Sacrifices

So, this morning I read Exodus 12. For those of you who don't know, Exodus 12 covers the first Passover when the Israelites were in Egypt. I really liked this passage, and I got a lot out of it.

In Exodus 12:1-10. I've blogged about this before, but the lamb that was chosen for Passover was to live with the family for two weeks before the Passover Feast. The lamb was symbolically taking the sins of the family, and when they cooked the lamb over the fire, they were essentially purifying the animal. (Like how Jesus purifies our hearts with fire.)

The reason for Passover had something to do with the 10th plague in Egypt - the deaths of the firstborn sons. The Israelites were to put the animal's blood over their doors to signify that the Lord was protecting their house (Exodus 12:7). Now that I think about this, it probably seemed a little silly to the Israelities. I mean, the angel of death was coming, how would some animal's blood stop him? (Like how God protects believers from Satan - we're covered in His blood.)

Probably the part that spoke to me the most was Exodus 12:43-50. If you weren't an Israelite, you couldn't participate in the Passover Feast. The Israelites have always been God's chosen people. This is why Jesus was so revolutionary. He accepted anyone and everyone. Before Jesus, there was no way for us to come to Him. Jesus came to earth, took our sin and allowed EVERYONE to come to Him. How cool is that?