Lewis Johnson served as a teaching elder and regularly ministered the Word at Believers Chapel in Dallas, Texas for more than thirty years. At the time of his death in 2004 he was Professor Emeritus of New Testament Literature and Exegesis at Dallas Theological Seminary. Both MP3 files and printed notes of Dr. Johnson’s sermons and theological lectures may be downloaded from the web site of the SLJ Institute «www.sljinstitute.net».
An Exposition Of Exodus 12:1-23
Introduction
We have been studying the Old Testament and some of its many passages that anticipate the person and work of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. We have considered the fundamental messianic promise of the seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head (cf. Gen. 3:14–19). We have studied the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham (Gen. 22:1–19). We have recently pondered Jacob’s vision of the ladder at Bethel, a symbol referred finally by our Lord to himself (Gen. 28:1-22; John 1:43-51), and we have recently looked at Jacob’s blessing of Judah, seeing that it ultimately referred to the coming of the real Lion of Judah, David’s Greater Son (Gen. 49:8–12).
These passages are all remarkable—and instructive—but not one of them is more instructive than the one we shall look at now. The Passover celebrated Israel’s deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, and the Lord commanded that it be observed as a permanent ordinance. That the lambs sacrificed on the annual observance of the feast pointed forward to the coming of the Lamb of God whose sacrifice would deliver from the spiritual bondage of sin becomes plain as the Word of God progressively reveals. Isaiah speaks of the Servant of Jehovah going to his death for sin as “a lamb that is led to the slaughter” (53:7). John the Baptist celebrates the beginning of the fulfillment by crying out as the Lord Jesus approaches, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Other passages make the connection (cf. 1 Peter 1:18-19; Rev. 5:6), but it is Paul who settles the matter with his statement: “For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed” (cf. 1 Cor. 5:7).
The lambs of the numerous Passover feasts, then, were God’s pedagogy, instructing Israel to anticipate the appearance of the Son of God, the Lamb to be slain in sacrifice for sin.
One coming again to the old story of the Lamb slain for sinners is inclined to assume that an audience may think it monotonous to go on about the same old thing. That brings to mind an incident in the life of Adoniram Judson, the famous American missionary to Burma (Myanmar). On one occasion he returned home after thirty years of absence. He was invited to speak, and a large audience came to hear him. He arose with all eyes upon him and for about fifteen minutes spoke with much feeling about Christ and his sufferings for us. He spoke of how much we owed him and then sat down. On the way home a friend said to him, “The people are very much disappointed, and they wonder why you did not speak of something else.”
“What did they want?” Judson replied. “I presented to the best of my ability the most interesting subject in the world.” “But they wanted something different—a story,” his friend said. “Well, I am sure I gave them a story—the most thrilling one that can be conceived of.” “But,” the friend replied, “they had heard it before. They wanted something new of a man who had just come from the antipodes.”
Judson replied, “Then I am glad they have it to say that a man coming from the antipodes had nothing better to tell than the wondrous story of the dying love of Jesus. My business is to preach the gospel of Christ; and when I can speak at all, I dare not trifle with my commission. When I looked upon those people today and remembering where I should next meet them, how could I stand up and furnish food for vain curiosity—tickle their fancy with amusing stories, however decently strung together on a thread of religion? That is not what Christ meant by preaching the gospel. And then how could I hereafter meet the fearful charge, “‘I gave you an opportunity to tell them of ME; you spent it in describing your own adventures?’”
So, like C. H. Spurgeon, I have to say that, if Judson could not find anything better to say to his audience after being away for thirty years, I will continue to proclaim with unabated fervor the saving power of the blood of Christ, as seen by type in the Passover service and by reality in Calvary’s cross. [2]
The Directions For The Passover Service, Exodus 12:1-11
The Selection And Slaying Of The Lamb, Verses 1-6
Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb. Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you make take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight.’”The Passover, as is clear from the context, was a memorial of the physical deliverance of the nation Israel from Egyptian bondage through sacrifice. The blood of the Passover lambs was put upon the doorposts and lintels of the houses of the children of Israel in order to escape the death of their firstborn sons by the destroying angel. The deliverance by blood sacrifice becomes an illustration, a type, of the saving and delivering death of Christ, whose cross-death delivers his people from judgment.
The Time Of The Passover, Vv. 2-3
The children of Israel had been in Egypt now for about four hundred years, and the set time for their deliverance had come. The Abrahamic covenant had given promises to Abraham unconditionally and had given his seed the assurance of a glorious future (cf. Gen. 12:1-3). While that covenant had not been fulfilled, God had not forgotten his promises and began to work, therefore, toward their fulfillment. The deliverance from Egypt was a stage along that covenantal way (cf. Exod. 3:1-22; 6:2-9). It was a deliverance by means of judgment—that, too, being reflective of Christ’s saving death (cf. 4:21-23).
The Passover ceremony became for Israel the beginning of their year, for that which it pictures—divine redemption—is the beginning of life for God’s people (cf. Exod. 12:2).
The Sacrifice Of A Lamb
We have space for comment on only a few of the leading features of the Passover ritual. Of course, the most important introductory feature is the fact that a lamb was appointed to be the sacrificial animal. Although anticipated by the sacrifice of the “firstlings of the flock” by Abel and the sacrifice of the “ram” by Abraham for Isaac, the Passover lambs became the origin of much of the later typical teaching regarding the sufferings of the Messiah and the likening of those sufferings to the sacrifice of a lamb (cf. Isa. 52:13-53:12; John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Rev. 5:1-14, etc.).
The Lamb Without Blemish, V. 5
One feature of the ritual that should be noticed is that the Passover lamb chosen for the ritual was to be “without blemish” (v. 5). Moses writes, “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old; you shall take it from the sheep or from the goats” (v. 5). That is surely an onward glance at the antitypical sacrifice of Christ who, in the words of the apostle Peter, ransomed his people with precious blood “like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:19). The figure is designed to portray the necessary sinlessness of the Messiah who, if a sinner, could never redeem other sinners.
The Lamb Kept For Four Days, V. 6a
Moses also said that the chosen lamb of sacrifice should be kept until the fourteenth day of the month. Thus, for four days the lamb was to be kept, apparently to be sure that there were no flaws in its physical being. That, too, is suggestive of our Lord’s ministry. After his conception and birth, he lived an apparently quiet and insignificant existence for thirty years, broken only by the early visit to Jerusalem where he entered the temple and sat among the teachers listening to them and asking them questions, provoking amazement among all present (cf. Luke 2:46-47). After that he submitted to John’s baptism at the age of thirty and heard the Father say, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (cf. Matt. 3:17). That was the voice of divine approval of the silent years. Typically, the Lamb of God had been kept for the time necessary to indicate that he was indeed “without blemish and spot.” And not only did the Father indicate approval of him, the demons (cf. Mark 1:24), the Roman official, Pilate (cf. John 18:38), Judas the betrayer (cf. Matt. 27:4), and the dying thief (Luke 23:41) expressed their approval of him. “The Holy One of God,” “I find no guilt in Him,” “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” and “this man has done nothing wrong” all combine to placard the fact that he was the messianic Lamb without blemish and spot and, therefore, worthy to offer the atoning sacrifice of himself.
The Lamb Slain, 6b
Finally, let us note this point. Moses in his instructions told the children of Israel to “kill” the Passover lamb in the evening (cf. v. 6). Again, one must note the typical application of this, which without question ultimately looks at the slaying of our Lord at Golgotha. One must always remember that it is not the life Jesus lived that saved, but the death he died (cf. Matt. 16:21, “must”). Therefore, the Passover sacrifice must be slain, for there is no forgiveness available for men apart from the shedding of blood (cf. Heb. 9:22).
Coleman Luck, a faithful servant of the Lord now in heaven, has told the following story about Pastor D. M. Stearns, for whom Stearns Hall at Dallas Theological Seminary is named. At the close of a service in Germantown, Pennsylvania some years ago, a stranger came up to speak to Pastor Stearns (a fine gospel preacher of a few generations ago). “I don’t like your preaching,” he said. “I don’t care for the cross. I think that instead of preaching the death on the cross, it would be far better to preach Jesus, the teacher and example.”
“Would you then be willing to follow him if I preach Christ, the example?” asked Mr. Stearns. He then read to the man 1 Peter 2:21, “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.” I would do that,” replied the stranger, “I will follow in his steps.” Pastor Stearns said, “Then, let us take the first step.” He read the very next verse in 1 Peter (2:22), “Who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth.” “Can you take this step?” asked Mr. Stearns. “No,” the man replied, “I do sin, and I acknowledge it.” “Well then,” said Stearns, “your first need of Christ is not as an example, but as a Savior.” [3]
There is another story, often told by H. A. Ironside, that illustrates the necessity of the cross and the blood to save. Some years ago a fearful railroad wreck took a dreadful toll of life and limb in an eastern state. A train, loaded with young people returning from school, was stalled on a suburban track because of what is known as a “hot-box.” Another train was soon due, but a flagman was sent back to warn its engineer in order to avert a rear-end collision. Thinking all was well, the crowd laughed and chatted while the train hands worked on in fancied security. Suddenly the whistle of the other train was heard and on came the heavy train, crashing into the stalled train with horrible effect.
The engineer of the oncoming train saved his own life by jumping, and some days afterwards was hailed into court to account for his part in the calamity. And now a curious discrepancy occurred. He was asked, “Did you not see the flagman warning you to stop?” He replied, “I saw him, but he waved a yellow flag, and I took it for granted all was well, and so went on, though slowing down.”
The flagman was called. “What flag did you wave?” “A red flag, but he went by me like a shot.” “Are you sure it was red?” “Absolutely.”
Both insisted on the correctness of their testimony, and it was demonstrated that neither was color blind. Finally the flagman was asked to produce the flag itself as evidence. After some delay he was able to do so, and then the mystery was explained. It had been red, but it had been exposed to weather so long that all the red was bleached out, and it was now just a dirty yellow.
Then Dr. Ironside would comment, “Oh, the lives eternally wrecked by the yellow gospels of the day—the bloodless gospels of unregenerate men that send their hearers to their doom instead of stopping them on their downward road!” [4]
The Sprinkling Of The Blood, Verse 7
“Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.”The sprinkling of the blood, surely one of the most important parts of the ritual, is here described by Moses. This was the personal application of the ritual commands to each of the homes of the Israelites.
The Eating Of The Lamb, Verses 8-11
“They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails. And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire. Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover.”The typical lessons of this section are more difficult to be certain about, but the eating of the flesh of the roasted lamb suggests the appropriation of the benefits of the suffering Messiah. And the lamb, roasted by fire, together with the bitter herbs and unleavened bread, suggests the atonement accomplished by the bearing of the dreadful penalty of enduring of the wrath of God for sinners. The roasting of it is particularly emphasized, laying stress upon the intensity of the application of the heat. That certainly suggests the intensity of the divine judgment of sin that our Lord bore as God’s Lamb—and ours, too. And the eating of it all emphasizes the completeness of the appropriation of Christ.
The symbols of haste with which they were to eat the meal reminded them of the importance of departure from Egypt, which in Scripture seems often to be associated with the world. Through Christ’s redemption, we as believers are separated from the world and transformed into citizens of the kingdom of the Son of his love (cf. Col. 1:13; Phil. 3:20-21). At the point we are saved, the sphere of our true life becomes heaven, and it is to heaven we look now for the Savior and our complete deliverance at his coming.
The Deliverance Of The Lord, Verses 12-13
The Smiting Of The Egyptians, Verse 12
“For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord.”Earlier God had told Moses that deliverance would come to his people, while judgment awaited Pharaoh’s people. The two peoples had a different standing before the Lord God by virtue of the unchangeable and inviolable promises made to the fathers. As God had said, “But against any of the sons of Israel a dog will not even bark, whether against man or beast, that you may understand how the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel” (11:7).
Thus, in the fulfilling of his word, God said, “For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord” (v. 12).
The smiting of the firstborn would be an execution of judgment against all the gods of Egypt and their people. A death in every house in the land would occur, either the death of the firstborn or the death of a lamb. What a meaningful fact!
The spiritual counterpart of the event is clear. All must die because of sin (cf. Ezek. 18:4, 20; Rom. 6:23). And all do die, either in their sins under the judgment of God personally, or in the person of their Representative, their covenantal Head, the Lord Jesus Christ. The unsaved die in their sins; the saved in their Substitute. And further, having died in their Substitute, heaven has no further claims against them. They are free forever. What a magnificent salvation we have through the Substitute provided for the elect through grace! Oh! may he have our gratitude and loving service forever.
The Security Of The Israelites, Verse 13
The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.In the thirteenth verse, after reminding Moses that the blood is to be put on the door posts and the lintel, God says, “The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” The verb translated here “pass over” is not a word of omission, but of protection. It is not that the Lord will skip over the houses with the blood to those that do not have it. The Hebrew word (פָּסַח [pāsaḥ]) is not easy to define, for its usages are not numerous. It has been given the meaning of “to limp” (cf. 1 Kings 18:21) or “to leap over.” [5] I think the clue to its meaning is found in Isaiah 31:5, where it refers to the protection of Jerusalem by Yahweh [the Lord]. [6 ]He is compared to birds that hover over their young with outspread wings to protect them. [7] The idea is set out in more detail in Exodus 12:23 where we read, “For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you.” Since the destroying angel exists under God’s control, he cannot enter the houses under the protecting hand of God. One is reminded of Peter’s words in the same chapter of his first epistle in which he refers to the Lord Jesus “as of a lamb unblemished and spotless” (1 Peter 1:19)—”who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). [8]
There are some important spiritual truths illustrated here. In the first place, it is clear that the safety of the Israelites depended upon the blood shed and sprinkled on the doorposts. It did not depend upon their sense of sin, or upon the possession of certain graces, or upon any spiritual experiences they may have had. It depended upon the blood. With the blood in the proper place they were safe. Our spiritual salvation depends upon the blood of the cross alone. With that sprinkled upon the doorposts of our hearts we are as safe as a prophet or an apostle. It is the blood of the cross that is the foundation of our salvation.
In the second place, the certainty of their salvation depended upon the word of God. It was he who promised that, if they would put the blood on the door, he would pass over them. So, while their safety depended upon the blood, their certainty, or assurance of safety, depended upon the faithfulness of God to his word and their confidence in him. It was entirely possible for some who had put the blood on the door to still be in a state of anxiety over their safety. Their safety, however, did not depend upon their state of mind, but simply upon the presence of the blood upon the doorpost. So, in our salvation our safety depends upon the blood of Christ shed on the cross, but our assurance of safety depends upon our confidence in what God has said.
George Pentecost in his studies in Exodus has written, “There is among the Hebrews a legend of two sisters who that night had, with the rest of their household, gone into their dwellings. One of them stood all ready to depart, and began quietly eating her portion of the roast body of the lamb (a type of the soul feeding upon Christ), her mind at perfect peace and rest. The other was walking about the dwelling, full of terrible fear lest the destroying angel should penetrate therein. This one reproached her sister for being so careless and confident, and finally asked her how it was that she could be so full of assurance when the angel of death and judgment was abroad in the land. The reply was, ‘Why, sister, the blood. He will pass over us. Now I have no right to doubt God’s Word, although I would be uneasy if I doubted the blood’s having been shed.’” [9]
There is an authentic story told of an aged minister who had preached the gospel in clarity and power during all his public life, but who, when he was suffering at times, found himself greatly beset by doubt and uncertainty. Mentioning the matter to his wife, she drew his attention to John 5:24. As he read the precious words again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life,” he burst into a joyous laugh, and said, “How strange that I should ever forget words like these, when I have preached on them myself for years.”
Sometime later his wife came into the room and found her aged husband leaning over the side of the bed, holding the open Bible beneath the couch. She exclaimed, “Whatever are you doing?” He answered, “Satan has been after me again, and as he is the prince of darkness. I took it that he would be in the darkest place in the room, which is under the bed, and so I was just showing him John 5:24; and the moment he saw it he ceased to trouble me.” [10]
We can quite understand the mental frailty of such an elderly person, but the principle is true. When the adversary of your soul comes against you seeking to destroy your confidence, show him what God has said.
The Duty Of The People, Verses 21-23
Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you.”
The duty of the Israelites is summed up in the words of verse 22, “You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply [“strike,” KJV] some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.” The act corresponds to the act of faith in the New Testament, for that is the means of the application of the blood of Christ to the heart.
The striking of the lintel and the two doorposts is important. Many have believed in the shed blood, but not in the sprinkled blood—that is, many have given assent to the sacrifice of Christ but have not entrusted themselves to him in a personal way. It was not the lamb tied, nor the blood simply in the basin, but the blood sprinkled on the door that saved.
Conclusion
It is remarkable that both our Lord and the apostle Paul specifically teach that the Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Passover ritual. In the last Passover and first Lord’s Supper, the Lord Jesus plainly taught that he was the Passover Lamb by commanding that he be remembered in the meetings of the saints by a repetition of the Lord’s Supper. Although Israel had been admonished by the Lord to observe the Passover service “as a permanent ordinance” (Exod. 12:14), the Lord Jesus now admonishes believers to continually eat the bread and drink the wine throughout time until he comes “in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19; cf. 1 Cor. 11:24-25). It was a clear claim that he is the Passover Lamb, and in observing the Lord’s Supper they were observing the Passover ritual in its intended fulfillment.
Paul, too, makes the connection saying, “For Christ our Passover [‘our paschal lamb,’ RSV] also has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7).
That brings me to one final appeal. Realizing that it is not simply the living Lamb, nor even the shed blood of the Lamb, but the sprinkling of the shed blood of the slain Lamb that saves, have you sprinkled the blood?
August Van Ryn has sought to show the difference between believing a fact and making that fact one’s own in experience in this way: “I was walking some years ago with a brother in an eastern city, and as we passed a large building this fellow believer pointed to it, and said, ‘Van, they put eighty-two millions in silver bars in that building the other day.’ Now that statement did not thrill me in the least. What were eighty-two million dollars to me? Nothing at all. You see, that man left out two words. If he had said, ‘There are eighty-two millions for you in that building,’ what a thrill that would have been! If he had made it only a million for me, I might have managed to get along with that, but he left me out altogether. You can easily see—can’t you—what a difference there is between eighty-two million dollars and eighty-two million dollars for you.” And then Mr. Van Ryn concluded with, “Have you ever really believed then that Christ died for you?” [11]
That is my appeal to my readers, too. In the spirit of Charles Haddon Spurgeon’s words, “I have dwelt sufficiently on the efficacy of the blood, but no tongue of seraph can ever speak its worth. I must go home to my chamber and weep because I am powerless to tell this story adequately.” [12] I appeal to you in the name of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, give yourself to him in faith, relying upon his atoning blood to save your soul. May God help you to see and sing,
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins,
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day,
And there may [you], though vile as he,
Wash all [your] sins away. [13]
Notes
- This is article five in a twelve-part series, “Anticipations of the Messiah in the Old Testament. Editor’s note: The previous article in this series (“Judah Praised, Triumphant, and Reigning in the Coming One”) was mistakenly identified as article three in the series (cf. EmJ 19 [2010], 31, n. 1). It should have been identified as article four.
- The anecdote about Judson is found in Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “The Blood,” in The Treasury of the Bible (reprint ed., Grand Rapids: Baker, 1981), 1:218.
- George Coleman Luck, “The Passover—A Type of Christ” (Th.M. thesis, Dallas Theological Seminary, May, 1943), 20-21.
- H. A. Ironside, Illustrations of Bible Truth (Chicago: Moody, 1945), 62-63.
- HALOT, s.v. “פָּסַח,” 2:947, has “limp by,” “pass by” or “spare.” BDB, s.v. “פָּסַח,” 820, has “pass or spring over.” These lexicons suggest two meanings for the verb: “to be lame, to limp,” and “to pass over.” As Glasson notes, grammarians are divided over whether there are two identical Hebrew words with these different meanings or whether it is the same verb used in two different ways. However this question is decided, it is clear that in four verses (Exod. 12:13, 23, 27; Isa. 31:5) the verb is generally taken to mean, “to pass over” (T. Francis Glasson, “The ‘Passover’, a Misnomer: The Meaning of the Verb Pasach,” JTS, New Series, 10 [April, 1959], 79-84 [esp. 79]). Glasson goes on to suggest that the verb “to pass over” has the sense in Exodus 12 of “defend, protect.”
- “Like flying birds so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it; he will pass over and rescue it” (Isa. 31:5). Glasson notes that in Isaiah 31:5 the verb “pasach is coordinated with words meaning ‘defend, protect’, the picture being that of a bird protectively hovering over its nest and young ones; and if we transfer this meaning to Exodus 12 we obtain an excellent sense” (“The ‘Passover’, A Misnomer,” 79). Cf. also: J. B. Segal, The Hebrew Passover from the Earliest Times to a.d. 70, London Oriental Series, vol. 12 (London: Oxford University Press, 1963), 97. Segal saw in Isaiah 31:5 an allusion to the Passover. Oehler argued from the immediate context (Isa.30:29) “that it is the Passover that is alluded to” in Isaiah 31:5 (Gustav Friedrich Oehler, Theology of the Old Testament, trans. George E. Day [Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1873; reprint ed., New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1883], 346).
- Ashby argued that this view is untrue to basic bird behavior. “No bird hovers over its young” (Godfrey Ashby, Sacrifice: Its Nature and Purpose [London: SCM, 1988], 69). He did concede that kites patrol their nests, and eagles stand over their nestlings with wings stretched out. One might also mention Jesus’ comparison of his desire to protect Jerusalem to a hen that gathers her chicks under her wings (Matt. 23:37; Luke 13:34).
- Cf. R. Alan Cole, Exodus: An Introduction and Commentary, TOTC (London: Tyndale, 1973), 108, 110; Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, NICOT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969), 2:378-79.
- George F. Pentecost, “Out of Egypt”: Bible Readings on the Book of Exodus (London: Morgan and Scott, n.d.), 162.
- The source of this story, which I have in my notes, I am no longer able to document.
- August Van Ryn, His Appointments: Lectures on the “Feasts of the Lord” as Recorded in Leviticus 23 (New York: Loizeaux, 1944), 21-22.
- Spurgeon, “The Blood,” 221.
- William Cowper, “There is a Fountain,” Hymn 196 in The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration, eds. Tom Fettke and Ken Barker (Waco, TX: Word, 1986).
No comments:
Post a Comment