PRÉCIS ON THE PURITY OF OUR BLOOD SACRIFICE: JUST HOW SERIOUS ARE WE ABOUT THE LAMB OF GOD?

SCRIPTURE. “Your lamb or young goat shall be [perfect] without blemish or bodily defect, a male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.” – EXODUS 12:5, AMP

KEY TERM: “WITHOUT BLEMISH.” ‘Tamim’ [תָּמִים]: “Whole, sound, entire, complete, wholesome; ‘unimpaired, innocent, having integrity of God’s way;’blameless, sincere, undefiled; significantly, this word is linked with ‘truth, virtue, righteousness, uprightness (integrity);’ implicates right standing in relationship to God and others; anchored to God’s Way, Knowledge and Law; entirely in accord with truth and fact [imp., that which is ‘honorable’].”

QUOTATION. “In a room where people unanimously maintain a Conspiracy of Silence, one word of Truth sounds like a pistol shot. And, alas, a temptation to pronounce it, similar to an acute itching, becomes an obsession which doesn’t allow one to think of anything else.” – CZESLAW MILOSZ, “Nobel Lecture”, The Nobel Prize, Dec. 8, 1980; edited  

COMMENTARY. “‘Without blemish.’ — Natural piety teaches that we must ‘not offer the blind, the lame, or the sick for sacrifice’ (Malachi 1:8). We must give to God of our best! The Law emphasized this teaching, and here, on the first occasion when a sacrifice was formally appointed, required it to be absolutely without blemish of any kind. Afterwards the requirement was made general (Leviticus 22:19-25). It was peculiarly fitting that the Paschal Offering should be without defect of any kind, as especially typifying ‘the Lamb of God,’ who is ‘holy, harmless, undefiled’—a ‘Lamb without spot’ [‘Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ – Matt. 5:48].” – CHARLES ELLICOTT, An Old and New Testament Commentary for English Readers, 1878, 1897; edited

DK. When the Lord first whispered, “Exodus 12” to me this early morning, I bucked against it still again thinking right out loud: “O Lord, this cannot possibly be the source off some relevant commentary.” Yeah. I know. In any case, He has found a delicious way to speak to us of INTEGRITY today, and I am privileged to bring it to you as a rich spiritual meal today.

First: We are to give God our very best, that which we love on the earth more than anything (or anyone) else; nothing less shall do! (cf. Exod. 20:3; Matt. 22:37). Second: We must be willing to suffer and even die for Him, should He require it of us (Rev. 12:11).

CODA. Are you willing, disciple of Christ? Are you ready, shepherd of God’s flocks? Will you make the cut when He Arrives to raise the True Church ever so soon now? As always, He reminds us, by PAUL THE APOSTLE:

“Work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ).” – PHILIPPIANS 2:12, AMPC

Or not at all, my friends. Or not at all. Selah.