Through the Eyes of God - How
God Works
Bible Study Lesson from
Exodus 13:1-22
13:1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Sanctify to Me
every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb
among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it
belongs to Me.”
3 Moses said to the
people, “Remember this day in which you went
out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a
powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this
place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten.
4 On this day in the month
of Abib, you are about to go forth.
5 It shall be when the
LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the
Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite,
which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land
flowing with milk and honey, that you shall observe
this rite in this month.
6 For 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 throughout the seven days; and nothing
leavened shall be seen among you, nor shall any
leaven be seen among you in all your borders.
8 You shall tell your son
on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what
the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’
9 And it shall serve as a
sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your
forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your
mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought
you out of Egypt.
10 Therefore, you shall
keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year
to year.
11 “Now when the LORD
brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He
swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to
you,
12 you shall devote to the
LORD the first offspring of every womb, and the
first offspring of every beast that you own; the
males belong to the LORD.
13 But every first
offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb,
but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break
its neck; and every firstborn of man among your
sons you shall redeem.
14 And it shall be when
your son asks you in time to come, saying,
‘What is this?’ then you shall say to
him, ‘With a powerful hand the LORD brought us
out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.
15 It came about, when
Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the
LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt,
both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of
beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD the
males, the first offspring of every womb, but every
firstborn of my sons I redeem.’
16 So it shall serve as a
sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your
forehead, for with a powerful hand the LORD brought
us out of Egypt.”
God Leads His
People
17 Now when Pharaoh had
let the people go, God did not lead them by the way
of the land of the Philistines, even though it was
near; for God said, “The people might change
their minds when they see war, and return to
Egypt.”
18 Hence God led the
people around by the way of the wilderness to the
Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in martial
array from the land of Egypt.
19 Moses took the bones of
Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel
solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely take
care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here
with you.”
20 Then they set out from
Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the
wilderness.
21 The LORD was going
before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead
them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night
to give them light, that they might travel by day
and by night.
22 He did not take away
the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire
by night, from before the people.
This
is the Word of the Lord - It is meant to change the
way that we think, and the way we live.
Commentary
by Bob Pardue
God Redeems the
Firstborn
What Does This
Mean?
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
is not difficult to understand. Celebrated in late
March, early April this is a remembering of the
days that separated the Hebrew nation, and clearly
God's people. This marks the beginning of the
nation of Israel - even though they don't yet have
a country.
The
Redeemer
As shown starting with verse
twelve, God stated that every first born of Israel
belonged to Him because He spared them from certain
death during the night of Passover - freeing them
from Egypt. But, God did not demand human sacrifice
to redeem the sons of Israel as the pagan gods
would require in the eyes of the people. He
commanded that they "buy" them back with dedication
of first born man and animal.
The interesting part is that
God said to give a lamb in place of the donkey
which is later what Jesus was sent to do for us. He
died in our place so that we can be redeemed and
have everlasting life.
Lastly - How God
Works
Notice that the Israelites
were not taken directly to the promised land. They
were led on a journey guiding them around the sure
confrontation with the Philistines as God knew the
hearts of the people.
When we are asked to do
something for God, He will not always lead us in
the way we expect. The reason? Well, for one God
knows the entire journey and we can only see the
present. For instance, if I hire a guide to take me
through a dangerous mountain pass the guide may
know of obstacles I am not aware of. I might
complain that he is going the long way around but
he knows the outcome.
If God seems to be leading
you around in circles, don't get discouraged or
impatient - He knows what He is doing and, He knows
what is best for us and His final plan. "Our way"
is not always in the will of God so obedience, no
matter how tough, will help us to complete the
journey in a way pleasing to God.
Love in Christ
- Bob
If you have never made the
commitment to receive the love and life-changing
experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to
read
John 3:16 for more
information.
Verses from Exodus about the Feast of
Unleavened Bread and how God works are from New
American Standard Bible - Study lessons resource:
Life Application Study Bible: New International
Version
Related Bible Study Verses from
Exodus
Exodus
7: 14 - 10:29 Plagues of
Egypt
Exodus
11: 1-10 Plague of the
Firstborn
The
Passover of Israel -
Exodus
12:1-30
The
Exodus - Pharaoh Says "GO" - Exodus
12:31-50
|
