How does Hebrews 11:28 connect to the Passover in Exodus 12:21-28? Hebrews 11:28—A Faith Snapshot “By faith Moses kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch their firstborn.” Faith wasn’t an abstract idea for Moses; it produced concrete obedience that saved lives. --- The Original Passover Scene (Exodus 12:21-28) 21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select for yourselves a lamb for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 Take a cluster of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin, and brush the lintel and the two doorposts with some of the blood in the basin. None of you shall go out the door of his house until morning. 23 When the LORD passes through to strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts; and He will pass over that door and not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. 24 And you are to keep this command as a permanent statute for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as He promised, you are to keep this service. 26 When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’ 27 you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians.’ ” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. 28 And the Israelites went and did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron. --- Key Connections Between Hebrews 11:28 and Exodus 12:21-28 • Same event, different vantage point – Exodus records the historical moment; Hebrews highlights the faith behind it. – Both stress that deliverance hinged on obedient application of sacrificial blood. • Faith expressed in action – Hebrews singles out “kept” and “sprinkling” to show faith acts, not merely believes. – Exodus 12:28 confirms: “the Israelites went and did just what the LORD had commanded.” • Blood as the divinely appointed shield – Exodus 12:23: “He will see the blood … and not permit the destroyer to enter.” – Hebrews 11:28 echoes that protection: the destroyer “would not touch their firstborn.” • Perpetual testimony – Exodus 12:24-27 establishes Passover as an ongoing statute and teaching tool. – Hebrews 11 places the same event in a gallery of enduring examples for all believers. --- Broader Biblical Thread • 1 Corinthians 5:7 — “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” The ultimate fulfillment; the Exodus lamb foreshadows Jesus. • John 1:29 — “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John the Baptist ties Jesus to the Passover imagery. • 1 Peter 1:18-19 — redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.” Peter reiterates the pattern of salvation through spotless blood. --- Takeaways for Today • God’s salvation is received by obedient faith—then and now. • The shed blood, applied exactly as God commands, is the singular means of rescue. • Passover points beyond Egypt to the cross; Hebrews invites us to the same trusting obedience Moses demonstrated. |
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