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Date:         Tue, 23 Jan 1996 17:23:22 +-100
Reply-To: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel
              
Sender: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel
              
From: Teus Benschop 
Subject:      ChrExp, The Scriptures opened, 67
To: Multiple recipients of list CHR-EXP 

Contents
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1. Exodus 12:1-20  - The Lamb
2. 1 Timothy 6:3-5 - False teachings


1.  Exodus 12:1-20 - The Lamb
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Weekly reading: Bo; Exodus 10:1 - 13:16

In this chapter we read of the lamb of the Passover. In the New
Testament this is applied to Christ.

1,2 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall
be the first month of the year to you.

Moses did nothing of himself, but he followed the command of the LORD.
That is what we again read here: "And the LORD spake unto Moses". He
obeyed the voice and command of God, and did nothing according to own
will. Let we learn from this, do the same and also reject all own
desires; let us do that what God asks of us, and forget the whole
rest, including ourselves.
    What was it, that God spoke to Moses and Aaron? He said that this
month should be unto them the beginning of the months. "It shall be
the first month of the year to you". This month is called Abib, or
Nisan, containing a part of March and of April. This month, that is
the month of their deliverance our of Egypt, that house of bondage and
slavery. The month of their deliverance would be the first month unto
them. A period was brought to a close. A new period began; a period of
new life after their death in the iron furnace of Egypt. And the month
wherein their new life began, was the first month of the year; a new
month. "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall
be the first month of the year to you". All was made new. God made all
things new to them, including their times and years. Likewise makes
God all things new to us, when He has delivered us from the bondage of
Satan, hell and death. See it in the Israelites: after their freedom,
they began a new start. A new life lay before them. When God
regenerates us, a new life begins for us. God makes all things new.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new.", 2 Cor. 5:17.
When anyone is in Christ, all old things are vanished; a new period
commences. "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it
shall be the first month of the year to you."

3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth
day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according
to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

Let every man, in the tenth of this month, take a lamb. This lamb
could be taken from the sheep or from the goats. "Your lamb shall be
without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from
the sheep, or from the goats", Exod. 12:5. This lamb was an example of
Christ, the Lamb of God. Christ was the Lamb, given to us by God. John
will tell it to you: "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him,
and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world", John 1:29. Christ is the Lamb of God. Through His work, He
takes away the sin of the world. Everybody who looks at Jesus in
faith, will have his sins carried away by Him, and will receive the
perfect righteousness of Christ instead of that. Also Paul testifies
that Christ is the real lamb of the passover. "Purge out therefore the
old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even
Christ our passover is sacrificed for us", 1 Cor. 5:7.

4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his
neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the
souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the
lamb.

Each household should kill a lamb, but if there were too few people to
eat the whole lamb that evening, let then more people of more
households eat of the same lamb.

5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye
shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

The "lamb shall be without blemish." It shall be pure, because God is
pure. Our defiled works don't please Him. Only pure works are
acceptable for Him, but these are not found among us. The lamb shall
be without blemish. Also Christ, the real Lamb, was without blemish.
According to Peter, the believers are redeemed, not through silver or
gold, "but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot", 1 Peter 1:19. Christ is the real Lamb,
without blemish. And also Pilate, the judge, declared Christ innocent.
    The lamb also should be "a male of the first year", said God. It
should be neither too young, nor too old. The lamb should be one year
old, in the vigorous time of its life. Also Christ, when He offered up
Himself, was not too young, neither too old, but He was in the
strength of His life. He was around thirty years old when He began to
preach on earth, and few years later, He was crucified; a man of about
33 years old.

6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month:
and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in
the evening.

The lamb shall be kept from the tenth day until the fourteenth day.
During that time, it will be shut up, but at the end of that period,
the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it. When?
They shall kill it in the evening.
    We find a remarkable similarity between this lamb and between
Christ. The lamb should be kept for some time. Though it lives, yet it
awaits its death during those four days. So Christ, during his time of
preaching on earth, awaited His death. Many aimed at His death. "And
as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began
to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:
Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth,
that they might accuse him". Luke 11:53,54. Jesus was as it were shut
up between His enemies, but since it was not yet His time, they were
unable to harm Him. The lamb of passover was shut up during some time,
and in the mean time everybody prepared the tools to slaughter it;
they prepared the knifes and the dish for the blood, and the place
where it should be killed. But they had to wait until the fourteenth
day; and then they killed it. See this in Christ. They prepared
themselves to kill Him, but His time, the fourteenth day, wasn't yet
fulfilled.
    We also read that "the whole assembly of the congregation of
Israel shall kill it in the evening." Looking at Christ, we see that
the whole assembly, who were standing by, cried: Crucify Him! crucify
Him! And also we, sinning daily, have our part in crucifying Him. It
is because of our sins that He suffered, and was killed at the cross.
Yes, indeed, it is true, the whole congregation shall kill Him.
    At what time should the lamb be killed? They shall kill it "in
the evening". Or, better, they shall kill it "between the two
evenings", that is in the afternoon, between three and the setting of
the sun. It is in this time that Christ died on the cross. "And about
the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? (...) Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up
the ghost." Matthew 27:46,50. About the ninth hour, that is about
three, Jesus cried, and some time later He gave up the ghost. So, our
Lord was killed between the two evenings.

7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side
posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat
it.

We read here of the ceremonies of striking the blood on the posts of
the houses, wherein they shall eat it. But nowhere else we read that
they ever repeated this. This also applies to some of the ceremonies
in the next verses. So, it can be that these ceremonies were only
instituted for that one time.
    Note that the blood should be on the posts of every house,
wherein they were. A man could not rely on the blood struck on the
posts of his neighbour's house. When every house had the blood on its
posts, and one hadn't, then he was guilty. Every house, wherein they
eat the lamb, should have the blood. This shows us that the personal
application of the blood is important. When Christ's blood is shed for
sinners, in general, that is not enough for us. It must be applied
personally to each of us. We can't do it with the neighbour's faith,
but we ourselves need Christ's blood.

8-10 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and
unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of
it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head
with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let
nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it
until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

"They shall eat the flesh in that night", namely the flesh of the
lamb. We also need to spiritually eat of Christ's flesh, in order to
have eternal life. For Christ said: "Whoso eateth my flesh, and
drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the
last day." John 6:54. And, "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my
blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him." John 6:56.
    They shall eat the flesh of the lamb, not raw, but "roast with
fire." "Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast
with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof."
Likewise the flesh of Christ is roasted with fire, namely with the
fire of God's wrath. God's wrath against the sins is like a burning
fire. And that fire burned Christ, so that He died because of our
sins. In fact we should be roasted with God's fire, but Christ was
killed in our stead. He was the Lamb of God, given for the sins of the
world.
    The shall eat the flesh, together with "unleavened bread",
denoting the newness of life. They had a period of slavery behind
then, and now began a new life. So also we, being saved from the
slavery of sin, let us life a new life with God, in Christ. "Therefore
let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of
malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and
truth." 1 Cor. 5:8.

11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on
your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste:
it is the LORD'S passover.

You shall eat the lamb with "your loins girded", and with "your shoes
on your feet, and your staff in your hand". All these things show that
they should be ready for the journey. They should eat it, prepared to
leave immediately after that. "Ye shall eat it in haste". Let we learn
from this, that we also are ready to depart. Let we prepare ourselves
for the coming of the Lord. Let we always keep in mind that this day
can be the last one. "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights
burning", Luke 12:35. Let us do our work so, as if we expect this day
to be the last one. Is there still some good to do to your neighbour?
Do it then today, and don't put it off.

12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will
smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and
against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.

The LORD will pass through the land to smite all the firstborn. This
last plague will break Pharaoh, so that he will let the people go.
Besides that, the LORD will also judge the Egyptian gods, so that they
may see that there is but one God, the LORD, and none besides Him. All
other gods are dead, are made of wood, stone, gold, silver; cannot
hear nor see nor feel nor help. They all are dead, but our God is the
living God, the Creator of heaven and earth. Let God then judge,
besides the idols of the Egyptians, also our personal gods. Let he
smite our gods, in order that we finally confess that the LORD is God.
For some their belly is their god. But we know what is written:
against all the gods, "I will execute judgment: I am the LORD."

13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye
are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague
shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

They had to strike the blood on the posts of the door. "And when I see
the blood, I will pass over you". Hence the name "passover", because
God passed over the houses with the blood on the door posts. The blood
will be a sign for the Israelites, to strengthen their faith. God
promised to pass over them when there would be blood on the door. So,
if anyone doubted, he could go out and look at the blood. When he
doubted, his faith might be strengthened by looking at that blood. And
also we, when we are not behind the blood of Christ, will be smitten.
But when God sees Christ's blood, applied on us, then He will pass
over us, and not destroy us. Fearful is it for the ungodly, who think
to have no need of blood. Fearful is it for them, because they will be
destroyed. Let we then seek to be safe in Christ.



2.  1 Timothy 6:3-5 - False teachings
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3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even
the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is
according to godliness;
4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes
of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the
truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

If any man teach otherwise, and does not consent to the wholesome
words, I have taught you, he is proud and ignorant. If any man teach
some doctrine different from the doctrine I have delivered you, the
doctrine of Jesus Christ our Lord, he is a man without any knowledge.
The false teachers are doting about questions and strifes of words,
but forsake the wholesome words, which tend to godliness. If any man
differs from sound doctrine, even the words of our Lord and Saviour,
he is knowing nothing. He likes questions, whereof come envy, strife,
railings, evil surmisings. He regards himself the solver of any
doctrinal question, but his words don't promote godliness. Such are
the proud and the ignorant. They think that they are wise, but their
minds are corrupted. They think to have and profess the truth, but in
fact they promote envy and strife. The real truth, however, brings
peace; not strife. So, they think to profess the truth, but their
works testify otherwise. Were they true professors of truth, they
would make peace. But now they are destitute of every truth, and like
the dispute. They forsake every good work, but fill their time with
nothing. From such withdraw yourself, reader, in order that you may
devote yourself to godliness.
    The false teacher thinks that he is wise; at least he wishes to
be regarded wise. But in fact he is sick, namely of mind. Such
teachers and heretics regard the simple doctrine of salvation too
simple, and try to flaunt with higher astutenesses, and with new and
unheard teachings. But they are sick of mind and reason, because they
disregard and reject sound doctrine.
    "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the
good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also
called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." 1
Timothy 6:11,12.



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chr-exp@nic.surfnet.nl
"A Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel"
Institute Practical Bible-education
Web:  http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/ipb-e/ipbe-home.html
Written by Teus Benschop  --  t.benschop@pobox.ruu.nl
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