Exodus 11 & 12 -- The Importance Of The Blood

Moses went to the king again to tell him things had gone too far and now the firstborn sons were to die all over Egypt.  “Then Moses very angrily left the king.”  Was his anger primarily directed to the king’s stubbornness that had led to what would become a very tragic waste of lives for the Egyptians?

At midnight there was a loud outcry everywhere in Egypt, because someone had died in every house.  That brought Moses a summons from the king.  “Get up and leave my people … Go…”  The king realized that his obstinate choices towards to Israelites had led to this.  But then he made a strange request, “And also bless me.”  He knew God’s power now, and he wanted to experience the good side of it.

Just before the Death Angel had come, Moses had given instructions to his people about killing the Passover lamb and smearing the blood on the sides and tops of their doorposts.  His words echo through the millennia to us today, “But the blood will be a sign … When I see the blood, I will pass over you.”  As we cover ourselves with the blood of Christ, by accepting His sacrifice for our sins, God once again tells us, “When I see the blood …”  I wonder if a lump forms in His throat as He says that, before He can go on, remembering the terrible sacrifice of His Son for my sins.  Those early Israelites never knew that in following Moses’ instructions they were in fact painting the sign of the cross.

What would I do without the blood, Father?  You owed me nothing.  I only deserved certain condemnation.  But You showed grace to one who only deserved severity and had no reason to expect or demand anything else.  Such love!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford