Exodus 12.1-11 outlines God’s prescription for the Passover. I encourage you to listen to today’s YouTube video, where Rudy Ross and Whispering Danny discuss their experience of the Passover celebration.
Rudy and Danny are Jewish followers of Jesus and share insights from their heritage and a profound understanding of the New Testament.
The requirements for the first observance of the Passover can be seen as follows. The verses are found in Exodus 12.1-11.
(1) Preparations are to begin on the 10th day of the month of Abib (vs. 3).
(2) The head of each household is to select a lamb according to the number of people present (vs. 4).
(3) The animal must be a one-year-old male without any defects (vs. 5).
(4) Each animal must be slaughtered on the 14th day (vs. 6). The lamb is taking the place of Israel’s first-born males.
(5) The blood from the animals is to be applied to the doorframe of each house (vs. 7).
(6) Each family is to eat the roasted lamb or kid along with bitter herbs and unleavened bread (vs 8).
The bitter herbs recall the bitter years of slavery.
The unleavened bread reflects this event’s haste.
(7) The meat must be roasted whole, with the head and legs intact and the washed internals left inside; it must not be eaten raw or boiled in water (vs. 9).
(8) All leftovers are to be burnt; nothing may become profane by putrification or superstitious abuse (vs. 10; before daybreak, according to 23.18).
(9) The meal must be eaten with an air of haste and expectancy (vs. 11).
Spiritual Preparation
What can present-day followers of Jesus learn from the observance of the Passover?
We are brought face-to-face with the importance of preparation and readiness in our spiritual lives.
John the disciple had an intimate relationship with Jesus, where Jesus served him by washing his feet (John 13.1-30).
When John saw Jesus in his heavenly glory he wrote, “I fell at his feet as though dead” (Revelation 1.17).
We do well to prepare our hearts for an encounter with God. As we begin a time of prayer and worship, let’s focus on his character and nature.
Let’s give him the honor and reverence he is due.
The Lamb of God
In today’s video, Danny and Rudy remind us of the Lamb of God.
When John the Baptist saw Jesus he declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1.29).
Without a doubt, John connected the “Lamb of God” with Isaiah’s depiction of the Suffering Servant.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth. (Isaiah 53.6-7)
As we worship our Lord and Savior, we can reflect on the fact that the Lamb of God suffered for our iniquity and rebellion. He suffered so we can be forgiven and freed.
A Significant Offering
The sacrificial lamb represented the best offering the family could make. These precious lambs came from a nation of slaves who provided cheap labor for Pharaoh’s building projects.
What can we give God today that is not already his? We can give him our love and willing service.
God outlined the sacrifice he desired: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6.5).
Paul wrote about how love involves willing service in his letter to the Romans. “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship” (Romans 12.1).
God’s Protection
It is easy to worry about the future of our children and grandchildren, given what is taking place in our country and around the world.
The Passover reminds us that God is our protection and deliverance.
Just as the blood protected the Israelites from the angel of death, we can trust in God’s provision and protection in our lives today.
Chariots and horses were the most advanced military tools of the ancient world.
According to Isaiah, it is foolish to rely on military might when God is willing to enter the fight.
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and who rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord! (Isaiah 31.1).
It is always best to trust God’s name – his character and nature.
Some take pride in chariots and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God. (Psalm 20.7)
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and Whispering Danny join me to discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
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