Exodus Chapter 12 Verses 1-4

:1 “And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 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: 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.” 

As we begin our notes on chapter 12 we are reminded of the words of our Lord that he spoke to some unbelieving Jews in John 5:39: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”  Exodus chapter 12 paints us a beautiful word picture using types to represent the atoning sacrifice of Christ.   

 “And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.”  The use of the word, first, is significant to us in the scriptures.  For instance, we are to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness;” Christ is said to be the “firstborn among many brethren;” he also is the “first-fruits of them that slept;” and we as born again children of God have the “first-fruit” of the Spirit.  These are just a few examples among many where the word first indicates a priority of action or purpose or worship.  In the above scripture, the LORD has indicated that the events that are to take place in that month were of such importance, that the month would be the beginning of months unto the children of Israel.   

“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:” The lamb was to be the representative for the household.  This points us to the fact that Christ is said to be the “Lamb of God.”  As such he is the representative of the entire household of God.  Unlike the children of Israel in Egypt in which there was a lamb sacrificed for each household, this plurality of lambs is not necessary for the household of God as they together are all a part of one household and that is the household of God.  Therefore, Christ represented the entire elect family of God in judgment as he sacrificed himself on the cross for them. 

“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.”  The children of Israel were all to eat of the lamb that night and they were to eat all of the lamb.  Thus, if a household was too small to consume all of the lamb, then they would join with a neighboring household and eat the lamb together.  This teaches us two principles about the atoning work of Christ.  First, we are all made partakers of that atoning work.  Second, the sacrifice of Christ was not a partial work, but a complete work and he sacrificed everything for us.