[187]Jehovah desired that man should understand the necessity and reason for providing redemption, that when man does understand it he will rejoice in the loving-kindness manifested by God toward him. For this reason God caused certain pictures or types to be made by his people.
[188]On the night that Jehovah led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt he caused a lamb to be slain and its blood sprinkled upon the doorposts of the house and the people to eat that lamb, and arranged that at midnight the death angel would pass through and smite the firstborn of every house where the blood did not appear upon the doorposts. The firstborn here pictured the church, about which we shall see later, and which first must be saved before the blessing can come to the world in general. The lamb pictured the one who should be the ransomer or redeemer of mankind. The blood pictured the life poured out to provide a redemptive price.—Exodus 12:3-17.
[189]When Jesus appeared at the age of thirty years, John the Baptist pointing to him said: "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world". (John 1:29) And we read in the Bible concerning Jesus, that he is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world". (Revelation 13:8) These Scriptures and others show that the sacrifice of the lamb foreshadowed the sacrifice of the great One who should become the redeemer of mankind and take away the sin of the world.
[190]A few days after this passover in Egypt, the Israelites were all delivered when God commanded Moses to smite the waters of the Red Sea and they passed over on dry land; and when the Egyptians attempted to follow they were swallowed up in the sea and drowned. The deliverance of Israel here pictured the deliverance from the great enemy, Satan and death, of all the human race that will ultimately be obedient to God's holy will.
[191]After the children of Israel were on the other side of the Red Sea, they marched on in the desert; and when they came to Mount Sinai God made with them a covenant, which is known in the Bible as the law covenant. In connection with this covenant animals were sacrificed. This covenant was instituted at the hands of Moses as a mediator. Moses here was a type of Christ Jesus, who in due time will make a covenant on behalf of all mankind for their deliverance.
[192]In connection with the law given to the Israelites at this time, God instructed Moses to erect in the wilderness a tabernacle, which was to be used by the Israelites in connection with their ceremonies of sacrifice. One day of each year was known as the atonement day, and what was done on that day particularly foreshadowed the great sin-offering to be made on behalf of mankind.
[193]The tabernacle was constructed of two parts. It was 45 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 15 feet high, built of boards and then covered over with a tent of three thicknesses of material. The first division of the tabernacle was called the Holy. It was 15 feet wide and 30 feet long. The second or rear apartment was known as the Most Holy, it being 15 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 15 feet high—an exact cube. The tabernacle was situated inside of a court or yard, which court was 75 feet wide and 150 feet in length. The fence enclosing this court was made of linen curtains, suspended from hooks which were fastened on wooden posts, the posts being set in copper sockets at the base.
[194]On the atonement day the high priest took a bullock, which must be without spot or blemish. Inside of the court he killed the bullock, took its blood in a vessel went from the court into the Holy and from there into the Most Holy, and sprinkled the blood upon the mercy seat which was in the Most Holy. Then he went back and slew a male goat, which likewise must be without defect, and did the same thing with its blood. This was known as the atonement sacrifice. (See Leviticus 16:1-34) It was an offering for sin, made for the people of Israel, but in fact foreshadowing the great sin-offering that is to take away the sin of the world.
[195]St. Paul plainly tells us that the things here done foreshadowed better things to come. (Hebrews 10:1) God required in the law that the Jews should keep this day of atonement and offer these sacrifices through the high priest once each year. We remember that God had promised to Abraham: "In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed". So St. Paul says that the law "was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator"; and that the law was a schoolmaster to bring the people unto Christ. (Galatians 3:19,24) In other words, Jehovah was teaching the children of Israel concerning the great sin-offering that must be made on behalf of mankind and he was using them to make living pictures; and the record of the events concerning them has enabled all students of the Bible since to see how Jehovah foreshadowed the redemption and deliverance of mankind from the bondage of sin and death. To foreshadow means to foretell something coming; and this shows how important the great ransom is to mankind, that God would take so much time and go into so much detail to teach the people by these pictures. Hence this should encourage us to study the subject earnestly that we might see, understand, and appreciate it.