Moses

February 23

Exodus 12:1-7, 12-13

Blood on the doorpost

God told Moses; “Every Israelite family must choose a lamb or young goat that has no spot or fault. On the fourteenth day of the month, every family must kill the animal and put some of the blood on the doorposts and above the door. They must roast the meat and eat it together with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. They must eat the meal quickly and be dressed and ready to leave at any time.”

The Lord said, “On that night, I will go through the land of Egypt and take the life of the oldest son in every house except the houses where blood has been sprinkled on the doorposts and above the door.”

What is the Passover?

The word Passover describes how the Lord passed over the houses where the blood of the lamb had been sprinkled on the doorframes. Everyone inside a house where the blood had been sprinkled would be free from the curse of death.

From that night on, God’s people remembered the Passover night by having a Passover feast every year to honor the Lord.

God told His people how they should prepare the feast and what they should eat. The lamb would remind them of how the blood protected them as the Lord passed over the houses. The bitter herbs would remind them of the bitterness and hardship they had faced as slaves. The bread made without yeast would remind them that there wasn’t enough time to wait for the bread to rise as they made their escape from Egypt that night.

Verse for today

“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance” Exodus 12:14.