Nine plagues (Exodus 7:14-10:29) had already been sent by God upon Pharaoh and Egypt for their refusal to let God’s people go from bondage (Exodus 1). Nearly 400 years of intense slavery finally caused God to act through Moses (Exodus 2-4), whom He designated as the one who would lead the people out of Egypt and to the Promised Land. Although Moses’ initial encounter with Pharaoh did not result in Israel’s freedom (Exodus 5-6), God had promised to free Israel from Egypt by sending a series of extreme judgments (Exodus 7:14-10:29). These nine plagues resulted in Pharaoh hardening his heart against Moses and Israel, but God told Moses that the tenth judgment would cause Pharaoh to free Israel from slavery (Exodus 11). In this final plague, every firstborn of the Egyptians would be put to death (Exodus 11:5) and bring great anguish upon the families of Egypt (Exodus 11:6). In preparation for this final plague, “…the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt” and instituted what would become known as the Passover, which would take place yearly in the month of Abib (March/April) and serve as the beginning of Israel’s religious calendar (12:1-2). On the tenth day of Abib (12:3a), the Israelites were to take a male lamb without blemish (12:3b-5), kill it on the fourteenth day (12:6), spread the blood on the two doorposts of their houses (12:7), and then eat the lamb (12:8-11). The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord” (12:12). How would the Israelites be spared from this judgment? The Lord revealed to Moses and Aaron that, “…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” (12:13). Therefore, the death of the spotless lamb and the shed blood on the Israelites’ house would cause the Lord to “pass over” that home and provide divine protection for the firstborn. As the shed blood of the lamb allowed the firstborn to escape death, the shed blood of Jesus Christ would allow those who believe in Him to escape death. Jesus Christ would become the Passover Lamb for those who believed in His death for their sin. Paul would write in Romans 5:9, “Much more then, having now been justified by His [Jesus'] blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” This Passover Day was to be celebrated each year and the instructions for observing it were given to the people (12:14-20) and repeated to the Israelite elders (12:21-28). These special instructions in observing the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread would ensure that Israel would never forget that the Lord had brought them out of the land of Egypt.
Dear God, I am grateful for Jesus Christ who became my Passover Lamb and spared me from death.
