God anytime! We just need to know Jesus! Some people want the benefits (healing, prosperity) without knowing Jesus!
Believe Jesus and know Him!
Luke 23:34, “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Who is them? Not just the people who crucified Him but everyone!
Moses & Marguerite Wafula
www.wakeuptohope.blog