Most of us are familiar with Exodus and the story of how God used Moses and Aaran to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Pharoah’s heart was hard and no matter how Moses asked him, he refused to let them go. Even when God brought plagues down on Egypt – flies, frogs, gnats, boils, and others – Pharaoh still refused. The last plague was one of death.
Exodus chapter 11 tells us how God told Moses what He planned to do. Every firstborn male child in Egypt would die, similar to how Pharaoh had murdered Israelite baby boys back when Moses was born. Then we come to Exodus chapter 12.
This chapter outlines specific instructions that God gave to Moses to give to the Israelite people. These instructions would be the beginning of a holiday that the Israelite people would celebrate for years to come because it marked the night that God would finally free them from slavery.
They were told to select an animal from a herd of sheep, with very specific instructions on the number of people in a household. That entire evening, they would cook it and eat it, only if it was cooked all the way through. They were to stay inside their houses and use the lamb’s blood to mark the doorposts. As God would swipe through the land of Egypt, when He would see the blood on the doorposts, He would pass over them and thus, no firstborn in their house would be killed.
When we read this, we see, not only God protecting His people and using the plagues to show Egypt His might and power, but we see something else, something extremely important.
Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and when he did so, he became the sacrificial lamb. There are many parallels between Jesus’ death on the cross and the Passover when you look more closely. Because of Jesus’ blood shed on the cross – similar to the doorposts – it caused God’s wrath to pass over us and thus, we are forgiven of our sins if we ask it. This is so comforting, knowing that with all our mistakes, we are freely saved and freely forgiven!
Next time you read Exodus chapter 12, look for more parallels between it and Jesus’ death. Stay tuned next week for another topic!
I see this story as a prophecy of God’s eventual salvation plan. The blood on the door, and the death angel passes over wherever he sees the blood. The fact that it was necessary for God to use the Purest, unblemished, unspotted, most perfect lamb that ever existed had to die that we might live, and not only live, but set free from bondage, as we are no longer captors to the dominion of sin. Glory Hallelujah!
Yes ! Well said. Thank you for reading!