The Passover - Week 4

Christ in Old Testament  | The Passover Lamb  

Lesson 4 Exodus 12

Understanding the Truth with one another

Verse by Verse ~ Topic by Topic ~ Argument by Argument

CONTEXT – The Egyptians enslaved the Israelites, but God heard their cry and sent Moses to deliver them through a series of ten plagues. Each plague is a just response to Pharaoh, an Egyptian god himself, who said “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice?...” The first three plagues affected both Israel and Egypt. The pagan magicians could reproduce them through occultic arts; however, they could not remove them. Plagues four to nine affected only the Egyptians. The last plague established who really has dominion. Will it be the first born of Pharaoh or Israel, God’s first born? If His first born obeyed His instructions, each of Israel’s first born would escape death.

1. Read Exodus 12:1-14 Directions for the Feast of the Passover

What details help the Israelites to understand the character and purpose of the Lamb?                                    Consider the when, where, what, and how.

What can you infer about God and about what He wants for His people from these details about the Lamb?

God –

What God wants for His people –

2. Read Exodus 12:14-21 Directions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread

What details help the Israelites to understand the purpose of The Feast of Unleavened bread? Consider the when, where, what, and how.

What can you infer about God and about what He wants for His people from these details about the Feast of Unleavened Bread?

God --

What God wants for His people –

3. Read Exodus 12:22-42 The First Passover

What do the details convey about the first born of God and their God?

Consider the when, where, what, and how.

What do the details convey about the first born of Pharaoh and those who worship him?                                      Consider the when, where, what, and how.

Notes to Discuss -- Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem on the tenth of Nisan, the same day the Passover lambs were brought into Jewish households for inspection. Jewish leadership had already rejected Jesus as their Messiah (Matthew 12) and were looking for a way to both incite the people against Him and bring a Roman charge against Him. So while the households of Israel were inspecting their lambs, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians posited questions designed to discredit Him as the Messiah. But His answers only more firmly affirmed His authority and innocence. Having silenced His accusers, Jesus poses His own challenge.

4.  Read Matthew 22:41-46. The Tested Lamb’s Test

a. How does Jesus’ challenge, based Psalm 110:1, teach that the Messiah would be both God and Man?

John called Jesus “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” because the death of Christ would fulfill the Passover and the offering of His sinless blood would fulfill the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

b. How does Jesus’ show that He is the greater Passover Lamb by teaching the Messiah is God and Man?

Connecting to one another

Before Christ, we were slaves to sin (Romans 6:6). How would you explain your experience of being set free from sin to someone needing freedom?

Living the Truth as we are sent out

5.  Jesus asked, “What do you think about the Christ?” How would you explain the Person and Work of the Lamb of God to someone wanting to know how to have an eternal relationship with God?

Unlike the Israelites who ate the first Passover in haste, subsequent generations recline in REST at the table as they REMEMBER their Deliverer.

6.  How would you explain to this same person what characterizes an eternal life with God that begins the moment they believe? Connect your answer to rest and remembering.

7.  Next Sunday we will celebrate communion together. Communion pictures the Person and Work of the Lamb of God. Discuss that. How does it also picture our community as a household of God?

8.  In this lesson, you have processed the gospel and its testimony in your life. Would you be willing to share with someone who last Sunday already expressed a desire to know more? Would you be willing to invite a friend to church next Sunday and explain what Communion means?

Homework – Read the book of Ruth (it’s only 4 chapters) for next week’s lesson.

God’s joy & strength to you,

kpaulson@gracelaredo.org