Why did the destroying angel pass by?

Each Sunday, I have the privilege to partake of the sacred emblems of the Sacrament representing the body and blood of Christ, and to ponder that magnificent sacrifice. This week, my thoughts turned to Passover and the promise of a Messiah.

I thought of the circumstances of the first Passover, when the Lord commanded His people to kill a lamb and paint their doorpost with its blood.
The destroying angel came that night, and passed by the homes with the lamb's blood on the door. In the homes without blood on the door, the first born son's life was taken.

This story is so rich with imagery and symbolism. Of the many things I could focus on, I want to discuss just one - why did the destroying angel pass by those homes?

It was the blood.

It was not the righteousness of the family who lived inside. It was not how hard they worked or how nice they were to their neighbor. It was not how forgiving they were.

It was the blood of the lamb.

God commands us to be righteous, to work hard, to forgive, etc. He asks us to keep His commandments.
And we cannot be saved without it, just as the Israelites could not be saved without obeying the Prophet's command to put the lamb's blood on their door.

Temporal salvation for the Israelites merely required applying the lamb's blood to their door; eternal salvation for all of us requires more - we must apply the Lamb's blood into our lives! We must use His Atonement to repent, overcome our weaknesses, and become like Him.
To accept Him and apply His blood means more than lip service - as Paul said, we must write His law "in the fleshy tables of the heart" (2 Corinthians 3:3).

But ultimately, it is the blood of the Lamb that makes us acceptable before God.

In a prophecy given through Joseph Smith, the Lord described the Final Judgement, where He will act as our advocate with the Father. Notice the "evidence" that the Lord gives in support for our being saved:

"Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;
 Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life."

Doctrine and Covenants 45:4-5

The Lord is our advocate, and it is through His blood that we are saved, but we must cover our lives with His blood as the Israelites covered their door in order to be saved. 

I am so grateful to Jesus Christ for descending from His Throne above to rescue me. He paid the highest price imaginable to redeem my soul - the blood of the Lamb of God.