Following on the heels of my last post, I specifically pointed out that the Passover sacrifice was NOT a sacrifice for sins!
First, the first passover occurred way before the Levitical sacrificial system was established.
Second, when establishing the Passover as an annual observance, the Lord specifically referred to the slain lamb as a ZEVAH PESACH which could be translated as a “Gratitude” or “Thank you” offering.
THE ZEVAH PESACH WAS NOT AN OFFERING FOR SIN!
Well, all of this leads us to the question of what purpose did the life blood of the ZEVAH PESACH serve when it was shed and dabbed on the doorposts of the Israelites’ homes?
The answer is that it served as a clear message to Egypt and later the other polytheistic nations that there is only ONE God in heaven and earth.
Remember, lambs were sacred animals to Egyptians.
They were considered divine.
In response to the idolatry of Egypt, YHVH was basically saying “if you are going to use the imagery of a lamb or any animal and call it God, I will demonstrate to you that there is no other God beside me. Therefore, I have commanded my true sons, B’NAI Israel to kill your lambs and show you that there is no other God that lives anywhere in any visible form“.
Obviously the above quote is a paraphrase but I think you get the idea.
Israel was free to take what the Egyptians considered to be their gods (the lambs) into their homes, kill them and then smear their blood onto the doorposts of their homes.
Bottom line, Israel can NEVER consider as deity what the nations have made into gods.
Israel is forbidden from attaching themselves to the gods of the other nations.
Good day. You forget that the blood on the house posts caused the Angel of Death to pass by, knowing that there were Israelites there. The purpose of this Angel of Death was to perform the maximal appeal of the Almighty against the pharaoh, wounding the first sons of the Egyptians to death. So this blood IS LIBERATED TO THE ISRAELITES of death. The Israelites came to have been largely assimilated into Egyptian idolatry, which is the sin of death. This fact demonstrated to the Egyptians and also to the Israelites that the Almighty is one and only one. These had cried out for forgiveness the Almighty and HE listened to his voice, demonstrating his mercy. In such a way that all these facts show that the Almighty continued fulfilling his plan of restoration of his people and this exit was the continuation of his history that was paused by more than 400 years.
I don’t think I’d disagree with what you’re saying, essentially, anyway.
The LORD did not pass OVER the house, but over the thresholds of the marked doors. In other words He came in to protect them.
Blood is not “magical.” It is the means by which one thing (or person) is indexed to another in the ancient near east Hebraic ritual. LIFE is in the blood, and blood (wine) signifies Covenant. In the Exodus, the blood is the mark of the Covenant, just as it is today. We must agree to and come into Covenant with our God.
Rich You are right in that it was not about forgiveness. “The life of the animal is in the blood” and that life was transferred to Israel. The blood is a purifier. When the blood was splattered on the alter it made the alter Holy. When it is applied to the people they are Holy. The blood is not a substitute but a cleansing agent. An agent that cleanses and gives life.
Thank you so much for seconding this Pastor Russ! I swear practically nobody understands this in the Christian world. To them, it’s all about the blood this and the blood that!
That is because they have a corrupted narrative to maintain. I false brick upon another makes a crooked structure. I always said you were doing a good work in laying a straight foundation. God bless you in doing so.
Thank you for the blessing Pastor Russ! May you be blessed too!
This explanation makes so much sense. I wondered for years why Yeshua would die on Pesach and not Yom Kippur if he was a sin sacrifice. Thank you for putting it all, from Paul’s teachings to the roots of the Hebrew word “pesach”, together! Keep up the good work, may Yah bless you! Shalom