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April 19, 2011
There’s Power in the Blood
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
There is power, power, wonder working power
In the blood of the Lamb;
There is power, power, wonder working power
In the precious blood of the Lamb.
“There Is Power in The Blood”
Words & Music: Lewis E. Jones
I recently watched Cecil B. DeMille’s classic 1956 film, The Ten Commandments. And if you haven’t seen it in a long time, then I recommend it for an old-school, over-the-top movie experience (while keeping in mind, of course, that this is storytelling done Hollywood style).
Sometimes campy in its performances, the film still caused me to crack open my Bible to the book of Exodus and revisit how God used Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and communicate the Law to his chosen people.
Before that pivotal scene in the movie, though, four of the ten plagues that the Lord called for when Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go from Egypt are depicted on-screen. As I watched the acting during the final and tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, I marveled that the Israelites were protected from this by the institution of The Passover.
In Exodus 12, the Lord instructs Moses to tell the Israelites that they are to sacrifice a lamb (without defect) for each household and that the blood must then be placed on the sides and the tops of the doorframes of each home.
The movie showed the Israelites (who were still slaves in Egypt at that point) wiping the blood around their doors. After that, the Bible says, they were instructed to eat the meat of the sacrifice in a very specific way. On that very same night, the Lord passed through Egypt and struck down the firstborn—both men and animals—and brought judgment upon the land.
But the homes marked with lamb’s blood were “passed over” and were saved from death. There was definitely power in that blood. But why is that? Because the blood was the means of deliverance and provided protection. Yes, God’s pledge of mercy to the Israelites was established. But an animal’s blood was needed to atone for their sins.
“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (Lev. 17:11).
And this requirement for blood sacrifice pointed the way to the Messiah, the Lamb of God who was yet to come.
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21).
John the Baptist also fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 40 when he called people to repent because the Messiah was soon coming.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29).
When we receive Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, it is HIS blood that washes our sins away. And THIS is the power that saves us!
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. … If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness. … He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 Jn. 1:7, 9, 2:2).
Do you believe that there ‘s power in the blood? If you’ve never accepted this free gift of salvation, I invite you to find out more in the Who Is Jesus? section at Crosswalk.com. You, too, can be redeemed through Christ’s atoning sacrifice and the power of his blood that was shed for you.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Put yourself in the context of Isaiah 53:5: “But he was pierced for [my] transgressions, he was crushed for [my] iniquities; the punishment that brought [me] peace was upon him.” Does this humble your heart and bring you to your knees today?
Further Reading:
Romans 3:21-26
1 Peter 1:17-21
