Read Exodus 12:3-5 – Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats… ’ (NKJV)
Could there be a more innocent creature than a lamb? Yet, God demands that a spotless lamb or goat be taken from each flock and sacrificed as a protection from God’s judgment. One must imagine such an act to be difficult and perhaps even traumatic for those who must fulfill it. But the contrast between the lamb’s innocence and the people’s guilt must be marked. In the same way, God’s spotlessness proved the only suitable sacrifice for the sins of mankind. The One we cannot stomach to kill was put to death by our sin and for our sin, so that a great miracle could take place—we were given what only He deserved because He was given what we deserve. Killing a spotless animal is much harder than it appears for those who understand the why. And seeing Jesus’ death as a personal gift is truly life-changing for those who really understand its meaning.
– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.
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