What connections exist between Exodus 13:13 and Jesus as the Lamb of God? The Passage in View “You must redeem every firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you fail to redeem it, you are to break its neck. And every firstborn of man among your sons you must redeem.” Why God Gave This Command • To memorialize the night He spared Israel’s firstborn and struck Egypt’s (Exodus 12:12-13). • To teach Israel that the life of the firstborn belongs to Him; a substitute is required for release. • To foreshadow the ultimate Substitute who would secure permanent redemption. Two Key Figures: The Donkey and the Lamb • Donkey ‑ an unclean animal; it could not be offered on the altar. • Lamb ‑ a clean, sacrificial animal; its death ransomed the donkey from destruction. • If no lamb was offered, the donkey died. Redemption or judgment—no third option. Parallels to Jesus, the Lamb of God 1. Substitution • The lamb died so the donkey could live. • Jesus “gave Himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:6). 2. Redemption Price • Without the lamb, the donkey’s neck was broken. • “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). 3. Unclean Made Acceptable • An unclean creature was spared by a clean sacrifice. • “We have now been justified by His blood” (Romans 5:9). 4. Firstborn Theme • Every human firstborn required redemption. • Jesus is “the firstborn over all creation” and “from among the dead” (Colossians 1:15, 18), redeeming many brothers (Romans 8:29). New-Testament Echoes • John 1:29: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” • 1 Corinthians 5:7: “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” • 1 Peter 1:18-19: “You were redeemed…with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.” • Hebrews 9:12: “He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.” Putting It Together • The Exodus ordinance linked life, death, and redemption to a spotless lamb. • Jesus fulfills the pattern perfectly: sinless, voluntary, and sufficient for all. • What the lamb accomplished temporarily for an unclean animal, Jesus accomplishes eternally for unclean humanity. Bottom Line Connections • The need for redemption—shared by donkeys and people—highlights universal guilt. • The provision of a lamb—mandated by God—prefigures His own provision of His Son. • The outcome—life instead of death—points to the gospel: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). |
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