Exodus 13

If it had not been for the merciful purposes of God, all the Egyptians and all the Israelites would have been destroyed on that first Passover night. All of the descendants of Jacob and all the residents of Egypt could have been justly sentenced by God, not only to immediate death, but to the everlasting destruction of hell. But God, who is rich in mercy, had plans that some would be spared. Because of the mercy of God, life goes on.

One way for the Israelites to be aware of their guilt and the mercy of the Lord toward them through His plan of redemption, was God's claim of His special ownership of the firstborn of the Israelites, spared on account of the blood of the Passover lamb. The Lord said, “The first to open the womb is mine.”

Our response to the Lord's mercy should be the consecration of holy obedience to His Word. The Israelites could remember the rescue from bondage, and they could think about the strength of the Lord's arm in their salvation. Then they could commit themselves to the unleavened way of life, the way of purity and true humility.

This unleavened life could not be learned from the Canaanites. They would be sent forth out of The Promised Land by the Lord's judgment. Following that bad example of sensuality, depravity, and pride could never have been an appropriate response to the mercy of God. Instead the Israelites needed to pass on to their children both the ritual of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the reason for the ritual. “It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.” Why do New Testament believers seek first the kingdom and care for the least of these? It is because of what the Lord has done for us in the cross of Christ. He brought us back from sin, death, and hell.

This grace of God and the appropriate consecration of holy obedience should be our banner forever. Christ has saved us. We will serve Him.

God has given His own firstborn. Moses was instructed to tell Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord: Israel is my firstborn son.” Who knew that God had a much older firstborn Son from eternity past? This Son of God would die for us as the perfectly consecrated offering to the Father. In light of His dedication, we should offer up our bodies as living sacrifices to God.

Even the firstborn of the animals were the special possession of the Lord. What was the point of this, since the entire earth and all its fullness belongs to the Almighty One? Just as the firstborn of Pharaoh and the Egyptians died when the destroyer came upon the land of Egypt, the firstborn of their flocks and herds were also lost. The animals of the Israelites were spared, but now they belonged to the Lord in a special way. God owns everything by creation, but in His great mercy, He has a special claim of ownership over every man and beast He rescues from certain destruction. Everything that is somehow saved through association with the blood of the Lamb is particularly claimed by the Lord.

This is important for us to know, and it is also critical that our children understand this truth. What God saves, He owns. We have been bought with a price. The Lamb of God gave His blood for our salvation. Why do we think that serving the Lord is optional? By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of slavery. Sin and death did not want to let us go. If it were up to the devil or even our own flesh, we would be subject to our basest impulses forever. But we have been redeemed by Jesus. That redemption did not happen without the death of the Son of God. That is why the Israelites were told that they must dedicate the firstborn to the Lord. It was a responsibility of someone who understood the mercy of Passover. The cross is an even bigger mercy. Dedication to the God of mercy, though freely offered by the redeemed soul, is mandatory.

Pharaoh's son was not spared on that horrible night when the destroyer came to Egypt. The king refused to listen to the voice of the Lord. He would not let Israel go until his own son's life had been taken. God did not want His people to forget the plain facts of Old Testament redemption. When we partake of the Lord's Supper in New Testament worship, when we eat the communion bread and drink the cup, we remember and even proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

The Old Testament worshipers had their own special rituals during the time of preparation for the gift of the Messiah. Those ceremonies came with some measure of explanation, especially for those among the young who might inquire. The words of history could be repeated to them. One generation would testify to the next about the power and love of God. But looking back to the first Passover was not the whole story of Old Testament ritual. These ancient customs also prepared the people of God for a present life of consecration lived out with an awareness of the Lord's sure promises. We have a present leader who is with us in a way that the cloud and fiery pillar of old only whispered. We do not carry the bones of Joseph through the desert as the Israelites did so long ago. We bear within our hearts the great Immanuel. We have been given the Son of God, now risen from the dead. He leads us onward as our eternal King. We belong to Him.