The Passover lamb was central to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and foreshadows Christ’s sacrifice for sinners. When God announced the final plague, the death of the firstborn, He provided a way of escape for His people. Each household was to select an unblemished lamb, kill it, and apply its blood to the doorposts and lintel of their home.
Exodus 12:3, 5, and 7 explain:
“On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb… Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year… And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.”
The lamb’s blood was the sign of protection from judgment:
“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 when I strike the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:13)
The lamb symbolized substitution, its life in place of the firstborn. This was not about Israel’s merit but God’s grace through the blood. The unbroken bones of the lamb (Exodus 12:46) later pointed to Christ (John 19:36).
The Passover meal marked the beginning of Israel’s redemption and became a memorial of God’s salvation (Exodus 12:14). In the New Testament, Paul writes:
“For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” (1 Corinthians 5:7)
Just as the lamb’s blood shielded Israel from death, the blood of Jesus saves believers from God’s wrath. The Passover teaches that deliverance is by faith in God’s provision, not by works, and that redemption requires the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). It is a vivid picture of the gospel: salvation through a spotless substitute offered on our behalf.
