I love reading the Old Testament because in it we find so many hints at the gospel. The entire Old Testament is hinting at, pointing to, and preparing the way for Jesus. A fresh example is in Exodus 12. In the last of the great plagues against Egypt, God has threatened to display horrific judgment on Egypt if Pharaoh will not release the Israelites from slavery. The threat: the firstborn child of every household will die, except for those Israelite homes who are marked by blood:

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. (Ex. 12:13)

The Israelites are not autoamatically spared jus because they are Jews but because of the blood of a lamb. Sound familiar? The blood of the lamb marked the family as one of God’s own, thus to be spared from the judgment of God.

In a similar way, Christians are marked by the blood of a Lamb. I wonder if Paul was thinking of these events when he wrote:

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses… (Eph. 1:7)

Let’s thank God today for the blood of our Savior, which secured for us forgiveness for our sins and safety from the judgment and wrath of God.

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