28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
28 By faith he [Moses] kept [instituted] the Passover
Forty years after Moses fled Egypt the first time, he came back to Egypt again. Another Pharaoh was now in power. Moses ran into a series of confrontations with this leader of Egypt. This brought this man of God to a final confrontation with the national leader where, if he did not repent, God would kill the firstborn of everyone who did not sprinkle blood on the posts of their doors. Upon the death of many firstborn Egyptians, Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to flee Egypt (at least for a time).
The “Passover” was the celebration of God passing over judging the Israelite because of shed blood. This was the first occurrence of the Passover in the Bible. The institution of the Passover anticipated the blood sacrifice of Christ for our sins.
and the sprinkling of blood,
The “sprinkling of blood” refers to Israelites sprinkling blood on their doorposts (Ex 12:22–23). Shed blood is central to God’s economy.
lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
God did not kill the firstborn son of parents who put blood on their doorposts (Ex 12:23).
PRINCIPLE:
Faith orients to God’s grace as well as His plan.
APPLICATION:
Sprinkling of blood on the doorposts of Israelites had no power in itself. However, the sprinkling was an act of faith. The Israelites accepted God’s protecting grace. They knew it was God’s plan. Moses instituted the Passover by faith, which became central to Israel’s worship for centuries.
