The Minneapolis journal., 1901-12-07

The PassOver-Exodus XII. 1-17.
Golden Text-Christ, our passover. is sacri-
| nced for us.-1. Cor, ", T.
The institution Of '.rhe Lords Passover.,
marked new era in the history of Gods
| people. Before 1t was instituted thew were
divided into families and tribes After it,
they became nation. Before it, they were
many. After 1t. they were one 1t was the
| bond of union between them. Moreover with
| 1t, the Patriarchal church-distinguish by
| covenants and promises-came to an end
| With it. the Jewish church-distinguishe by
| types and ceremonies and prophecies-had its
! beginning.
| Now, however, in the Christian church the
| covenant and promises of the one-and the
| types and ceremonies and prophecies of the
| other-have found, or will find, their com
pete fulhlment in Jesus Christ it's adorable
! head. Its distinguishing feature is 1.-The
Lords Supper" The institution of this sup
per- marked another in the history of
| Gods people. 1t is the bond of union among
| all those who call themselves christians .
Hence, it is often termed The Holy Com
munion,' or the common union Of all be-
1 lievers with Christ and with one another
/ The Lords Passover" like The Lord )
I Supper" was instituted as a memorial feast
AS Jesus said to his disciples, This do in
remembrance of me" Q4uke, xii, 19), so
| This day shall be unto you for memorial -
| xii, 14) 1t was intended to keep the chill
dren OF Israel in mind of their deliverance
| from the bondage of Egypt
This deliverance out of Egypt thus to be
kept in mind ''by an ordinance forever
! (verse Ia was the most remarkable event of
! its kind ever recorded in history. To ac-
complish it, the only thing heard among
the oppressed was the bleating of a lamb be-
fore each house. The only thing seen was
blood, and that not upon their enemies but
! upon their own houses and sprinkled there
| by themselves. Then the only thing done
was the retiring of those about to be de-
| liVered into their houses and a shutting Of
the doors. After that all was still. Within
| those closed doors, however, there was a
glad feasting, and the great expectation OF
| faith.
And among the Egyptians there was no
fear OF an approaching crisis. They set no
watch to prevent an uprising against their
power or to prevent the secret escape Of
| their slaves.
To prepare for this deliverance, Moses was
directed to give the people full and explicit
! instructions. These instructions must have
, been, or might have been, known to the
Egyptians as we'll as to the Israeltes for
they were not given in secret. According TO
| these instructions the head of every house
| hold was to select lamb from among the
! sheep or the goats. He was to that 1t
was without blemish' and "a male of the
! first year. (verse 81. If his family was small
who had no family, he could join with his
neighbor in this selection, for the instructions
were: Every man according to his eating
shall make your count for the lamb" (verse
\ a. Thus every one was to have portion
and there was to be enough for all.
! The selection of these lambs marked 1.-THE
| beginning of the months, the first month of
the year. (verse p to them. 1t was to be
made on the tenth day of this month (verse
81, and the lamb selected was then in the
! keeping Of each household until the four
teenth day of the same month" Verse 6. }
/ Every interest in that household thus
centered in that lamb When 1t had been
/ thus cared for during four days 'in the
! evening" it was to be slain AS a matter of
course, practically there were many thou
sands of lambs required. But virtually and
! spiritually, the people were one, and the sac
/ riice but one. SO God did not say of the
lambs that the people were to kill them. but
/ his directions were The whole assembly Of
! the congregation Of Israel shall kill 1t in the
evening" Verse g. 1t was one assembly,
and one lamb for all, for all of the lambs in
every essential particular were exactly alike.
/ 1t was their substitute 1t died in their
stead.
! When the lamb Of each household was thus
/ slain it's life blood to be caught in a
basin. Then the head of the household was to
take bunch of hyssop and dip it in the
blood (verse 22), and strike it on the two
side posts and on the upper door post (verse
/ ., or "linteP' (verse 22), Of his house. When
this was done every member Of his family
was to enter into the house, and then the
door was shut. No one was permitted to 'go
out at the door of his house until the NOR
ming" Verse 22)
! During the night the lamb was to be 'roast-
ed with fire and eaten with ''unleavened
bread and with bitter herbs (verse 81. They
were to let nothing of it remain until the
morning" and If, perchance, the family was
not large enough to eat it all, ''that which
remaineth of it until the morning. Moses
| said, I'VE shall burn with fire" (verse 10)
But as they thus feasted upon the lamb it
was to be with the deep conviction that they
were no longer to find a home IN Egypt or
even to desire it. They were to eat with
their loins girded. with their shoes on their
feet, and with their staffs in their hands
| (verse III, as those who were to set out at
! a moment s notice on a long Journey They
! had sprinl1led the blood upon their houses
! and when they entered into them could not
see it; and did not even try to do so. Know
ing that they had done what God directed
they had nothing else to do but to feast with
! glad hearts upon the lamb slain for their
delverance. For God had not said: when
you see the blood, you will be delivered but,
when l see it' (verse 19).
| Whilst they were thus fe6sting upon the
! lamb, the Lord went through all the land of
Egypt and examined every house. from the
palace of the king to the hamlet of the slave.
and even the dungeon Of the captive. The
houses of the Israelltes were examined as
we'll as those of the Egyptians: The one
thing that he looked for was the blood of the
lamb upon the side posts and the lintels of
the doors The presence or absence of that
token upon the houses (verse 13l deter
mined his judgment concerning it's inmates.
If he saw the blood, he passed over the
| house.
If he saw no blood. he passed into the
I house.
For every house not marked with blood
was considered as the home of defiant un-
| believing Egyptian, and in that house 'the
first born son" died, whether he a man
Of mature years or a child which had just
drawn its first breath. Because God had said,
! "About midnight will go out into the midst
| Of Egypt, and all the first born Of Egypt
I shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh that
sitteth upon the throne, even unto the first
born of the maid servant that is behind the
mill'' (xi., 40; unto the first born of the
. captive in the dungeon and all the first born
of cattle" (V. 29.)
AS the consequence, Pharaoh rose up in
the night, he and all his servants, and all
the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in
Egypt, for there was not a house where
there was not one dead" (V. 30.) An un-
controllable fear took possession Of them all,
''for, they said, We be all dead men" Verse
33.) Deliverance from such danger could not
be secured too quickly. So they were urgent
upon the people that they might send them
out Of the land in haste (Verse 33.) 1t was
worth any cost. So they not only listened
with willing ears to every demand made by
the Israelites for the payment of debts and
compensation for services, but they urged
upon them to take even more than they
/ asked.
Therefore, the people borrowed of the
! Egyptians jewels of silver and Jewels Of gold
and raiment'' (verse 35). and, therefore ''the
| Egyptians lent unto them such things as
| translated borrowed" in one verse and
in the original Hebrew. and literally means
| ''asked." CYoung.) (See also R. W It is
! the same word that is translated asked
| petition and lent" in 1. Samuel, j., 20,
27-28, to express Hannah's actions in regard