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Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 5:7-8
First Corinthians 5:7-8 clearly refers to a story in the Old Testament, that of the Passover recorded in Exodus 12. The explanation here shows us three things: (1) that the slain lamb of the Passover is Christ; (2) that the leaven is malice and evil; and (3) that since our Lamb, who is Christ, has been slain, we should also keep this feast before Christ. Now, according to the record of Exodus, let us consider the story of the Passover portion by portion.
"And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts."
The verdict is that all the firstborn ones, the eldest ones, have to die. What is the meaning of the firstborn and the eldest one? We can read 1 Corinthians 15:46, "But the spiritual is not first but the soulish, then the spiritual." Everything that is of Adam, that is begotten of Adam, is the eldest and firstborn, and God's verdict for it is "death"!
Romans 5:12 says, "Death passed on to all men." Hebrews 9:27 says, "And inasmuch as it is reserved for men to die once." No one can escape this death! First Corinthians 15:22 says, "For just as in Adam all die." Hence, my friends, we are all destined to die. No one can escape death. Everyone has to die. This is God's verdict. All the firstborn ones, the eldest ones, have to die.
"But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel."
God chose a special group of people, the Israelites. He chose a group of people who would not have to pass through death to be His people. He is likewise choosing a group of people from the world who will not have to pass through death. God has put a difference between the Egyptians and the Israelites, so that the latter do not have to die. Ephesians 1:4 says, "Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world." What good news! Among all the dead ones, God is choosing a group of people whom He will deliver from death.
"And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house: and if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb."
What was the way God used to deliver men from death? In the former days, it was with a lamb. Now God has given us Christ. In the whole world, the word lamb is applied to only one person, Christ. The title the Son of Man was used by both Daniel and Ezekiel. But from Genesis to Revelation, only Christ is ever called the Lamb. John 1:29 says that He is "the Lamb of God." First Peter 1:19 says that His precious blood is the blood "of a Lamb without blemish and without spot." Revelation 13:8 says that He is "the Lamb who was slain." Everywhere in the Bible, Christ is considered as the Lamb. In the old days, the Israelites were saved by the lamb. Now, men are saved by Christ.
Why did God want them to consider this month as the first month and the beginning of the year? There is a profound significance here. He would not consider the eighth month, the ninth month, the second month, or the fourth month. He would not consider all the other months of the year, but He would consider only this month as the first month and the beginning of the year. This tells us that for an unsaved person all the years he spends when he is unsaved are not counted. No matter if he is forty or fifty years old, as long as he is not saved, his days are not counted before God. All these years are wasted in vanity! God considers this month as the beginning of the year. As soon as a person is saved, he has his first month. The day that we receive the life of God is the first day of our year. In the parable of the vineyard in Matthew 20, everyone who has not entered the vineyard for the work is to the master of the vineyard an "idle" person. This does not mean that all these people are doing nothing. But to the master of the vineyard, they are "idle." The same is true with all unsaved persons in the eyes of God.
"In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb." This is the beginning of the Passover. The Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem on this day. He went to Bethany six days before the Passover, which was the ninth day of the first month (John 12:1). The next day, which was the tenth day of the first month, He entered Jerusalem (John 12:12). From that day on, the betrayer Judas sought for opportunity to deliver Him up to men (Matt. 26:16).
"Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year; ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats."
"Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine."
The most important qualification of the lamb is to be without blemish. To be without blemish is to be without sin. The reason no one in the world can be our savior is that everyone has sinned. You have sinned, and I have sinned. This is why you cannot save me. You should die, and I should die. Therefore, you cannot save me. The Lord Jesus is truly the One without blemish! He said of Himself, "Which of you convicts Me of sin?" (John 8:46). Throughout history, only Jesus could say this. For two thousand years, men would only say that the Lord Jesus was too good for not resisting others; no one would say that He was too evil. Hebrews 7:26 says that He is "separated from sinners"!
The second point is that this lamb must be a firstborn lamb. God kills the firstborn ones. This is why He has to save the firstborn with the firstborn. The Lord Jesus is the firstborn son (Luke 2:7). He is indeed a Savior without blemish! (1 Pet. 1:19).
"And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening."
This is the most crucial point! We sinners need a savior to save us! But if the Lord had not died, we would still perish even if we had seen and heard Him face to face in His days. Even if we were able to see and hear Him face to face today, we would still be under woe, for the wages of sin is death. He has to die before He can save us from death.
The Lamb has to be kept "until the fourteenth day of the same month" and killed "in the evening." In the same way, the Lord was killed on the fourteenth day of the first month. Even the hour was not missed. Matthew 27:45 says, "Now from the sixth hour darkness fell over all the land until the ninth hour." "In the evening" means to be between two nights; this is a Jewish expression. The famous Jewish historian Josephus said that the "evening" is the sixth hour to the ninth hour, which on our clock would be from noon to three o'clock. The Lord was crucified during this time. The sky became dark during this time until He expired.
Who killed the Lamb? It was the whole congregation of Israel that killed Him. Here is a great type: the priest typifies the church, the twelve tribes typify the nations on earth, and the congregation typifies mankind as a whole.
At the time of Noah, the world was divided into three tribes: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. On the day of the Lord's crucifixion, there were the Jews, of Shem; the Romans, of Japheth; and Simon the Cyrenian, of Ham. The whole of mankind was there. The Lord made the testimony before all mankind that He had died!
At the time of Caesar Nero, the census recorded that there were over three million people living in Jerusalem. The Lord's death was before so many people.
"Neither shall ye break a bone thereof" (Exo. 12:46). The Lord Jesus indeed fulfilled this. John 19:36 says, "For these things happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled: `No bone of His shall be broken.'" Here is a most amazing thing. How could the Lord become a Passover lamb? According to the record of the Talmud, forty years before the destruction of the temple, that is, one year before the crucifixion of the Lord, the Roman Emperor set a decree that forbade stoning people to death. When someone is stoned to death, his bones are broken. The Jews executed men by the way of stoning, while the Romans executed men by crucifixion. When Pilate ordered the Jews to examine the Lord according to their own law, the Jews said that they did not have the power to kill anyone (John 18:31). This is another proof. The Lord prophesied that He would be crucified and not stoned to death. Otherwise, He would not be able to become the Passover lamb.
"And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of the houses, wherein they shall eat it."
"And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you."
The most important point is the striking of the blood. The Lord has died. But why is it that so many sinners are still perishing? There is only one reason; they have not struck the blood.
How do we strike the blood? The blood is to be struck on the lintel and on the two side posts and is to remain in the basin. This means there is blood on top, below, and on the two sides. The cross reaches all four directions; it reaches the top, the bottom, the left, and the right.
One can be saved only by passing through the blood. One can look up to heaven only by passing through the blood.
"Hyssop" is the smallest of all plants (1 Kings 4:33). The New Testament also mentions one thing as being the smallest, the mustard seed. The mustard seed symbolizes our faith. The blood must be applied with the hyssop. The blood must be received by faith. Although the faith is small, we have to strike the blood with this small and tiny hyssop.
What does God say about the blood? He said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exo. 12:13). This is a very important word. The "I" here is God Himself. The meaning of Passover is that God passes over us when He sees the blood. The one who strikes the blood does not see the blood; it is God who sees the blood. You do not have to see the value of the blood. You are inside the door, and the blood is outside the door. The blood is not for you to see. God does not need you to see the blood. You only need to exercise your faith. Although you may not feel it or see it, you only need to believe. The important thing is for the blood to be applied. If the blood is applied, there is no need to worry.
Once Mr. Moody was preaching to a man. He told the man that if he would believe in the Lord Jesus, he would be saved. But that man continued to fear that he would still perish after he had believed. The two spoke for a long time. When they were about to part, Mr. Moody said to the man, "Imagine this: At the time of the flood, when Noah and his household of eight were in the ark, would they have trembled for fear that the ark would sink? If they had done this, it would have been the most foolish thing to do." He went on saying, "You are such a person." That man immediately understood and went away in joy.
It is God who saw the blood; the firstborn did not see the blood. When God sees the blood, He passes over us. He does not pass over us because we are good. Salvation depends on whether or not we have believed in Christ. When God sees the blood, He passes over us. No matter how good we are, even if we are as good as Christ, without the blood, God's ordination is that we should die. Because the Lamb died, we do not have to die anymore. If the Lamb had not died, we would have to die. It does not matter how good we are. As long as we do not believe in the blood, we cannot be saved. God does not consider if we are good or bad; He only considers the blood of the Lamb. Other than the blood, nothing can save us.
The blood is placed between God and man. We are sinners and must die. If we do not want to die, we have to remove death. How do we remove death? It is by the Lamb's dying for us. In this way we do not have to die anymore. A man can only die once; he cannot die twice. Death only visits men once; it does not visit men twice. If I have died once, death will not come to me anymore.
Either the lamb had to die, or the sons had to die. Either Christ has to die, or you have to die. Your sins have consummated in one death, the death of Christ. This is salvation! The basis of salvation is Christ's death for us. Let us look unto Him!
