The blood on the doorposts was the sign of God’s protection and the means by which Israel escaped judgment during the final plague. When the Lord passed through Egypt to strike the firstborn, He looked for the blood as evidence of obedience and faith in His provision.
Exodus 12:13 declares:
“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.”
The blood was not for God’s information, He knew who His people were, but for Israel’s assurance and as the condition He had set for deliverance. It symbolized substitution: the lamb’s life was taken so that the firstborn could live. Without the blood, there was no protection, even for an Israelite household.
The blood also pointed forward to the greater redemption through Christ. Just as the destroyer could not enter where the blood was applied, God’s judgment cannot touch those who are under the blood of Jesus. Hebrews 9:22 affirms:
“Without shedding of blood there is no remission.”
This teaches that salvation is not by nationality, works, or intention, but only through the blood of a substitute. Applying the blood required obedience and faith, showing that God’s provision must be personally appropriated.
The blood on the doorposts stands as a vivid picture of atonement. It reminds us that deliverance from wrath comes only through the sacrifice God provides and through faith in that provision, fulfilled perfectly in the cross of Christ.
