Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Have you ever heard of the curfew that went into effect at sundown? You'd better be home by that time; and you'd better stay indoors all night. Not going out, even for a moment. This is Passover Night.
Egypt has been oppressing God's people and the night of deliverance has come. Only because of the tenth plague will the government of Egypt finally relent and permit Israel to leave. The Pharaoh, probably Amenhotep II according to history, has defied God to the bitter end. Now an angel of death is going through the entire land, and the firstborn of every home, from the Crown Prince of Egypt, to the firstborn even of the cattle, shall die, except ... :
For those who believe God's plan of salvation, they can take a young lamb "without blemish," kill it, and splash its blood all over the door posts and the lintel. And when the angel of death shall pass by, if he sees the blood, he will not enter that house.
But Pharaoh in his hardhearted unbelief, sacrifices no lamb; and at midnight the angel visited his palace, and the Crown Prince of Egypt dies suddenly, mysteriously. (It's interesting that Egyptian secular history records that Amenhotep's successor on the throne was not the eldest son as would normally be the case, but another son.)
But what about the Crown Prince of heaven? In the Father's great Plan of Salvation, He did die. The sacrificial Passover lamb typified Him and His death on the cross. His death made our life possible, so that the angel of Eternal Death could "pass over" us.
The meaning is so simple that even a child can grasp it: you live today because He died for you. If He had not died for you, you would be dead--eternally. Whether or not you are a Christian, the truth remains solidly true: you are in debt infinitely and eternally to the One who died in your place.
Do you think it is too great a sacrifice to follow Jesus? Think about that Passover lamb.
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 10, 1999.
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