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Overland Monthly / OV093 - God's Chosen People (VII. The Passover of the First-Borns)
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OV93 VII. The Passover of the First-Borns
BY C. T. RUSSELL Pastor Brooklyn Tabernacle
A MEMORIAL of first rank with the
Israelites is the Passover. It celebrates one of the most momentous
chapters in their history. It stands at the beginning of their
ecclesiastical year, as the Day of Atonement stands near the beginning
of their civil year. It is associated with their national birth. The
Scriptures declare that God at that particular time had brought to the
throne of Egypt a Pharaoh of indomitable will.
The Scriptures declare that whereas other
persons might have been in line for the throne, God specially favored
this manÂ’s attaining it in order that through his natural
stiffneckedness and obstinacy Divine power might be manifested in one
after another of the plagues which his course would make necessary and
proper. We read, "For this very purpose have I raised thee up, that I
might show forth my power in thee." (#Ex 9:16.)
The ten plagues sent upon the Egyptians were manifestations of Divine
Justice in opposition to their unjust treatment of GodÂ’s Chosen People.
The last of the ten stands related to our subject, The Passover. The
edict sent forth was that all of the first-born of the Egyptians should
die, and that the first-born of the Israelites should not die. And the
Chosen People residing in Egypt were directed to take special steps
whereby to mark themselves as separate and distinct from the Egyptians.
They were to take for each family a lamb without blemish and bring it
into the house on the tenth day of the first month. They were to
cherish it and care for it until the fourteenth day, and then to slay
it. Its blood was to be sprinkled on the outside doorpost and lintels
while its flesh was to be roasted in the fire without a bone of it
being broken. It was to be eaten in the night of the fourteenth with
bitter herbs and with unleavened bread. On the morrow, in the strength
of this food, they were to march forth out of Egypt to go to the Land
of Promise for an inheritance under the Covenant made with Abraham.
The Destroying Angel Passed Over.
The results were as the Lord by the mouth
of Moses had foretold. The first-borns of the Egyptians died in that
night, but the first-borns of the Chosen People were passed over or
spared. This notable miracle was memorialized by Divine direction, and
every year at the appropriate season a lamb was taken on the tenth day
into each of the houses of the Israelites, one for each family or
group. All leaven was put away from their dwellings. Everything
representing corruption was burned, and unleavened bread alone was
eaten with the lamb. The annual celebration of the Passover was for
eight days, the first and the eighth day being high days, or to be
specially commemorated. On the occasion of our recent visit to
Jerusalem we gauged the time so as to be present in Jerusalem at the
Passover season, knowing that it is not only the oldest Jewish
institution, but the most joyous festival of the Chosen People. It
celebrates one of the earliest manifestations
OV94 of Divine favor toward them, and
reminds them of the prophecies which declare that at some future time
God will manifest himself in their favor still more markedly; as it is
written, "It shall no more be said, The Lord liveth that brought up the
Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but, The Lord liveth that
brought up the Children of Israel from the land of the North, and from
all the lands whither he had driven them." (#Jer 16:14  ,15.)
Again, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a New
Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not
according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day
that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt,
which my Covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them,
saith the Lord." (#Jer 31:31 ,32.)
The intimation here again is that this deliverance from Egypt at the
Passover time, the most notable event in the past history of the Chosen
People, will be cast entirely into the shade when the due time shall
come for establishing with Israel the New Covenant—old in respect to
the Law and the Divine requirements, but new in the sense that it will
be based upon better sacrifices and have a better Mediator, able to do
for Israel exceedingly better things than Moses, the Mediator of the
Sinai Covenant, was able to accomplish—noble as he was in his every
endeavor to serve the people as their Mediator. It is of this better
Mediator and the better Covenant which he would accomplish for them
that Moses spoke, saying, "A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up
unto you of your brethren, like unto me (but greater—antitypical of
me); him shall ye hear in all things, whatsoever he shall say unto you.
And it shall come to pass that every soul which will not hear that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people."—#Ac 3:22,23; #De 18:15.
The Passover at Jerusalem.
On the eve of the Passover, every Jewish
family was in preparation for it. As the tenth day of the first month
of the Jewish calendar had passed before our arrival, we did not
witness the selection of the lambs for the families. The lambs had
already been taken into the homes. We were in time, however, to note
the various preparations for the feast. Each householder cleaned house
for the occasion and searched every nook and corner for old bones or
anything decaying and malodorous, and everything of food containing any
corruption; and all such refuse was burned.
Not only so, but after the actual
cleansing had taken place a ritualistic or formal procedure was
practiced. The head of the family, with a lighted candle, followed by
the members of the household, made an inspection of the entire house.
The killing and roasting of the lamb was quite a procedure. A stick was
run through the entire length of the animal and also another stick
crosswise, was used by some, thus unintentionally giving the suggestion
of a cross, for nothing is at present further from the minds of the
Chosen People than that their lamb represents Jesus, the Crucified One.
The family gathered around the common dish, and while many now use
knives and forks and spoons, others of the people seem to preserve the
custom of early times and use their fingers to a considerable extent.
Some had the modern matzos, but very many appeared to use the old style
of unleavened bread, which more resembles thick pancakes. These are
rather tough and pliable. One of them bent in the fingers serves fairly
well as a spoon, which is consumed in the usage, sometimes being
saturated in the juices for a specially tasty bite. The eating is
supposed to be done in the manner to remind one of the original
occasion, when the Israelites ate with their outer garments on, ready
for immediate departure for the Land of Promise.
In every family the householder, as
directed by Moses, explained to the family the meaning of the feast—its
origin as connected with the beginning of the Jewish national life.
This eating of the lamb, according to the Law belonged to the
fourteenth day of the first month. Following it on the fifteenth day
began the festival of rejoicing celebrating the grand deliverance from
the power of Pharaoh and the Red Sea. It was not our privilege to
continue in Jerusalem for the eight days. But the first great day of
the feast certainly saw
OV95 the Holy City at the time of its
greatest exhilaration. Not only was the occasion one of special
interest to the Jews who constituted a majority of the population, but
likewise it was a time of general prayer and holiday with the Greek and
Armenian Christians and the Mohammedans who together constitute a
considerable proportion of the population. The old Christian communions
still celebrate the date of our LordÂ’s death and resurrection, after
the manner of the early church, according to the Jewish style of
calculation, from which the Roman Catholic and daughter systems
slightly departed long centuries ago. This accounts for the fact that
this year the Roman Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutheran Churches
celebrated Good Friday and Easter Sunday—March 25-27—while the
celebration which we witnessed was a month later, April 22-24. We
therefore had the pleasure of noting the Greek and Armenian celebration
of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
The Meaning and Interpretation.
For thirty-five centuries GodÂ’s Chosen
People, obedient to the Divine Direction, have celebrated the memorial
"Passover," seeing merely its outward signification and not for a
moment realizing the true significance of the grand fact which they
celebrate—that it typified a grand feature of the Divine Program of
great value to them and to all mankind. The lamb they slew typified
"the Lamb of God," Jesus, whose death constitutes the Ransom-Price for
the sins of the whole world. His death was necessary before the promise
to Abraham and through him to the Chosen People could possibly have
fulfillment. A redemption from sin, to be everlastingly efficacious,
must be based upon a better sacrifice than the literal lamb repeated
annually. It was not only necessary that Jesus become a man in order to
give his life a sacrifice for mankind (Adam and his race), but it was
necessary, additionally, that having finished the sacrificing work he
should ascend up on High to JehovahÂ’s right hand, to be the Spiritual
Messiah, who in due time will accomplish for the Chosen people all the
gracious promises made to them in the Covenant with Abraham, in which
they trust, and in harmony with which they will be used of the Lord in
conveying His blessings to all nations, peoples and tongues. A
sin-condemnation was on the world—"The wages of sin is death." Man’s
penalty must be met before this condemnation of death could be fully
and forever set aside—before man could be entirely and forever lifted
out of death conditions back to eternal life and into harmony with his
Creator. In harmony with the Divine arrangement, Jesus first offered
himself to Israel as their King. But Israel saw not how he could be
their Messiah, because he had neither wealth nor armies nor influential
friends: they disdained him as a deceiver. When he declared himself the
Son of God and their Deliverer, they thought him an impostor and
blasphemer, and worthy of death. After sentencing him in their own
Sanhedrin Court, not having the authority to execute him themselves,
they charged him with the only crime which the Roman Governor would
hear—treason to the Roman Emperor. By threatening Pilate that they
would associate him with Jesus in treason, they finally effected the
crucifixion of the Antitypical Passover Lamb. He was stretched upon the
cross much after the manner in which they impaled their Passover lamb
for its roasting.
On the Tenth of the First Month.
Additionally, let us note the fact that
just at the appropriate time, namely, the tenth day of the first month,
when the Chosen People were taking up their lambs for the Passover,
Jesus presented himself as the Lamb of God, and was rejected. His
presentation was on the exact day and in exactly the manner prescribed
by the Prophet Zechariah, "Behold thy King cometh unto thee; he is
just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass ...He shall
speak peace unto the heathen; and his dominion shall be from sea to
sea, and from the river even unto the ends of the earth." (#Zec 9:9,10.)
This was fulfilled to the very letter, as we have already seen. It was
fulfilled as the Prophet foretold, on the very day that IsraelÂ’s
"double" of experiences began. The Chosen People were blinded with
self-satisfaction and repudiated the lowly King and refused to accept
him as their Lamb and to receive him into their
OV96 hearts and homes. Nevertheless, he
proceeded to fulfill this wonderful type. As the antitypical Passover
Lamb, he died on the fourteenth day, exactly in accord with the type.
Forthwith, some of the Chosen People received a great blessing through
him—the Apostles of Jesus and others of the people whose hearts were in
a humble, obedient and faithful condition. These fed upon the Lamb and
the unleavened bread of GodÂ’s Grace through him. These recognized the
blood of Jesus as sprinkled upon the door-posts and the lintels of the
hearts of the "household of faith." These, very shortly afterward, were
enabled to celebrate, and they still commemorate, the death of the Lamb
of God as being the foundation for all their hopes and joys and
blessings. These have therefore a continual season of refreshing in the
favor of the Lord, whether they be poor or rich, whether their honors
be many or few as respects earthly things. These were recognized by the
Father on the fiftieth day after Jesus became by resurrection "the
Sheaf of the first fruits"—on the Day of Pentecost. He received them to
a higher plane, begetting them of the Holy Spirit and engaging with
them that if faithful in following in the footsteps of Jesus, they may
be sharers with the Lamb of God in his great triumph and Spiritual
Kingdom, through which the earthly blessings will very shortly begin to
come to God’s Chosen People—Israel.
Not only will Messiah be King of the
Jews, but, as the prophecy of Zechariah declares, "His Kingdom shall be
from sea to sea (world-wide.) All nations shall recognize his power and
glory, and unto him every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, to
the glory of Jehovah. Israel will receive the glorious Messiah promised
to them, when in power and great glory he shall be revealed in the end
of this age.
They, meantime, will have missed (except the remnant of #Isa 10:21-23 ) the honor offered to them first of constituting his Spiritual Bride. (#Ps 45:9-14.) But, then, God foreknew and through the Prophets foretold this. (#Isa 10:22 ; #Isa 1:9 .)
And, anyway, Jehovah kept hidden the fact that MessiahÂ’s Kingdom would
be a spiritual one. Not one promise of a Spiritual Messiah was given
either in the Law or the Prophets. Every promise from Genesis to
Malachi is earthly. Even to Abraham the promise reads, "All the land
which thou seest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed after thee."
Israel has not lost this promise. Not only are the Chosen People
represented in the Spiritual Seed of Abraham most prominently, but now
shortly Abraham and all their faithful prophets are to be made "Princes
(rulers) in all the earth." (#Ps 45:16)
—then the seed of Abraham will be uplifted and made the channel of
Divine blessings to all peoples. "God has not cast away his people whom
he foreknew." He is about to fulfill to them every good promise under
his New Covenant of #Jer 31:31 —under its greater Mediator and grander antitypical priesthood symbolized by Melchizedek (#Ps 110:4) and foretold by #Mal 3:1-3 .
Like Unto Moses, but Greater.
According to JehovahÂ’s Plan, the
Messianic King will stand as Mediator between God and Israel—as the
antitype of Moses—the antitypical Priest, King, Messiah, long-promised.
The fact that he will not be in the
flesh, but a spiritual Messiah, instead of decreasing his glory and
power, will augment them. Earthly glory the Israelites will
have—earthly blessings beyond their fondest dreams, from the hand of
him whom Jehovah has highly exalted as "the Son of David the King of
Israel." Thus from Israel, under the New Covenant through IsraelÂ’s
Mediator, a way of approach to God will be opened up for all the
Gentiles. Thus it is written, "Many people shall go and say, Come ye,
and let us go up to the Mountain (Kingdom) of the Lord, to the house of
the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in
his paths; for out of Zion (the Spiritual Kingdom) shall go forth the
Law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (the earthly Kingdom of
Israel restored.) (#Isa 2:3 .)
And it shall come to pass that the nation that will not thus recognize
Jerusalem as the Government of God then and there established—upon that
same nation there shall be no rain (no special blessing.)—#Isa 2:3 . Notice how this item respecting the blessing of the Gentiles is mentioned by
OV97 the Prophet Zechariah. We read:
"Messiah shall speak peace to the Gentiles." But this blessing of peace
will come primarily to GodÂ’s Chosen People and proceed through them to
the Gentiles. Not only so, but the same holds good in respect to the
selection of Spiritual Israelites. We have already noticed how some of
the Chosen People, a "remnant," as the Prophet declares, were ready for
Messiah and did receive Jesus and received the Pentecostal blessing.
These, as we have noted, were the Apostles of the Christian Church and
the earliest representatives of the same; but after giving the first
opportunity for the spiritual blessings to the Chosen People, Messiah
favored and spoke peace also to the Gentiles in respect to the
Spiritual Seed of Abraham. And so the Gospel of Grace, or invitation to
become members or associates with Messiah on the spirit plane, has
been, in GodÂ’s Providence, extended to the Gentiles throughout this
Gospel Age—to whomsoever of them has had the hearing ear and the
understanding and obedient heart. Thus of both Jews and Gentiles
Jehovah has been selecting worthy individuals for association with his
Son, the Redeemer. These are but a "little flock" out of nominal
millions. To this "little flock" the Redeemer said, "Fear not, little
flock; it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom"—the
Kingdom that is to bless Israel, and, through Israel, to speak peace to
all Gentiles—to every member of Adam’s race—to afford all a full
opportunity of return from sin and death conditions to harmony with God
and everlasting life. Ah, yes, there are precious lessons and blessings
in the Passover type, and in its antitype, for GodÂ’s Chosen People,
when GodÂ’s due time shall come.
He declares that the condition of
blindness and being outcast from his favor which has prevailed with the
Chosen People for more than eighteen centuries is not to prevail
forever, but merely until he shall have gathered, first from Israel,
and subsequently from the Gentiles, his "elect" associates on the
spirit plane. Then all Israel shall be recovered from this blindness,
and blessings shall come to them in abundant measure. Their casting off
and blinding as a nation are intended of God to work out for them a
national blessing. Under adverse conditions they have been held
together as a people condemned as a whole, that they might receive
mercy as a whole.—#Ro 25:30-32.
The Church of the First-Born.
Be it remembered that not all of the
Israelites were in danger that night in which the Passover lamb was
eaten—only the first-born of the Chosen People were passed over.
A little later, God exchanged the
first-born of every family for an entire tribe—the tribe of Levi. Hence
that one tribe thereafter represented those saved by the passing over
of the destroying angel—saved by the blood of the lamb and the eating
of its flesh with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. Two types blend in
this:
(1) The spiritual Israelites to whom we
have already referred constitute the primary type: Of these the
glorified Messiah is the great High Priest—the antitype of Aaron who
sacrificed, and of Melchizedek, who sat a priest upon his throne.
AaronÂ’s sons typified the saintly few who, through evil report and good
report, have followed their Master in sacrifice faithfully unto death.
As we have seen, the first of these were called out from GodÂ’s Chosen
People. When not a sufficient number of these were ready, the remainder
were accepted from among the Gentiles, because these were actuated by
the faith and obedience of Abraham.
(2) Additionally, there is a class of
faithful but less zealous followers of Jesus who have done noble work
of service, but have failed to some extent of the proper sacrificing
spirit. These, who correspond to the Levites, are similarly called from
both Jews and Gentiles. Unitedly these two classes, typed in the
Priests and Levites, constitute "the church of the first-borns whose
names are written in heaven." They are "a kind of first-fruits unto God
of his creatures." (#Jas 1:18 .)
These, together, selected primarily from GodÂ’s Chosen People and
secondly from the Gentiles, were typified in the first-born of Israel
who were passed over in that night, when the first-born of Egypt were
slain. Thus we see that this Gospel Age, from the time of the first
Advent
OV98 of Jesus to the time of the setting
up of the Messianic Kingdom, is the nighttime when darkness covers the
earth (the civilized earth) and gross darkness the heathen.
The blood of Jesus, the Passover Lamb (#1Co 5:7),
is sprinkled upon the door-post by the household of faith and they are
under its protection and may share in the unleavened bread of Truth,
and in the strength and blessing freely provided by the Sacrifice and
accepted and incorporated by the believer.
After-Borns as Well as First-Borns.
A great mistake has been made by many of
us in the past in supposing that only the first-born passed over by
God’s Providence—passed from death unto life—during this Gospel night,
are to be saved. A glance at the picture or type given to us through
GodÂ’s Chosen People in their Passover shows us clearly to the contrary.
Instead of the first-born of Israel being the only saved ones, the
narrative shows that following the dark night came a morning of
blessing and joy and going forth from bondage—not merely for the
first-born, but for all Israel. As in the type the first-born became
the Priests and Levites, the religious leaders of the people out of
darkness and slavery into emancipation and light, so the Church of
Messiah, elected during this Gospel Age from Jews and Gentiles, will
lead forth Israel—all the tribes of God’s Chosen People, from the power
of Sin and Death, in due time—in the morning of the New Dispensation,
the Messianic Kingdom. Moses, who led forth GodÂ’s Chosen People in type
represented this great Messiah on the spirit plane, who will shortly
lead forth his people Israel and grant to them all the blessings and
privileges and favors included in the Abrahamic promise—and more,
doubtless, than we have yet appreciated. The fact that only GodÂ’s
Chosen People were delivered from Egyptian bondage—that only they
crossed the Red Sea dry shod—that only they had the special Divine
providences of the Wilderness, should not be understood to signify that
the Messiah will bless the natural seed of Abraham only. The blessing
will come first to GodÂ’s Chosen People, who for the fathersÂ’ sakes are
beloved still and who are to be brought into Covenant relationship with
God. Other nations are not included in the type because in order to
come into fellowship and relationship with God through the great
Mediator, the Messiah, they will needs become citizens of Zion, members
of GodÂ’s Chosen People. This may astonish some noble Christian people,
some well-versed Bible students, because many of these have evidently
overlooked certain features of the Divine Promise respecting the New
Covenant. That Covenant, we are distinctly told, is to be made between
God and His Chosen People, and not with any other nation. And thus it
will be that according to GodÂ’s Covenant and oath to Abraham, "All the
families of earth shall be blessed" through Israel. The making of the
New Law Covenant with Israel will bless the other nations because the
opportunity will be granted to every nation and people to come under
the terms of that New (Law) Covenant mediated by the Greater than
Moses. To come under that Covenant will mean a full subordination to
the Divine Law as expressed in the Law of Moses and the high
interpretation of the same—Love the fulfilling of the Law.
The Great Messiah, who will thus bless
GodÂ’s Chosen People first, will be pleased to serve all nations and
peoples as they shall prove willing to accept his favors and to conform
to the Divine Laws. Thus all nations will gradually become of the seed
of Abraham during MessiahÂ’s reign. And thus in the end of MessiahÂ’s
reign, the promise of God to Abraham will have fulfillment. "Thy seed
shall be as the stars of heaven and as the sand of the sea for
multitude." Here the two seeds are clearly set forth—
(1) The Spiritual or Messianic Seed, the Antitypical Priests and Levites on the spirit plane, symbolized by the stars.
(2) Israel absorbing the obedience of all
the nations of earth through MessiahÂ’s mediation of the New Covenant
will swell the seed of Abraham until, at the close of MessiahÂ’s
Kingdom, all mankind will be in and of GodÂ’s Chosen People; because all
who will refuse to hear, to obey that Prophet, Priest and King, Greater
than Moses, will be cut off from life in the Second Death—everlasting
destruction.
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