A daughter texted us this beautiful photo of a rainbow today. It got me thinking about the signs of God. The rainbow is one of God’s signs- he had delivered Noah and he would never destroy the whole earth by water again. On this week of Passover and Good Friday, I’m so thankful that God delivers us. Both Passover and Good Friday required a blood sacrifice as the means of deliverance. Passover required the blood of a lamb to ensure deliverance from physical death; Good Friday required the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus, to ensure deliverance from spiritual death.

God called Noah out of the ark and immediately Noah made animal sacrifices. Following his sacrifices, the rainbow appeared in the sky and God promised never to destroy the whole earth with a flood.
“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.” Genesis 8:20-21
“ Then God said to Noah, ‘Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.” Genesis 9:17
Just as Noah’s sacrifices pleased God and God promised physical deliverance, so Jesus’ sacrifice pleased God and God promised spiritual deliverance.
“He [Jesus] loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” Ephesians 5:2

God’s people while still slaves in Egypt sacrificed a lamb and put it’s blood on the doorposts of their homes at twilight on the first Passover. At midnight the destroying angel killed the firstborns in every home except the ones with blood as a sign on their doorways. Immediately after this, God delivered them out of the slavery of Egypt.
“I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:12-13

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

Joseph and Mary sacrificed a pair of doves to consecrate their firstborn, Jesus, to the Lord. Immediately afterward while still at the Temple, an old, faithful man blessed them and declared that their baby was a sign from God.
“When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” . . . Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. Luke 2:22-24,34

After Jesus grew up and  gave himself as the final sacrifice, we are saved from destruction when we trust him. God promises us that he won’t condemn us.
“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.  And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. . .  So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” Romans 5:8–9,11

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. . . So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us.” Romans 8:1, 3-4

Because we trust that Jesus’ blood paid for our sins, we don’t fear death and God’s judgment. Because we believe Jesus came back to life, we rejoice in the new life he gives us- eternal life that starts when we trusted him and continues past death into the next, better life.

May you have a meaningful Passover, Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday!