Preparing The Passover

Exodus 12:21-28

“Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. 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.” (Exodus 12:21-23)

God had informed Moses of what he was going to do and given instructions how Israel was to commemorate it forever as a way of being reminded what God had done. Before they could commemorate the event, it had to occur. Moses gave specific instructions to Israel as to what they needed to do to prepare for their deliverance.

Each family was to take a lamb sufficient to feed their household and kill it, catching the blood. A handful of hyssop stems were to then be dipped into the blood and used to paint it onto the door posts and lintel or top member of the door of the house. Anyone entering or leaving the house would thus have to pass through the blood. Once the blood was applied no one was to go out until the following morning. The judgment was to destroy the Egyptians, and anyone inside the doors where the blood had been applied would be safe. The God would not allow the death angel to enter where the blood had been applied. Anyone outside the blood was at risk.

All that was required to save a person’s life was to apply the blood, and then stay inside. Christ is our Passover as Christians, “and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin,” according to I John 1:7. John 3:36 declares, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John is specific that belief is sufficient.

Just as the Hebrews had to remain inside the doors, “Christian” must remain in the faith of Christ. Colossians 1:22-23 states, “In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven;…” Unfortunately, there are those who mentally assent to belief but never commit to it, and as I John 2:19 states, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” Those who turn away appear to be unsaved people who simply attached themselves for while but leave when difficulty or persecution comes.

“And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.” (Exodus 12:24-27)

Celebrating the Passover exactly as specified by God would cause future generations to ask the meaning and learn what God had done for them. The New Testament ordinance of Communion serves the same purpose, giving us a reminder of what Christ has done for us. Passover was not a sacrament, because keeping the ritual did not save them from the death angel, although refusal to keep it was grounds for disfellowship. In the same way, Communion is not a sacrament, but an ordinance. The verses in John 6 do not imply that partaking of the communion service will save anyone.

After hearing what was promised, the Israelites bowed their heads in worship. Worship in scripture always resulted in bowing humbly before the Lord. It is frequently missing in modern “worship” activities. The people then went on to obey God’s instructions..

“And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.” (Exodus 12:28)