Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"The Lord said to Moses, "Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal." Then Moses said to the people, "Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast. Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving. When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites—the land he swore to your forefathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ceremony in this month: For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the Lord. Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. On that day tell your son, 'I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.' This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year. "After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised on oath to you and your forefathers, you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord. Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons. "In days to come, when your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' say to him, 'With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn in Egypt, both man and animal. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.' And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand."Exodus 13:1-16
God had performed a significant act for His beloved people of Israel, freeing them from Egyptian captivity…from "the land of slavery"…and sending them back toward the "land He swore to (their) forefathers…a land flowing with milk and honey." In remembrance of God’s mighty act of deliverance, the people of Israel were commanded to do three things:
1. Observe the Passover every year. The Lord sent His message through Moses saying, "Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast. Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving. When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites—the land he swore to your forefathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ceremony in this month: For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the Lord. Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. On that day tell your son, 'I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.' This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year." This seven day feast of bread made without yeast would come to be known as the Feast of the Unleavened Bread with the beginning of the feast marked by Passover.
2. Dedicate every firstborn to God. God once again commanded Israel saying "After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised on oath to you and your forefathers, you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord. Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey…Redeem every firstborn among your sons." There is great significance to the firstborn requirement. You’ll recall that the final plague God exercised against Egypt dealt with Him killing every firstborn in Egypt while He spared (or passed over) each firstborn child of Israel because of the blood of the lambs spread around the doorway. Later, God Himself would give His firstborn in Jesus as a living sin sacrifice for all of mankind. The Blood of the Perfect, Unblemished Lamb, Jesus, covered our sins and assured we would be "passed over" as well from being cast into hell and destroyed. So just as God would soon give His very firstborn…just as He would give His best…His everything, so too must the people of Israel do so now before Christ comes.
3. Passdown the tradition to younger generations. God once again sent a command saying, "In days to come, when your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' say to him, 'With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn in Egypt, both man and animal. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.' And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand." Tradition dies if it isn’t handed down to future generations. God wanted to ensure that what He was starting with the people of Israel now would continue well into the future…forever and ever. And this would only happen if the people of Israel taught their children about the significance of celebrations and God’s requirement that these observances be carried on and passed down from generation to generation.
Well, that was then…over 2,000 years ago…and God’s requirements have not changed. They apply to us equally today as they ever have…only the application points have changed because many generations have passed since the Exodus and throughout those generational changes, our world has changed a great deal. Culture today is very different than it was in the time of Moses and Israel. Today, here’s what we can take away from today’s scripture as we seek God’s guidance as to how we can best carry out His will while we walk this Christian walk:
1. Worship and celebrate the Lord in all things…observing His significant works of goodness, love and mercy…not just on Sundays at church, not just during significant days of celebration highlighted in scripture…but every day. Each day that we’re blessed with should be a mini-festival of praise and celebration unto the One who sustains and strengthens us to make it through a day’s challenges. Truly, God’s mercies are new every morning and great is His faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23) Is this not reason to rejoice and praise Him always? (Philippians 4:4)
2. Give God our best first. Doesn’t God deserve the best we can give Him…our first fruits of everything? Don’t we expect God to give us His best every day? Proverbs 3:9-10 states "Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine." In other words, when we consistently give God our best, we can expect an abundance of blessings from Him. Are you giving God your best each and every day? Are you being a good steward of what He has blessed you with, whether that might be time, talent or money? Give God your best for He did for us when He sacrificed Christ Jesus.
3. Teach your children about spiritual disciplines and scriptural obedience. How will your children know how to live in accordance with the commandments of the Father and His Son Jesus unless you teach them? How will they understand the significance of Christian celebrations and observances unless they receive instruction and enlightenment? I’ve always been convinced that the best gift you can ever give your children is to teach them all about God the Father and His Son Jesus so they grow up with Them and already have a personal relationship established before they reach adulthood. In doing this faithfully, we can assure that Christian heritage and tradition are never lost and always observed as the Bible commands.
In review, God gave us His best in Jesus and continues to bless us with His best each and every day. He truly does give us every good and perfect gift from above. (James 1:17) Is this not reason to celebrate? Is this not reason to honor Him in any way we can? The answer to both is a resounding "Yes!" And we can always assure we are properly showing our gratitude…our attitude of gratitude…by giving God our best in return. We should not want to give Him our best first because He expects it. Rather, we should give Him our best first because He deserves it…now and for generations to come. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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