Exodus 13:1-10 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Exodus 13:1-10. Let’s go!
Exodus 13:1-2 (NIV)
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal.”
On verses 1-2: To consecrate means to declare that something belongs to God. The Israelites were expected to consecrate their firstborn child and even the firstborn from among their livestock. The idea that the first fruits belong to God comes up over and over again in Exodus through Deuteronomy, whether we’re talking about children, livestock, or crops.
When you see the first fruits of what you produce as belonging to God, it changes the way you look at the people and things God has given to you. You start seeing yourself as a trustee and a steward, rather than as the centre of your own universe.
Exodus 13:3-8 (NIV)
3 Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast.
4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving.
5 When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites–the land he swore to your forefathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey–you are to observe this ceremony in this month:
6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the LORD.
7 Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders.
8 On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’
On verses 3-8: Here Moses repeats the requirement that the Israelites must observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread for 7 days every year. Notice in verse 8 Moses tells the Israelites to teach their children why they observe this feast: “I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt”. That is so key to passing your faith effectively onto the next generation. Whether it’s going to church, praying, communion, serving, tithing, sharing Jesus with others, or other things we do which are part and parcel of healthy Christian worship, we need to pass on to our children not just the what but also the why when it comes to our faith. Otherwise the things we do may become void of meaning, where all the next generation sees are external forms and outward rituals.
Do the people in your home know why you go to church, or why you read your Bible, or why you want to tithe, or why you take time to serve? May you not just model the what of the Christian life, but also communicate the why.
Exodus 13:9-10 (NIV)
9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.
10 You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.
On verses 9-10: Moses tells the Israelites that their annual observance of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread is to be “like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead” (v9a). In other words, the Israelites were not to hide their faith but “wear their heart on their sleeve”, as we might say. That is, don’t be ashamed of your faith in front of others. We are to sensitive, respectful and wise in the practice of our faith, but never ashamed or embarrassed about our faith. “For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand” (v9b), and thus we have every reason to live our faith out loud.
Heavenly Father, since You brought me out of my Egypt, may I never be ashamed or embarrassed about my faith in You. I pray that I would effectively teach my kids and an entire generation coming after me not just the what but why behind what we do, so that they can take ownership of it and learn to express faith in You in authentic and even better ways than I ever could. Thank You for being a God who is not just about the what but the why. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
