“ 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. 7 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…12 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. 13 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.”
- Exodus 12:5-13
When was the last time you were truly afraid?
Maybe it was a nightmare, a scary movie, or the wait for the doctor’s diagnosis. Fear can be paralyzing.
For the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, fear was a daily occurrence. As Moses came back declaring God’s message to, “Let God’s people go.”, the Egyptians were the ones who found themselves grappling with fear. As each of the ten plagues intensified, Pharaoh’s heart grew harder. Each demand to let God’s people go, each refusal and accompanying show of God’s power only seemed to strengthen Pharaoh’s resolve.
As Moses declared the final plague, he knew it would be a night where fear reigned supreme. By morning, the Egyptians would be begging the Hebrews to leave.
As Moses prepared God’s people for a night filled with fear, he shared God’s promise of protection. The blood of a lamb covering the doorpost would be a symbol for God to pass over their homes, leaving them unaffected by the plague. As the rest of Egypt would shriek in horror at the death of every firstborn, God’s people would be safe and covered by the blood of the lamb.
Jesus is our Passover Lamb who willingly allowed His blood to be shed to cover over our sin and protect us from judgment. Jesus never said there was nothing to fear in this life. He promised the covering of His peace and His presence in the face of fear. As you hang your ornament, remember, when the whole world is feeling fear, Jesus is our covering and our peace!