“I will pass through the land of Egypt in the same night, and I will attack all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of humans and of animals, and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, so that when I see the blood I will pass over you, and this plague will not fall on you to destroy you when I attack the land of Egypt.”
Into the Text
After nine dreadful plagues upon the land of Egypt, God sent the tenth plague—the death of the firstborn sons.
Through the Passover, God rescued the firstborn sons of those who put the blood of the lamb on their doorposts.
Passover is celebrated every year by Jewish people to remind them of God’s great rescue on their behalf. But the Passover we read here in Exodus is merely a picture of the greater Passover that would come later in the New Testament.
Our sins deserve punishment: death and separation from God. There is nothing we can do to make up, or atone, for our sins. Just as the Israelites slaughtered a perfect lamb to cover the cost of their sins, Jesus is our perfect Passover lamb who delivers us from death.
As the angel of death would pass over the homes with lamb’s blood on the door posts, God sees Jesus’ blood as a covering for our lives. Because of the cross, neither death nor sin have a hold on those who have trusted in Jesus as Lord.
The Passover lamb in Exodus saved the people from the angel of death. But Jesus’ sacrifice saves us from an eternity in hell and places us in relationship with our Heavenly Father. Praise God for the perfect lamb who takes away the sins of the world!
Prayer
Jesus, thank you that you are our Passover lamb. I pray that I would not take your sacrifice lightly and continue to live by faith and in surrender to you each day. Amen.