The lamb's blood on the doorpost was a sign that the Lord should pass over a particular house as the firstborn of Egypt were killed. The blood was important, a visible sign of belonging to Yahweh.
What in the world does that look like? Cecil B. DeMille imagined a green mist that oozed under doors in order to accomplish the task at hand. Did you imagine it looking like either of these?
The left image shows a traditional angel holding a sickle. Also called a reaping hook, the sickle is an agricultural tool designed for harvesting, reaping, or cutting foliage. Is this a harvest in Egypt?
Or perhaps the right image is more what you imagine. A winged being but hardly solid. It is a red mist that creates a type of garment. In the angel's hand is a sword, a weapon with a long blade designed for slashing or thrusting.
(Left) Exodus 11.4. Scanned from "Coloured Picture Bible for Children." (Right) Arthur Hacker. And There was a great Cry in Egypt. 1897. Private Collection.
A weapon? Or a tool? What should this figure be carrying?And what of the aftermath? We are usually focused on the gathering of the Israelites and their leaving Egypt. American artist Charles Sprague Pearce instead focused on the grief of Egyptian parents in his painting (below). The parents here prepare to bury their child along with the clay figures that would be the child's companions in the afterlife. Many Victorian-era parents knew what it was to lose a child. This image, rather than celebrating the freedom of the Israelites, honored the grief of
Egyptian parents.
Charles Sprague Pearce. Lamentations over the Death of the First-Born of Egypt, 1877. Washington, DC: Smithsonian American Art Museum.
How do we interpret this event? What are the feelings, and even contradictions, that we must hold in our hands as we consider this story?And, for Christians, how do we hold this story as we read it on Maundy Thursday? See this week's Facebook post for thoughts on Passover and Maundy Thursday.
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