by Polly Griffin

Lamb #1

Long, long ago there was a man named Abram who was married to a woman named Sarai.

God made a covenant with Abram saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates. (Genesis 15:18)

Now Sarai bare Abram no children, but she had a handmaiden named Hagar. She told Abram to go into Hagar and have a child by her. He did and Hagar became pregnant. She bore a son named Ishmael.

God told Abram that His covenant was with him. God changed Abram's name to Abraham.

God told Abraham to circumcise all males of his seed and all males purchased with money.

God said that Sarai's name would be Sarah and that He would bless her and she would give him a son. She would be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

With this statement, "Abraham fell upon his face and laughed. He said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?"

God said that Sarah would indeed bear him a son and his name shall be called Isaac, and He would establish His covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his seed after him.

God also blessed Ishmael. He said that Ishmael would beget 12 princes and he would make him a great nation. However, he said His covenant would be with Isaac.

Sarah did bear Isaac. As Isaac and Ishmael grew, Sarah did not like Hagar and Ishmael. She asked Abraham to cast them out from their home. God told Abraham to do what Sarah asked. She said He would also make Ishmael a mighty nation. Abraham obeyed.

Then God decided to test Abraham's faith in Him. He told him to take his son, Isaac, that he loved, and offer him for a burnt offering. Abraham obeyed God. He bound Isaac and laid him upon the altar. Then he raised the knife to slay Isaac. The angel of the Lord called out to Abraham and told him not to slay the child because he had proven his faith in God.

Then a ram that was caught in the bushes was slaughtered for the burnt offering.

Isaac had a son named Jacob.

He had many children, but he loved one of them more than all the others. His name was Joseph. The other children hated Joseph because their Dad loved him most.

One day Jacob gave Joseph a coat of many colors. This really made the other children angry and they decided to get rid of Joseph. They sold him to some merchants who were on their way to Egypt. They killed an animal, put its blood upon the coat and told their father that Joseph had been killed by an animal.

The merchants sold Joseph to the captain of the guard of the ruler of Egypt. The ruler of Egypt was called Pharaoh.

Pharaoh loved Joseph because he had interpreted some dreams for him. Then Pharaoh made Joseph ruler over all of Egypt. Only the Pharaoh was more powerful than Joseph.

Time passed and a famine came upon the earth. Joseph's family came to Egypt to buy corn. Joseph told his family who he was and they were reunited.

All was well until after Joseph and the kind Pharaoh died and other persons took their places. The Israelites (the name of Joseph's family) grew. The Egyptians became fearful of the Israelites because they thought they were going to take over all of Egypt, and they put them in slavery and made them work and serve the Egyptians.

God heard their crying and grieving and sent Moses to lead them out of slavery. God gave them the land known as Israel today for their homeland.

Moses met with the Pharaoh that was ruler at the time and asked him to let the Israelites go but the ruler would not let them leave. God gave Moses the power to show the Pharaoh many signs, but still the ruler would not let the people go. Finally, God said He would do one more thing and after that the ruler would let the people go.

This was to be one of the saddest days in all of history and God said the Israelites must remember it always and to always observe it each year. He was going to set them free from slavery by killing the firstborn child of all the Egyptians.

The Israelites were ordered to eat special foods during this time and they must also kill a lamb and take its blood and paint it on the door so death would not take the lives of the firstborn of the Israelites. When the destroyer saw the blood on the houses of the Israelites, that family was "passed over" and the firstborn were not killed. The ruler of Egypt finally let the people leave Egypt to go to the land that God had given them.

God instructed the Israelites to observe this day by eating the Feast of the Passover each year on the 14th day of the first month. This month is called Abid (or Nisan) on the Jewish calendar.

Many years later, there was to be another lamb slaughtered to free all the people on earth from the slavery of sin. This time God used His own son, Jesus, as the lamb to be slaughtered and by doing so, the world could be saved.

The slaughtering of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross coincides with the days of the Passover and both times must always be remembered as an expression of God's love for the people. Love isn't love until it is put into an action .

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

Jesus eats the feast of the Passover with His disciples and gives the Eleventh Commandment.

"A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another, as I have loved you that you also love one another."

John 13:34

Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."

(Luke 22:14-20)

The Passover meal and the Lord's supper are both celebrated on the 14th day of the first month of the Jewish calendar. This month is called Abid ( also called Nisan) and usually falls between March and April. Many Christians celebrate the Lord's Supper (Communion) more frequently than once a year.