Have You Marked Your Doorpost?

It seems almost backwards, doesn’t it? That a lamb would be a protector? When I think of a lamb, I think of a wooly farm animal who itself needs protection from predators. Not a warrior who will save you from death. If you look up “fun facts about lambs” you’ll find that they are social creatures who experience a range of emotions, they love their mothers, they eat plants, they recognize each other, and they have a wide peripheral vision. Lambs are beautiful creatures of God, not fierce and scary! In Exodus Chapter 12, the Lord gives instruction to Moses and Aaron regarding the first Passover. He tells them how the Israelites should select a one-year-old lamb without blemish, slaughter it at twilight, cook it, and use its blood on their doorpost. Should they not follow these instructions they should be aware that they will NOT be spared from the angel of death. It's all very specific, and the results are the death of numerous lambs and the use of the blood for protection. It doesn’t seem like the lamb is very valiant and strong in these instructions. It sounds quite gory in fact. Can you imagine what twilight looked like in an Israelite village? Frightening! Those poor lambs! However, when you look at what the lamb’s blood saves the Israelites from, the angel of death himself, the lambs in these instructions hold the greatest significance.

That’s why, when we look at the symbolism of the lamb in reference to Jesus, we don’t look at it as a sign of meekness, we look at it as a sign of salvation. Jesus isn’t called the Lamb because he’s cute and fuzzy and we all love him. He’s the conquering Lamb of Revelation, the Lord of lords, the King of kings. It is through his blood that we mark ourselves redeemed and saved. So, is your doorpost marked? Do you recognize that it is his blood that marks you redeemed? You are walking around as a believer with your doorposts marked. Death will pass over you because you are part of the death of the lamb, baptized into his death through water and the Word. You will be those among the called and chosen and faithful. When war is made on The Lamb, you will be able to stand behind him. That Lamb has saved you from the angel of death!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for the blood of the Lamb that spares us from death. We look forward to the day when the Lamb will conquer death once and for all. Let us not forget that we are marked as one redeemed because of Christ Jesus. We pray in his name, Amen.