READ: Ex. 12:1–13: …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…
The LORD is going to make a new beginning with His people. For that reason, even the calendar must be reset. The day of deliverance will now fall in the first month of a new year. After all the signs and wonders the LORD has performed, a final judgment will come upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians. This will mark the redemption of God’s people and Israel must prepare for it.
At the same time, God’s name will be glorified throughout the world, and He will be honored by His people. Still, Israel is not worthy of being delivered. They have already shown themselves to be an ungrateful people. Later, it is said that they even served idols in Egypt (Ez. 20:6–8). So, it is not automatic that the LORD would save them. But He is faithful to His covenant with Abraham, and through this deliverance, He is opening the way to the coming of Christ.
To make the Israelites understand that their salvation is purely by God’s grace, the LORD institutes the sign of the Passover. He gives precise instructions for celebrating this feast of redemption. In every household, a lamb must be slaughtered—a perfect one-year-old lamb without defect. If the household is too small, they must join with neighbors. Each father is responsible for the celebration.
The timing for the slaughter and the application of the blood on the doorposts is clearly specified. There are also detailed instructions about eating the lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Nothing may be left over. All of it underscores the holiness and substitutionary nature of the offering, by which the destroyer will pass over the homes of God’s people.
Why must the lamb be without defect?
Sing: Ps. 73:9