That you shall say, “It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians, and spared our houses.” The people bowed their heads and worshiped.
–Exodus 12:27
Imagine being an Israelite in Egypt on the night of the first Passover.
You have lived your entire life as a slave — the same as your parents, and their parents, and their parents.
Though rumors of freedom fly, Pharaoh shoots them all down, decreeing that you will never be free. Everyone knows what Pharaoh says is law.
But then the rivers turned to blood. And swarms of frogs and bugs infested the land, eating all the food, plaguing people and livestock.
Tonight, you have been told to be ready. You follow Moses’ instructions and paint lamb’s blood on your door posts.
Then God’s angel strikes down the first-born son of every family with unpainted door posts. As the night goes on it is filled with the mournful cries of parents grieving the deaths of their children.
Those cries come only from the homes of the Egyptians, though. The blood on the doorposts of the homes of the Israelites saves the lives of their first-born children.
That blood was the symbol of Jesus’ blood — the blood that ran down the timbers of the cross for you and me. His blood was the sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sin, giving us the hope for eternity in heaven with Him.
Prayer
Dear Jesus, Thank You for the blood You shed on the cross. Thank You for washing me from my sins and protecting me from danger. I bow my head and worship You. In Your name I pray, Amen.
Reflection
If I have not accepted Jesus as my Savior, will I? If I have, who will I share this great news with today?