Exodus 12:13 NKJV – 7Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
God had appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After Jacob and his family go into Egypt, God’s interaction with his people seems to be very limited while they are slaves I’m Egypt until Moses comes onto the scene.
Even though Moses performs many signs to Pharaoh as proof that God wants his people set free, Pharaoh hardens his heart and continues to say no. The last of the 10 plaques is what breaks Pharaoh and Egypt, and they let go of the grip of slavery they had over Israel.
God instructs every Israelite family to slaughter a lamb without blemish. Each family is to mark the doorposts of their home with the blood of that lamb, and that night they are to stay indoors. That night the angel of death visited every Egyptian home, killing the firstborn of every family even Pharaohs home, but passed over every home that was marked with blood.
God was able to distinguish between his people and those who were not.
A commemoration of this feast was a reminder to the children of Israel that though they were slaves in Egypt for over 400 years, God rescued them by passing over their homes while afflicting every Egyptian home with the death of their firstborn.
This was a picture of what was to come, what God would do for us through Christ. For Christ became that lamb that was slain and this happened during the passover feast, a culmination of what the children of Israel had been practising for centuries. Through Christ’s blood, death has passed over us, and we have been set free from the slavery and choke of sin and translated into God’s kingdom of light.
Reflections
- Has God ever protected you from physical danger? What happened?
- Do you think the children of Israel understood what God was doing when he instructed them to observe this feast year after year?
- The angel of death is still roaming the earth. Is your life marked with the blood of the lamb?
