January 5, 2025
Exodus 12:1-30
“Passover Promise”
Service Overview: Exodus 12:1-30 unveils the Passover, where the lamb’s blood shields God’s people, foreshadowing Christ’s sacrifice. This moment highlights obedience, faith, and redemption’s cost. As Israel begins its journey to freedom, we’re reminded of God’s call to trust His provision, live in readiness, and embrace the salvation offered through Jesus.
Memory Verse for the Week:
Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
(1 Corinthians 5:7)
Background & Technical Insights:
- Passover marked a new beginning for the Jews and bound them together as a nation. (Warren Wiersbe, Be Delivered: Exodus, 64)
- The firstborn child in the time of Moses held much responsibility and had wonderful privileges. We can understand the tragedy to lose any child, but it was especially devastating to lose the firstborn in those days. With this in mind, God’s judgment on Egypt—killing the firstborn—tells of the seriousness of their transgressions. (Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in Exodus, 71)
- This is not just the climax of a suspense-filled story. It is the defining moment of a new era that will shape Israel’s history forever after. (Christopher J.H. Wright, The Story of God Bible Commentary: Exodus, 236)
- It should be noted that responsibility for the death of the Egyptian firstborn rests not with God but with Pharaoh. Had he permitted the Israelites to leave Egypt on a short pilgrimage to sacrifice to God, the Egyptian firstborn would have been spared from death. It is Pharaoh’s intransigence, supported by his own people, that leads to their death. (T. Desmond Alexander, Exodus, 101)
- The Jewish nation in the Old Testament had two calendars, a civil calendar that began in our September–October, and a religious calendar that began in our March–April. New Year’s Day in the civil year (“Rosh Hashana”—“beginning of the year”) fell in the seventh month of the religious calendar and ushered in the special events in the month of Tishri: the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. But Passover marked the beginning of the religious year, and at Passover, the focus is on the lamb. (Wiersbe, 65)
- The exodus from Egypt will be a new beginning for the Israelites. It is fitting, therefore, that the spring month of Aviv (later called Nisan) should be designated the first month of the year. The Israelites adopted the Egyptian calendar system involving lunar months, with the first day of the month occurring when the old crescent of the moon could no longer be seen before sunrise. At this stage in their history the Israelites considered the day as starting with sunrise. Only from the Babylonian exile onward did Jews reckon the day as starting with sunset. (T. Desmond Alexander, Exodus, 98)
What is it that Passover has to teach?
- How atonement is essential.
(vv. 1-13 | Leviticus 17:11; John 1:29; Hebrews 9:22)
The Passover demonstrated that apart from blood of the lamb, Israel would be found guilty. Why? Because God is holy. All are sinners and deserve to be cut off from God. We are all like Pharaoh, even if we do not have the title. But God in His grace provides a way of salvation through the blood of a substitute. (Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in Exodus, 69)
The Passover is especially significant because it is about much more than deliverance from slavery. Within the context of the book of Exodus, through the Passover God transforms the status of the Israelites by atoning for their sins and consecrating them as holy. Without the benefits of the Passover, the Israelites could not experience God’s presence with them in the future. (T. Desmond Alexander, Exodus, 103)
- How the substitute must be perfect.
(vv. 5-7 | Leviticus 22:21; Malachi 1:8; 1 Peter 1:18-19)
The Passover provides a paradigm for divine salvation, revealing how those estranged from God may become his people. The Passover both models and anticipates a greater exodus that comes through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. (Alexander, Exodus, 103)
This need for a perfect sacrifice reminds us of our own state. We, being corrupted by our sin, cannot save ourselves. Our good works are like the blemished lamb—unworthy before a holy God. We need One who serves as a substitute on our behalf. Jesus is the lamb for the household of God. Only through faith in Him are our sins covered. He alone is our hope. (Merida, 67)
- How saving faith is a “lived-out” faith.
(vv. 21-30 | John 14:15; Galatians 5:6; Philippians 2:12; Hebrews 11:28; James 2:17)
The blood that was smeared around the doors of the Israelite houses was a visible token that a life had been laid down in that place. Entering and remaining behind that door signified the personal appropriation by faith of all that the shed blood meant and had accomplished. (J. Alec Motyer, The Message of Exodus, 125)
The gospel is not just the A-B-Cs of Christianity; it is the A through Z. Every virtue of the Christian life grows out of the deeper experience in the gospel. Spiritual growth happens not by going beyond the gospel, but going deeper into it. (J.D. Greear, Gaining by Losing, 60)
The most compelling motivation for faithful, obedient living should not be the threat of discipline or loss of reward but overflowing and unceasing gratitude for the marvelous mercies of God. (John MacArthur, Romans 9-16, 141)
- How remembrance is vital to faith’s maintenance.
(vv. 14-20, 24-27 | Deuteronomy 4:9; Joshua 4:6-7; Psalm 77:11; 105:5; 103:2; Luke 22:19)
Of all the things that God wanted Israel to remember, the most important was their exodus from Egypt. The Lord God sent plague after plague against the Egyptians, culminating with the death of the firstborn, until finally Pharaoh agreed to let God’s people go. It was a rescue to remember. (Ryken, 335)
This idea of remembering God’s grace is an important practice for Christians. We are a forgetful people. (Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in Exodus, 66)
Conclusion… What’s our response in light of what Passover teaches?
- Embrace what God has provided for your atonement.
(Isaiah 53:5; John 3:16; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:25; 5:8-9; 2 Corinthians 5:18; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8; Colossians 1:20; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 2:2; 4:10)
The consistent message of the Bible is that anyone who wants to meet God must come on the basis of the lamb that he has provided. All the other lambs prepared for the coming of Christ. (Ryken, 330)
Blood represents life. Without it, we die. Righteousness is the lifeblood we need in order to be in relationship with God. Because we do not have this in ourselves, we need another’s righteousness. Where does your righteousness come from? You need Christ’s righteousness, His blood, His life. (Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in Exodus, 69)
God’s answer for your guilt is not to explain it away by circumstances that have victimized you, but to call you to own your sins fully and to entrust them all to Jesus Christ by faith. Jesus Christ is our substitute. He has taken our penalty. (Mark Dever, It Is Well, 57)
- Live as one marked by the blood; pursuing holiness as a response to God’s grace.
(Rom. 6:22; Eph. 4:1; Philippians 1:27; Titus 2:11-12; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15-16)
Passover is about getting saved. It reminds us that we have been delivered from death by a perfect substitute whose blood was shed as a sacrifice for our sins. The Feast of Unleavened Bread reminds us what God wants us to do once we’ve been saved, and that is to live a sanctified life, becoming more and more free from sin. (Ryken, Exodus, 338)
Holiness or sanctification is not just about purity or discipline. It is about displaying your radical difference, showing the marks of God’s ownership, and illustrating through your behavior the unusualness of your new life in Christ. (Jim Elliff, A Mission of Peculiarity: John 17:13-19, www.CCWtoday.org)
Gospel Connection…
Jesus, THE Passover lamb, delivers us from death to life, when his blood is applied to the doorposts of our hearts.
(John 1:29; 10:10; Romans 8:1; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 2:13; Colossians 1:13-14; Hebrews 9:28; Revelation 5:9)
When the Lord liberates you from bondage, it’s the dawning of a new day and the beginning of a new life. (Warren Wiersbe, Be Delivered: Exodus, 64)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- What does the Passover reveal about the necessity of atonement for sin? How does this understanding deepen your gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice?
- Why was it essential for the Passover lamb to be without blemish? How does this point to Jesus, and what does it say about the standard of holiness required for our redemption?
- In what ways did the Israelites demonstrate their faith by applying the blood to their doorposts? How does this challenge us to live out our faith today?
- Why did God command Israel to remember the Passover annually? How can we cultivate a habit of remembering God’s work in our lives?
- What does it mean for your life to be “marked by the blood of Christ”? How should this affect the way you live daily?
- What are some practical ways you can demonstrate obedience to God’s Word as an expression of your faith this week?
Quotes to note…
The Christian life requires hard work. Our sanctification is a process wherein we are coworkers with God. We have the promise of God’s assistance in our labor, but His divine help does not annul our responsibility to work (Phil. 2:12-13). (R.C. Sproul, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, xix)
Just as the Passover shaped the identity of the Israelites, so the Lord’s Supper shapes our identity as Christians. We not only remember the story of the cross and resurrection. We enact it in the breaking of bread and the pouring of wine, and in this sense we participate in it. It becomes our story and our identity, our living reality. (Tim Chester, Exodus for You, 96)
There would be absolutely no benefit to us if Jesus merely lived and died as a private person. It is only because He lived and died as our representative that His work becomes beneficial to us. (Jerry Bridges, The Gospel for Real Life, 37-38)
Passover was a feast to remember. It was an annual reminder of God’s saving grace, in which Israel’s deliverance from Egypt was commemorated and celebrated. The exodus was not repeated, of course, but it was symbolically reenacted with blood and with bread. The feast God’s people shared was something they could see, taste, touch, and smell. By reliving their escape from Egypt, they preserved the message of salvation in their collective memory. Passover was given so that future generations would know the salvation of their God. (Phillip Graham Ryken, Preaching the Word: Exodus, 336)
If this was simply a story of political liberation, then Israel would be the innocent victims. They wouldn’t need to fear judgment. But the truth is that they were sinners deserving of death. The Israelites had to daub the blood on the doorposts precisely because they were as guilty as the Egyptians, and so needed a substitute to die in their place if they were to avoid the judgment of death. The blood is daubed around the doors not because God can’t tell who is inside the house, but because he can! He knows there are sinners inside. (Tim Chester, Exodus for You, 87)
God’s goal in saving you was not just to make your few years on planet Earth easier or more enjoyable. He had an eternal end in view. His intent was to make you holy, as He is holy, that you might perfectly glorify Him, that you might bring Him pleasure, and that you might enjoy intimate fellowship with Him for all eternity. (Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Holiness: The Heart God Purifies, 51)
As we turn to Jesus, He transforms us. As we die to ourselves, we live in Him. He gives us a new heart – cleansed of sin and filled with His Spirit. He gives us a new mind – an entirely new way of thinking. He gives us new desires – entirely new senses of longing. And He gives us a new will – an entirely new way of living. (David Platt, Follow Me, 148)
God sees Christ’s blood on us and passes over our sin. He forgives our trespasses and sees Christ’s righteousness as our own. What a merciful God! (Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in Exodus, 68)