The biblical account of the first Passover is powerful. In Exodus 12, we see God preparing to execute judgment on Pharaoh, and those in his kingdom, because he refused to release the people of God from captivity. Pharaoh was used to giving orders not taking them. He ruled a vast kingdom and was the Commander in Chief of one of the richest, most prominent nations in the world. He was the judge and the jury. It is not difficult to understand why Pharaoh didn’t take too kindly to receiving orders from God. After all, in his mind he was god and no one in the land refuted that except Moses.
Pharaoh had been on the receiving end of several of God’s plagues none of which prompted him to release God’s people from captivity. In truth, he became more defiant openly daring Moses’ God to do something about it—so God obliged. God released the plague of death which claimed the life of every first born male (human and animal) in Egypt. The people of God, however, were safe from this plague because of the blood applied to their door posts. The blood was a distinguishing mark that caused death to pass over them.
The blood on the door posts kept God’s people safe from harm. It stayed the hand of death that would have otherwise devoured them. Likewise, it ultimately resulted in the release of God’s people from captivity.
No matter how tightly the adversary attempts to bind you or overwhelm you, the blood of Jesus causes him to lose his power over you. No matter how long you feel you’ve been shackled or chained, the blood shed by the Risen Lamb will cause the enemy to release you. Because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, our enemies no longer have the right to keep us captive—they have to let us go. Much like Pharaoh, the Adversary does not get to refuse God’s demands. God is Sovereign and is LORD. His decrees are not subject to debate or consideration. They are directives not requests.
You don’t have to allow life’s circumstances or hurtful situations to suffocate you. You don’t have to permit the adversary to hold you captive to your emotions or keep you bound to your past. Behold all things have passed away and now you are new. You are not who you used to be because you have been made new in Christ.
The blood that Christ shed on the cross is a distinguishing mark that identifies who you are. There is a purpose for suffering, as Buddhists proclaim. Christ’s work on the cross acts like a birth mark signifying to all who see you that you belong to Him. Because of this mark, the bible says that when God looks at you He sees His beloved son.
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