Understanding Biblical Customs

As with context, we need to know about the law and why Israelites were told to observe various sacrifices and holy days. Otherwise, the New Testament makes little sense.

Animals were sacrificed for forgiveness in place of us because they can't sin. Right from the start, God killed an animal and clothed Adam and Eve with its skin to cover their nakedness.

One important custom is the slaughter of the Passover lamb. The Passover is symbolic of God's grace covering his people, protecting them from death. Exodus 12:12 and 13(BBE) reads, "For on that night I will go through the land of Egypt, sending death on every first male child, of man and of beast, and judging all the gods of Egypt: I am the Lord. And the blood will be a sign on the houses where you are: when I see the blood I will go over you, and no evil will come on you for your destruction, when my hand is on the land of Egypt."

This is why John the Baptist said what he said in John 1:29 (BBE). "John sees Jesus coming to him and says, See, here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" Christ was that pure and unspotted lamb who was sacrificed for all."

We also see that none of his bones were broken. John 19:36 (BBE) says, "36   These things came about so that the Writings might be true, No bone of his body will be broken.

Why was that detail important? John referred to Exodus 12:46 (BBE) which instructed Israelites about the Passover lamb, "It is to be taken in one house; not a bit of the flesh is to be taken out of the house, and no bone of it may be broken."

In fact, the entire worship process pointed to Christ who was the reality of these types and shadows. Hebrews 8:5 says of the priesthood, "Being servants of that which is a copy and an image of the things in heaven, as Moses, when he was about to make the Tent, had special orders from God: 'for, See,' he said, 'that you make everything like the design which you saw in the mountain.'"

And as Hebrews 10:1 (BBE) explains, "For the law, being only a poor copy of the future good things, and not the true image of those things, is never able to make the people who come to the altar every year with the same offerings completely clean." Only Christ could do that.

This is a large topic and I'm sure it could make a whole book's worth of commentary. I'll add just a small portion of it to my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? The Old Testament pointed to Christ and understanding that truth is crucial to our growth in faith.

Saturday's song will be about a band's call for us all to work together.