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First Passover
173
My blood has eternal life.” “The words that I speak to you are spirit,
and they are life” (
John 6:53, 54, 63
). The followers of Christ must
take the Word of God into themselves so that it will become the
driving force of life and action. By the power of Christ they must be
changed into His likeness and reflect the divine characteristics.
The lamb was to be eaten with bitter herbs, as pointing back to
the bitterness of the bondage in Egypt. So when we feed upon Christ,
it should be with repentance of heart, because of our sins. The use
of unleavened bread—bread without yeast—was also significant.
All who would receive life and nourishment from Christ must put
away the leaven of sin. So Paul writes to the Corinthian church,
“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump.
... Let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of
malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity
and truth” (
1 Corinthians 5:7, 8
)
[135]
Before obtaining freedom, the slaves must show their faith in the
great deliverance. They must place the blood on their houses, and
they must separate themselves and their families from the Egyptians
and gather together in their own homes. All who failed to follow
the Lord’s directions would lose their firstborn by the hand of the
destroyer.
How Faith Must Be Shown
The people were to give evidence of their faith by obedience. So
all who hope to be saved by the blood of Christ should realize that
they have something to do themselves in securing their salvation.
We are to turn from sin to obedience. We are to be saved by faith,
not by works; yet our faith must be shown by our works. We must
appreciate and use the helps that God has provided, and we must
believe and obey all the divine requirements.
As Moses told Israel about God’s plans for their deliverance, “the
people bowed their heads and worshiped.” Many of the Egyptians
had been led to acknowledge the God of the Hebrews as the only
true God, and these now begged to find shelter in the homes of Israel
when the destroying angel would pass through the land. They were
welcomed gladly, and they pledged to serve God and go forth from
Egypt with His people.