Category: Newsletter

Introduction

The Passover celebration given to the Israelites was one of the important events in the history of Israel. It was to be kept a feast to the Lord God throughout their generations forever. This presentation details the person of Christ as the reality of the Passover lamb that was killed to bring freedom to mankind.

The Passover and the Christ

The institution of the Passover that precedes the deliverance of the Israelites in Egypt was not a mere ordinance to be observed, but something that speaks of the life of Christ. God asked Moses to:

“Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening” (Exo 12:3-6).

At the appointed time, “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” (Exo 12:21). Moses, knowing the significance of the Passover, kept it by faith (Heb 11:28).

Metaphorically speaking, Paul urged the church to “Purge out, therefore, the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1Co 5:7-8).

Jesus fulfills the description of the Passover lamb because Peter authoritatively writes of Jesus as a lamb without blemish or spot (1Pe 1:19). This character of Christ makes John the Baptist to describe Him as the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the World (Joh 1:29-36).

Killed without the Gate

Specific instructions were given by God about where the Passover lamb needed to be killed and how it was to be eaten. The Passover lambs were killed without the gate (Num 19:3) and that in eating the Passover, they were to eat only the meat or the flesh but not to break any bone (Exo 12:46). Referring to Scriptures, Paul writes that “For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach” (Heb 13:11-13).

 As touching the Passover lamb, John also records that the Jews entreated that the legs of the people crucified be broken. The legs of the two persons crucified with Jesus were broken by the soldiers except those of Christ because when they came to him, it was discovered that He was already dead. This was done to fulfill the scripture that “a bone of Him shall not be broken” (Joh 19:31-36) as indicated in the above paragraph.

Conclusion

 The Passover celebration of the Jews, as important as it was, has been done away with in Christ. Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed for us. We have, therefore, been freed from the power of sin and death.

Prayer: Dear Lord; one thing we desire of you is to open our eyes to scriptures so that we shall see you in the pages of your Holy Book as we study it. Help us, in the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord. AMEN!

 

 

Introduction

Christ Jesus has variously been portrayed in the Law (i.e. the Books of Moses). It is written that the law was our schoolmaster which was intended to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith (Gal 3:24). This implies that presently, ” the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets” (Rom 3:20). Therefore, Christ is the end of the righteousness that comes by observing the law (Rom 10:4). The witness of the law about the Messiah is presented in this piece of writing.

The Seed of the Woman

Moses prophesied about the Messiah after the fall of man. It is read that:

“And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen 3:14-15).

The victory of the seed of the woman as indicated above describes what theologians call “protevangelium”, that is the first gospel ever preached. It is taken to be the earliest promise concerning the Messiah, His life, and suffering, as well as His ultimate victory over the prince of this world. This seed of the woman pointed to Jesus Christ as Paul rightly writes, that when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, who was made of a woman to redeem those who were under the curse of the law (Gal 4:4-5).

Shiloh

The Book of the Law again refers to Jesus Christ as Shilo (h) as seen in the below Scripture:

“Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be”.(Gen 49:9-10).

The meaning of Shiloh, according to Smith´s Dictionary, is “Peace”, a name which is used to refer to Christ Jesus (Isa 9:6). Meyer also interprets Shiloh to mean “Peace-Giver”. Therefore, the above scripture could be taken to mean that afflictions would not depart from the Jews until the incarnation of the Prince of Peace, to whom belongs all authority and power.

The Promised Prophet

In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses prophesied about the coming of the Savior. He foretells that:

“I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him” (Deut 18:18-19).

Peter cited the above passage when He was defending the authority and superiority of the Messiah as promised by Moses (Acts 3:22-23). Stephen also referred to this passage in his defense statement when he was talking about Moses’ words about the coming Messiah (Acts 7:37). Having this passage in mind, Jesus Himself attested that Moses did write about Him (Joh 5:45-47). The phrase “Unto Him ye shall hearken” was re-emphasized by the Holy Spirit during the transfiguration of Christ Jesus (Mat 17:4-5).

Conclusion

The Law or the Books of Moses both explicitly and metaphorically speaks about the birth and the life of the Messiah. Moses foresaw Christ Jesus as the Savior and preached Him to his followers.

Prayer: May the Almighty God open the eyes of our understanding to see Jesus as we study the pages of the Holy Scriptures. In the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen!