The purpose of God in bringing upon Egypt such singular plagues was that He might make His name and power known throughout the earth. (Exodus 9:16) It was to reveal to the sons of earth His eternal power and Godhead, thus leaving them without excuse, His intention in short was to reveal His sovereignty to all the earth.

The manner He adopted to accomplish this was to smite "all the gods of Egypt." (12:12) Thus the account of the plagues constitutes an account of Jehovah’s overthrow of Egypt’s gods. For this reason He raised up Pharaoh and hardened his heart. (9:16; Romans 9:14,21)

From these plagues, Jehovah showed Himself greater than the witchcrafts of Jannes and Jambres, the magicians who withstood Moses. (II Timothy 3:8) He demonstrated His sovereignty over Osiris, the god of life, and over Hebi, who was worshipped in the form of a frog. He overthrew Zeb, the god of the land, and Serapis, who was responsible to protect the land. He overthrew Apis, the god of strength and who was worshipped in the form of a bull. He overthrew Neketh, the god of the air, and Ra, the sun god, and who in Pharaoh was supposed to be incarnated.

God showed Pharaoh He could do as lie would with the waters of Egypt. Then in 3 plagues (the frogs, the lice and the flies) He corrupted the land of Egypt before He touched either the animals or the people. He then sent the plague of murrain to afflict the cattle, the horses, the asses, the camels and the sheep of Egypt; after which He brought boils upon both the animals and the inhabitants of the land. Not until then was the person of man afflicted. God is merciful! He then sent 2 plagues {the hail and the locusts) to consume the food supply. Then, God showed that He was sovereign over the day and over the night; and finally, in the death of the first-born, He showed that He was sovereign over life.

Three of the plagues were accomplished through Aaron. God used him to turn the water to blood, to bring up the frogs upon the land, and after them, the lice. (Exodus 7:19; 8:5; 8:16) In 2 plagues (the flies and the murrain) God is not said to have used either Moses or Aaron (8:24; 9:6). Moses was God’s instrument in 4 plagues (the boils, 9:8; the hail, 9:22; the locusts, 10:12; and the darkness, 10:21). God consummated the plagues of Egypt Himself by smiting the first-born of men and animals (12:29).

Few people see the mercy, the goodness and the longsuffering of God in these plagues; nevertheless, before He sent the first plague upon Egypt, God warned Pharaoh He would slay his son if he refused to allow Israel His first-born to go and serve Him. (4:22,23) After the 9th plague, He warned Pharaoh one final time. (11:4-8) No less than 4 times did Jehovah tell Pharaoh the time of a coming plague and give him warning. "Tomorrow shall this sign be." (8:23) "And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, ‘Tomorrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land.’" (9:5) "Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a grievous hail." (9:18) "Else if thou refuse to let My people go, behold tomorrow will I bring the locusts unto thy coast." (10:4) Still Pharaoh refused to allow the children Israel to leave.

God therefore gave commandment that every man who would escape His judgment upon Egypt should take a lamb, and He established an annual feast to be observed perpetually. It involved a sacrifice in which the lamb typified the Lord Jesus who Himself would become both the Sacrifice and the Sacrificer. God later commanded all sacrifices be brought to the Tabernacle, and then to the Temple. This was especially true of the Passover. (Deuteronomy 16:5) The reason therefore there is no sacrifice today for the Jews is because they do not have possession of the Temple area. But to understand the manner in which the feast commemorating the night the Lord "passed over" the land of Egypt, it is necessary to consult the Talmud which contains traditions as well as Law and comments upon the Law.

The Talmud is divided into two sections: the Mishna, containing Oral Law, and the Gemara, which deals with the interpretation of the Law. "The Gemara is also divided into two parts: the Halakah, which contains Codified Law, and the Haggadah, which involves miscellaneous writings such as sermons. Because the Gemara searches into the meaning of the law it is also known as the Midrash.

According to the Talmud, the daily evening sacrifice was killed at 2:30 P.M. and was sacrificed at 3:00 P.M.; but during the Passover, it was killed an hour earlier, and afterwards the Passover. The Passover lamb might be killed first only if one was present to stir the blood to keep it from coagulating until the daily sacrifice was sprinkled.

When the court was filled, the doors were shut. The priests stood in ranks with round-bottomed vessels in hand. Some were made of gold, others were of silver, but none had a rim fashioned on its bottom so as to make it impossible to set it upon the ground lest the blood congeal.

The eldest son served as the priest whereas prior to the institution of this feast, the father acted as the priest as in the case of Job. When the Levitical tribe was consecrated, the eldest son was redeemed and exempt from service --except for the Passover.

The blood was taken and handed from priest to priest until it reached him nearest the altar, He, in turn, took it and "sprinkled" or spattered it at the bottom of the altar. The lamb was then hung up and flayed or skinned. If there was no means to hang it, two priests stood with their arms on each other’s shoulders and the lamb was suspended until it was flayed. All the while they sang the Hallel or the Paschal hymen consisting of Psalms 113-118 which begins, "Praise the Lord.Hallelujah!"

The owner then took home the lamb and the skin. Unlike other sacrifices that were cut up, the Passover was roasted whole on two spits. Iron was forbidden, as was all wood that generated moisture when placed near fire. Therefore the spits were made of pomegranate wood. One spit pierced the tail and was extended to the head of the lamb. "The other spit was transfixed through the shoulders of the victim so that the forelegs extended. The cross was therefore depicted by the poll on which Moses "lifted up the serpent in the wilderness" by the setting of the furniture in the Tabernacle, by the sprinkling of the blood on the door posts and lintel in the first Passover, as well as by the roasting of the Passover lamb.

The master of the house took unleavened bread. No other kind was to be found in Judea. This commenced the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. To obey the Lord’s command to purge out the old leaven, some Israelites provided new vessels, while others reserved a set of vessels exclusively for Passover use. The bread was broken, and the master than gave thanks to God Who had given it to man. Every Jew was forbidden to eat, drink or to use any of God’s creatures without giving thanks to God, and everyone who did so was judged guilty of sacrilege. With the words, "Take, eat," he gave the bread to his family because they were forbidden to take it themselves. He then took the cup and gave thanks; after which it was called the "cup of blessing."

(See: I Corinthians 10:16)

The Passover consisted of pouring out the blood of the lamb and of feeding on his flesh. (See: John 6:51-59) This was followed by a declaration of the great things God had done for His people. Afterwards, they sang a hymn of praise.

Neglect of the Passover cut off a person from Israel. So the contempt of the sacrifice of Christ effectively leaves one cut off from the benefits of it. How amazing a person could be persuaded that a little flour and water kneaded and baked in an oven has become the body of the Creator, and the one to whom all worship "Is to be directed! How amazing anyone can believe that when Christ took bread and broke it that it was His own body that was in His hands! How amazing anyone can be persuaded that when a Roman priest "blesses" the elements by touching them that through what amounts to spiritual incantation he can transform them into the Son of God!

The last supper of our Lord was in celebration of the Passover.

After He exposed Judas to his face, and the traitor left the holy band, our Lord then instituted what has come to be known as the "Lord’s Supper", or "Communion", or, by them who view it as a feast of thanksgiving, as the "Eucharist."

The Passover and the Lord’s Supper are Divinely appointed; one belongs to Israel, the other to spiritual Israel. Both celebrate great deliverances from bondage, yet the Passover observer may yet be in bondage to his passions. Both typify the death of Christ, and therefore unleavened bread should be used, and should be broken symbolizing His body broken. (I Corinthians 10:16) Both require circumcision to observe: circumcision in the flesh for the Passover, of leaven, and the Lord’s Supper, of the leaven of malice and wickedness. (I Corinthians 11:27-29) And both are to be continually observed by each generation.

In conclusion, read Exodus 12:29-51.

LEANNESS OF SOUL

Text: "They soon forgat His works; they waited not for His counsel: but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul." – (Psalms 106: 13-15)

"He gave them their request." How terrible are these words! The people of Israel tempted God by insisting they have their own way. They did not wait upon the wise ordering of His providence. How soon did they forget the works He had done among them! They hungered and thirsted to have their own way until it became an obsession. Their desire became so immoderate it became "lust", or the fever of their soul.

"He gave them their request," but His answer was no sign that He approved their request. It was no sign of His favor. He granted in anger what He had denied in love, and He sent "leanness into their soul."

Their request was not a wise one, yet they insisted on it. But while God gave them their request, He caused them to loathe it.

Prosperity often carries with it the poverty of spiritual desires. Frequently they who are rich in carnal things are lean in things spiritual.

_______________________

Dear Pastor Fellows,

Please delete our name from your mailing list. We have been receiving the Angelus for 6-8 months, and are disturbed by your trend toward political and social issues rather than the Bible.

For instance, in the last issue you made mention of abortion, banking, population, famine, social planners, divorce, poverty, Ferraro, welfare, land titles, the nuclear threat etc.

I do not believe the church should be a platform for political issues.

(signed)

Telephone: (404) 737-8570

Timothy Fellows Pastor

Dear Brother in Christ:

I received your letter and will respect your wishes to have your name deleted from our mailing list. Normally I would not take time to respond, but I am frankly astounded such a person as you would actually believe there is some place where the Law of God does not belong. Natural Law, the Law God has inscribed upon the heart of every man that comes into the world, this Law, also called the Moral Law, should govern every-thing in God’s creation. Should not banking be brought under the righteous Law of God? What in all creation should not be brought into subjection to the Law of the Creator?

You shock me by delegating the murder of children to the realm of politics as if God by His Word has no right to interfere, yet it was God who said, "Thou shall not kill." Murder is contrary to God’s Moral Law. This is not "Christian" Law but in every nation people know by nature it is wicked to murder.

Is God a god that can be restricted to certain areas of life? Has He no business in the realm of education? or banking? or in the area of life? Can the Lord who "sitteth King forever" be "regulated?" Should His influence be "neutralized?" If He is to be confined to the church building and His influence is to reach no further, Christian testimony becomes a sham. How can God who alone is sovereign be confined? Will He sit under our footstool? And, where is the man who can without blasphemy tell the righteous Lord to keep His mouth shut in areas that don’t concern Him? God is not a god who can be manipulated.

You speak as one who is interested in what the Bible teaches, but you choose to ignore the application of Bible truth to everyday life. What a cursed state must the professing church be in when professors of Godliness and of God’s righteousness can ignore the murder of innocent people! If people can tolerate the murder of children, what are they not willing to tolerate for a piece of bread!

It is my prayer that for the love of Jesus Christ you would re-consider your position.

"May God Smile On You." --Bach

Timothy Fellows