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By Mike Caton

Exodus 12:23, “When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.”

The blood on the doorframe will show the Lord that his people are living inside that house. And the destroyer will not be allowed to enter and strike anyone down. But why did the Lord need to see the blood? God is omniscient, all knowing. There is nowhere we can go to hide from God. There is nothing we can do that God does not know about. Even the things we think we are hiding, our deepest thoughts, our closest guarded secrets, the things we don’t want to admit, even to ourselves; God knows those things. There is nothing we can hide from him.

So, is God really looking for the blood on the doorframes? Or is the blood really a sign for the Israelites? As we have said before, it is easy to talk about things, but another to actually do them. These people are living out their faith, putting it into action; they have to select a lamb, put it up, kill it, clean it, cook it, and so forth. But in the process, they have to save some of the blood to paint on their door frames. These Jews are going to associate that blood with life, as they were spared from the destroyer who was coming. They will see that blood when they go inside to eat this meal. And they will see this blood when they get up the next morning and hear about all the death in the land. And they will see how the houses with blood on the doorframes were spared. It is a sign for them of the blessings we receive when we follow God.

What about us today? I’m thankful we don’t have to sacrifice lambs or other animals today. And the reason for that is Jesus, our Passover lamb, (I Corinthians 5:7) has been sacrificed for us. Jesus died for our sins, his blood paid the price we could not pay. And we need to be reminded of that on a very regular basis, as we tend to be forgetful. So, think about the blood that was shed for your forgiveness, your salvation. Maybe we need to set a reminder for ourselves somehow. That’s why we celebrate the Lord’s Supper each week, as a reminder of the blood that was shed for us.

Father, help me see the blood. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mike Caton is the preacher at Mount Olive Church of Christ in Belhaven. He volunteers at the Ponzer Fire Department and works full time with Hyde County EMS. If you would like to receive daily devotions in your inbox, email mikecaton@centurylink.net.

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