Exodus 12:6 - Forerunner Commentary

Exodus 12:6

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Articles, Bible studies, and sermons that contain Exodus 12:6:

Exodus 12:3-14
Excerpted from: Christ's Death, Resurrection, and Ascension

Notice in verse 3 that on the tenth day each person was to take a lamb for himself. In verse 5 we see that the lamb was to be without blemish, a male of the first year.

Think of Jesus when you look at these instructions. It could be either from the sheep or the goats. Jesus is a type of both sheep and goat. Remember in the atonement offering that one of the two goats typified Jesus. He was represented as a goat in that ceremony.

We are told that the lamb was to be kept until the 14^th day of the same month and that it was then to have been killed at twilight. This was done by slitting its throat. They were then to take some of the blood and smear it on the doorposts and lintel of the houses where they would be eating the Passover.

So we see that the innocent lamb actually bled to death. This was how it died. Scripture says that the bones were not to be broken. It was to be roasted whole. Remember that Jesus' bones were not broken either.

We see in all these things that Jesus was the perfect antitype of this lamb that was slain at the Passover service. The blood was put on the lintel and on the doorpost as a sign for the death angel to pass over that house. And he was not to kill the firstborn who were inside. By means of the blood that was smeared on the lintel and the doorposts they were saved from the tenth plague—the plague of the death of the firstborn. It was the blood of the lamb that redeemed them. It bought back the firstborn of Israel. Otherwise, they would have been killed.

Jesus' ghastly death—the terrible scourging He endured—did the same thing for us. It bought us back. It redeemed us. The Protestants say He died of a broken heart. That is not true. Like the Passover lamb, He bled to death. His blood spilled onto the earth and He expired as an innocent and pure Man. He had never sinned—just like that lamb without blemish and without spot.

Exodus 12:6
Excerpted from: Passover (Part 4)

Before this question can be answered clearly, it is necessary to resolve the usage of ba erev in the Bible. That was done last week. It means sunset. Then we find in Exodus 16 that ben ha arbayim follows sunset. So, clearly, that is the period of time between sunset and dark.

They were to keep it until, and to kill it at, ben ha arbayim. Okay, twilight has been clearly described, but here there was an additional factor. It is the word "until." The Hebrew word is ad (phonetically, in English); and it means "up to a specific point in time; not through, nor beyond; the limit of time itself." That came from Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament.

At the very least, that means that the lambs were not to be kept beyond the fourteenth (if we want to take it in its broadest application)—because the dating there would allow us maybe to think that the fourteenth would continue all the way up until the sunset. That is, the usage of the lambs, the killing of the lambs. However, when we apply what we know about ba erev—that is, the sunset of the thirteenth day beginning the fourteenth day—the killing of the lambs began the events of Passover at the beginning of the day. It does not terminate the events of the fourteenth. And "until" (that is, ad) seems to imply, very strongly, meaning the beginning of the day. It was to be kept until the beginning. So, the answer for element 1 is that the lambs were killed at the beginning of the fourteenth.

Exodus 12:6
Excerpted from: Passover (Part 3)

This is the Hebrew word shachat, which means "to kill." It is the same word that is normally used, throughout the Bible, to indicate a sacrifice (as at the altar). So, the Passover is to be sacrificed, and it is to be eaten.

I think that anybody ought to be able to see (looking at these things in their context) that keeping and eating are equated. Keeping the Passover means eating the Passover. And it had to be done on the fourteenth! Our Bible is the clearest evidence of this. Really, nothing could be clearer. Even our Savior was concerned about eating it on the fourteenth, and He did it correctly.

Symbolically (figuratively), killing the Passover emphasizes—to the person who is doing it—responsibility for the death of the Savior and, therefore, a recognition of sin. That is, that we are responsible for the Passover Lamb's death; and therefore, then, the payment for those sins is the death of the Savior. And that is certainly important. However, eating it (eating the Passover) emphasizes the more important continuance!

Exodus 12:5-7
Excerpted from: Unleavened Bread and Pentecost

When they did this, it marked their first real involvement, other than mentally assenting to what God was doing. In the analogy, this was tantamount to accepting the blood of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and it symbolizes the protection from death through a forgiveness supplied by God Himself. Now we know what the reality of that was, but repentance is not symbolized in this analogy until Israel left Egypt. But does Egypt represent sin? Only indirectly. Now remember I said earlier, Egypt represents the place of our bondage, it is the place or state in which we commit our sins but sin is something in this analogy that we leave behind when we accept the blood of Jesus Christ. What did Israel leave behind in Egypt that represents sin?

Exodus 12:5-6
Excerpted from: The Wavesheaf and the Selfsame Day

This is one of those places where the word "evening" is from the term in Hebrew ben har arbayim. In modern English it means "twilight" or "dusk." The description of the meaning of this word is that the sun has gone down, but light continues to remain for a period of time, and at this time of the year it probably would have been very close to about 45 minutes. Following that, it would be dark.

Articles

Countdown to Pentecost 2001
God's Promises Are Sure!
Is the Passover Just a Sin Offering? (Part One)
Was Jesus Resurrected on Easter Sunday?
Why Was Jesus Not Crucified as Passover Began? (Part One)
Why We Must Put Out Leaven

Bible Studies

Holy Days: Passover

Essays

Do Not Confuse the Lessons (Part One)
Is Passover on the First Day of Unleavened Bread? (Part One)
Rehearsing God's Plan
Should Passover Be Observed for Seven Days?
Was Jesus Christ's Body Broken? (Part Two)
When Is Passover?
When Is Passover?  (2)

Sermons

Unleavened Bread and the Holy Spirit (2019)
Truly Unleavened
Atonement Goats and Passover Lambs
The First Day of Unleavened Bread (Part One)
Grace, Unleavened Bread, and the Holy Spirit
The Priesthood of God (Part 1)
Why Is Atonement a Fall Festival?
Christ Our Passover
Never Forget

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