It is no surprise that sacrifice became the basis of the Jewish feast of Pesach (the Old Testament Passover), since in ancient times every nation and tribe without exception perceived it as a form of communion with higher powers, with gods and spirits. And in Yahwism, whose history begins with the calling of Abram and ends in A.D. 70 with the destruction of the Second Temple, sacrifice also became...
It is no surprise that sacrifice became the basis of the Jewish feast of Pesach (the Old Testament Passover) (vv. 3-7), since in ancient times every nation and tribe without exception perceived it as a form of communion with higher powers, with gods and spirits. And in Yahwism, whose history begins with the calling of Abram and ends in A.D. 70 with the destruction of the Second Temple, sacrifice also became the basis of worship, since here too it was the chief means of communion with God. The sacrificial meal was seen as a shared meal of God and human beings, one that nothing could replace. What God sanctified above all was the sacrificial blood, because in antiquity blood was considered the vessel of the life-principle that the Bible often calls the "soul" (Gen 9:4, 10, 12, 15). Thus the beginning of life sanctified by God united a person with God.
But Moses speaks to the people about something else: he speaks of sanctified blood that delivers them from destruction otherwise inevitable (vv. 12-13). At first glance, this may seem somewhat strange. But if we think more deeply, what stands before us is essentially a concrete case reflecting the general state of things. And that state consists in this: life in general, and human life in particular, is not some inalienable right, but a gift of God, which a person does not and cannot have apart from relationship with God.
In the animal world, where God creates not individual specimens but whole species, so that each animal is created according to the pattern characteristic of its species ("according to their kinds," as the Old Testament language expresses this idea, Gen 1:24-25), the life of an individual animal counts for nothing before God; only the species is valuable, because its existence is part of God's plan for the world. With the human being, created not in the image of his biological species but in the image and likeness of God, the situation is different. Yet it can be different only if the person's relationship with God has not been destroyed. If there is no such relationship, the person before God is in the position of an animal, being merely a representative of his biological species. Of course, even in this case God sees the person as His image and likeness; but without relationship with God, this image in the person is distorted, and nothing can be done about it without the person's will, since if a person does not want to let God into his life, He will not break in by force. And then the person is doomed to death. He is doomed to it as a representative of his species, because according to the laws of nature the strongest survives, and the life of each concrete representative of any biological species is in no way guaranteed by God. And he is doomed as a phenomenon of living nature, which is mortal as such: in God's plan, as we can see, there were no immortal animals.
Only in the context of relationship with God does a person receive hope for life. For now, on the night of the Old Testament Passover, hope for temporary life. The time will come when, on another night, the night of the New Testament Pascha, he will receive hope for eternal life.
12 This chapter gives an account of one of the most memorable ordinances, and one of the most memorable providences of all that art recorded in the old testament.
with the reason for it, Esodo 12:11-13.
This institution is communicated to the people, and they instructed in the observance.
And the Israelites obedience to these orders, Esodo 12:28.
This event is dated, Esodo 12:40-42.
2dly. Of this memorable providence, Esodo 12:50-51.
12:1 The Lord spake - Had spoken, before the three days darkness. But the mention of it was put off to this place, that the history of the plagues might not be interrupted.
12:2 This shall be to you the beginning of months - They had hitherto begun their year from the middle of September, but hence - forward they were to begin it from the middle of March, at least in all their ecclesiastical computations. We may suppose that while Moses was bringing the ten plagues upon the Egyptians, he was directing the Israelites to prepare for their departure at an hour's warning.Probably he had, by degrees, brought them near together from their dispersions, for they are here called the congregation of Israel; and to them, as a congregation, orders are here sent.
12:3 Take every man a lamb - In each of their families, or two or three families, if they were small, join for a lamb. The lamb was to be got ready four days before. and that afternoon they went, they were to kill it, (Esodo 12:6,) as a sacrifice, not strictly, for it was not offered upon the altar, but as a religious ceremony, acknowledging God's goodness to them, not only in preserving them from, but in delivering them by the plagues inflicted on the Egyptians. The lamb so slain they were to eat roasted (we may suppose in its several quarters) with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; they were to eat it in haste, Esodo 12:11, and to leave none of it until the morning; for God wouldhave them to depend upon him for their daily bread. Before they eat the flesh of the lamb, they were to sprinkle the blood upon the door - posts; by which their houses were to be distinguished from the houses of the Egyptians, and so their first - born secured from the sword of the destroying angel. Dreadful work was to be made this night in Egypt; all the first - born both of man and beast were to be slain; and judgment executed upon the gods of Egypt, Numeri 33:4. It is probable the idols which the Egyptians worshipped were defaced, those of metal melted, those of wood consumed, and those of stone broke to pieces. This was to be annually observed as a feast of the Lord in their generations, to which the feast of unleavened bread was annexed, during which, for seven days, they were to eat no bread but what was unleavened, in remembrance of their being confined to such bread for many days after they came out of Egypt, Esodo 12:14-20. There was much of the gospel in this ordinance:
12:9 Raw - Half roasted, but throughly drest.
12:10 Ye shall burn with fire - To prevent the profane abuse of it.
12:11 The Lord's passover - A sign of his passing over you, when he destroyed the Egyptians.
12:16 An holy convocation - A solemn day for the people to assemble together.
12:19 A stranger - A proselyte. Heathens were not concerned in the passover.
12:22 Out of the door of his house - Of that house, wherein he ate the passover: Until the morning - That is, till towards morning, when they would be called for to march out of Egypt. They went out very early in the morning.
12:23 The destroyer - The destroying angel, whether this was a good oran evil angel, we have not light to determine.
12:27 The people bowed the head and worshipped - They hereby signified their submission to this institution as a law, and their thankfulness for it as a favour and privilege.