Before God brought the 10th plague upon Egypt, that is, the death of the firstborn in every family among the Egyptians, including the animals, He informed Moses that no harm would come to the children of Israel (Exodus 11-12). On the 10th day of the first month of Abib, every man was to take a male lamb of the sheep or goats and keep it until the 14th day when it was to be slain. The men were instructed to take the blood of the animal and put some on the doorposts and the lintel of the house. Instructions were also given as to how they were to prepare the lamb for a meal in each household. Only unleavened bread was to be eaten with the meal. This was the “Lord’s Passover.” The Passover was to be a memorial for Israel throughout its generations.
The Lord spoke to Moses, “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 the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Now 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” (Exodus 12:12-13 NKJV). The lamb that was killed was without blemish. The blood that was placed on the doorposts and the lintel of the houses assured the people of Israel that the firstborn of each family would be spared from death.
The Passover lamb of the Old Testament was a foreshadowing of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. In 1 Corinthians 5:7 we read, “Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, he said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). The lamb that was offered by the children of Israel was to be without blemish, and so was the Lamb of God who was sacrificed on Calvary without blemish. The apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:18-19, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” As the lamb’s blood was placed on the doorposts and the lintel, the blood of the Lamb of God was shed when He was on Calvary’s cross.
When Jesus was eating with His disciples during Passover, “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins’” (Matthew 26:27-28). John wrote in Revelation 1:5b-6, “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:7 concerning Jesus Christ, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” Hebrews 9:22 notes that “…according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Thank God for His infinite grace and the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
In Romans 6:3-4, we learn when we come in contact with the blood of Christ, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” It is not the water that saves us when we are immersed, but rather, it is the blood of Christ when we are baptized into His death where His precious blood was shed. It is in this sense that God passes over us in the forgiveness of our sins. There was an old hymn that we used to sing in worship when I was a boy. It is entitled, “When I See the Blood” and contains this thought. Here are two of the stanzas and the chorus.
Christ, our Redeemer, died on the cross, Died for the sinner, paid all his due;
All who receive Him need never fear, Yes, He will pass, will pass over you.
O what compassion, O boundless love, Jesus hath power, Jesus is true;
All who believe are safe from the storm, O He will pass, will pass over you.
When I see the blood, When I see the blood, When I see the blood, I will pass over you.
“When I See the Blood” was authored by John G. Foote and Elisha A. Hoffman. This hymn is in the public domain.
