The Lord wanted his people to remember their supernatural deliverance from Egyptian slavery. Therefore, he instituted a Passover meal on the eve of deliverance for Israel, which was to become “a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.” The key aspects of the celebration were a year-old, unblemished male lamb; blood placed on the sides and tops of the doorframe of the houses where the roasted lamb would be eaten; bitter herbs; bread made without yeast; the meal would be eaten with haste, leaving no leftovers. No one was to leave the house until morning.
The Israelites faithfully obeyed God’s requirements. One wonders what the Egyptians thought as they witnessed blood on the frame of each door of the Israelites’ homes. Little did they know that while the firstborn children of God were protected from impending death by that blood, Egyptians were completely unprotected from the impending judgment of God. Scripture states, “At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well.” This significant event forever changed Israel’s and Egypt’s future.
Jesus has forever changed the destiny of the believing soul. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Through Jesus, the grace of God can be applied to any believing soul. Peter wrote, “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9b). Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God that takes away the bitterness of sin and the sting of death (John 1:29, 1 Corinthians 15:55). When we trust his atoning work (propitiation) on the cross, his blood covers us. There is no salvation outside of him. Won’t you place your faith in Jesus today?
“Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast — as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7).
David W. Davis
