Page 46 - Pentateuch - Student Textbook

twilight. They were to put some of the blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses and
then as a famil y, or a group of families if few in number, eat the lamb. The blood on the doorframes
would be a sign to God, and he would pass over that house. The sacrifice and meal would be a lasting
ordinance for generations to come. In future years the Passover would be an eight-day event. The first
seven days would be the Festival of Unleavened Bread. They would eat nothing made with yeast. The
eighth day would be the Passover itself. Succeeding generations would in this way be taught about
God’s great deliverance and about his holy character. Connected with Passover is the consecration of
the firstborn male, human or livestock, to the LORD. They were to be redeemed with money. If not
redeemed, the animals were to be killed. (Exodus 12, 13)

God’s purpose in the Passover is more than judgment and salvation. He is also teaching anyone who
would listen about Himself. Here for the first time, specific instructions are
given for sacrifice. Every year a lamb was to die. Every year blood was to
be put on doorframes. Parents would be passing on to their children a
vivid reminder of the connection between judgment and salvation. The
wages of sin, in this case even the very basic sin of idolatry, is death. An
understanding of the other part of the equation is being revealed more
Fig. 27: Blood on the doorposts deeply than ever before through the death of a lamb.

Without too much speculation, we can start adding together God’s
revelation to this point. One special seed of Eve would bruise the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). Through
one of Abraham’s descendants “all peoples on earth” would be blessed (Gen. 12:3). The form of the
blessing would be a sacrifice of great value, like Abraham’s only son (Gen. 22:1, 14). Now every year the
people would have a fresh reminder of the cost of safely knowing God. A lamb “without defect” would
die. Blood would be shed. God is gradually revealing in greater and greater detail about his nature and
especially about his Messiah.
The New Testament makes the link clear. Jesus is our Passover Lamb. His death changes us (1 Cor. 5:7).
He is a lamb without blemish or spot, a precious sacrifice calling for our deepest reverence (1 Pet. 1:19).
Not one of his bones was broken at his death, perfect fulfillment of the lesson of those hundreds of
lambs in Exodus (John 19:36).

The last events in this section are the crossing of the Red Sea, the destruction of Pharaoh’s army, and
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the Israelite’s song of praise to the LORD. They have witnessed a whole series of incredible interventions
by God. At the Red Sea with chariots pursuing, their faith wavers. “It would
have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!
(14:12)” Their trust in God is weak. Yet he encourages these recent slaves,
“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still (14:14).” Modern
pictures of the crossing of the Red See are misleading. The crossing is not a
small matter. Israel’s population, including animals, is significant. If they
crossed in a steady stream of 1,000 people, it could take eight hours for the
whole nation. They learn the lesson and praise God together in a mighty
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chorus. “The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my
salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will Fig. 28: Crossing the Red Sea

51 We could discuss the location of the Red Sea for several pages. Most commentators identify it as a
different body of water calling it by various names. The actual location matters little. God’s miracle
could have been accomplished at several different locations in the area.
52 These figures come from class notes given by Dr. Barry Beitzel in “Pentateuch and Former Prophets.”

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