• Read Exodus 11-12:14

MORNING— When I See the Blood

• Focal Passage: Exodus 12:13

“The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; 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.”

The final plague was different from all the others.  The darkness came and lifted.
The swept up the dead frogs.  The Hail fell and stopped.
But this plague—death—would not simply disrupt life. It would end it.

At midnight, judgment would pass through every neighborhood in Egypt. Not just Pharaoh’s palace. Not just the homes of idol worshipers. Death would knock on every door, from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the servant girl behind the millstones.

Scripture reminds us that this plague is not ancient or foreign. It is universal.

“It is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)

Death does not discriminate. It comes to the religious and irreligious, the wealthy and the poor, the moral and immoral. The difference—then and now—is not whether death comes, but whether a substitute has already died in your place.

That night, there was a death in every house in Egypt.

The only question was who would die.

For the Israelites, God provided a way of escape—not through merit, status, or lineage, but through blood applied in faith. The lamb had to be chosen. The lamb had to be killed. And the blood had to be applied to the doorposts and lintel.

God did not say, “When I see your sincerity.” He did not say, “When I see your fear.”
He did not say, “When I see your good intentions.”

He said:  “When I see the blood… I will pass over you.”

The Israelites were not saved because they were braver than the Egyptians. Some were undoubtedly terrified. They weren’t saved because of bravery, but through trust in God’s provision.

As D. A. Carson once illustrated, two Israelites could have approached that night very differently—one fearful and anxious, the other calm and trusting. Yet if both applied the blood, both found their first born alive the next morning. The difference was not the outcome, but the experience. One slept in peace. The other in dread.

• Reflection:  Are you resting tonight in what Christ has done—or anxiously hoping you’ve done enough?

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EVENING— The Lamb Who Was Enough

• Focal Passage: Exodus 12:26

“When your children ask you, ‘What does this ritual mean to you?’ you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and spared our homes.”

The Passover was never meant to end in Egypt. It was a shadow, not the substance.

Scripture traces a remarkable progression:

• In Genesis, it was a lamb for one man (Abel).
• In Exodus, it became a lamb for each family.
• In Leviticus, it was a lamb for the nation, offered year after year.

But the blood of animals could only delay judgment—not remove guilt.  That is why the New Testament speaks so clearly:

“For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:4)

All those lambs were pointing forward—to one final Lamb.  When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he did not introduce Him as a teacher or reformer. He announced Him as fulfillment:

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

Jesus was perfectly chosen—without blemish.
Perfectly examined—even His enemies found no fault.
Perfectly sacrificed—once, for all time.

Paul leaves no ambiguity:

“Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.” (1 Corinthians 5:7)

But here is the crucial truth Exodus teaches us with sobering clarity:
A lamb slain does not save unless the blood is applied.

Salvation has always been personal.

Exodus 12 quietly records a progression:

• A lamb (v. 3)
• The lamb (v. 4)
• Your lamb (v. 5)

Many are willing to say Jesus is a Savior.
Some will admit He is the Savior.
But salvation comes when you can say, “He is my Savior.”

• Reflection:  Have you personally applied the blood of Christ—or are you standing near the door, hoping proximity will be enough?
• Closing Prayer:  Father, thank You for the Lamb You provided—when we could not save ourselves.  Teach us to remember your sacrifice with grateful hearts and confident faith.  May we be reminded to live each day under the covering of Christ, passed over by judgment and claimed by grace.
  Amen.