Bri DiPhilippo
Professor Flo Keyes
Touchstones
March 22, 2015
How is Jesus Christ the Lamb of God?
Throughout the biblical readings, lambs act as a sacrificial system in the Old and New
Testament of
The Bible
. The lamb was offered daily for a ritual sacrifice in the temple because it was a crucial part of communal life and worship under the Mosaic system. This rehearsal became known as the tamid which is a Hebrew term translating to “regularly” or “continuously.” The offering of the lamb became an everyday service in the Mosaic Law in a portion dedicated to the necessities and activities of the priests. Quoting the book of Exodus (29:38), Moses says,
“Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old regularly each day.
One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer in the evening and with the first lamb one­tenth of a measure of choice flour mixed with one­fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one­fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering. And the other lamb you shall offer in the evening, and shall offer it with a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord.
It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations before the Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.”
In the Old Testament, this was a way for the community of Moses to gain access to him, as with other religious systems of sacrifice. In other occasions of sacrifice in the Old Testament, animals were scheduled to meet specific requirements; generally, perfection. The sacrificial animal had to

be noticeably flawless in its physical state. As also in Judaic Law, the pig is not eaten today because it is seen as an unclean animal and is against kosher in their religion. This highlights
Moses’s holiness while structurally setting up guidelines for the expectations of how the community should approach him. This in turn relates to God’s unapproachableness and how his perfection compares with the imperfections of his people. This then points to the Baptists “Lamb of God” idea. The “Lamb” has “(1) a concept of perfection, (2) is a sacrificial lamb and (3) a vicarious act providing access to God,” according to the article,
Another Look At the “Lamb of
God
.
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The strengths of this view relates directly to Christ. Overall, the book of Genesis, Exodus, and Revelation further prove how Christ is the Lamb of God.
The book of Genesis shows the stories of the encounters between Abraham and Isaac which acts as foreshadowing of Jesus as the sacrificial lamb. The story begins with Abraham taking his son, Isaac, to the land of Moriah under the instruction of God. Abraham went with the intention of sacrificing his son to God to prove his love and unfaltering service to him. The boy asked where the sacrificial lamb was and Abraham replied, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son,” (Genesis 22:8). Abraham built an altar, arranged the wood and then laid Isaac on top of the wood. Isaac had complete confidence and compliance in his father and also comprehended why his father was doing this; Abraham had so much love and had faith in his God. Isaac also had a remarkable amount of faith in God and did not stop his father because of the strong trust they had as father and son. As Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, an angel called out to him to stop him. Abraham was obedient and stopped where he was. God offered a ram to him for a burnt sacrifice in place of his son. God was testing Abraham’s faith and it resulted in the incredible accomplishment of God’s faith in Abraham.

These animal sacrifices were not the Lamb of God. God commanded animal sacrifices to teach his people the concept of substitution so that in time, God would supply the perfect replacement for our sins. Abraham firmly believed in the resurrection of the dead and God’s promises; if Abraham did the