THE LAMB’S BLOOD

“Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you.” — Exodus 12:13

“You cannot honor the blood if you do not value the Lamb.” — PG

Israel’s deliverance did not begin with blood on the door. It began with a lamb in the house. Before freedom ever reached the streets of Egypt, before judgment passed through the land, before blood marked the doorposts, God required something deeply personal, intimate, and honestly a little intrusive. They were commanded to live with the lamb.

Not for a moment. Not for a ritual. Not for a photo op. Four full days the lamb lived in the home. Children played near it. Families fed it. They heard it, smelled it, stepped around it. This was no pet. This was preparation. God was making sure they would never treat deliverance casually. You don’t easily kill something you’ve learned to love. Reverence is born from proximity.

The blood would mark the house, but the presence of the lamb would mark the people. And this is where the tension still lives today. Many want the benefits of the blood without the inconvenience of the Lamb. We want freedom from bondage, but we’re not always excited about fellowship with the Deliverer. We want forgiveness, not formation. Grace, but not guidance.

The Lamb did not show up suddenly in Exodus. He appears early and often in Scripture. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve tried to cover their shame with leaves. God covered them with skin. Something had to die so they could live. Leaves could never deal with sin. Only sacrifice could. That moment echoed forward to Abraham and Isaac on the mountain when Isaac asked the question humanity had been holding its breath over ever since. “Where is the lamb?” Abraham’s answer still rings through history. “God will provide for Himself the lamb.”

By the time we reach Exodus, God gives clear instructions. Choose a lamb without blemish. Bring it into the house. Let it live with you. Then, and only then, apply the blood. God was saying something unmistakable. Before I mark your house with blood, I’m going to mark your heart with presence.

This was not religious theater. This was readiness. Belt on. Sandals on. Staff in hand. Eat with urgency. The lamb inside the house produced preparation to leave it. Presence always prepares you for obedience. If God gets inside, movement is inevitable.

The blood on the doorposts was not magic. It was meaningful because of who it came from. God demanded a blood death to suffice for the life of another. Substitution. Something dies so something else can live. The blood satisfied God’s judgment, but it was the Lamb that satisfied God’s standard. The danger is treating the blood like a product instead of the price. Celebrating forgiveness while ignoring fellowship. Wanting deliverance from Egypt without devotion to the Lamb.

Leviticus reminds us that life is in the blood. Old time, slaughterhouse preaching still applies because life is still in the blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. The sacrificial system was never meant to be permanent. It was a countdown. Every lamb pointed to one Lamb who would finally be enough.

Isaiah saw Him coming. Silent. Willing. Led like a lamb to the slaughter. John the Baptist finally declared what generations had been waiting to hear. “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Behold means focus. Remove distractions. Look closely. The wait is over.

Paul later makes it unmistakably clear. Christ is our Passover. Not a temporary fix. Not a yearly reminder. A finished work. Jesus satisfied the demand of God because He alone met the standard of God. And in case anyone thinks this is just ancient language, Scripture reminds us that Jesus is still the Lamb. Twenty eight times in Revelation He is called the Lamb. Heaven never outgrows the Lamb.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “Christ on the cross is the sum of the gospel.” If you remove the Lamb, you remove the power.

In heaven, the Lamb is seated. And when the Lamb is seated, intercession begins. Worship erupts. Victory is enforced. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. The blood still works because the Lamb still reigns.

A. W. Tozer said, “God will not hold you responsible to understand everything, but He will hold you responsible to trust Him.” Trust begins by valuing the Lamb, not just benefiting from the blood.

This is why Revelation says only those written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will enter. If we let Him get into us, we get into His Book.

The story reminds me of a boy who caught two birds, put them in a cage, and planned to feed them to his cat once he got bored. A man came by, paid far more than the birds were worth, bought the cage, and set them free. As the birds flew away, the man clapped and danced. The boy asked why. The man said those birds are singing freedom’s song. He kept the empty cage on his porch with others just like it. When the lil’ boy asked him why he had all those empty cages sitting out there, the old man said, “Even if the birds don’t see me, they can see the cage they used to be at my house. That cage ought to be enough for them to want to sing Freedom’s song, again and again.” The lil’ boy thought the old man had lost his mind. Knowing what the boy must be thinking, the old man smiled at the little boy and said, “I hear Freedom’s Song every morning and every night at my house, because of how many birds I’ve set free.”

That’s the Lamb for us! He paid more than we were worth. He broke the cage. And He still loves hearing freedom’s song.

Anybody thankful for the Lamb? Anybody free from the bondage you were caged in? Anybody want to join me in Freedom’s Song? Find you a good “Blood” song and sing it loud and proud!

Live This Out Loud
Invite the Lamb into every room of your life, not just the spiritual ones. Presence always precedes freedom.

Examine whether you celebrate what the blood does more than who the Lamb is. Fellowship fuels reverence.

When temptation or fear rises, remember the price that was paid. Freedom is too expensive to treat casually.

My Prayer
Holy Spirit, I come to You in the name of Jesus to thank You for the blood that was shed and the life that was given. Forgive us for ever wanting the benefits of the cross without the closeness of Your presence. Teach us to value You, to host You, and to follow You wherever You lead. Let our lives sing freedom’s song because of what You have done. Amen.

May the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more than you are, and bless you as He has promised you. — Deuteronomy 1:11

Marked By His Presence,
PG