The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-15
Sunday STUDY.
THE PASSOVER.

HASSOV
The International Sunday school lesson
The time is April, 1891 B. c., and the
place Egypt The golden text is l. Cor,
W. z: Christ, our passover, is sacrificed
for us"
notice to the lsraelites to get ready for
their departure from Egypt. 1t was like
wise a test of their faith in God for
only as they believed would they obey
the command to sacrifice or to sprinkle
the doorposts and Hntels with the blood,
that the destroying angel might pass
over their houses. That the IsraellteS
fully responded to these tests shows
how much they had come to believe in
God.
This month shall be unto you the
beginning OF months. 1t shall be the
first month of the year to you.' Thus
connection with the feast of the Pass
over 1t was the month Abb, and the
seventh month of their civil year, but
became from time to time the first month
OF their sacred year. It was the ma
tional redemption month and the begin
ming of their existence as redeemed
people unto God. So with every redeem
ed soul, the time of it's new birth IS 10 it
the beginning of days. the time before
that being lost, for it is only he that
hath the Son who hath life q. John, ",
12). We begin to live only when we come
| under the shelter of that precious
blood.
The exodus was to be the event from
which Israel reckoned time, as we reck-
Oh time from the supposed date of
Christ's birth. The passover and follow
ing exodus did not occur, however, until
the 18th day of the month. Preparations
were to begin on the tenth day, with the
selection of the animal for sacrifice. The
word rendered Lamb" means the young
of either sheep or goats, and either a
lamb or kid might be used The people
| were, not to gather in large companies.
but each family was to eat by itself. Ii
family were too small to use whole
lamb, two families were to unite, and
arrangements were to be made according
| to the appetite of each individual, as is
suggested in the latter part OF verse 4.
The animal chosen must not be more
| than a year old, and must be physical
ly perfect. Only such animals would
serve for a sacred feast. For the four
Gays between the selection of the animal
| and the date of the feast it was to be fed
| by those who were to eat it, and so pre-
pared for it's use. The Hebrew word for
| ''even" means literally between the two
tween o'clock and sunset. The assem-
| bly, is a word which later came into use
! to signify the whole nation as ans or
! gained body. The putting of blood on
| the house was an outward confession of
| loyal faith, but had also a sacrificial
| significance similar to that of the blood
| or ashes sprinkled for cleansing on al
tars and on defiled persons Lev. l., 5;
lee, lA.y %.
| bread and bitter herbs were intended as
| a symbol of the oppression which Israel
had suffered in Egypt. The lamb must
| be completely eaten. because the idea Of
a feast made food sacred, so that eating
| it under ordinary circumstances would be
| like proclamation. The unleavened bread
also signifies that we must put away all
! evil in order to feed upon Him, for leaven
is always symbol of evil. The bitter
herbs teach us that we must be willing
to suffer with Him, for 1t is given unto
us so to do.
We could not expect that a calamity
like the one told in verse II would find
mention in the proud records of Egypt,
yet, strange to say, there is manu-
ment in the Berlin museum which con-
tains proof that Meneptah, the Pharaoh
of the exodus, lost son by an untimely
/ death. There is no explanation given of
| the fact, but nevertheless the fact itself
stands forth to add its confederation to
| the weight of cumulative evidence which
son is decribed as ''the son whom Menep-
| tab loves, the royal scribe, the singer,
the chief of the archers. the Prince
Meneptah.''
The lesson teaches:
1. Christ, our Passover, slain for US,
was Lamb without blemish and with
out spot.
2. There is no safety for anyone ex-
cept under the blood of the Lamb of God.
8. The only time to make sure of safe
ty is now. The destroying angel may
pass over any moment.
4. The whole household should come
under the protection Of the blood of the
Lamb.