IMPORTANCE OF THE BLOOD IN THE SALVATION OF THE BELIEVER

Exodus 12:1-46: The First Passover

⁽¹⁾ Now the LORD gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron while they were still in the land of Egypt:

⁽²⁾ "From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you.

⁽³⁾ Announce to the whole community that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice.

⁽⁴⁾ If a family is too small to eat an entire lamb, let them share the lamb with another family in the neighborhood. Whether or not they share in this way depends on the size of each family and how much they can eat.

⁽⁵⁾ This animal must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no physical defects.

⁽⁶⁾ Take special care of these lambs until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then each family in the community must slaughter its lamb.

⁽⁷⁾ They are to take some of the lamb's blood and smear it on the top and sides of the doorframe of the house where the lamb will be eaten.

⁽⁸⁾ That evening everyone must eat roast lamb with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast.

⁽⁹⁾ The meat must never be eaten raw or boiled; roast it all, including the head, legs, and internal organs.

⁽¹⁰⁾ Do not leave any of it until the next day. Whatever is not eaten that night must be burned before morning.

⁽¹¹⁾ Wear your traveling clothes as you eat this meal, as though prepared for a long journey. Wear your sandals, and carry your walking sticks in your hands. Eat the food quickly, for this is the LORD's Passover.

⁽¹²⁾ On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn sons and firstborn male animals in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the LORD!

⁽¹³⁾ The blood you have smeared on your doorposts will serve as a sign. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.

⁽¹⁴⁾ You must remember this day forever. Each year you will celebrate it as a special festival to the LORD.

⁽¹⁵⁾ For seven days, you may eat only bread made without yeast. On the very first day you must remove every trace of yeast from your homes. Anyone who eats bread made with yeast at any time during the seven days of the festival will be cut off from the community of Israel.

⁽¹⁶⁾ On the first day of the festival, and again on the seventh day, all the people must gather for a time of special worship. No work of any kind may be done on these days except in the preparation of food.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Celebrate this Festival of Unleavened Bread, for it will remind you that I brought your forces out of the land of Egypt on this very day. This festival will be a permanent regulation for you, to be kept from generation to generation.

⁽¹⁸⁾ Only bread without yeast may be eaten from the evening of the fourteenth day of the month until the evening of the twenty-first day of the month.

⁽¹⁹⁾ During those seven days, there must be no trace of yeast in your homes. Anyone who eats anything made with yeast during this week will be cut off from the community of Israel. These same regulations apply to the foreigners living with you, as if they had been born among you.

⁽²⁰⁾ I repeat, during those days you must not eat anything made with yeast. Wherever you live, eat only bread that has no yeast in it."

⁽²¹⁾ Then Moses called for the leaders of Israel and said, "Tell each of your families to slaughter the lamb they have set apart for the Passover.

⁽²²⁾ Drain each lamb's blood into a basin. Then take a cluster of hyssop branches and dip it into the lamb's blood. Strike the hyssop against the top and sides of the doorframe, staining it with the blood. And remember, no one is allowed to leave the house until morning.

⁽²³⁾ For the LORD will pass through the land and strike down the Egyptians. But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the LORD will pass over your home. He will not permit the Destroyer to enter and strike down your firstborn.

⁽²⁴⁾ Remember, these instructions are permanent and must be observed by you and your descendants forever.

⁽²⁵⁾ When you arrive in the land the LORD has promised to give you, you will continue to celebrate this festival...

⁽⁴⁶⁾ All who eat the lamb must eat it together in one house. You must not carry any of its meat outside, and you may not break any of its bones."

   The blood of the lamb placed on the doorposts of the Israelite homes Passover night has profound significance for all mankind today. The Bible teaches a vital lesson from Genesis to Revelation. Hebrews 9:22: In fact, we can say that according to the Law of Moses, nearly everything was purified by sprinkling with blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.

   But why is this? Our human nature tells us that killing an animal to take away our sin is foolishness. We believe that good conduct should merit salvation. But God says otherwise. The truth is we can’t be good enough to meet God’s high standards.

   The Bible tells us in the book of Genesis that man was offered a choice. He could do what God had asked or disobey. When God lovingly formed Adam, the first man, he was given free will. God does not create robots when He makes sons. Adam chose to disobey his Father. The penalty for disobedience was death. Adam had been warned, yet he chose disobedience. God’s heart was broken. He dearly loved this man, and though He could have called this experiment at fatherhood a failure, He chose instead to make a way of countering the death penalty. God chose to take His son’s death penalty upon Himself. He chose to die in Adam’s place.

   But, why did God use a lamb? God had foreordained that He would give His own life for mankind 4000 years after Adam’s sin. In preparation for that sacrifice, God would provide an animal to die that man might live. Man began to die through an act of disobedience. Now, he could live through an act of obedience. Thus, as soon as Adam sinned, God killed a lamb and clothed Adam in its skin. This was a guarantee to Adam and all his progeny that someday, God Himself would take Adam’s death penalty and die that Adam might live.

   The Bible begins and ends with the absolute truth that mankind is worthy of death. There is no escape other than the ONE provision that God has made. There must be blood shed in the place of the guilty party’s blood. Thus, God teaches this lesson throughout Scripture, Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. If blood has not been shed, the sin is still within the man, and a man indwelt with sin CANNOT stand before a sinless God and live.

   Thus, the story is told. Cain brought the work of his hands to God - NO BLOOD. Cain was refused and God taught him: YOU MUST BRING A LAMB. Abel brought the lamb and received eternal life. All the patriarchs sacrificed the lamb in obedience to God in order that eternal life might be obtained. From Adam to Able, Enoch to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, and finally to Jesus Christ, all by faith’s obedience, OFFERED A LAMB.

   But, God’s master plan was to die Himself in place of every man, every woman, and every child. 2 PETER 3:9: The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent. And so, when the time was right, God sent His own Son, HIS PERFECT LAMB, TO DIE IN THE PLACE OF EVERY MAN.

   The Book of John presents us with this truth. First, we are told that the Creator is Jesus Christ, and then that He is the Lamb. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). We watch as the Scripture illustrates perfection in a Man since our lamb must be spotless. We watch as scripture tells us that even a sinful thought prevents man from having eternal life – James 2:10, Matthew 5:27-30. AND WE WATCH AS THAT PERFECT MAN DIES AS OUR LAMB