"And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt; And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel." Exodus 11:4-7.

This was the last plague that God pronounced upon the land of Egypt, and the worst as well. This was the culmination, the ending, the final act that declared the omnipotence of God. But after Moses made this announcement to Pharoah, he had more to say to the Israelites. They had to fulfill their side of the ritual as well:

"Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. Exodus 12:21-24.

And so it was that the first Passover was observed. Many people read that and they bless God for providing a way out for His children. It is certainly true that when God's judgment fell on the Egyptians, the Israelites were spared if they had shed the blood of a spotless lamb. But that was not the end of the story. The firstborn of Israel were spared death, but there was more to be said. God told Moses about it immediately afterwards, and in the wilderness He mentioned it again. As we see in Numbers: "And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine." Numbers 3:12.

I read this and it caught my attention. Why were the firstborn God's "original choice" to be priests to Him? I had always considered the Levites to be the priests (which they were), but it seemed the Levites had been something of a "second choice." They had taken the place of all the firstborn in Israel. Why? What made God choose them first instead of the Levites? It is answered in the next verse: "Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the Lord." Numbers 3:13.

Here it was. The blood of the lamb during the original Passover certainly spared the lives of Israel's firstborn, but they had not "escaped," as it were. The act of redemption had hallowed them. They were now God's, to serve as His priests, in return for the redemption of their debt. The Levites were accepted in their place, but the firstborn of the animals were never redeemed in that fashion. They still had to be sacrificed to the Lord, unless redeemed otherwise.

Many people know and recognize the parallel between the Passover and our situation today. Like the original Egyptians and Israelites, we are under God's condemnation for our sins. Like the Israelites, there is a way to be redeemed---to be set free. Christ is the Lamb who has shed His blood for us, and has paid the penalty for our sins. But, just as in the Old Testament, the story does not end there. We have not simply "escaped punishment." The same blood which kept us from eternal death has also hallowed us. We are become clean and are called to God's service.

The Apostle Paul reminded us of this fact in his letter to the Corinthians. Speaking of the salvation of God, and how it overcame any difference in our worldly lot, he mentioned that some were servants, and some were free. And then he said: "For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men." I Corinthians 7:22-23.

We have been bought with the price of Christ's blood. The penalty has been removed from us, but that act has also hallowed us. Having been bought, we are now God's. Anyone who has truly felt the cleansing power of Christ in their hearts will understand and realize this point: you did not just "escape from sin," you were cleaned, made whole, and made ready for a new life, one of service to God.

Let us never forget what our true goal in life now is. Let us always remember the price that was paid for our souls, and the obligation that comes with it. We are to live for Him who died for us. [ The End ]