Exodus 12 – The First Passover and the Blood That Saves
In Exodus 12, God institutes the Passover, marking the beginning of Israel’s freedom. The blood of the lamb becomes the symbol of protection, foreshadowing the sacrifice of Christ.
Freedom Begins with the Blood
Before Israel leaves Egypt, God gives them a memorial of deliverance—the Passover. It is both a solemn warning and a sacred promise. The lamb’s blood on the doorposts was not just for that night—it became a symbol of how God saves through sacrifice.
✔ God institutes the first Passover.
✔ The blood of the lamb protects from judgment.
✔ Egypt faces the final plague.
✔ Israel begins their journey to freedom.
📖 Key Verse: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” – Exodus 12:13
🔎 The only safe place in the judgment was under the blood—just as it is today.
Exodus Chapter 12 Overview
Exodus 12:1–28 – Instructions for the First Passover
📖 Exodus 12:1–2 – “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months…”
🔎 God reorders their calendar:
🔹 This becomes month one—Abib (later called Nisan)—marking a new beginning through redemption.
🔹 Freedom is so foundational that it rewrites time—it’s a spiritual rebirth.
🔹 The Exodus becomes the reference point for everything that follows.
➡️ Spiritual Insight: Salvation resets your timeline. Your story begins the day God delivers you.
📖 Exodus 12:3–6 – “A lamb for a house… without blemish, a male of the first year…”
🔎 Every detail points to Christ:
🔹 One lamb per household—salvation is personal, yet communal.
🔹 Without blemish—just like Christ, the spotless Lamb (1 Peter 1:19).
🔹 Kept for four days—mirroring Christ’s public inspection before His crucifixion.
➡️ Prophetic Shadow: Jesus fulfilled this as the Lamb of God, examined and found faultless before His death at Passover.
📖 Exodus 12:7 – “Strike the blood on the doorposts and lintel…”
🔎 The blood must be applied to protect:
🔹 The blood was not just shed—it had to be personally applied.
🔹 The location (doorframe) symbolized entry and covering—like being covered by Christ’s righteousness.
🔹 No blood, no protection.
➡️ Gospel Truth: Christ’s death saves no one unless personally received—faith must act.
📖 Exodus 12:8–11 – “Eat the flesh… with unleavened bread and bitter herbs…”
🔎 The meal was more than nourishment—it was symbolic:
🔹 Unleavened bread = purity and haste (leaven symbolized sin and delay).
🔹 Bitter herbs = sorrow and memory of bondage.
🔹 Staff in hand and shoes on = readiness to move—salvation calls us to action.
➡️ Devotional Call: When God saves you, don’t linger. Be ready to move in obedience.
📖 Exodus 12:12–13 – “I will pass through the land… when I see the blood, I will pass over you.”
🔎 God Himself executes judgment:
🔹 The plague was targeted—only firstborns, unless covered by the blood.
🔹 The destroyer passed by not based on goodness, but obedience.
🔹 This becomes the core of Passover theology: judgment passes over those under the blood.
➡️ Gospel Parallel: The cross is our doorpost—Christ’s blood turns judgment into mercy.
📖 Exodus 12:14–20 – “This day shall be unto you for a memorial…”
🔎 God establishes the Feast of Unleavened Bread:
🔹 For seven days, no leaven—no trace of Egypt’s influence.
🔹 Even today, Jews remove all leaven from their homes in memory of this command.
🔹 This feast reinforces the lesson: salvation brings separation from sin.
➡️ Sanctification: Redemption isn’t just being saved from death—it’s being cleansed from impurity.
📖 Exodus 12:21–28 – “When your children shall say, What mean ye by this service?”
🔎 God wants future generations to remember:
🔹 Every element was designed to provoke questions and teaching.
🔹 It’s a living parable of salvation.
🔹 Their obedience protected them—and their memory preserved the truth.
➡️ Legacy of Faith: Traditions rooted in truth can pass salvation stories down the line.
Exodus 12:29–51 – Death, Departure, and a New Beginning
📖 Exodus 12:29–30 – “The Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt…”
🔎 The final plague strikes at midnight:
🔹 God Himself executes the judgment—not an angel or man.
🔹 Every Egyptian household suffers loss, from the palace to the prison.
🔹 There was no house without one dead—a moment of devastating, divine justice.
➡️ Judgment Reality: God is long-suffering, but when mercy ends, judgment is swift and total.
📖 Exodus 12:31–33 – “Rise up, and get you forth from among my people…”
🔎 Pharaoh finally lets them go:
🔹 He sends for Moses by night—the same night he had resisted God’s warnings.
🔹 Egypt is now urgent in its fear—they beg Israel to leave, saying “we be all dead men.”
🔹 God’s deliverance comes in power and haste—there’s no more delay.
➡️ Freedom Principle: When God opens the door, move forward—don’t delay when deliverance arrives.
📖 Exodus 12:34–36 – “They borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver and gold…”
🔎 Israel plunders Egypt without war:
🔹 God turns their former masters into providers.
🔹 This fulfills Genesis 15:14—they leave with great substance.
🔹 It is not theft, but divine restitution for 400 years of slavery.
➡️ Prophetic Parallel: In the end, the righteous will also be recompensed for faithfulness (Isaiah 61:7).
📖 Exodus 12:37–39 – “About six hundred thousand on foot… beside children.”
🔎 The Exodus begins:
🔹 Over 2 million people likely leave, including a mixed multitude (non-Hebrews who joined them).
🔹 They bake unleavened bread—a physical and spiritual symbol of separation.
🔹 The deliverance was sudden, but promised long ago.
➡️ Faith in Motion: Obedience positioned them to move when the time came. They left Egypt, but Egypt had to be removed from them.
📖 Exodus 12:40–42 – “430 years… even the selfsame day it came to pass…”
🔎 God fulfills His word to the exact day:
🔹 The long wait ends in a single night of redemption.
🔹 This was a “night to be much observed”—not just for leaving Egypt, but for God’s faithfulness.
🔹 The Exodus was not random—it was precisely timed by divine appointment.
➡️ Prophetic Timeliness: God never delivers late. He fulfills every promise on schedule.
📖 Exodus 12:43–51 – “This is the ordinance of the Passover…”
🔎 God gives rules for future observance:
🔹 No foreigner could eat—except those circumcised, symbolizing covenant inclusion.
🔹 The lamb’s bones must not be broken—a direct prophecy of Christ (John 19:36).
🔹 The Passover was both a memorial and a boundary—those inside were protected.
➡️ New Identity: From this point on, Israel is no longer just a people—they are a redeemed nation, marked by blood and obedience.
Exodus Chapter 12 - Deeper Study
Overview: Redemption Through Substitution
🔹 Timeframe: The final night in Egypt before the Exodus.
🔹 Setting: Homes marked by lamb’s blood; judgment sweeping Egypt.
🔹 Theme: God delivers by blood and command—faith and obedience go hand in hand.
Key Takeaways
🔑 Salvation requires blood—a substitute must die.
🔑 The Passover points forward to Christ, our true Lamb.
🔑 Obedience protects when judgment falls.
🔑 Deliverance begins with sacrifice and ends in freedom.
🔑 Faith without action is not faith at all.
Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment
🔮 Passover lamb – A direct symbol of Christ (1 Corinthians 5:7).
🔮 Blood on doorposts – Mirrors the covering of Christ’s righteousness over our hearts.
🔮 Unleavened bread – Symbol of purity, used again in Christ’s Last Supper.
🔮 Firstborn judgment – Reflects the final plagues before Christ’s return.
Historical & Cultural Context
📜 Hebrew Calendar – God resets their year with this event; redemption marks a new beginning.
📜 Egyptian gods – The death of the firstborn was a final blow to Egypt’s religious system.
📜 Blood rituals – Common in ancient cultures, but this blood marked a covenant of mercy, not fear.
💡 Final Reflection: Are You Covered by the Blood?
The destroyer passed over not based on feelings—but on obedience to God’s instruction. The lamb had to die. The blood had to be applied. That night, eternity turned on a brush of hyssop and a heart of faith.
📌 Are you walking in obedience or hoping grace covers disobedience?
📌 Are you ready to leave Egypt—or are you still attached to it?
📌 Have you applied the Lamb’s blood to your life?
🚀 Freedom begins the moment you trust the blood. The Lamb was slain—now go in faith.
A Final Plague Threatened
Exo 11:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.
Exo 11:2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.
Exo 11:3 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.
Exo 11:4 And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
Exo 11:5 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.
Exo 11:6 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.
Exo 11:7 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.
Exo 11:8 And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.
Exo 11:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.
Exo 11:10 And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.
Date Written
1446-1406 BC
Written By
Moses
Language
Hebrew
Verses
51