This is Exodus 12:7–13, and I have entitled this “Covered by the Blood.” Before I read, I just want to say again, I can't characterize how amazed I am by the gospel that's in Exodus, and how blessed I am that this is what I get to do, that I get to sit here and walk through this beautiful gospel message with you. It's one of the distinct blessings of my life. Here are verses 7–13.
Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. 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 no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
Notice again how seriously God is taking this moment of redemption and rescue, how clear the commands are. And you know that he is about to do something because he said, “Get your sandals on your feet and your staff on your hand and be ready to go in haste because I'm going to pass over and I'm going to release you.”
Few passages in the Old Testament picture for us more clearly, the operation of, and the power of redeeming, justifying, forgiving, accepting, and rescuing grace than this passage. When the Israelites had slaughtered the lamb without blemish, they were to take blood from the lamb and paint it on the two door posts of their house. This was because there was going to be a moment of horrible divine judgment on Egypt. God was going to pass through Egypt and strike dead all the firstborn of the land–except the Israelites who were protected by the blood on their door post. This moment too preaches the gospel to us. Scripture is very clear that “the wages of sin is death.” No one is able to escape the scourge of sin, and so no one is able to escape the penalty of sin. From the moment of sin, we really are like dead men walking, and there's nothing that we can do in word, thought, or action, to remove the sentence of judgment that is over our heads because of our sin. None of us is righteous enough to free ourselves from God's judgment.
The only ones who are rescued from judgment are those who have been covered by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. We no longer have to dread God's judgment because the penalty for our sin has been covered by Jesus. Notice again, that in these physical commands that God is making in this historic moment, there is this clear picture of the operation of and the power of God's divine grace. The lambs slaughtered that fateful night in Egypt pictures for us what the death of Jesus, the Lamb of God, would do for God's chosen people. Jesus is the perfect Lamb. He shed his blood for our hope. We no longer stand before God guilty and afraid, but righteous and accepted because of the substitutionary life and sacrifice of Jesus!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. Why do you think it’s so significant to see the beauty of the gospel in Old Testament passages like this one? What stood out to you in these verses from Exodus that helped you to see, understand, appreciate, and love the sacrifice Jesus made on your behalf?
2. Why is grace the overarching theme of this passage in Exodus as you think about the clear commands God gives to the Israelites? Why do you personally need the same grace extended to you from God as you consider the wages of your own sin? Why will your own human righteousness never be enough to escape the wages of your personal sin? Why is the passover Lamb a necessity for you just as much as it was for the Israelites?
3. How can you be sure that the wages of your sin (death) won’t be on your head? How does the blood of Jesus protect you from spiritual death?
4. If you have been covered by the blood of Jesus by grace through faith, you are one of God’s chosen people—how does this truth make you want to respond? Why don’t you need to feel guilty or afraid of the consequences of your sin anymore? Explain in your own words what the substitutionary life and sacrifice of Jesus is and what it means to you.
For Younger Children:
1. When a person does something wrong or sinful, why do you think that person needs to be punished? Why do you think our own personal sin needs to be punished?
2. What is a substitute? When it comes to the punishment for your own sin, the Bible says that you deserve death—how can Jesus be your substitute and take your punishment? Why is this the most important thing in the world for every single person to hear?
For Older Children:
1. In what ways does the passover story in Exodus 12 help you understand the gospel and the sacrifice Jesus personally made for you? How does this Old Testament story help you understand the grace of God more deeply?
2. Why do you think sin requires a sacrifice of such an extreme nature (blood)? Have you ever thought of your sin as that extreme? Why or why not?
3. Why is the gospel message (Christ in your place) the most important message history has ever known? How does it apply to and impact you personally? How can I help you understand it more clearly?
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