Were the Israelites afraid or calm and secure after putting the blood on their doorposts during the first Passover?
After putting the blood on their doorposts, the Israelites were calm and secure, not afraid. The blood served as a token on their houses, and God promised that when He saw the blood He would pass over them, so the plague would not destroy them. They stood ready to eat the Passover Lamb in that security.
Les explains that Exodus 12:12-13 records God telling Moses and Aaron that He would pass through Egypt that night, smite all the firstborn, and execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. The blood of the Passover Lamb would be a token upon the houses, and when God saw the blood, He would pass over them. The plague would not be upon them to destroy them when He smote the land of Egypt. Les then pictures the Israelites who had placed the blood on their doors, now inside their little cabins or houses, standing around the table ready to eat the Passover Lamb. He asks whether they were standing there in fear and trepidation or with a calm feeling of security, and the answer is calm and secure.
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.