Moses and The Law
The Passover
God told Abraham that his descendants would be strangers in a land that would not be theirs (Egypt) for 400 years, but that He would then deliver them. At the end of the 400 years, Pharaoh made the Israelites slaves, and in their cruel bondage they cried out to God. God chose Moses to lead them out of bondage, but He first judged Egypt with ten plagues for their cruelty to His people.
Repeatedly, Moses came to Pharaoh and said, Let My people go. (Exodus 5:1-2) Repeatedly, Pharaoh refused, and God would then send another plague. Pharaoh would relent, but then he would change his mind, harden his heart, and refuse to let Israel go.
For the last plague, God declared he would go throughout Egypt and all the first born in the land would die, men and animals. (Exodus 11:4-6 )The Israelites would be spared, but only if each family took a one-year-old lamb that was without blemish and killed it at twilight. They were then to take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts of their homes.
They roasted and ate the lamb that night. God said, Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (Exodus12:13)
That next morning Pharaoh let the people go. God had delivered His people from slavery. (Exodus 12:1-11)
God told Israel, So this day shall be to you a memorial, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. (Exodus 12:12-17)
Jesus chose Passover as the time that He would go to Jerusalem to die. He is our Passover Lamb, setting us free from slavery to sin and the world’s system, and delivering us from death. Though we come from all races and all nations of the earth, all who believe in Christ become in Him one new nation, the people of God. (Hebrews 10:19-22, 11:23-28; Luke 22:7-23; 1 Corinthians 5:6-8)
Discovery Bible Studies
Lesson #11: The Passover
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- God revealed Himself to Moses as the “I AM” and told him to deliver Israel out of Egypt.
- What was Pharaoh’s response to Moses?
- Even after nine plagues Pharaoh did not release Israel.
- This first Passover was to be the first month to Israel. Their release from slavery was a new beginning for them as a nation.
- What was each family to do with a lamb?
- What kind of a lamb did it need to be?
- What did they do with its blood?
- How can this first Passover help us to understand how Jesus is for us the Lamb of God?
- Israel was to celebrate the Passover forever. How is the Passover fulfilled for us as Christians?
- Why was it called Passover?
- What happened to the Egyptians who did not sacrifice a lamb and put its blood on the door posts of their houses?
- Compare Passover and communion.
- Jesus was our High Priest as well as our Passover Lamb. He delivers us from death.
- Where is His blood sprinkled?
Additional passages for study: Luke 22:7-23; 1 Corinthians 5:6-8; Hebrews 11:23-28
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