THE SELECTION OF THE LAMB

(Part 2)

Exo. 12:3-6

Morning Meditation 11/2/16

Verses 3-6 say, “Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.”

In our last Meditation, we looked at the new birthday for the nation. In this one we will look at the process by which this new birthday was possible. It all happened in Egypt. God came to Egypt where they were to take them to a place He had in mind. All they had to do is despise their bondage, and receive His Word, spoken by His servants Moses and Aaron, and act in faith upon His Word.

God said to them through Moses and Aaron, “Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:” God is going to save the entire nation. But it is also an individual matter. He said, “ . . . take to the every man a lamb . . .” Jesus died for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2) but it is only effective in the one who “takes” the Lamb. The lamb is not forced on them. It is required for deliverance. But each man is responsible to participate in the selection of a lamb. The word “take” translates “laqach” and means, “to take, to fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive.” This Hebrew word is used of “taking a wife.” Now in our case, it is not the believer that is taking a wife, it is God. He proposes, we accept or reject His proposal.

The individual takes a lamb but he does it for his house. This is the ideal. The father trusts the Lord as Saviour and leads his entire family to trust Him. This is household salvation. This happened in Acts 16 in the case of the conversion of the Jailor in Philippi.

God said to Moses and Aaron, “Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel . . .” Everyone was to hear. It was not just the head of the homes. It was everyone. This reminds us that the Church is commissioned to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Everyone is invited. It was God’s will that everyone be informed. It was God’s will that everyone go out of Egypt on the day of deliverance. It is not God’s will that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). Salvation is God’s appeal to man’s will not man’s appeal to God’s will. It is His will for every man to be saved. Not everyone will be saved. But there will not be one man at the Great White Throne Judgment that will be able to raise his voice and say, “I am lost because it was not Your will for me to be saved.” There will be no one who will say, “Jesus, I would have been saved but you didn’t die for me.” That will not happen because it is not true.

The lamb was to be selected for a house. The individual was involved and his personal responsibility stressed. The house was involved. The provision was to be for the number in the house. Verse 4 says, “If the household be to little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of souls . . .” If the house was too small, they had instructions to go the neighbor and invite their neighbors to partake with them. The reason for this is that they were not only to sacrifice the lamb but they were also to eat the lamb. Verse 10 tells us they were to eat the whole lamb so that nothing be left. Jesus is not only the slain Lamb, He is also to be feasted upon as we make our pilgrim journey through this life.. He said, “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed” (John 6:53-55). The Christian’s life should be a daily feast off Jesus, and we take Him into our spiritual lives and find the nourishment we need, just like the body takes in food for it’s daily needs.

Notice the words “a lamb” in verse 3, “the lamb” in verse 4 and “your lamb” is verse 5. Jesus was born “a man.” He was One of many. He had all the characteristics (sin excepted) of those around Him. He was as truly man as if He were not God. Then John identified Him as “The Lamb of God” in John 1:29. The day you accepted Him as your personal Saviour he became “Your Lamb.” Someone has said, “The Old Testament is the New Testament enfolded and the New Testament is the Old Testament unfolded.” How true that is.

They had to select a lamb “without blemish, a male of the first year; ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats.” Now in the process of selection they had to look over the whole flock. When they found a lamb “without blemish” they were to separate it from the flock and “keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month . . .” There was a time when Jesus was just one of the flock of humanity. Then came the time when He entered His public ministry so that He is examined carefully to see if the selection was right. After His approximately three and one-half years of ministry, He said to those who knew the law, “Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?” (John 8:46). Not one brought a charge. They did not respond by saying, “I ask you the same question. Can you find anything wrong with us?” He found plenty wrong with them. Read Matthew 23. Heb. 9:14 says, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” 1 Pet. 1:19 says, “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”

In order for the lamb to typify Jesus who was without sin, it had to be without blemish. We are unholy. None of us can make a vicarious sacrifice, i.e., die for others as a substitute. We die for our own sin. The “wages of sin is death” and all of us, without exception will have to pay that debt in the flesh unless we go to heaven by way of the rapture. But Jesus did not have to pay the debt for Himself. He had no sin. It is He of whom God said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” He paid the debt for the whole human race on the cross.

Last of all our text says, “ . . . and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.” This answers the question “Who crucified Jesus?” All of us had a part. But it was the Nation of Israel who said on that day, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.” I wonder how much Caiaphas understood when he said in John 18:14, “ Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.”

The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel killed the lamb. Jesus died at the hands of the nation for the nation. Luke 23:34 says, “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do . . .” Did their ignorance excuse them from their responsibility? Absolutely not. They have been under the judgment of God for the past two thousand years. But God still loves the nation of Israel and Paul says, “And so all Israel shall be saved . . .” (Rom. 11:26).

The nation offered the sacrifice in the land of Egypt. And the nation went out of Egypt and were all delivered. The power of deliverance was the LAMB. There were all kinds of miracles up until this took place. But none of them had the power to deliver. But when the LAMB was sacrificed, they went out of Egypt never to return.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White