How does the Passover event in Exodus 12:30 foreshadow Christ's sacrifice? A Night of Judgment Anticipating the Cross “Pharaoh and all his servants and all the Egyptians rose up in the night, and there was a great wailing in Egypt, for there was no house without someone dead.” (Exodus 12:30) • Literal death visited every Egyptian household; God’s judgment was universal and inescapable. • This prefigures the universal reach of sin’s penalty—“the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). • Only homes marked by the lamb’s blood escaped judgment, foreshadowing the one sure refuge under Christ’s blood. The Firstborn Sentence and the Only Begotten Son • In Egypt, every firstborn died; at Calvary, the Father gave His own “firstborn” (Colossians 1:15) to die in the sinner’s place. • The cost in Egypt was involuntary; the Son’s sacrifice was voluntary—“I lay down My life… No one takes it from Me” (John 10:17-18). • The substitution is exact: a firstborn for firstborn, satisfying divine justice. The Substitutionary Lamb Saves from Wrath • Israel’s safety rested on a spotless lamb slain at twilight (Exodus 12:5-6). • Christ is explicitly called “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). • Paul connects the dots: “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7). • As the lamb’s blood shielded Israel from death, Christ’s blood secures believers from God’s wrath (Romans 5:9). The Cry in Egypt and the Cry at Calvary • Egypt’s “great wailing” reveals the terror of judgment without a substitute. • At the cross a different cry is heard: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). • The anguish fell on Christ so that those under His blood never experience the forsaking Israel escaped that night. • Darkness shrouded both scenes—midnight in Egypt (Exodus 12:29) and midday darkness at Golgotha (Luke 23:44-45). Deliverance Immediately Follows Sacrifice • After the death of the firstborn, Israel marched out free (Exodus 12:31-32). • Christ’s death was instantly followed by access into God’s presence—“the veil of the temple was torn in two” (Matthew 27:51). • Just as Israel left slavery behind, believers are transferred “from the domain of darkness” into the kingdom of God’s Son (Colossians 1:13-14). The Greater Passover Completed in Christ • No Egyptian house escaped death; likewise no human escapes sin’s sentence—except by the Lamb. • The Passover required personal application of blood; salvation requires personal faith in Christ (Acts 16:31). • The yearly memorial meal kept Israel looking back; the Lord’s Supper keeps the church looking both back to the cross and forward to Christ’s return (1 Corinthians 11:26). |
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