The Israelites were slaves in Egypt.  God had sent Moses to Pharaoh to free the Israelites and bring them out of Egypt.  God had brought plague after plague upon the Egyptians to convince them to release the children of Israel, but so far, Pharaoh had not let them go.  Exodus 11:1 “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether.” Exodus 12:1-13 “Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ‘This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 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. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire — its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike 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. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.’’”

This is a description of the first Passover observance as commanded by God.  The Israelites were to sacrifice a lamb and put its blood on the doorposts and lintel of the house.  They were to eat the Passover lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.  That night, God passed through the land of Egypt and killed the firstborn of every household.  But when He saw the blood of the lamb on the door posts and the lintel, He passed over that house and did not destroy any who lived there.  Each year, after that first night, the Israelites were to observe the Passover in remembrance of God delivering them from Egyptian bondage and passing over the houses that were marked with the blood of the lamb.  Lambs were also sacrificed as sin offerings, peace offerings and other sacrifices to God.

Many times, Jesus is referred to as a lamb.  John the Baptist gave this testimony about Jesus.  John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” Christ is the Christian’s Passover lamb.  1 Corinthians 5:7b “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.”  He was crucified during the Passover observance and shed His blood for each of us.  Before His crucifixion, Jesus gave us what we call the Lord’s Supper.  Matthew 26:26-28 “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you.  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’” Just as the Israelites ate the Passover lamb, we too eat our Passover lamb, Jesus, during the Lord’s Supper.  1 Peter 1:18-19 “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” Just like in the Passover where the blood of the lamb was put on the doorpost and the lintel, we have the blood of Jesus given for us so that God the Father passes over us and does not cause us to be destroyed. 

The book of Revelation has many references to Jesus as the lamb – the lamb that redeemed us by His blood. Revelation 5:8-14 “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.’ Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’ And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’ Then the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.” Jesus is worthy to be worshipped and to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing because He obeyed the Father and gave Himself as a sacrificial lamb for our redemption.

I encourage you to praise God that Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.  Revelation 1:5-6 “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”