On my latest CD, "My Heart, His Love" is a song called "Because of the Blood". This article was inspired by that song...

There were 10 plagues which God brought upon Pharaoh and Egypt before the release of God's people, the Israelites. While all 10 plagues were horrible and showed the greatness & power of God, the 10th plague was by far the most horrific and devastating to Pharaoh and all Egyptians who lived in disobedience to & unbelief in the One True God.

Exodus 11:5 - "... and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharoah, ... even to the firstborn of the maidservant... and all the firstborn of the beasts."

Exodus 11:7 - "... that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel."

Exodus 12:4 & 5 - God instructs the Israelites to take a perfect lamb, according to the number of their households, & prepare to use that lamb, according to God's instructions, as a sacrificial offering to the Almighty. Therefore, each household would escape death and be "passed over".

Exodus 12:7 - They were instructed to "take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses..."

And God said (Exodus 12:12) "For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I AM THE LORD." Verse 13 - "... 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."

Can you imagine the panic & feeling of uncertainty that must have been running through the Israelites' minds? After all, they were human, just like you & me. Yet, those with true faith followed God's instructions. And they sat. And they prayed. I imagine they sang songs of deliverance. And they waited.

AND GOD SHOWED HIMSELF FAITHFUL AND TRUE TO HIS WORD! "BECAUSE OF THE BLOOD"...

Can you imagine the devastation and anquish all around God's people as they heard Pharoah's kingdom inhabitants dying? Can you imagine the relief when the Israelites realized, at dawn's first light, that God had protected, or "passed over" them, just as He promised?!

I am an animal lover and thankful that God does not require that of me - to kill an innocent lamb. But THINK - He eventually substituted the blood of His own Son to be OUR Passover! He did that for ME! He did that for YOU! Does that not pierce your heart and fill it with thankfulness and gratitude?! Well, it should!

Have you embraced that offering God made for you? It's what He wants, and it's no mystery that cannot be unraveled. Simple faith is all that's required. It's as easy as ABC to become a Christian:

A - Admit that you're a sinner. The Bible says, "For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory

of God." (Romans 3:23)

B - Believe that Jesus is the Son of God, sent to take away the sin of the world; that He died

on the cross & was raised again from the dead. (Romans 5:8, 1 Cor. 15:3-4)

C - Confess with your mouth that you have done the two things above. (Romans 10:9-10) This

is an important step in your faith. By testifying to others, you are showing with an outward

sign that there has been a inward change in you. It also frees you to grow in the Lord,

unashamedly.

It's Because of the Blood. We've always known blood is important to life. But HIS blood is important to ETERNAL Life! Thank You, Jesus, that You willingly shed Yours for me.

Love, Heather

#10plagues #Pharaoh #Egypt #Blood #horrific #Exodus #firstborn #lamb #passedover #plague #faith