Exodus 13

Consecration of the firstborn (vs. 1-2, 11-16)—The Lord told Moses to “consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine” (v. 2). Jehovah, demands, and deserves, the first and the best. How often do we give Him whatever is leftover or convenient for us? Verse 11 says it is the males who are to be consecrated. Donkeys—which weren’t as numerous and were more valuable—could be redeemed with a lamb; in others words, substituted. This also may have to do with the donkey being unclean, for Numbers 18:15 reads “the firstling of an unclean beast shalt thou redeem.” How the son is to be redeemed will be explained later in the law. In this section, the Lord simply explains why He wants this done: “So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is this?' that you shall say to him, 'By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (v. 14). The Lord killed the firstborn of Egypt, thus He wants the firstborn of Israel (v. 15). It was to be a perpetual reminder of their deliverance from bondage (v. 16).

The Passover to be kept (vs. 3-10)—This feast was the most important established for the Israelites, so the Lord will emphasize it more than once. Again the command that “no leavened bread shall be eaten” is reiterated (v. 3). There is not a detailed account of the feast here; as with the instructions concerning the firstborn, the Lord here tells the people why He wants this feast kept: “And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, 'This is done because of what the LORD did for me when I came up from Egypt.' It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the LORD'S law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt” (vs. 8-9). Just as, for the Christian, the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper is to be a reminder of what Christ did for us on the cross (Acts 20:7; I Cor. 11:23-26)—i.e., deliverance from the bondage of sin--even so the Passover was to remind Israel of its deliverance from the bondage of slavery. Indeed, Christ is “our Passover” (I Cor. 5:7). For Israel, the Passover feast was to be kept every year (v. 10).

Israel’s initial travels (vs. 17-22)—The most direct route from Egypt to the land of Canaan would be along the Mediterranean coast (see any map of the region). But that would lead the people through the land of the Philistines, a tough, warrior people whom Israel would fight for centuries. So “lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt” (v. 17), the Lord led the people across the Red Sea and into the wilderness of Sinai (v. 18). There was another rationale for this—He would give them the law on Mt. Sinai. Moses mentions (v. 19) that he took the bones of Joseph with him, something the reader might recall was requested by the great patriarch in Genesis 50:25). He wanted to be buried in the land of Canaan, which indeed did happen (Joshua 24:32). On their travels, God led the Israelites with a “pillar of cloud” by day and a “pillar of fire” by night (vs. 21-22).