How does following God's instructions in Exodus 12:21 demonstrate faith and trust? Setting the Scene Exodus 12 describes the climactic night of Israel’s deliverance. In verse 21, Moses tells the elders, “Pick out and take a lamb for yourselves according to your families, and slaughter the Passover lamb”. Everything that follows—the application of the blood, the meal, the hurried readiness to leave—rests on this initial act of faith-filled obedience. What God Asked • Choose a spotless lamb (v. 5) • Kill it at twilight (v. 6) • Apply its blood to the doorposts and lintel (v. 7) • Stay inside until morning (v. 22) • Eat in haste, ready to depart (v. 11) Faith Expressed Through Obedience • Hebrews 11:28 links this moment to faith: “By faith Moses kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch their firstborn.” • Trust meant more than agreement; it required action. James 2:20-22 reminds us that faith is perfected by works—exactly what the Israelites displayed when they followed Moses’ instructions. • They acted before any plague lifted or any sea parted. Obedience preceded evidence. Trust in a Substitute • Slaughtering an innocent lamb signaled reliance on God’s provision, not personal merit. • The blood marked each household as under divine protection—foreshadowing Christ, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). • 1 Peter 1:18-19 connects the Passover lamb to Jesus’ “precious blood…a lamb without blemish or spot.” Anticipation of Salvation • The command guaranteed rescue from the coming judgment: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13). • Placing blood on the doorposts expressed confident expectation that God would keep His word, even as death approached every Egyptian home. Communal Faith, Personal Decision • Elders led, but every family chose its own lamb and applied its own blood. • Shared obedience forged national unity, yet each household still had to act. Likewise, salvation through Christ is offered to all, received individually (Romans 10:9-10). Identity Formed by Obedience • The Passover became Israel’s foundational memorial (Exodus 12:24-27). • Their new identity—as a people redeemed by blood—was sealed the moment they followed God’s instructions. • Believers today find identity in Christ’s finished work, celebrated in communion (Luke 22:19-20). Echoes for Today • God’s instructions may appear simple, even strange, but they carry eternal weight. • Trust shows up when we obey promptly, precisely, and publicly, just as Israel did. • The same Lord still calls His people to demonstrate faith through wholehearted obedience, resting in the perfect Lamb whose blood once for all secures deliverance (Hebrews 9:12). |
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