What is the meaning of Hebrews 11:28? By faith - Faith comes first in the verse because everything that follows flows from trust in God’s revealed word (Hebrews 11:1,6). - Moses believed God before he saw the outcome, acting on promises that were yet unseen (Exodus 3:12). - This faith stood in contrast to Pharaoh’s hardened unbelief (Exodus 7:13) and gave Israel courage to prepare for deliverance while still in bondage. he kept the Passover - Moses instituted the original Passover exactly as God commanded (Exodus 12:1-13). • Selecting an unblemished lamb on the tenth day. • Slaughtering it at twilight on the fourteenth day. • Roasting and eating it in haste, staff in hand, ready to depart (Exodus 12:11). - “Kept” highlights deliberate, continued obedience; the feast became a perpetual memorial (Exodus 12:24-27) and pointed forward to Christ, “our Passover Lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7). and the sprinkling of blood - The lamb’s blood was applied to the doorposts and lintel (Exodus 12:7). - God declared, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13). - Scripture consistently links blood to atonement and protection (Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 1:18-19). - The act looked ahead to Jesus, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). so that the destroyer of the firstborn - The “destroyer” refers to the angelic agent of God’s judgment who struck Egypt (Exodus 12:23; Psalm 78:49-51). - This was no myth or mere symbol; a real judgment fell on every unprotected household (Exodus 11:4-6). - The plague displayed God’s supremacy over Egypt’s gods, especially over Pharaoh, considered divine (Exodus 12:12). would not touch Israel’s own firstborn - The blood-marked homes were spared; “the LORD will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses” (Exodus 12:23). - Israel’s firstborn were redeemed for God’s service afterward (Exodus 13:1-2; Numbers 3:13). - The pattern foreshadows the believer’s security in Christ: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). - Deliverance was total—no loss, no partial rescue—showing God’s faithfulness to keep covenant promises (Genesis 15:13-14). summary Hebrews 11:28 celebrates Moses’ confident reliance on God. By faith he obeyed every Passover instruction, applied the lamb’s blood, and saw the Lord shield Israel’s firstborn from the destroying angel. The verse underscores how faith acts on God’s word, how substitutionary blood secures protection, and how God’s judgment passes over those under His covenant. It ultimately directs our eyes to Jesus, the greater Passover Lamb, whose blood secures eternal deliverance for all who believe. |
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