Exodus 12:13 – When I See the Blood
“And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” On the night of Israel’s deliverance, one thing stood between life and death: blood on the doorposts. Not the worthiness of those inside. Not their knowledge or devotion or sincerity. Blood. God looked for blood, and where He saw it, judgment passed over. This simple, stark transaction lies at the heart of biblical redemption and points unmistakably to the blood of Jesus Christ.
The Night of the Tenth Plague
Nine plagues had struck Egypt, and still Pharaoh refused to release Israel. Each plague demonstrated Yahweh’s supremacy over Egyptian gods; each hardened Pharaoh’s heart further. The final plague would break that hardness—death of the firstborn throughout Egypt, from Pharaoh’s heir to the prisoner’s son to the firstborn of cattle. No house would escape. Death would visit every Egyptian household at midnight.
But Israel would be distinguished. God instituted the Passover as the means of their protection. Each household was to select a lamb on the tenth day of the month, keep it until the fourteenth day, then kill it at twilight. The blood was to be applied to the two side posts and the upper doorpost of their houses. Inside, they would eat the roasted lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, dressed for travel, ready to leave Egypt.
The protection was specific: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” The Hebrew word for “pass over” gives the festival its name—Pesach. Some scholars suggest it means to hover protectively rather than simply to skip past. God would see the blood and guard those covered by it from the destroyer.
That night, at midnight, the LORD struck all the firstborn of Egypt. “There was not a house where there was not one dead” (Exodus 12:30). But in Israelite houses, protected by blood, no death occurred. The contrast was absolute: judgment for one, salvation for the other. And the difference was the blood.
The Blood’s Singular Importance
The text emphasizes what God sees. Not “when I see your repentance” or “when I see your good intentions” or “when I see your religious observance.” When I see the blood. The blood was the token, the sign, the indicator that determined whether judgment fell or passed. Everything else was irrelevant to that transaction.
This does not mean internal disposition did not matter—surely those who applied the blood did so in faith, trusting God’s word. But the object of their faith was the blood’s efficacy, not their own faith’s quality. A household with great faith and no blood would have suffered judgment. A household with trembling faith but blood on the doorpost would have been spared. The blood was determinative.
The lamb had to die. Its blood represented its life given up, poured out, sacrificed. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11). Blood speaks of death, and death was the price of redemption. The firstborn of Egypt died; the firstborn of Israel lived because a lamb died in their place.
The blood had to be applied. A lamb slain but its blood left in a basin would have provided no protection. The blood had to be transferred from the lamb to the doorpost, visibly marking the house. Application made the sacrifice effective for that household. Blood existed objectively; application made it effective personally.
Christ Our Passover
The New Testament explicitly identifies Jesus as the Passover Lamb. “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). The connection is not metaphorical but typological—the Passover was designed by God to picture what Christ would accomplish. Every element finds its fulfillment in Him.
Jesus was examined and found without fault, as the Passover lamb had to be without blemish. He was crucified at Passover, the same feast He had transformed into the Lord’s Supper the night before. He died at the ninth hour—approximately 3 PM—the time when Passover lambs were being slaughtered throughout Jerusalem. His legs were not broken, fulfilling the Passover requirement that no bone be broken. The alignment of detail and fulfillment demonstrates divine design.
John the Baptist introduced Jesus with Passover language: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Peter describes redemption with the same imagery: “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold… But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19). The Lamb has been slain; the blood has been shed.
When God Sees the Blood
The principle of Exodus 12:13 operates in salvation today. God looks for the blood of Christ applied to sinners. When He sees it, judgment passes over. When He does not see it, judgment falls. The blood is the token, the sign, the ground of exemption from divine wrath.
“Being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Romans 5:9). Justification is legal acquittal—being declared righteous in God’s court. This justification comes through blood. Wrath remains the alternative for those not covered. But for those sheltered by Christ’s sacrifice, wrath passes over. God sees the blood.
The transaction is objective before it is subjective. Christ died at a point in history; His blood was shed once for all. This historical fact exists independently of anyone’s awareness or response. But for the blood to benefit you, it must be applied to you—through faith. Believing the gospel is applying the blood. Trusting Christ is sheltering under His sacrifice. The blood in the basin must be put on the doorpost.
Assurance of salvation rests on what God sees, not on what you feel. The Israelites inside their houses could not see the blood on their doorposts. They could not inspect it to ensure it was adequate. They trusted that God saw what they had applied and would keep His word. Believers today cannot see the blood of Christ applied to them, but they trust that God sees it. “When I see the blood”—not when you feel adequate, not when your doubts disappear, not when your emotions confirm your safety. God sees the blood. His seeing is sufficient.
Are You Under the Blood?
The night of Passover divided Egypt into two groups: those under the blood and those not under it. No third category existed. You could not be partially under the blood or mostly protected. You were either marked or unmarked, sheltered or exposed, safe or doomed. The same binary applies today. You are either in Christ—covered by His blood—or outside Christ—exposed to judgment.
The Israelites had to act before midnight. Once the destroyer began his work, it was too late to apply blood. The window for response was limited. No one knew exactly when midnight would come, only that it would come. You have a window now—the offer of salvation is extended. But death comes without appointment, and judgment follows death. The blood must be applied while application is possible.
The blood was not optional for Israelites who thought themselves righteous. It was not unnecessary for those who had lived good lives by Egyptian standards. Everyone needed the blood—the morally superior Israelite as much as anyone else. Firstborn throughout the land died; only blood made the difference. Your moral record, religious background, and personal achievements contribute nothing to your protection from wrath. Only the blood of Christ avails.
Have you applied the blood? Have you trusted Christ as your Passover Lamb? His blood has been shed—the sacrifice is complete. What remains is your response. Come under the blood through faith. Let God see what He looks for when He examines your life. “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Make certain that blood is there, applied by faith, marking you as His own. The Lamb has been slain. The door stands open. Enter before midnight.