EXODUS 13
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.” 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. – Exodus 13:1-10
EXODUS 13 FIRSTBORNS’ CONSECRATION & FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Leaving the land of Egypt marked God’s plan of redemption
He wanted his people to consecrate the firstborns to him
Unlike the Egyptians who idolized their firstborns
God wants his people to offer their firstborns to him
He required and made clear to them that they are his
They need to remember the unleavened bread and celebrate it.
When God killed all the firstborns of the Egyptians, he did so because they treated their firstborns as gods in their family. It is only right that God protects his people from this idolatry of firstborns. All his people were required to dedicate all the firstborn to him. In ancient tradition, the firstborns have a very important role in society, they are the best and are given double portions of blessings. Firstborns are not always the eldest as in the case of Jacob who was the younger. First-born refers not to birth order but to rank. The first-born possessed inheritance and leadership. It is just right for God to ask that they be offered to him so they can avoid making them their idols as the Egyptians did.
REFLECTION
· How can firstborns easily become an idol in a family?
