Leviticus 23:1-22
Monday, 2 August 2021
On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD’s Passover. -Leviticus 23:5
In our reading today, we see the feasts ordained by the LORD for the Jewish nation of Israel to observe. The Hebrew word for “feasts” literally means “appointed times.”
There are seven feasts in a year, organised into two groups - four feasts first followed by three feasts. These feasts were to be a time of joyful worship and thanksgiving to the Lord, remembering His goodness in deliverance and continued faithfulness in the lives of His people. How are the great truths of these feasts applicable to us as believers? These Feasts symbolically foreshadow the fulfillment of God’s deliverance through the promised Messiah – Jesus Christ, and should be a daily reminder and celebration of His grace and mercy extended towards us.
We will look into one particular feast for our study today: The Feast of Passover (V. 5)
This feast remembers the last plague in Egypt when the angel of death “passed over” the children of Israel who applied the blood of the lamb to their doors. (Exodus12:6&7). Thus, the Passover is a reminder to the Jewish nation of God’s mighty deliverance from bondage in the land of Egypt. The Israelites were spared (passed over) by the angel because of the blood of the lamb marked on their doorposts.
Every instruction concerning the Passover lamb given in Exodus 12 was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. John the Baptist declared in John1:29: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” As the writer of Hebrews states in Hebrews 10:1, the Law or what has physically happened in the Old Testament was a shadow of the reality to happen in future. Again Hebrews 10:4 says “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” But the truth of the shadow in the Old Testament sacrifice of the lamb was fulfilled in Jesus Christ as it says in Hebrews 10:14: “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”
Jesus Christ – the perfect Lamb of God who was sacrificed for our sins as a substitute for us, became our Passover Lamb. Thus, once and for all He takes away our sins. It is by His precious blood that we have forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:28, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 9:22).
This is the wonderful plan of God for all of us. We do not have to live in the burden and weight of sin, we no more need to carry the shame of our past life with us; we are not under any guilt – but we are set free by the blood of Jesus Christ – the Lamb who was sacrificed instead of us! In 1Corinthians 5:7 we are therefore exhorted: “Clean out the old leaven so that we may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.”
As we enjoy the Lord’s love extended towards us in delivering us from sin and death through Jesus Christ, we have a responsibility to live a life honouring this God. As it is given in 1 Corinthians 5:8 let us celebrate this feast with the “bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.”
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank Your great Sacrifice in shedding Your blood that I may receive forgiveness of sin and acceptance before God. Help me to honour You with my life. Amen