Many find the stories in the Old Testament interesting and others boring and difficult to digest. To the uninitiated, not much is seen beyond the historical perspective. True, they are actual events, but if viewed solely as a history lesson, the real point could easily be missed. This is what Jesus said about the Scriptures:
John 5: 39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
That is interesting because I don’t recall Him being mentioned by name in the Old Testament. Where and how is it that these stories bear witness of the coming Messiah? It may not always obvious, but it is there if you know where to look. The only way to properly interpret scripture is to consider the dual meaning, which in all cases is a spiritual one, usually a spiritual allegory. They are two sides of the same coin.
Exodus is rich in spiritual allegory and Passover is the most important one. The Israelites were in Egypt 430 years, most of which were in bondage to the Egyptians. They cried out to the Lord and He heard them. He sent Moses to Pharaoh to ask Pharaoh to release His people. Pharaoh refused. After nine plagues, Pharaoh’s heart was still hardened and still would not let the people go. God had one last card to play, a far-reaching one that was the plan all along. This last epic event would bring Pharaoh to his knees and provide mankind the blueprint for both salvation and judgment, a choice that must be made by everyone on earth. God would pass judgment on Egypt and its idols. He would pass through the land killing the firstborn of man and beast. But He provided a way for the elect, the Israelites, to avoid the wrath to come if the people would follow in faith the specific instructions given to them through Moses.
Most people know the basics of Passover. They were to take a lamb, kill it, put the blood of the lamb on the lintels and doorposts of their homes and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. When the destroyer came, he would see the blood and pass over them as he executed judgment. The Israelites were to eat the Passover with sandals on their feet, girded and with a staff in their hand. In other words, they were to be saddled up and ready to go. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen fast.
The best way to understand the story is to visualize Israel as one person. God refers to Israel as His first born son (Ex 4:22). It is the story of every man (and woman).
The first question is why does God take such a special interest in Israel? Were they better, were they more righteous? The answer is no. They were pagans just like the rest of us. They worshipped the gods of Egypt just like they are worshipped today. An idol is anything that is put in front of or in place of God–anything that separates from the love of God. They are not figurines or golden calves. Those are just symbols of idolatry.
The reason God heard the Israelite is solely because of the Promise. The Promise he made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable (Rom 11:29). It is because of the principle of election. Nothing more.
If so, why did God wait so many years to redeem them from slavery? He is not slack concerning His promises.
2 Pet 3: 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,] not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
The answer is the Israelites were not ready. Their bondage in Egypt is a picture of every man’s bondage to sin, the Adamic nature we were born with, a consequence of the choices made in the garden. God left them there so they would taste to the dregs the bitterness of this bondage and finally realize that they had no power of their own to extricate themselves, to save themselves. No matter how hard we struggle and squirm, sin is like quicksand. The more we fight it, the deeper we sink. We have to come to the realization we cannot save ourselves. There has to be another way. The bitter herbs were to remind us of the bitterness of that slavery.
The households were to purge their houses of leaven. Leaven has additional meanings. It represents sin in our lives. They were to repent, to purge themselves of their idolatry before they would be able to leave. Anyone who ate anything with leaven would be cut off.
The lamb is the most important symbol of all. It was to be roasted, entirely consumed, and not a bone was to be broken. It is symbolic because it had no power to actually remove sin just like the entire sacrificial system had no real power to remove sin. This was evident when Israel was in the wilderness. More than once they would have lopped Moses’ head off and returned to their previous state. They carried that sin nature with them.
No, there had to be more to it. The lamb and the blood of the lamb pointed forward to the coming of the Messiah, the true Lamb of God, that would take sin away. When John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching, he testified that He was that Lamb of God. By the way, John was not a Baptist. He was a Jew.
John 1: 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Passover showed the way that God would provide years later by entering the world in the form of man as His only begotten Son. Jesus was the sacrifice that poured out his life for all mankind to truly save us from sin and the wages of sin.
Rom 5: 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
For those who believe in the Son of Man, they are covered by the blood in the sight of God. When judgment comes at the end of the age, He will see the blood. When He sees the blood, He will pass over.
Why don’t Christians observe Passover? Well, they could I suppose but they observe a different ordinance now– The Lord’s Supper. What Passover pointed to has been fulfilled by Christ. It is no coincidence that Easter and Passover are celebrated close to one another. What we call the Last Supper was actually the Last Passover Supper that Christ celebrated with His disciples. This all occurred during Passover for a reason. He was the Passover. The new ordinance represents the new covenant in His blood. It symbolizes Him pouring out his life for us and us consuming the Lamb of God in His body and His blood:
Matt 26: 26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
God had to provide a way. We cannot save ourselves. And He did. In Christ.
The Lost Coin by Samuel Hayes Sherwood is now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and all other outlets. Unravel the mystery of Christ in us and how we are passed over from judgment.
Read The Seeing Eye to gain a perspective of how God uses all things for our good. Where does the love of God go when evil descends around us like a bell jar? Carl Cook’s birth mother gave him up and his adoptive mother was murdered. He was abused by his stepfather, failed by the justice system, dismissed by the school system, and neglected by the church. Abandoned and homeless, Carl stoically faces these hurdles alone. Or is he?
Now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle version.
