Blood on the Doorposts Deuteronomy 11
Posted by hystar on January 1, 2010
The Israelites were given the Passover to remind them of their deliverance from bondage.
In order to teach a lesson for future generations, God allowed the family of Jacob to serve as slaves in Egypt for more than 400 years. “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;” KJV Genesis 15:13.
Jacob, his sons and grandsons entered Egypt to escape a famine. “Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.” KJV Genesis 47:1, 6-7. Three generations entered Egypt and were given the choicest land by Pharaoh to honor Joseph, his highest ranking official.
Pharaoh had a dream which no one could interpret except Joseph. “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.” Genesis 41:15. Finally Joseph was called from prison to hear the details of the dream. “Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” Genesis 41:16. After interpreting the dream, Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of preparing for the famine foretold in the dream. “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.” KJV Genesis 41:41. “And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.” KJV Genesis 41:49. During the famine a great number of Egyptians sold their herds, homes, land and finally themselves to Pharaoh through the system introduced by Joseph.
“And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year. When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.” KJV Genesis 47:13-14,17,18, 19.
For years the Israelites lived and prospered in Egypt. Soon this small group had grown to a population which began to worry the Egyptians. Jacob and Joseph passed away and their contributions were soon forgotten. The Egyptians searched for methods to control the Israelites. For more than four generations the Israelites served the Egyptians as slaves which continued until reaching a point of being forced to offer every male born to the Nile river.
Since Israel had been separated from freedom for more than four generation, one would think this would have been a lesson remembered for generations to come. The Bible shows us, the memory was short lived.
The concept of slavery was grounded in the belief of superiority long before the time of Jacob. The struggle for superiority began in Heaven. Satan had decided God’s law was too confining. He claimed the law was designed to restrict him and his followers from reaching their full potential. Satan convinced his followers they could reach a higher realization if they could do away with the restrictions imposed by God’s law. He used a similar promise to secure the fall of this world. “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” KJV Genesis 3:5.
It was Satan’s plan to overthrow God’s kingdom, not only here on earth but the entire universe. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” KJV Isaiah 14:12-14,KJV Daniel 7:25.
The debate between God’s law, freedom and the quest for superiority has come full circle. Satan originally argued, total freedom can only be achieved when the law is obliterated. After Satan was unmasked at Calvary, he changed his attack upon the law. Since that time Satan has launched new attacks upon the law of God. He has attempted to dig at its foundation by thinking to change or alter one or two of the ten commandments. Satan has worked through his allies in an attempt to convince people the law was created to serve as a test for Jesus. Satan has gone as far as to convince religious leaders they were superior because they possessed the law.
The battle for superiority has been felt through all generations in every corner of this planet. The Bible chronicles details of this fight throughout the Middle East. Eastern cultures have experienced the pains of discrimination based on family heritage or displaying belief in a god not authorized by the authorities. Europe has rehearsed the same patterns, dividing the land into nations which have fought for generations.
The most distorted enactment of superiority may have been displayed during Europe’s conquest of the west. Many European nations used God’s law as an excuse to annihilate entire cultures while enslaving others. Using God’s law and religion as a shroud they attempted to mask their lust for money and gain. While claiming to spread Christianity and teach God’s law and love, European nations entered new lands spreading war and disease. They claimed the right of conquest based on the fact they were carrying God’s law and the knowledge of Jesus into new lands. They had failed at understanding many of the concepts of God, His law and the message Jesus brought to this world. They had also failed to recognize the lesson taught by Hophni and Phinehas when they attempted to carry the ark of the covenant into battle. Sons of the high priest could not command the power of God’s law to do their bidding. But this has not stopped man from attempting to control, change and manipulate God’s law.
God knew of these plans to overthrow His laws, it is prophesied throughout the Bible. A study of the Passover reveals the results of man’s attempts to overthrow God’s law.
The name Passover is derived from the fact the avenging angel was to pass over homes with door posts covered by the blood of the sacrificial lamb. The final curse in Egypt warned of the death of every first born child and animal in the land. Covering the door posts with blood would save the first born of the household. This was not only a sign to the avenging angel, it was also an outward sign to every person passing by. This was a house worshipping the true and living God. The blood was a sign they were following His commandments.
God later commanded the wandering Israelites to write the laws upon their door posts.
KJV Deuteronomy 11:18. Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. 19. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 20. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: 21. That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. 22. For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him;
This was to serve as a reminder of the law whenever anyone entered or left the home. Is the actual sequence given in scripture between the blood and the law upon the door posts important? Does the blood take precedence over the law? Is the law more important than the covering blood of a Savior? Or do they share a common bond? Without the law there would have been no need for a Savior. Without a Savior, the law would have never taught mercy.
The law was carved into the wood of the door post, when the blood of the Passover lamb was spread over the door post, it covered the law but did not erase it. As the blood soaked into the wood, the color of the blood highlighted the law. After cleaning the door posts, the blood left an impression upon each carved letter of the law. The deeper the letters were carved, the more intense the impression.
The Bible records two ceremonies in which blood is used to cover the door posts.
Exodus 12:1-29 NKJV 1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 “Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 ‘And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 ‘Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 ‘Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. 7 ‘And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
During the first Passover, the blood of the sacrificial lamb ensured the life of the first born within the household. While the Israelites served the Egyptians, there was no choice, no act to save the first born son. By order of Pharaoh, every son born to an Israelite was to die. God’s plan offered a choice. This choice was centered around the blood of a lamb without blemish, a sign pointing to Christ. “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” KJV John 1:29.
God’s plan offered a choice. Families who chose to follow the instructions given by God saved the life of the first born. This was an illustration of Christ and His plan to save. “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” KJV Acts 16:31. The Bible records a second ceremony conducted at a door post which also involves a choice.
KJV Exodus 21:5. And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: 6. Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.
When a man chose to become a slave for life, he would place his ear against the door post where it was pierced with an awl, an instrument much like an ice pick. The blood of the slave would now cover the law. It was a small amount of blood and had no chance of covering the entire law. This was a ceremony designed to illustrate the point, man’s blood or sacrifice will never be sufficient to cover the law.
KJV Psalms 119:124-126
124. Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes.
125. I am thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies.
126. It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law.
KJV Luke 16:17
17. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.