In Exodus 11–12, God demonstrated that He is superior to all. A mightier King than Pharoah was going to visit Egypt. The same cry that originally came from the Israelites was going to be reversed, coming instead from the Egyptians who opposed Yahweh.

Trust the Sacrifice

Salvation comes through judgment. When this judgment comes, blood is the payment. In chapter 12, God instructed the Israelite fathers to sacrifice lambs and paint the blood on their doors. This was the only way their firstborn sons would be saved.

A penalty was due for the Israelites and Egyptians alike. While they were sinners, God initiated salvation by His own choice. He alone can accomplish salvation, and He alone gets the glory. In the Israelites’ place, God put a substitute — another sacrifice to bear the penalty.

The actual act of painting the blood on the doorpost was not what saved the Israelites. Instead, that act symbolized their faith. Their trust and belief in God’s promise allowed them to participate in the benefits of the blood.

Faith is how we overcome the impossible circumstances of slavery to sin. Wake up every morning, preach the Gospel to yourself anew, and trust the sacrifice.

Remember the Blood

At the moment of our conversion, we initially understand that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, but later, we far too often begin to turn it into a work of our own. God wanted the Israelites — and us — to remember that the blood is our rescue. Memories bring the events of the past into the present in a way that continues to shape us.

One way we remember the blood is to partake of the Lord’s Supper. In Luke 22, Jesus demonstrated that the Passover meal symbolizes the Son’s body provided for us. We are to covenant together to be part of the people of God who are formed by that sacrifice.

Journey to a New Land

When the Israelites left the land of Egypt, they were called to an adventurous and risky life of faith. This was not devised through human planning; their bread did not even have time to rise! Instead, it was made possible solely by divine action. We, too, go through the world as pilgrims with nothing of our own to offer. We are used to comfort and materialism, so we have bought into the illusion that we can provide for ourselves, but we cannot. God is our sole provider.

We are called out of our comfort zone and into the purposes that God has for us. In this world, we will not fit in if we live for Christ. We will be distinct from the culture. As we live this way, we can find hope in the promise that we’re on the journey to a new and better land, where every tear is wiped away and we will behold God face to face.