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Saturday, March 1, 2014

Splattering Blood Saves Lives?


In preparing to exit Egypt, the Israelites had to trust that splattering the animal's blood would deliver them. Likewise, we need to trust that acceptance of Christ's sacrifice can and will save us.

Picture yourself back in Egypt when Moses was preparing the offspring of Jacob (Israel) to leave. For the final plague, God (Jehovah) was going to kill every firstborn of every household unless they demonstrated belief and trust in Jehovah's power by putting blood on the doorpost of their home. Try to put yourself in the mindset of the non-believing Egyptians. For instance, consider Pharaoh, the leader in Egypt, who arrogantly declared "Who is Jehovah that I should obey his voice...." (Exodus 5:2)

So now, even after suffering many plagues, would the Egyptians humbly demonstrate trust in God's ability to put to death the firstborn of anyone not obeying the directive to splatter blood on the doorpost? The record indicates they did not. What may have been going through their minds? Likely something to the effect: “How can so many people die in one evening? How could merely putting blood on a doorpost keep people alive? This sounds ridiculous.” From that perspective it was ridiculous. They neglected to appreciate that it was not the physical act that saved them, it was the demonstration of faith that saved those obeying the command.

Now that we have insight into the real issues (obedience and faith), we are in a position to gain even greater appreciation for the situation we are in today. While the majority of mankind feels no real obligation to God, has no real commitment to learning about him, we are not that way. We appreciate that, just as the Israelites very lives was dependent on obeying, we likewise must accept that real faith and trust in God comes down to obedience and accepting that, as creator, God has the right to indicate how to handle our relationship with him.



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