You know the story of the Passover: Israel enslaved, Pharaoh's hardened heart, God's ten terrible plagues, the death angel's final flyover.
The Lord told His people to slaughter a spotless lamb, and then to daub the blood on the lintel and doorposts of the house.
This simple, graphic action would protect the family within the home. The Lord
said, 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 no plague will befall you to
destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:13)
But why would the blood be a sign for you? God said that when He saw
the blood, He would “pass over” the home. But what were the people themselves supposed to see when they saw the blood?
Well, they were to see that their security and safety were because of
the sacrifice of another. They were to see that, though they were no better (or maybe
even worse) than some of the Egyptian families, it was the sacrifice of the
lamb, and not their inherent worthiness that saved them.
Look at the blood and remember. Your rescue and protection depend not upon your vigilance or holiness, but upon the vigilance and holiness of God. The Lamb's sacrifice is what you must look to.
Maybe this sounds obvious. But we Christians are notoriously forgetful. We forget that what saved us and what keeps us is not us. It's always Jesus.
I feel chagrined that our Lord had to say, Do this in remembrance of me. But He knows us better than we know ourselves. The blood is also a sign for us.
Look at the blood and remember. Your rescue and protection depend not upon your vigilance or holiness, but upon the vigilance and holiness of God. The Lamb's sacrifice is what you must look to.
Maybe this sounds obvious. But we Christians are notoriously forgetful. We forget that what saved us and what keeps us is not us. It's always Jesus.
I feel chagrined that our Lord had to say, Do this in remembrance of me. But He knows us better than we know ourselves. The blood is also a sign for us.
