March 3 – Exodus 12
There is much to be written today that I cannot fit into this entry. Please note that back in chapter 11 and verse 5 the Bible says, “All of the firstborn INthe land of Egypt shall die. It does not say all the firstborn of Egypt. I believe that it is safe to say that would include any Israelites who chose not to place their faith in the God of Israel. Remember that Egypt is a “type” representing bondage, slavery, and lostness. So, to choose to disregard or not to believe in God’s plan of redemption is to remain lost yourself. You might say well what about verse 7 in which God says a dog wouldn’t even bark against the sons of Israel because, “He has made a distinction between Egypt and Israel.” We see back in chapter 11 a declaration of universal judgment that is pardoned only by divine grace.
Exodus 12 records the last of the ten plagues. This was the death of the firstborn, and inasmuch as death is "the wages of sin", we have no difficulty in perceiving that it is the question of SIN which is here raised and dealt with by God. This being the case, both the Egyptians and the Israelites alike were obnoxious to His righteous judgment, for both were sinners before Him. In this respect the Egyptians and the Israelites were alike: both in nature and in practice they were sinners. "There is no difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:22, 23). It is true that God had purposed to redeem Israel out of Egypt, but He would do so only on a righteous basis. Holiness can never ignore sin, no matter where it is found. When the angels sinned God did not spare them (2 Pet. 2:4). The elect are "children of wrath even as others" (Eph. 2:3). God made no exception of His own Son, the Lord Jesus: when He was "made sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21)—He spared Him not (Rom. 8:32). But all of this only seems to make the problem more impossible to solve in regards to the Israelites sin too.
The Israelites were sinners: their guilt was irrefutably established: a just God can "by no means clear the guilty" (Ex. 34:7): sentence of death was passed uponthem (Ex. 11:5). Nothing remained but the carrying out of the sentence. A reprieve was out of the question. Justice must be satisfied; sin must be paid its wages. So, shall Israel perish after all? It would seem so. Human wisdom could furnish no solution. No; but man’s helplessness is God’s opportunity, and He did find a solution. "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Rom. 5:20), and yet grace was not shown at the expense of righteousness and it never is. Every demand of justice was satisfied, every claim of holiness was fully met. But how? By means of a substitute. Sentence of death was executed, but it fell upon an innocent victim. That which was "without blemish" died in the place of those who had "no soundness" (Isa. 1:6) in them. The "difference" between the Egyptians and Israel was not a moral one, but was made solely by the blood of the pascal (sacrificial) lamb! It was in the blood of the Lamb that mercy and truth met together and righteousness and peace kissed each other (Ps. 85:10). The whole value of the blood of the sacrificial lamb lay in its being a type of the Lord Jesus—"For Christ our Passover has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast" (1 Cor. 5:7, 8).
Dear people, surely you see the “type”, the “picture” in this passage pointing to and painting a beautiful portrait of what our Passover, the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus did for us. We all stand deserving death. The only thing that keeps the death angel away from us is the blood of Jesus Christ. When the Israelites placed the blood over the lintel and along the doorposts of their homes, it was the equivalent of you and I placing faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and the efficacy of His atoning blood. It is our acknowledgment of the helpless estate that we find ourselves in unable to save ourselves and totally dependent upon Jesus. He is the only way! He is our Passover Lamb. We thank God for Jesus Christ for He is the only One who could save wretch like me (us). God said, “When I see the blood it shall be a sign for you…and I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you” (v.13). Watch this – “And the people bowed low and worshipped” (V.27). That is our right response!