Title: Freedom and Liberation (Ex 12:7-31)
Description Human beings are not only politically liberated in which their bodies are freed from the oppression of foreign powers, but they also cause all mankind to sin after Adam, take away joy and peace from their hearts, induce all kinds of social evil, and finally cause mankind to suffer and die We need spiritual liberation from the power of Satan that leads to destruction.
The Exodus event, in which God freed Israel from the oppression of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, was not just Israel's history. It is a very meaningful truth as it is a prophecy that reveals the salvation history of Jesus Christ.
1. Blood of the Lamb and Jesus Christ
The tenth plague that God sent upon the hardened king Pharaoh was terrifying, in which all the firstborn of the Egyptian household as well as the firstborn of animals were killed. became a dramatic biography of
On the night when the plague of the firstborn fell on all Egypt, the Israelites slaughtered a one-year-old lamb or goat without blemish for their own family (Ex 12:7), and put their blood on the posts and lintels on the left and right of the door of the house where the sheep were to be fed. Blood was applied to the doorposts, and the spiritual meaning is as follows.1) The Lamb without blemish means Jesus Christ who is not polluted by the sins of the world (John 1:29; Revelation 5:6);
2) Applying sheep's blood to the doorpost means to open your heart and accept Jesus Christ, who shed His blood on the cross (Hebrews 10:17,18)
In the human mind, it may be questioned whether such a rite could save us from calamity (Exodus 12:28), but the children of Israel withdrew and did just as they did, but they obeyed just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. All of them survived the disaster.
If the blood of animals was an opportunity to bring the people of Israel salvation and liberation from calamity, the blood that Jesus shed without sin can save any sinner abundantly (Hebrews 9:14).
2. Passover and the Church of Jesus Christ
In the homes of the Egyptians, where the blood of the lamb was not applied, it was a night of mourning over the death of the firstborn, but the lambs were slaughtered and the doors were painted with blood, and the meat was roasted and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Put on your clothes, put on sandals on your feet, and hold a staff in your hand, and eat quickly.
(Exodus 12:13) When I strike the land of Egypt, the blood will be a sign for you in the houses where you live; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no calamity will come upon you to destroy it. As the saying goes, the calamity passed over the house of Israel, which was painted with the blood of the lamb, and it was called the Passover, and it was to be celebrated in commemoration of the Passover from generation to generation (Exodus 12:14).
This is by no means a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate reality of all these ceremonies, rather than the superstitious sacrificial act becoming the power to save Israel.
It was not because of the simple blood of the Lamb or the unleavened bread that Israel was saved, but all the ceremonies were foreshadowing the Savior who bore the sins of mankind and ripped His flesh and shed His blood on the cross. It had to be accompanied by faith in Christ.
3. Night of New History
The first seventy people went into Egypt and suffered many hardships for four hundred and thirty years, but when God promised them freedom and liberation and went out of Egypt, 1) the number of men, excluding infants, was as much as 600,000.
2) He brought many silver and gold articles, clothing, and many livestock from the Egyptians.
3) They left Egypt with true freedom and liberation that no one could block their way (Exodus 12:38).
The night of exodus from Egypt was not only the night of new history in which the people of Israel received true freedom and liberty, but it was also the night of the Lord, when God's glory was greatly glorified.
What human beings absolutely need above all else is freedom.
Last August 15th was Liberation Day, when our people gained freedom and liberation from Japanese rule. Just as the liberty and liberation that the people of Israel obtained were not by chance, but by God?셲 grace, we are grateful, realizing that our nation?셲 freedom and liberation from 36 years of oppression by the Japanese colonialists 51 years ago is a special grace that God has bestowed upon us. Above all, it is time to pray to God that the divided North and South Korea will achieve peaceful reunification without the shedding of blood for their fellow citizens.