Jesus, The Living Picture

Reflections for this date are based on the following scripture passages:
Hebrews 7	Hebrews 8	Hebrews 9	Exodus 11	Exodus 11	Psalms 26

The Old Testament throughout is a picture of what Jesus came to fulfill. My reflection for yesterday, "Entering God's Rest," illustrated this, pointing out how God's deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage, their journey through the wilderness, and entry into the promised land was a picture of God's deliverance of all people from the bondage of sin through Jesus' death, making possible for us to rest from our own efforts to attain deliverance from sin's bondage and also to enter God's eternal rest.

In this reflection, though, I did not go into detail about God's deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. The 10th plague God brought on Egypt to gain release of the Israelites was the death of the first-born of every family and every animal. Although each of the previous plagues had differentiated between the Egyptians and the Israelites, there would be no difference with this 10th plague unless the Israelites did as the Lord instructed them. This was the time of deliverance and it was only for those who chose to worship the Lord. This choice was made by obeying His instructions, and His instructions were to kill an unblemished year-old male lamb and spread the blood from the lamb on the doorposts of their houses. The bones of the lamb were not to be broken. When the death angel passed over Egypt killing the firstborn of each family, he would passover those houses that had the blood on the doorposts.

All of this was fulfilled in Jesus who was the lamb, unblemished by sin and whose bones were unbroken, who was slain for our deliverance from the bondage of sin. Death as a result of sin's bondage is universal unless we are delivered from this bondage by looking to Jesus and by faith accepting His sacrifice as our deliverance.

Once we have accepted Jesus' deliverance He takes on a different role which fulfills another picture portrayed in the Old Testament - that of the high priest who mediated between God and man. Hebrews 7-9 describes Jesus' role as our high priest and how He is a much better high priest than those of the Old Testament who merely pictured the real thing.