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A Personal Identification
with The Lamb
In Exodus l2:3 the lamb to be sacrificed was to be selected “on the
tenth day of the month” and kept until “the 14th day of the month”
(12:6). Why? During that time the lamb had to be inspected to certify
that it was “without blemish” (12:5). For redemption, the lamb had to be
flawless. Though the Israelites were anxious to flee bondage, it was
better to take the time to insure having a perfect lamb for redemption,
than to merely make a quick escape of their circumstances! In the same
way, Yeshua entered Jerusalem on the tenth of the month when the
Passover lambs were initially selected. During this time Yeshua was
“inspected”: questioned, interrogated and tortured until on the 14th of
the month of Nisan the head of government declared, “I find no fault in
Him!” (Luke 23:22). Yeshua was recognized to be fit to be our Passover
Lamb, and died for our redemption from the bondage of sin. Please note the progressive order
for the lamb in the twelfth chapter of Exodus: First we read the Hebrews
were to select a lamb from the flock (12:3); once selected, it is
referred to as the lamb (12:4); it was inspected for several days and
then called your lamb (12:5) and then it was killed (12:6). When you
first realize your need for salvation you may “choose” Yeshua as “a
lamb”; any old Savior will do, like any port in a storm.
But once you have chosen Him, you
see that He is the Lamb, the Savior, indeed the Lord! But it is not
until you personally inspect this One and make Him your Lamb, your
Savior and your Lord and recognize that His death was for your sins,
that you have salvation. You must personally trust in Him, for until you
personally identify with Him He is not a saving lamb for you! For Yeshua
himself said, “many will say unto Me, “Lord, Lord…” without ever truly
trusting in Him and knowing Him at all (Matt. 7:21-23).
A Public
Identification with The Lamb
In Exodus 12:7 we see that the death of the Lamb was not the last act
for their redemption. Those that trusted in the lamb had to place the
blood on the outside of their doors! Yuck! Why blood on the door?
In Exodus 12:12-13 we see the reason: “The blood will be sign for you…
and when I see the blood I will pass over you and the judgment shall not
come upon you.” Redemption from judgment would
come only by the applied blood of the Lamb.
But why would the Hebrews need it? Because God was going to redeem a
people not merely of the flesh, but those that are of faith. Think about
it: what really is the essential spiritual difference between the Hebrew
and the Egyptian in Egypt?
Or to put it another way, what is the difference between a believer in
Yeshua and a non-believer in Yeshua? The difference is the blood of the
Lamb! Only those that responded in faith and applied the Lamb's blood
were redeemed from bondage. So also today, whether you’re Jewish or
non-Jewish, only by personally trusting in Messiah’s blood atonement
will you be secure from a far worse judgment through a far greater
salvation. God wants us to publicly identify with the Lamb of God,
Messiah Yeshua. ‘But isn’t faith supposed to be a personal matter?’ Yes,
but not merely a personal matter. Those who have confidence in His
atonement are to confess His redemption as well. For Yeshua said in
Matthew 10:32-33, “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I
will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever
denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in
heaven.” Freedom from bondage is also freedom from fear’s dominion of
your life. Have you confessed Yeshua and experienced the freedom He
brings? He who the Son sets free is free indeed!
A Private Identification
with The Lamb
The Passover was also a time to be
continuously nourished in the redemption of the Lamb (Ex. 12:8-9). There
were three items to be eaten at the Passover meal:
1) bitter herbs, which remind us of the purpose of redemption. Never
forget the pain of life in bondage to sin before redemption came.
Remember, too, the bitterness of pain that Messiah endured that we might
live!
2) The Matzah or unleavened bread, which reminds us of the results of
redemption. As yeast, or leaven represents sin, pride and unbelief (Lev.
2:11; Matt. 11:16,17; 1 Cor. 5:6-8), the unleavened bread speaks of the
‘sin free’ life that Messiah brings. He is “the Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
3) The lamb, reminding us of the price of our redemption. Never forsake
the sacrifice of Messiah! Passover reminds us to remember privately in
our souls the pain, the price, and the results of Messiah’s redemption.
A Prompt Identification with The Lamb
In Exodus 12:10-11, the people were exhorted to quickly respond to the
opportunity for redemption. They were not to delay in “leaving the lamb
over until morning” (12:10). Identifying with the Lamb demands an urgent
responsiveness.
Three times the Scripture exhorts us to leave nothing over till morning:
with wilderness Manna (bread from Heaven) in Exodus 16:19; with the
Thanksgiving offering in Lev. 7:15; and here with the lamb. The Manna
speaks of the ‘daily bread’ of the word of God. Don’t put off the word
God has for you today: it’s for today’s needs. The thanksgiving offering
speaks of the need to respond in faith with thanksgiving today. It isn't
faith to wait to ‘see how it turns out’ before you give thanks to the
Lord. We know by faith that “all things work together for good to those
that love God and are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
Therefore we are to “give thanks in all things for this is the will of
God for us in Messiah Yeshua” (1 Thess. 5:18).
Redemption too is for today, while it may yet be called today, so we are
to “seek the Lord while He may be found” (Is. 55:6). There are to be no
‘spiritual leftovers’: redemption won’t wait. Don’t put off responding
promptly. Therefore they were to eat with a prompt readiness, (Exodus
12:11). They ate with their “sandals on their feet and their loins
girded and their staff in their hands”. Though it probably looked like a
“to go” meal, it wasn’t the first “take out”. They were ready to go on a
moment’s notice at the Lord’s command, living for and looking toward
their deliverance. In the same way, we too are to live and look like
we’re going somewhere! Are we ready to leave in the “twinkling of an
eye”? “No man knows the day or the hour” of Messiah’s return: He comes
as ‘a thief in the night’. Those Redeemed in the Lamb are ready to
leave, for they no longer live for this world and its bondage, but for
heaven and God's glory. When your neighbors see your life, it is a
testimony that you are redeemed and ready to leave! Are you ready?
“What’s the rush?”, you say. “There’s plenty of time.” Not unlike a
bridge with structural damage: it’s better to fix it five years too soon
than five minutes too late! Your present salvation, future security, and
eternal satisfaction come by your faith in the Lamb today! Happy
Passover!
To learn more about eternal life in the Lamb of God, come to one of our
Passover Seders in your area (see page 4) or ask your pastor to invite a
representative from Word of Messiah Ministries to speak to your
congregation about the Jewish roots of your faith.
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