Lamb Substitute
21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 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.
Exodus 12:21-23
Few Biblical concepts are as foreign to us today as the sacrifice of animals. In the ancient world, sacrifice was commonplace. There was a common (dare I say, ingrained) understanding that ‘gods’ needed to be appeased (made happy).
It would take a lot more space and time this morning to explain the difference between say Egyptian sacrifices and what is happening in Exodus. However, I think it’s worth understanding one thing that God makes clear later in Israel’s future. God’s desire isn’t for sacrifices in and of themselves.
There are two things God deeply desires that are at work in the sacrifice of a lamb. The first is justice and mercy. God cannot show mercy arbitrarily because He is a God of justice. He can’t just say, oh I guess I will forgive sins. This would be unjust. Therefore, God provides the sacrifice of a perfect lamb as a substitute for the consequences of human sin.
But secondly, God’s desire is faith. To sacrifice a lamb is to give up something that was needed, relied upon. But it is to declare that it is the LORD who can be relied upon instead.
Ultimately, the sacrifice of the lamb in Exodus leads to the perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Where remarkably, God provides Himself for the sacrifice that will cover the sins of His people. In Christ, God remains perfectly just but also perfectly merciful. And through faith in Jesus we can declare our reliance on the God who provides for all our needs.
For Today:
Pray:
Exodus 12:21-23
Few Biblical concepts are as foreign to us today as the sacrifice of animals. In the ancient world, sacrifice was commonplace. There was a common (dare I say, ingrained) understanding that ‘gods’ needed to be appeased (made happy).
It would take a lot more space and time this morning to explain the difference between say Egyptian sacrifices and what is happening in Exodus. However, I think it’s worth understanding one thing that God makes clear later in Israel’s future. God’s desire isn’t for sacrifices in and of themselves.
There are two things God deeply desires that are at work in the sacrifice of a lamb. The first is justice and mercy. God cannot show mercy arbitrarily because He is a God of justice. He can’t just say, oh I guess I will forgive sins. This would be unjust. Therefore, God provides the sacrifice of a perfect lamb as a substitute for the consequences of human sin.
But secondly, God’s desire is faith. To sacrifice a lamb is to give up something that was needed, relied upon. But it is to declare that it is the LORD who can be relied upon instead.
Ultimately, the sacrifice of the lamb in Exodus leads to the perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Where remarkably, God provides Himself for the sacrifice that will cover the sins of His people. In Christ, God remains perfectly just but also perfectly merciful. And through faith in Jesus we can declare our reliance on the God who provides for all our needs.
For Today:
- Do you find the sacrifices of the Old Testament jarring? Why?
- What do you need to be reminded today about who God is?
- What does it look like to rely on God this week?
Pray:
- Praise the Father who we can rely on.
- Give thanks for Jesus who is our Passover Lamb and takes away our sin.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others rely on God in faith.
Posted in Exodus
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