The
story of the sacrificial lamb in the context of the
Passover narrative in
Exodus 12 can be richly understood through the
redemptive-historical method,
which emphasizes the continuity and progression of
God's redemptive plan
throughout biblical history. Here's an exegesis:
Textual
Context
(Exodus 12:1-13, 21-27)
Exodus
12
introduces the Passover, which marks the tenth and
final plague on Egypt –
the death of the firstborn. This event is pivotal as
it leads to the liberation
of the Israelites from slavery.
Historical
Setting:
·The
Israelites
are enslaved in Egypt, crying out under their
oppression (Exodus 2:23-25). God
hears their cries and sets in motion a plan to deliver
them, culminating in the
events of Passover.
Narrative
Details:
Institution
of
the Passover (Exodus 12:1-6):
Date:
The Lord specifies the month of Abib (later called
Nisan) as Israel's beginning
of the year, setting the stage for an annual
commemoration.
·Lamb
Selection:
Each household is to take a lamb or a kid (from sheep
or goats) on the tenth
day of the month, ensuring it is without blemish. This
symbolizes purity and
perfection.
Sacrifice
and
Application of Blood (Exodus 12:6-7, 21-23):
·Slaughter:
On
the fourteenth day at twilight, the lamb is killed.
The act of killing a
perfect lamb points to the cost of sin and the
necessity of substitutionary
atonement.
·Blood
Application:
The blood of the lamb is to be smeared on the
doorposts and
lintels of the houses where they eat it. This act
serves as a sign to protect
the Israelites from the destroyer passing over their
homes.
The
Meal (Exodus 12:8-11):
·Roasted
Lamb:
The lamb must be roasted whole, eaten with bitter
herbs and unleavened bread,
which signifies the haste of departure and the
bitterness of slavery.
·Preparation:
They
are to eat it in a state of readiness – belts on
waists, sandals on feet,
and staff in hand, anticipating a swift exit from
Egypt.
Instruction
for
Remembrance (Exodus 12:14, 24-27):
Annual
Feast:
The Passover is to be a perpetual ordinance, with each
generation taught
the reasons for the feast, linking their current
practices to their historical
redemption.
Redemptive-Historical
Interpretation:
·Typology
of
Christ: The lamb without blemish prefigures Jesus
Christ, referred to in the
New Testament as the "Lamb of God, who takes away the
sin of the
world" (John 1:29). This connection is explicitly made
in 1 Corinthians
5:7, where Christ is our Passover lamb.
·Redemption
and
Covenant: The blood of the lamb on the doorposts
signifies the protection and
redemption of Israel under God's covenant promise.
It's a physical
manifestation of God's grace, where the blood serves
as a barrier against
death, symbolizing salvation through substitution.
·From
Slavery to
Freedom: The narrative moves from the theme of slavery
(physical and spiritual)
to liberation, echoing God's overarching plan to
redeem humanity from the
bondage of sin, as later fully realized in Christ's
work.
·Continuity
of
God's Plan: The Passover ritual becomes a foundational
event for Israel's
identity, worship, and ethical life, setting a pattern
for later Old Testament
feasts and sacrifices, which all point towards the
ultimate sacrifice of Jesus.
·Educational
and
Communal Aspect: The command to teach the story to
future generations
underscores the communal and educational dimensions of
God's redemptive acts.
It ensures that the story of salvation is passed down,
maintaining continuity
in faith and practice.
Classical
Christian
commentators and their interpretations of the
Passover narrative in
Exodus 12:
Historical
comments
on Exodus 12:
Origen
of
Alexandria (c. 185-254):
Origen
sees
the lamb as a prefigurement of Christ. In his
"Homilies on
Exodus," he interprets the lamb's perfection (without
blemish) as
symbolizing Christ's sinless nature. For him, the
blood on the doorposts represents
the cross of Christ, protecting believers from
spiritual death.
Augustine
of
Hippo (354-430):
In
his "City of God," Augustine views the Passover lamb
as a symbol of
Christ's sacrifice. He discusses how the lamb's blood
signifies the protection
and redemption offered through Christ's blood.
Augustine also notes the annual
remembrance of Passover as a type of the Christian
Eucharist, where Christ's
death is commemorated.
John
Chrysostom (c. 347-407):
In
his "Homilies on Genesis" (though he comments broadly
on Old
Testament narratives), Chrysostom sees the Passover as
a significant type of
redemption through Christ. He emphasizes the lamb's
perfection and the act of
eating it in haste as signs of readiness for salvation
and the spiritual
journey of the Christian life.
Cyril
of Alexandria (c. 376-444):
Cyril,
in
his "Commentary on the Gospel of John," directly
connects the
Passover lamb to Christ when discussing John 1:29
("Behold the Lamb of
God"). He interprets the blood of the lamb as
protecting the Israelites
from the angel of death, paralleling this with how
Christ's blood saves
believers from eternal death.
Gregory
the
Great (c. 540-604):
In
his "Moralia in Job," Gregory interprets the Passover
in a moral and
spiritual sense. He sees the lamb as Christ, whose
blood is smeared on the
spiritual "doorposts" of the heart, protecting it from
sin and
damnation. The unleavened bread symbolizes sincerity
and truth, the bitter
herbs the bitterness of penance.
Thomas
Aquinas
(1225-1274):
In
his "Summa Theologica," Aquinas discusses the
typological
significance of the Old Testament sacrifices,
including the Passover lamb. He
elaborates on how the lamb prefigures Christ in
sacrifice (by its death), in
the perfection of its nature (without blemish), and in
the deliverance it
brings (from death).
Martin
Luther
(1483-1546):
Luther,
in
his "Lectures on Genesis," while not directly
commenting on
Exodus, frequently draws parallels between Old
Testament sacrifices and
Christ's sacrifice. For him, the Passover lamb is a
clear foreshadowing of
Christ's work on the cross, emphasizing faith in this
sacrifice for salvation.
John
Calvin (1509-1564):
As
mentioned earlier, Calvin, in his "Commentary on
Exodus," explicitly
links the Passover lamb to Christ, emphasizing the
lamb's perfection as
indicative of Christ's sinlessness. He also sees the
Passover as an ordinance
for remembrance, akin to the Lord's Supper in
Christian practice.
These
commentators provide a spectrum of interpretations
from typological to moral,
with a consistent theme drawing the Passover narrative
into the Christian
understanding of Christ's redeeming work. Each sees in
the text prophetic
elements pointing to the salvation offered through
Jesus Christ.
Additional
Bible
passages with similar redemptive-historical
implications, where Old
Testament events, figures, or rituals prefigure or
are fulfilled in New
Testament realities:
1.Genesis
22:1-14
- The Binding of Isaac (Aqedah):
Abraham's
willingness
to sacrifice Isaac parallels God's sacrifice of His
Son, Jesus. The
ram caught in the thicket is seen as a type of Christ,
provided as a
substitute.
2.Leviticus
16:1-34
- The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur):
The
rituals, especially the scapegoat bearing the sins of
Israel, are seen as
foreshadowing Christ's atoning work, which carries
away the sins of the world.
3.Numbers
21:4-9
- The Bronze Serpent:
The
lifting up of the bronze serpent for healing from
snake bites typifies Christ's
crucifixion, where those who look to Him in faith are
saved from the deadly
poison of sin.
4.Joshua
6
- The Fall of Jericho:
The
walls of Jericho falling after the Israelites marched
around it with the ark of
the covenant can symbolize the breaking down of
barriers through Christ's work,
leading to the salvation of believers.
5.Psalm
22 - The Suffering Servant:
This
Psalm, with its detailed description of suffering akin
to crucifixion, is often
seen as prophetic of Christ's passion on the cross,
particularly verses like
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
6.Isaiah
53
- The Suffering Servant (again, due to its
significance):
Describes
a
figure whose suffering and death atone for the sins of
many, explicitly tied
to Jesus in New Testament interpretations (e.g., Acts
8:32-35).
7.Jonah
1:17 - 2:10 - Jonah in the Belly of the Fish:
Jesus
uses Jonah's three days in the fish as a sign of His
own death and resurrection
after three days (Matthew 12:40), symbolizing death
and rebirth.
8.Zechariah
9:9
- The Triumphal Entry:
Predicts
a
king coming on a donkey, directly fulfilled in Jesus'
entry into Jerusalem
(Matthew 21:1-11), symbolizing peace and humility.
9.Zechariah
13:7
- The Shepherd Struck:
"Strike
the
shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered," which
Jesus references in
Matthew 26:31, pointing to His arrest and the
dispersal of His disciples,
prefiguring His death for His flock.
10.Malachi
3:1 - The Messenger of the Covenant:
Speaks
of
a messenger preparing the way before the Lord, which
Christians see
fulfilled in John the Baptist, whose ministry heralds
the arrival of Christ,
the ultimate purifier.
These
passages illustrate how the Old Testament is replete
with narratives,
prophecies, and symbols that find their ultimate
fulfillment or explanation in
the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ,
underlining the continuity
of God's redemptive plan through history.
In
summary:
Through
the
redemptive-historical lens, the Passover lamb in
Exodus 12 is not merely an
ancient ritual but a profound theological statement
about God's plan of
redemption. It foreshadows Jesus's ultimate sacrifice
and serves as a perpetual
reminder of God's deliverance, covenant, and call to
live in freedom and
holiness.
The
above study was Groked, under the direction of Jack
Kettler, and perfected
using Grammarly AI.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth.” (2 Timothy
2:15)
Mr. Kettler is an author who has previously
published articles in the Chalcedon Report and Contra
Mundum. He and his wife, Marea, are active
Westminster, CO, RPCNA Church
members. Mr. Kettler’s extensive work includes 18
books defending the Reformed
Faith, which are available for order online at Amazon.