“For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two door posts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.”
– Exodus 12:23
Exodus 12:23 is obviously sobering. It is a picture of the judgment of God that would come upon the Egyptians for their rebellion against God. But the reality is and we know this, we see this all throughout, even this story, not trusting or obeying God, not believing God and yet here, when it comes to the passover, there is one thing that separates Israelites and Egyptians.
This Verse Reminds Us that Jesus Delivers Us
The only way to be delivered from the judgment we deserve is to take refuge in Jesus Christ. He is the spotless sacrifice.
One thing, and that is a blood sacrifice that covers the door of the Israelites. And their trust in that blood sacrifice to save them from destruction in their home.
This is plain and simple, the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is a story, the passover story is yet one more story that points to the ultimate story of the Bible. The fact that we are all sinners, every one of us.
We have all turned from God, not trusted in God, not obeyed God and we all deserve judgment. The only way to be delivered from the judgment we deserve is if we hide under, take refuge under the banner of the blood of another, namely Jesus.
The perfect son of God, the sinless passover lamb, the spotless sacrifice who gave his life for us on a cross, his blood shed there covers over our sinfulness, when we trust in him.
Exodus 12:23 Reminds Us Our Faith Is What Saves Us
It’s not about our works, it’s about our faith in his gracious gift of forgiveness, his gracious sacrifice on our behalf. Have you, I mean, I don’t wanna assume everybody’s listening to this, is hidden right now, under the banner of the blood of Jesus.
Have you trusted in the blood of Jesus to cover over your sin? If your heart does not immediately leap with a yes, answer to that question, I urge you, today, like right now, this moment, trust in Jesus.
Call out for God to save you from your sin. Ask God to cover your sin by the blood of Jesus. Put your faith in Jesus and the grace of God available to you right now.
Exodus 12:23 Reminds Us Judgment is Coming
And then, brother or sister, who knows this, you know the judgment of God is coming upon all. Eternal judgment coming upon all who are not hiding under the banner of the blood of Jesus. Make this news known, share this news. Share this news today with people right around you.
This Verse Leads Us to Praise God For His Grace
God give us grace to share this news today. We know divine judgment is coming. So we praise you that we’ve been saved from it. We praise you, that we’ve been saved from the judgment we deserve.
Jesus, we praise you for your sacrifice on the cross for us. All glory be to your name. Thank you, for your love for us. I’m just overwhelmed in a fresh way, even praying right now that all my sins are covered by your blood.
All glory be to your name. Just praise you for your love, your forgiveness, your cleansing. In God, we pray, as we’re overwhelmed by that grace in our own lives.
This Verse Leads Us to Pray For Unbelievers
Use us to make that grace known in other’s lives. Today, we pray that others in our sphere of influence would come to know your love, confidence, forgiveness, grace, under the banner of the blood of Jesus.
And God we pray that not just for our lives, we pray that for people around the world. We pray for Tibet and Buddhists, the Bhutiyas, who have little to no knowledge of the gospel, the small remote people group up in the mountains there in the Himalayas.
Very few of them, if any, have even heard of the good news of Jesus’ sacrifice for their sins, so God, change that, we pray. Please change that. Use our lives, use our prayers right now.
Use our churches to change that, ’cause the gospel to go to the Bhutiyas in India. So we pray and save them, save them by the blood of Jesus, we pray. God, help us to feel the weight, the sobering weight of this verse, this picture in Exodus 12 and help us to live according to it.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
