I just read through Exd. Chapter 12 and saw it as a marvelous example of the Gospel and salvation. There is a wonderful symbolism in demonstrating God’s sacrifice and the redemptive power of the blood. But being honest there are some strong contradictions to modern religion that I was wondering if you could explain.
For the father of every house was required to find an unblemished lamb as a sacrifice. Much like Jesus in the final days they was to keep the lamb for four days to prove it was clean and with out fault. Only after they have determined it pure was it offered up by the father as a sacrifice for their house. The lamb paying the price for that household must be a burnt offering, displaying the judgment by fire. They were then to take the blood of that lamb and place it on their posts as a token and eat of the flesh of the lamb.
On that night of the Passover the Lord passed through Egypt and every first-born child that believed that the blood would save them was spared, but every child who did not look to the blood and believe was smited. Was this a just and loving God to provide the blood to all from Pharaoh to Jew to the captive who was in the dungeon? All that was required was for the child to realize they needed a savior and accept their father’s sacrifice of the lamb as their salvation. Only then would they be saved. The only way they were condemned to die was if they did not believe.
The contradiction comes in that it is obviously not what was written. In fact, I could not find, after reading, any reference to the first-born child with the exception of the judgment of God in smiting or sparing based on the gift of their father. It appears that salvation for the first-born was not based on their belief but rather it was truly by grace. It was truly an unmerited gift from there father, not based on what they had done or believed but because they were their fathers child. It was the father who placed the blood; it was the father who redeemed his child by the sacrifice he made. What would have happened if the child did not believe that his father’s sacrifice would not save them, would he have been saved? Why did the Egyptians not place the blood on their door, because they did not believe or was these things not revealed to them? “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep” (John 10:26)
