Episode 368 - "By a strong hand the LORD delivered" - Exodus 13:1-16
Ex. 13:1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”
Ex. 13:3 Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the LORD brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. 4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. 5 And when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month. 6 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory. 8 You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. 10 You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.
Ex. 13:11 “When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the LORD’S. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”
If you catch nothing else from this text, I hope it will be: “by a strong hand the LORD brought Israel out of slavery in Egypt.” Why is that important? Because that message from the LORD to Moses, intended to be taught and emphasized to the Israelites, is repeated four times within these sixteen verses. This revelation of the LORD’s power in delivering the Hebrews from an oppressive, enslaved condition to a land with bountiful provision was to be imprinted in the hearts and minds of each successive generation because it not only communicates God’s power, but also his intent for Israel to receive his protection and blessing. If and when people lose sight of that truth, they drift rapidly into trouble.
In the wake of this Passover event, during which the LORD struck down the firstborn of every household in Egypt but protected those of the obedient Hebrews, the LORD gives Moses very specific instructions on how this event should be remembered and passed down to each generation. They were to celebrate the weeklong avoidance of leavened bread. Why this, and why did it need to be observed for seven days? It’s not super clear from this text. However, I like to venture a guess or two. Before I do, let me explain that one ought to take great caution against reading our Christian theology back into the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). On the other hand, we find many instances in the New Testament that interpret Old Testament Scripture clearly in light of Jesus' incarnation and his life and mission. In other words, it looks a lot like the apostles are reading their Christian theology back into the Old Testament. I’m going to offer a suggestion that is clearly influenced by my Christian theology. If you think it’s out of bounds or contradicts established Christian theology, please ignore it. If, on the other hand, you believe it’s consistent with what the Scriptures reveal as a whole, give it some consideration. Here it goes.
The Passover is one night and was to be remembered at the same time each year. This was followed by eating unleavened bread for seven days. In some ways, the Passover seems more significant. So, why is it only one day instead of seven? Could the Passover event foreshadow the once-for-all aspect of Christ’s death on the cross? Is Jesus not the perfect Passover lamb without blemish, through whom we enter God’s protection by his sacrificial blood? Jesus told the crowd who received the miracle of the multiplication of the few fish and small loaves of bread that they needed the true bread that came down from heaven and not just the bread they put in their mouths and stomachs. He claimed that his body was that true bread. Perhaps the seven days of eating unleavened might foreshadow the need to partake of the true bread, without leaven (sin), each day of the week. In other words, Jesus fulfills what the LORD revealed through these feasts so many years earlier: his sacrifice protects us from God’s judgment, but we need to “consume” Jesus each day of our lives.
At the very least, the LORD gave these commands to Moses for all Israel and the generations to follow to remind or teach them what the LORD had done for them and what the LORD was like, so they would trust him in the future.
The verses concerning consecrating the firstborn have some interesting elements. First, to consecrate something is to set it apart for a holy purpose. The New Testament often uses the word “sanctify”, which means the same thing. The point in this text is that the LORD spared the firstborn of both man and beast among the Hebrews on that Passover night if they obeyed the LORD’s instruction. Therefore, in response, they were to dedicate the firstborn males of man and beast. The instructions in verses 11-16 reflect what the LORD did on that Passover night. The life of the firstborn was redeemed through the sacrifice of the Passover lamb.
Following the LORD’s instructions year after year at the same time must have been a vivid experience to each generation, and each would have the opportunity to learn about or reflect on the LORD’s power and his mercy.
I don’t think I’m reading too much of my Christian theology into the Old Testament by noting these parallels. It seems to me that the LORD ordained these things we read about in Exodus for both the people of that time and later generations. It seems to me that the LORD’s works from long ago to today are harmonious and consistent.