Exodus 12:12-13
The moment of Exodus has arrived, and God's going to manifest his judgment and mercy in one night. He plans to pass through Egypt, and this plague will be unique among the ten. First, note how the blood was applied: By making a mark on the left side, the right side, and on top of the door frame, each Hebrew was unintentionally making the sign of the cross on their door. Second, he's making no distinction between Jew and Gentile. During many of his plagues, the Lord had made an automatic difference between his people and the Egyptians (such as here), but not in the final plague. If an Egyptian had listened to the warnings, he would've been spared. If a Hebrew had failed to apply the blood to his door, he would lose his firstborn child. The only difference between celebration and mourning within each home was whether there was the blood of a sacrificed lamb on the door. Just like at the Final Judgment: On the Day, it won't matter one whit whether someone is a Jew or Gentile. All of us stand condemned for our sin, and the only difference between someone redeemed and someone lost will be whether they have the blood of God's Lamb covering their transgressions.
The other thing to notice is that God said specifically that this final plague would be a “judgment on all the gods of Egypt.” Egypt was polytheistic (worshiping many gods), and many (if not all) of the plagues could be seen as a rebuke of their religion and an implicit appeal to the Egyptians to turn to the living God. For example, the Egyptians worshiped Heqt, a goddess who appeared in the form of a toad or frog. They worshiped many gods who were supposed to protect their livestock and crops, and all of these "gods" utterly failed them. This final plague, which would completely destroy all the hopes and dreams bound up in each firstborn child, should have applied the final nail in the coffin of Egyptian religion and turned them to worship the Lord over all nations.
Unfortunately, displays of power will not change a rebel into a child of God, and this is thoroughly illustrated here. Although there were a few Egyptians who abandoned their gods and followed Israel into the wilderness, the nation as a whole didn’t repent and even sent its army out to pursue the Hebrews.
There are three lessons we can learn from these two short verses. First, we need to be eternally grateful to our God and Father, who provided the final Passover Lamb, so that on the final Judgment Day, “when [he sees] the blood, [he] will pass over [us].” Second, we need to discard the notion that impressive miracles will change a person’s heart. Third, we need to share with the lost people around us the Good News about Christ. God shows no favoritism, and the only difference between celebration and mourning on the Final Day will be the blood.
Lord Jesus, you are my only refuge from the judgment I deserve. Thank you so much for your blood which covers my sin.
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