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. 11 “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord's. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”
This command to eat the unleavened bread has a meaning in our lives today to live purely before Him our God, our Creator, and our Saviour. This is noted again in this chapter to show us how important it is to remember what He has done in our lives, and in the history of humanity. Please refer to my article: Exodus 12:14-28 – Remember the Passover and Exodus 12:31-51 : God is the Helper in the Exodus of Israel.
We have to obey His commandment because of what God has done, because God in this passage has redeemed Israel – Always remember what God has done – this is the basis (look at verse 3 and 14). If we see in this passage the focus is not what we have to do, or what Israel was doing, but instead remembering of what He has done, and whatever Israel did after is merely a respond. This is worship: remember what God had done; from here then there comes obedience (verse 11-12 explaining the respond is in the form of giving the firstborn. Christianity begins from God.
Jesus said in John 14:15 "If you love me, keep my commandments". Obedience is a love-respond to God. Let His law be in our lives every moment – this is what verse 9 and 16 wants to tell Israel and us today that “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”. Let the word of God, His commandment, His will attached to our lives (mouth), be part in what we do (hands), shown to others (forehead). Love your God fully, that is the message.
In verse 13, we see there is a concept of “expiation” here. Though the word does not appear here, as well as in New Testament, but it does describe an aspect of the sacrifice of “lamb” on the behalf of “donkey”. The question is why not donkey? The answer is because donkey is an unclean animal, and God does not want that. Yes indeed every firstborn must be to God, but the unclean animal can’t be presented to Him. If that’s the case is this an exception for “donkey” or any unclean animal? No, God is just an He demands no exception, and that is why there is a substitution with a lamb here to die in its place, or if not redeemed it must die (…you shall break its neck). The same here with sons, the verse says that you shall redeem.
Now when we look to ourselves, we are sinful being, we are no difference with that unclean donkey. How can God accept us if it’s not through the death of the “lamb”? It is because Jesus Chris has died on the cross taking our place. He died so we might live.
Now the question is: do we love our God who has redeemed us from Sin? Who has died on the cross replacing us? As a closing I would like to quote from Charles Spurgeon says about this, and hopefully this will make us living with a full of thankfulness, adoration, and praise to Him our God, our King, our Saviour.
“Must it not sometimes have been a question with the Israelite, as to which should die—the donkey or the lamb? Would not the man pause to estimate and compare the values of these animals? Assuredly there was no comparison between the value of a sinful man—and the spotless Lord Jesus! Yet the Lamb dies—and man the donkey is spared! My soul, admire the boundless love of God to you! Vile worms are bought—with the blood of the holy Lamb of God! Dust and ashes are redeemed—with a price far above silver and gold! What a doom would have been mine—had not plenteous redemption been found!
The breaking of the neck of the donkey was but a momentary penalty. But who shall measure the eternal wrath to come—to which no limit can be imagined! Inestimably dear is the glorious Lamb—who has redeemed me from such a doom!”
~ Paul Hartono
This command to eat the unleavened bread has a meaning in our lives today to live purely before Him our God, our Creator, and our Saviour. This is noted again in this chapter to show us how important it is to remember what He has done in our lives, and in the history of humanity. Please refer to my article: Exodus 12:14-28 – Remember the Passover and Exodus 12:31-51 : God is the Helper in the Exodus of Israel.
We have to obey His commandment because of what God has done, because God in this passage has redeemed Israel – Always remember what God has done – this is the basis (look at verse 3 and 14). If we see in this passage the focus is not what we have to do, or what Israel was doing, but instead remembering of what He has done, and whatever Israel did after is merely a respond. This is worship: remember what God had done; from here then there comes obedience (verse 11-12 explaining the respond is in the form of giving the firstborn. Christianity begins from God.
Jesus said in John 14:15 "If you love me, keep my commandments". Obedience is a love-respond to God. Let His law be in our lives every moment – this is what verse 9 and 16 wants to tell Israel and us today that “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”. Let the word of God, His commandment, His will attached to our lives (mouth), be part in what we do (hands), shown to others (forehead). Love your God fully, that is the message.
In verse 13, we see there is a concept of “expiation” here. Though the word does not appear here, as well as in New Testament, but it does describe an aspect of the sacrifice of “lamb” on the behalf of “donkey”. The question is why not donkey? The answer is because donkey is an unclean animal, and God does not want that. Yes indeed every firstborn must be to God, but the unclean animal can’t be presented to Him. If that’s the case is this an exception for “donkey” or any unclean animal? No, God is just an He demands no exception, and that is why there is a substitution with a lamb here to die in its place, or if not redeemed it must die (…you shall break its neck). The same here with sons, the verse says that you shall redeem.
Now when we look to ourselves, we are sinful being, we are no difference with that unclean donkey. How can God accept us if it’s not through the death of the “lamb”? It is because Jesus Chris has died on the cross taking our place. He died so we might live.
Now the question is: do we love our God who has redeemed us from Sin? Who has died on the cross replacing us? As a closing I would like to quote from Charles Spurgeon says about this, and hopefully this will make us living with a full of thankfulness, adoration, and praise to Him our God, our King, our Saviour.
“Must it not sometimes have been a question with the Israelite, as to which should die—the donkey or the lamb? Would not the man pause to estimate and compare the values of these animals? Assuredly there was no comparison between the value of a sinful man—and the spotless Lord Jesus! Yet the Lamb dies—and man the donkey is spared! My soul, admire the boundless love of God to you! Vile worms are bought—with the blood of the holy Lamb of God! Dust and ashes are redeemed—with a price far above silver and gold! What a doom would have been mine—had not plenteous redemption been found!
The breaking of the neck of the donkey was but a momentary penalty. But who shall measure the eternal wrath to come—to which no limit can be imagined! Inestimably dear is the glorious Lamb—who has redeemed me from such a doom!”
~ Paul Hartono
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