22 January | EVERYONE
"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: 13
At nine o'clock in the evening, the boy could not sleep. He got out of bed and asked his father, "Did you smear the lintel of the door with the blood of the lamb?" After receiving the affirmative answer, the boy went back to bed, but he could not fall asleep. He got up again. It was only one more hour to midnight. "Dad, are you sure you smeared the lintel of the door with the blood of the lamb?"
This time the father took his firstborn by the hand and led him outside. The young man saw that the lintel of the door was stained with lamb’s blood, and he went to sleep peacefully. As today's verse tells us, the Lord had said that the blood would serve as a sign to them. The boy believed in God's promise and slept peacefully.
At midnight, death visited the home of the Egyptians and took the lives of their firstborns. The firstborns of Israel were spared by the bloodstain on the lintel of the door. That blood was as a symbol of the wonderful blood of Christ, which would one day be shed on the cross of Calvary. The lesson is that when the final day comes for us to meet God, only those who have accepted Christ's sacrifice on their behalf will gain full life.
Israel must never forget that they had been set free by grace and not by merit. The Israelites had done nothing that night to protect their firstborn; they only believed in the divine promise. From then on, Israel had to celebrate that miraculous deliverance year after year by celebrating the Passover. It was a historic episode. For us today, Israel's deliverance is a symbol of our deliverance from the bondage of sin.
Take Action
Remember the promises in the Bible that you love most. Think, for example, of three of them. Meditate on them, and give thanks to God, for He always fulfills what He promises.