Blood on the doorposts (Exod 12:21-28)

When I came to faith as a teenager, I struggled to understand the logic of the cross intellectually and, as a result, wondered if I were truly a Christian. It took me years to realise that no one else has figured out how it works exactly either! The point is that when we turn to God with the faith that Jesus’ sacrifice has dealt with our sins once and for all and we commit ourselves to Him, He brings about the transformation in us from death to life. We may not know how it happens, but we do see that it does.

As we return to the night of the Passover in our reading, once again we may want to delve into the deeper significance of smearing blood on the doorposts and find the explanation of Scripture disappointingly brief. We are not told what the meaning of the blood is (Israel could have tied a ribbon or smeared soot on the doors just as easily), only that it marked out Israelite houses, so that God would pass over and spare them (Exod 12:27). On one level, the important thing is acting by faith. If Israel believed God and followed these instructions, then they would be protected from death entering their household. Once again, such ritual action is less cerebral activity and more participation. Further, God did not need a sign on the doors to know who His people were, but He was teaching them about the necessity of faith.

The above considerations notwithstanding, the imagery in this ritual carries rich associations for the readers of the Old and New Testaments and it is not wrong to explore them even if we recognise that ancient Israelites would not have understood parts or all of these additional connotations. First, it is important to note that the blood used for smearing the doorposts and lintel is from a sacrifice (v.27) even though there is not yet a tabernacle or an altar. The blood of sacrifices was later used in Israel as a cleansing agent to purge the sanctuary from defilement caused by ritual impurities and sins (e.g., Lev 16:18-19; Ezek 45:18-20). Although Israelite houses in our story were not temples in the sense of God’s dwelling, they were places of protection. Sanctuary asylum was a known institution in many ancient cultures including later Israel’s whereby someone fearing for their lives could claim God’s protection in the sanctuary (e.g., 1 Kings 1:50-51; 2:28-29). Thus, we may see the Passover blood ritual as purging and marking out Israelite houses as sanctuaries, as places of protection against the coming judgement.

This raises another issue that is never made explicit in the exodus narrative, namely that Israel is not automatically exempt from the judgment that comes on the Egyptians. Unless Israelites apply the blood of the sacrificial lamb, death will enter their households. While the exodus story in the OT is only a shadow of that fuller salvation brought in Christ, it nevertheless affirms the pattern of redemption from sin and death as purging through the blood of a sacrifice, applied in faith by the sinner and accepted by God’s grace.

Israel was to repeat this ritual and explain its significance to their children (Exod 12:24-27) so that they might never forget how God saved them. As Christians, we especially remember our redemption at Easter and in the breaking of bread. In these days of the Covid-19 pandemic many fear for their lives or their livelihoods and while we are not promised immunity from trouble, we are reminded not only that we were saved by grace through faith but that we live daily by trusting that same grace and love of God.