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Obedience
There was certainly a measure of obedience required of those slaves of Egypt to be spared the judgment of death that was declared against the gods of Egypt. They had to "take a lamb for a house", roast and eat the WHOLE LAMB, sprinkle the doorpost with some of the blood using hyssop (a common low growing weed), eat bread made in haste, that is, bread made with no leaven. They were to eat with their staffs in their hand, and be ready to leave forever the land of Egypt. Their sandals were to be on their feet.
These actions are about the making of a covenant and beginning to come into covenant relationship with God. The lamb was to be inspected for three days prior to its acceptance and use by the family. The lamb had to be perfectly free of any defect or disease. Jesus was identified as the "lamb of God" by John the baptist who "takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). The lamb is the covenant substitute for the family of man. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and the angel of death was coming to visit all of Egypt on passover night. Without the blood of the lamb on the doorpost, death justly crossed the threshold of the house to execute justice upon its inhabitants.
However, if the doorposts bore the correct signs of the covenant, namely the blood of the perfect lamb, then death "passed over" the household and all who lived within that house entered into a close covenant relationship with God. God is the God of living and not the dead (Matthew 22:32)and we can see a picture of a baptism in these events. Because of their obedience and belief that the Lord was going to deliver them, Israel passed through Epypt, a land where death has just reigned and wrecked havoc on all living creatures (including the cattle!), and entered into another land beyond the jurisdiction and power of the Egyptian civilization. Death passed-over Israel and Israel passed through Death into Freedom with the Lord!
Ex 12:23
When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. New International Version
Deliverance is a time of ACTION and nourishment. Deliverance is the time when we take up our true authority, and leave the land controlled by ungodly idols and oppression!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new
New King James Version
Beginning at Passover, all of Israel begins to eat different foods. There is a new source for their life. Before they leave, they eat a whole lamb, a lamb shared by each household. They make and take bread without yeast, and they are led into the wilderness where God begins to feed them with "manna" (literally meaning "what is it") from heaven. All of these changes in their eating speak of Jesus the Messiah.
John 6:47-51
I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, he who believes in Me [who adheres to, trusts in, relies on, and has faith in Me] has (now possesses) eternal life.
I am the Bread of Life [that gives life--the Living Bread]. Your forefathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and [yet] they died.
[But] this is the Bread that comes down from heaven, so that [any]one may eat of it and never die.
I [Myself] am this Living Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever; and also the Bread that I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh (body). Amplified Bible
The Bible tells us that they (Israel) were (and are) to be for us signs and examples (1 Corinthians 10:1-11). The deliverance of the people of Israel speaks and demonstrates several essential truths about our own deliverance from the slavery and bondage to sin. I will detail more of these later, they are very powerful and living images.
The First Passover (in Exodus 12) shows how we are born, but we are born "dead", that is, separated from close communion with God. At birth, we are living under the relentless bondage of many other powers just like the gods of Egypt. We are dead to God, that is, we do not have the ability to perceive Him and hear Him, understand who He is or the true nature of His character. We have no concept or experience with His benevolence and provision. Something else must be birthed that is not in us at our first birth. If we are ever enter the Kingdom of God we must be born again...
John 3:3
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." New International Version
1 Peter 1:23-24
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
New International Version
AND
We need a deliverer to invade the land of Egypt and provide the way out.
This is our Passover day! The Day we are born again, born from above, born of the Spirit of God (John 3:3,7). This is to us the beginning of days, (Exodus 12:2) this is where we leave the bondage and power of sin and enter into the place where the Lord begins to deal with us face to face (Deuteronomy 5:3,4). This is the wilderness, where God does many things. He raises us from being slaves to warriors; He begins to show us the provision that comes from heaven... More about that in another article...
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