The Dead of Night

By day, the town of Goshen was like any other. People went to work,

children went to school, and families gathered to share a meal at

suppertime. But after dark, everything changed. Doors were locked and

drapes were pulled tight over windows. Because here, the dead ruled the

night. They came from the ground and from the sea, their howls and moans

and screams filling the darkness. They wanted one thingthe living. They

coveted their beating hearts and longed to feel air rush through their

lungs once again. And though death had severed them from such joys, they

wanted them all the same and went searching for them every night. But the

living had been given protection. Every evening, before the sun went down,

they would sprinkle lamb’s blood in the doorways of their homes. Any house

sealed with blood, the dead could not enter. But the sound of their

horrifying cries continued throughout the night, and people huddled away

from the windows, covering their ears against the terror outside. One day,

a man no one had seen before walked into Goshen. He went from house to

house, knocking on each door. Who are you? people asked when they saw

him. I am the Lamb of God, he said. He showed them the bloody wounds in

his hands. Will you trust me? One by one, the people looked down at the

blood, then back to his face. Yes, they replied. Then the man dipped his

finger into his own blood and touched it to each of their foreheads. No

more sprinkling blood in the doorway, he told them. No more hiding in

your houses at night. I have power over death and have sealed you with my

blood. Death can never rule you. That night, when darkness came, doors and

windows remained open, letting in a cool, fresh breeze. There were no

sounds of terror from the dead, for death could no longer hold its

captives. Instead, the dead were raised to true life and the serenades of

crickets wafted through the air as people poured into the streets. Men and

women gazed up at the stars as children chased fireflies across the grass.

Their fear of death and darkness was gone, for now an eternal light glowed

inside them. They were the living people of God. Courtney Lasater Read

John 11:25-26 and Romans 6:23. Why do those who trust in Jesus have no

reason to fear death? Do you ever feel afraid when you think about death?

You can talk to Jesus about this and ask Him to give you His peace as you

remember the sacrifice He made to save you from sin when He shed His blood

on the cross. While we will still experience death, we can find comfort

knowing that Jesus has defeated death through His resurrection and will

someday return to raise us to eternal life. How can this truth affect the

way we view death now? How much more, then, will the blood of

Christ…cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may

serve the living God! Hebrews 9:14 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Exod:12:21-Exod:12:23; Exod:12:29-Exod:12:30; 1 Peter 1:18-1 Peter 1:19; 1 Peter 2:9; Hebrews 9:14