Studiesin

Exodus

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The Table of ContentsChapter 1v1-22 IntroductionChapter 2v1-25 Preparing a DelivererChapter 3v1-22 The Call of Moses [1]Chapter 4v1-17 The Call of Moses [2]Chapter 4v18-5v21 Final PreparationsChapter 5v22-6v27 Discouragement and ComfortChapter 6v28-7v24 The Exposure of EvilChapter 8-v1-10v29 Idolatry: A Dangerous RefugeChapter 11v1-10 Corrective to Final JudgmentChapter 12v1-30 Blood on the DoorpostsChapter 12v31-42 God’s FaithfulnessChap.13v1-16 Consecration of The RedeemedChap.13v17-14v18 God’s Dead EndsChap.14v19-31 Power to DeliverChap.15v1-21 The Exultation of God

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Blood on the Doorposts

Chapter 12v1-30

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IntroductionWhen news of a swine flu pandemic first made the headlines the question many people began to ask was, “how can we protect ourselves?” That is not an uncommon response when danger threatens. In recent history people have asked, “How can we protect ourselves from nuclear fallout, chemical attack, terrorist bombs?” and so on. I suspect that the mindset of those living in Moses’ day was no different. The Egyptians had seen wave after wave of devastation strike their land and they had asked, “Is there any protection?” The Egyptian god’s were no help to them.

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Blood on the DoorpostsIntroduction Of course the first nine plagues were, temporary, reversible and designed by God, “so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth” Ex.9.14.But the last plague was different. It was irreversible. It foreshadowed final judgement. From the time of Adam and Eve, God had made it clear that rebellion brings judgement and judgement brings death and death produces separation. Significantly, the NT describes the fate of those who reject God in this life as those who will experience a ‘second death’ Rev. 21.8 – eternal separation from him.

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Blood on the DoorpostsIntroductionThe Israelites had been exempt from the effects of the first nine plagues. When hail fell on Egypt, the Israelite towns enjoyed good weather. When locusts devoured the Egyptian fields, the Israelite fields were left unscathed and so on. However, the Israelites could not expect automatic exemption from the final plague, as the angel of death moved over the land taking the lives of the firstborn. Why? Because sinful rebellion was about to be judged and Israel were not sinless. They could not stand scrutiny before the microscope of God’s justice any more than the Egyptians could. It is vitally important to see that!

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Blood on the DoorpostsGod’s Solution UnveiledFirst, the idea of substitutionary sacrifice is apparent. It was impressed on the Israelites that their redemption involved the death of another. Judgement was averted only because of the sacrifice of another. In this case a sacrificial lamb. The Hebrew people were allowed to be dispassionate about this. And so the little sacrificial lamb was to be cared for over a period of 4 days prior to its death. Bonds of affection for this animal would develop. Would it be easy to take its life? No! Driving home even more deeply the fact that its death meant life for them. A death meant life spared.

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Blood on the DoorpostsGod’s Solution UnveiledOf course these animal sacrifices simply pointed forward to the coming of God’s great sacrifice for sin, who in his own body would absorb God’s righteous judgement. This gives weight to the testimony of John the Baptist, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”.[Jn1.29] Jesus is our substitute! The hymn says, “In my place condemned he stood, sealed my pardon with his blood.”

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Blood on the DoorpostsGod’s Solution UnveiledSecondly, note the instructions given concerning the quality of the sacrifice in v5 ‘year old males without defect’. Of course the temptation would have been to remove from the flocks defective beasts, poor breeding stock, or those thought not likely to live too long. But God stresses the sacrifice is to be without defect. Only perfection in the substitute would do. Why? Because the ultimate Passover lamb, which this little lamb represented, would need to be perfect to satisfy the demands of God’s justice.

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Blood on the DoorpostsGod’s Solution UnveiledChrist’s substitutionary death on the cross becomes an acceptable sacrifice to God for two reasons. 1. Jesus was God2. Jesus was a perfect man.Together this would produce a sacrifice of supreme worth. Death had no legitimate hold upon Jesus because he was sinless. Once he asked his detractors “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?”Jn. 8.46 And there was silence. Muhammad could not say that, nor Buddha nor, Confucius - no one else in all the world could say that. It was the sheer perfection of Jesus which made him a suitable sacrifice.

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Blood on the DoorpostsGod’s Solution UnveiledThirdly, while the sacrificial death of the Passover lamb was itself vitally important, that was not the end of God’s instruction. In order to benefit from that death the blood of the animal had to be applied to the doorposts and lintels of the Israelite homes v7. Without this act, shelter from the advance of God’s judgement could not be relied upon. The application of the sacrifice was vital. Some may have been tempted to argue, “I don’t mind tying a lamb up outside my house for a few days but I won’t kill it” others might have thought, “Yes I kill it but I’m not going to ruin a perfectly good doorway by splashing blood all over it”.

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Blood on the DoorpostsGod’s Solution UnveiledDid the application of the blood of sacrifice really matter? Yes! Why? By so doing they were externalising or making visible their faith in God’s redeeming work. In v11 it is called the ‘Lord’s Passover’! It was the Hebrews way of saying, “We believe God and trust in his plan for our deliverance. We believe that God has provided a shelter for his people from judgement.” Nothing else would do.

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Blood on the DoorpostsGod’s Solution UnveiledIt is not enough to say in some general way that we believe that Jesus dies for our sin. We need to exercise, what our Westminster Confession calls, ‘saving faith’. Faith is not a passive belief it is active. It involves taking a step saying, “I will stand here and not there. I will shelter under all that Christ has accomplished on his cross”. How does the hymn-writer put it? “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

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Blood on the DoorpostsGod’s Solution UnveiledSome time ago a man with a terminal illness asked to speak with his minister. His concern was that God was not real to him – he was unsure of a place in heaven. The minister asked, “If God were to say, “On what basis should I admit you?” How would you reply? The man said, “I have tried to live a good life and to be of help in the community, I pray and read my Bible daily”. That is the wrong answer. Why? Because it focuses upon human performance and no matter how good that might be, it falls short of the perfection God requires.

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Blood on the DoorpostsGod’s Solution UnveiledThe man’s answer revealed that he had faith in himself and not in Christ – God’s provision! The equivalent of painting the blood of sacrifice on our doorposts is to say something like this to God, “There is nothing in me that merits my safety from your judgment and a place in heaven but I trust in Christ who has died in my place on the cross.” The man told his minister on his next visit that he had recognised that his faith had been in the wrong place but now it was now fixed upon Christ and for the first time he knew peace with God.

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Blood on the DoorpostsGod’s Solution UnveiledFourthly, the Passover lamb was something that the Hebrew people were encouraged to feast upon v8ff in order that they might be sustained for their journey. The meal eaten with a their staff in their hands was in recognition of the fact that they were now a pilgrim people ready to move on towards their promised inheritance.

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Blood on the DoorpostsGod’s Solution UnveiledThis meal was to be eaten alongside bitter herbs which were a sensory reminder that their freedom came through the suffering of another. Can you see the parallels between their Passover meal and the experience of the Christian as he gathers around the Lord’s table? Jesus suffered in order that death – separation from God - the punishment that we deserve might also pass over us.

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Blood on the DoorpostsConclusionJesus entered Jerusalem for the last time as thousands of Passover lambs were being driven into the city. His last meal with his disciples was not only a Passover meal but an anticipation of his own death. The association was there for all his disciples to make. Jesus THE Passover lamb said, “this is my body which is broken for you, this is my blood....”. Jesus’ death provided a shelter from God’s judgment.

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Blood on the DoorpostsConclusionLike Israel, we are not exempt from the demands of God’s justice nor are we immune from his judgements. Family church connections, church service and personal piety cannot construct an adequate shelter. God’s shelter built at great cost, and totally secure is available to all who will make use of what God has provided. Each person needs to ask if they have truly made Jesus their Passover lamb? Is Jesus’ blood on their doorposts?

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