Bible Overview: Sin and God's Desire to be the God of His People - Part 4

Sin and God's Desire to be the God of His People - Moses

After Egypt enslaved Israel, the people of Israel turned to God and began crying out to Him, so He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He acknowledged them by raising up Moses to lead them out of their bondage to Egypt (Exodus 2:23-3:22).

In order to persuade Pharaoh to release Israel, God performed many miraculous signs and brought ten plagues upon Egypt through Moses and his brother, Aaron. During many of them, Pharaoh promised to set them free and pleaded with Moses to stop the destruction. However after God ended it, He hardened Pharaoh's heart, so Pharaoh changed his mind and did not let them go (Exodus 7:1-10:29).

The tenth plague which God brought upon Egypt finally convinced Pharaoh to release Israel. The plague was death to all of the first born of Egypt, including Pharaoh's first born and all of the first born animals.

The Blood of the Lamb

God protected the people of Israel from the plague of death by instructing them to kill an unblemished male lamb, a year old or less, and applying its blood to the door frame of each house. Along with other regulations, they were required to eat the entire lamb that evening, and to observe the day each year as a memorial throughout their generations (Exodus 12:1-30). 

The blood of the lamb that Israel applied to their door frames so that God would not destroy them, is a type and foreshadowing of the blood of the Lamb that was shed for the forgiveness of sins. In both cases, the blood of the Lamb was shed to save the people from death. If Israel disobeyed God's instructions to apply the lamb's blood to their door frames, they would have been included in the death of Egypt's firstborn, but because they obeyed God, they did not die, but lived with God in their presence.

Similarly, God sacrificed His only Son Jesus to atone for the sins of all mankind. If anyone refuses to believe in Jesus as His Son and as the Messiah whom the prophets foretold of, and that he shed His blood and died for them, and was resurrected from the dead, then they will die. However, if anyone believes that Jesus is the Son of God and the Christ (Messiah), who died for their sins, was resurrected and now sits enthroned as King in Heaven at the right hand of God, then His blood will cover their sins and they will not die an eternal death, but will be resurrected from death to live forever in the presence of God under the Kingship of Lord Jesus.