Passover officially began last evening at sundown…
I’m not Jewish and I’ve never participated in a Seder meal, though I’ve always wanted to. After all, Jesus was Jewish, and when I read about Jewish history in the Bible, I feel as though I’m learning more about Christ. And, I am.
In Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) last week, we focused on Matthew 26 which references the first Passover when God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through the desert to the promised Holy Land.
As I read the familiar account in Exodus 12, a certain verse jumped out at me and has been with me ever since. The visual imagery it created still resonates, and disturbs.
But first, the context of Exodus 12:
The Lord is giving Moses and Aaron instructions about the special day of Passover, details about how each household (on the tenth day of the first month) is to choose a one-year-old male lamb or goat with no defects, and how on the fourteenth day, at twilight, each family is to slaughter their lamb or young goat.
That commandment wasn’t new to me. And if you’ve read the Bible, it likely wasn’t new to you either. But do you recall verse 6 and what God instructs each family to do for those five days (from the 10th to the 14th)? Before I share the contents of that verse, I want you to watch something. Trust me, just click the box. You’ll love it!
Isn’t that little lamb adorable! So precious the way it’s jumping around and playing with the little girl. And it’s with that in mind––when I read Exodus 12:6 last week––that my heart ached at the scene the scripture sets forth. The Lord tells the Isralites, “Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month.”
Take special care of this chosen animal. Why would God tell them to do that? Didn’t he realize that by them taking “special care” of the sheep or goat for those five days that they might grow closer to it? More attached? Which would make killing the animal all the more difficult when the time came?
Of course, he did.
Can you imagine leading the lamb which you and your family have “taken special care of” to the place where you’re going to slaughter it, only to have the animal look up at you with those big, sweet eyes? Maybe the fella’s even jumping and playing around like the lamb above, innocent of what awaits him. Then as you take the knife and press it against his throat, your youngest children look on with tears in their eyes as their special lamb is killed, and as its “foreshadowing” lifeblood spills out for the forgiveness of sins.
Then I think of Christ and his sacrifice, and how Isaiah 53 records:
He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
Does viewing God’s commandment in verse 6 make the deserved penalty for your sin more real to you? It certainly did me. And I’m grateful for that, especially this week. What are you dwelling on this week as we ready to celebrate Easter on Sunday?
Eager to hear your thoughts and…be sure to check the BOTTOM OF THIS EMAIL for a link to discover the winner for the most recent giveaway!
Tamera
Check out Overcoming with God in the Desert Seasons as I guest blog at Overcoming with God this week. I share about some desert seasons in my own life, and invite you to share yours. We’re having such a wonderful time. Hope you’ll join us!
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Tamera Alexander
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Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Tammy. Isn’t God’s Word remarkable? How you can see something new each time you read. I had never noticed that particular aspect of the Passover story, and I must admit, it does bring more meaning into the sacrifice.
When I think of Easter, I think of hymns that we sing in worship, and the one that has always meant the most to me is WHEN I SURVEY. Verse 3 is particularly poignant:
See from his head, his hands, his feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ‘ere such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
When I think of the sorrow and love flowing I think of two things that Jesus spoke from the cross. The sorrow – My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me.
The love – Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.
Then in the final verse of the hymn is this challenge:
Love so amazing so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
He truly does deserve everything from me. May I strive to give more each day.
Oh so true, Karen. What richness the lyrics in those old hymns hold. Thanks so much sharing. What an encouragement!
Tammy,
I too, am filled with emotion whenever I think about the nurturing of lambs before they are slaughtered but then I think of how Jesus died to save us all. He WITHOUT DOUBT was /is the very best and sacrificed His life for us .Truly an unselfish act and one full of love, for us! He led by example.
I feel so humble at that thought but at the same time, I feel honoured and special.
The words of our Heavenly Father,resound very strongly in my mind. “This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Doesn’t that say it all?
On a lighter note, I watched the video and thought it was great…..just have to make a comment about….. “Spring Lamb”:)
Wishing you and your family a very Happy and Holy Easter.
Hey sweet Rosie! And oh yes, that truly does say it all. Blessings, my down under friend, and may the Lord bless you and your family this Easter.
You are right, the words in scripture don’t always seem real or come alive. However, the Exodus passage did come alive for me with the video and thoughts you spoke.
I remember learning the Easter story in Sunday School and Christ’s words from the cross. I didn’t really think about “the life” of the story, until I read Psalm 22. Psalm 22 begins with “My God, my God.” It was in reading the entire Psalm that I “saw” the crucifixion and understood Christ’s choice and death. It is now my favorite Psalm.
As Easter approaches, I am again filled with an amazing sense of awe that HE would choose to die for me. Karen, mentioned When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. I think for me the hymn that has been going through my mind recently is Up from the Grave He Arose.
Up from the grave he arose
With a mighty triumph o’er his foes
He arose the victor from the dark domain
And He lives with His saints forever to reign.
He arose Hallelujah Christ arose.
Wishing you and yours a happy, joy-filled, blessed and especially Awe Filled Easter.
What a great old hymn, Dora. I haven’t thought of that one in a long time. But I will be now. Thanks so much for sharing!
Such great preparation for the coming Easter Sunday, Tammy. Thank you!
Blessings to you, friend!
Tammy, just by way of explanation… I pondered whether to use those particular words, “This is My Beloved Son,” even though they were not said in connection to the story of the Crucifixion but to me, it felt so right to cite them as a perfect example for your Post. I get the feeling you understand why I chose to use them:).
Absolutely. : ) Bless you, Rosie.
Thank you so much for your insights! I had never noticed that phrase about taking special care of the animal. Easter is such a special time of year to remember Christ and the hope He brings us. My church made a short video about it and I have been sharing it with all my family and friends. I think you and your readers would enjoy it so I will share it here too! Thanks again for sharing your talents.
http://easter.mormon.org/
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and that video, Tammy. And thanks for your kind words. As the video demonstrated, only through Christ do we have peace and reconciliation and second chances. Jesus is the way to the Father. And if we seek him with all our hearts, he promises we’ll find him. He’s so faithful! Blessings to you this Easter.
I had almost forgotten about that requirement in Exodus, Tamera. It makes me think of the women who journeyed with Christ during his ministry, caring for his needs. They were taking special care of the Lamb before His sacrifice.Thank you for sharing. Have a blessed Easter. 🙂
Yes,Jen, so true. Thanks for sharing!
I too hadn’t noticed where God directed them to take special care of the lamb for several days before Passover. It does add to it. As you spoke of Jesus, a song Ray Boltz recorded several years ago came to mind called Watch the Lamb. A father starts out asking his sons to watch their Passover lamb then as they see Jesus on the way to Calvary his words still stay watch the lamb, but he is now pointing to Jesus. It has been a long time since I have listened to it I don’t remember everything about it, but think I need to go look it up and listen anew.
Oh, thanks for that reminder, MaryAnn. I remember that song. So timely! Here’s the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNT1AThOgME&feature=kp Thanks so much for being part of the community here!
Thank you for sharing this video of that precious lamb with us, Tammy….and for reminding us of what the Lord led those people to do, so many years ago. Since I’ve always loved animals (and have always thought lambs and goats are adorable) the thought of sacrificing one has always concerned me when I’d read those passages—even though I would NEVER question what the Lord commands His people to do!
As many times as I’ve read about the Crucifixion of Jesus, it still moves me to tears to think about the Ultimate Sacrifice. I’ve always enjoyed playing Easter hymns on my piano, so I’ve been doing that recently and trying to really FOCUS on the words (especially 2 of my favorites: “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” and “Low in the grave He lay”). Even after playing/singing those for many years, I still get chills.
May your Easter weekend be special and blessed. Love, Patti Jo
Blessings on your Easter, too, Patti Jo. And now I’m singing (in my mind) Christ the Lord is Risen Today. Love the lyrics to that song. And I remember singing Low in the Grave He Lay back when I was a little girl. Again, a moving song that tells a story. The greatest story ever told! Much love…
Thank you for this beautiful visual picture, Tammy. And if you count backward (in Jewish days) from Jesus’ crucifixion, you’ll see that the day the people chose their lamb was Palm Sunday. They were choosing Jesus as their sacrifice and didn’t even know it. I celebrated a Passover seder last night with our Jewish friends and family members and there were so many wonderful pictures of Jesus throughout. I hope you get to participate in a seder someday.
I really appreciate your insights, Lynn, especially since you’re so familiar with the Jewish traditions. I feel so blessed that––as we read the Bible from start to triumph finish––we see so clearly that Jesus was the plan from the beginning, and that everything––everything––points to Him!
Thank you Tamera for this post as we get prepared for Easter this Sunday. I too believe that it would be hard to sacrifice an innocent and loving lamb after you took care of it. Being an animal lover I know I could never do it. But in the scripture the Lord told his people to do this. Jesus sacrificed his own body so that our sins could be forgiven. That is an gift he has given us when we choose to follow him and ask him into our lives as our savior. I hope you and your family has a very happy Easter!
Amen, Rebecca. So well said. Blessings to you and yours too!
Over the past few weeks, I’ve focused on how Jesus makes me worthy. This came about because I was feeling very UNworthy. Each one of us is. But, thankfully, Jesus became that sacrificial Lamb. In so doing, he made us worthy. We are worthy to be called God’s children. We are worthy to call out to God in prayer. We are worthy to one day live in heaven. The reason we’re worthy is Jesus Christ. That has really lifted my spirits and encouraged me greatly.
Blessings,
Andrea
Proofreader/Writer
writingtoinspire.blogspot.com
By his wounds we are healed. Thanks for sharing today. Such encouraging thoughts, Andrea!
Your blog was truly insightful and I had never focused on the verse where God instructed his people to chose a spotless lamb/goat and take special care of it for 5 days. The attachment to that special lamb must have grown to a love bond – and the sacrifice was doubly painful – but still necessary. Just as Jesus’ sacrifice for our sin was necessary for nothing can wash away my sin – except the love and the blood of Jesus – – “oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow – – – no other fount I know – – nothing but the blood of Jesus” – – – Hallelujah!! What a Savior!! He Lives!!
“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!? I LOVE that old hymn too. Thanks so much for sharing, Barefoot Believer. Thanks for being part of IBL&F!
This week, I’m dwelling on passages of the Bible that speak to Easter. Today I read this from Revelation 1 and just loved it. “Don’t fear; I am First, I am Last, I’m Alive.” -The Message. Happy Easter to you and your family, Tammy!
Thanks, Becky, and blessings to you and your family too!
Hello Tamera. I enjoyed your post and its Truths. I had a herd of 80 goats and milked them once a day in the morning – at night, I’d put up all the kids, so that Mama’s udder would be full the next morning, then let each one out when his mother had been milked – always left a lil drink for him 🙂 So, I had searched the scripture for ‘goat’ references and had noticed that scripture. The kids were the best! So much fun and so precious. Although we can’t really compare sacrificing a sweet little one which of course we’ve become attached to our Holy God sacrificing His Only Begotten, Holy, Beloved Son.
We don’t called it ‘Easter’ at our house, we call it Resurrection Sunday. And love the Spring Feasts God instituted for His children – Passover (the Lamb’s Blood arrives to keep those who embrace it alive eternally), Unleaven Bread (Jewish father’s hide the bread, symbolic of Christ being buried) and First Fruits (Christ arises to become the first of many fruits!).
My guest post at Stephanie Landsem’s blog describes it in more detail, but the seven feasts parallel the Life of Christ! God is SO VERY AWESOME! Thank you for this Word!
Hey Caryl, loved your comment and your insights. So interesting! And yes, everything points to Christ. We were talking this morning at BSF about how the curse in the garden involved thorns (the curse on the earth after Adam and Eve sinned), then how a crown of thorns was placed on Jesus’s head, and about how when Abraham was sacrificing Isaac, the lamb was caught in a thicket of thorns, etc… No accident to all of that symbolism. From the beginning, it’s ALWAYS been about the Lord Jesus Christ. So grateful to have you here! Thanks so much for sharing.