(For part 1 of this series: Click Here)
“And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.” (Exodus 12:8)
Eating The Flesh Of The Lamb
“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.” (John 6:53)
We must partake of the Lamb of God if we are to find life. The blood on the doorposts of the children of Israel alone saved them from destruction, yet they were to eat the meat of the lamb for sustenance. Partaking of the lamb did not bring Salvation, but it did bring strength for the journey. The Spirit of God looked only upon the doorposts as He moved through the land of Egypt that night; when He saw the blood, He passed over the house. He did not peek through the windows to see who was following the rest of the instructions by eating the meat.
But what would have become of those who followed the directions about putting the blood on the doorposts, only to ignore God’s commandment concerning the eating of the lamb? Would they have been able to keep up on the march when the moment came to leave? Would they have been able to make the journey, having not eaten and lacking the nourishment necessary for the long walk ahead?
Many Christians take a similarly absurd approach to the Commandments of God. What Commandments are necessary for Salvation, how much must we actually do in order to be saved and what instructions from the Lord are “optional?” God no more intended for us to divide His Word into “non-negotiables” and “optionals” then He intended for the Hebrews to differentiate between His directives for the Passover. There really is no distinction made between how Verses 7 and 8 of Exodus 12 read: “And they shall…”
A lot of God’s people are spiritually weak and sickly today because, though they have been covered by the Blood of the Lamb, they have failed to partake of the meat. They are not “eating”, feasting on the Word of God, nor are they spending time with the Lord in prayer. True, they are trusting in the Blood to save them, but they lack any strength and nourishment for the journey.
Fire, Unleavened Bread, And Bitter Herbs
The Lamb must be roast in fire, the fire of judgment upon sin. The Bread must be unleavened, pure in doctrine and filled with truth (cf. Matthew 16:6-11). The herbs of bitterness are eaten together with the bread of affliction (Deuteronomy 16:3), for we must never forget that our Salvation has come at a cost. Our sin has required death. Though the First-born of Israel were saved that night, countless little lambs died so that they might live. Our own Salvation has come at a cost; we were ransomed by the Blood of the Lamb of God, His life being forfeited for us.
Leaving Nothing
“Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.” (Exodus 12:9-10)
We are to partake of ALL of the Lamb of God, and that pertains particularly to His Word. Though some parts be bitter, though much of it does not “taste” very good in our mouth, we are to leave nothing behind, eating it all and letting the whole counsel of the Word of God nourish our spirits.
Ready To Depart Quickly
“And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’s passover.” (Exodus 12:11)
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:52)
As the Hebrews were strangers in a strange land, so are we. They were ready to leave at a moment’s notice, and so must we be ready also. This world is not our home.
Looking At The Blood
“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.” (Exodus 12:23)
It was the blood of the lamb which covered the doorposts of the house that saved the children of Israel, nothing else. The Lord saw the blood and passed over the house. The Spirit of God did not scrutinize those in the household, He did not weigh their “good” deeds against their bad. He did not ask them where they went to church or what denomination they belonged to. He did not ask them about what organizations they were a part of, whether or not they had been immersed or sprinkled, or listen as they explained how good of people they were. He looked at the blood that covered them and saved them. He did not even look beyond the blood at all, seeing exactly who was inside the house, He looked only at the blood itself and saved them on that basis alone.
It is the Blood of the Lamb covering us that brings Salvation. Nothing else. To God goes all glory. In service to Him,
Loren
