In this passage, the Lord inaugurates the observation of the Passover. The Passover is in conjunction with the tenth and last plague; the death of the firstborn of Egypt. The Lord said (verse 12) he would pass through the land of Egypt and strike all the firstborn of Egypt. However, when he goes through Israel he “passes over” their homes; they do not die.
The reason they do not die is because they have blood on the doors of their home. The Lord instructed Israel (through Moses and Aaron) to have all the Israelite families select unblemished lambs, sacrifice them, and smear the blood of the lamb upon their door posts and cross beam. When the Lord saw the blood, he spared the home from death.
The Passover had other aspects to it. There was to be a meal of the lamb (roasted) along with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. The herbs reminded Israel of their bitter bondage, and the bread was unleavened to convey the urgency of their leavin
g Egypt, its bondage and corrupting influences to be left behind in haste; no time to leaven the bread.
The Passover is an intentional, wondrous, clear picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. All the Old Testament points to Christ and his church, and the Lord gives these types or shadows of the reality of Christ so that his people will have confidence in his word and gain deeper understanding and affection for Christ.
The Passover shows us that Israel needed more than to physically leave Egypt. The deliverance from slavery was a great blessing, but a greater need was to have a right relationship with the Lord. The Lord teaches them in the Passover that can only come by way of sacrifice. Israel was not more righteous than Egypt. They received grace. The principle of our need of grace (as sinners) runs strong and deep in the Scriptures.
It cannot be expressed any stronger than in Christ. When John the Baptist saw the Lord Jesus he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” When he baptized Jesus, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” For God to say he is well pleased refers to perfection. Jesus was an unblemished person; no sin at all.
That Christ was a “lamb” means he was a sacrifice. He shed his blood for sinners, meaning he died in their stead. In the Passover, the Lord did not say to Israel, “When I see you, I will pass over.” Rather, he said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over.” The blood of Christ only has the power to make us acceptable to God, and take away the sting of death which is sin.
In 1 John chapter one we read; “The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin.” The apostle Paul likewise says that one died that all might live. Make an indelible note of this upon your mind and heart. No one was exempt from the judgment of death because they wrote upon their doors, “I lived a good life,” or “I was comfortable in my own skin,” or “I was a dedicated religious person.”
No, the blood only directed God’s judgment away from that home. There was death in Israel on that night death came to Egypt, but it was the Lamb who died, not the Israelites. For a Christian to boast in anything in themselves is to deny the very first principle of faith; Christ gave himself for me, and apart from his death, I am without hope and without God. Faith in Christ evidences a new nature.
True Christians are differentiated and distinguished not only from all heathen and pagans, but also from nominal Christians, by their love to Jesus Christ. It is the nature of sinful men to seek contentment and life in all manner of things; for some it is wealth, others it is ambition, worldly honor, and others sensual pleasures, whatever that may be. It is the nature of those born again to love Christ.
The ground of this love to Christ is the conviction of faith that he loved you and gave himself for you. His superlative excellence, his matchless majesty, love, grace, and mercy; all the attributes of Christ elicit love from his people to Him. The name of Christ exalted is their meat and bread of life. He is the Christian’s Passover Lamb.
