Verses 1-2 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.
The Hebrew word translated as “sanctify” is “qadash,” pronounced kaw dash. It means to hallow or dedicate. All the firstborn children and animals were to belong to the LORD. That way the Hebrew people would always remember the slaying of the firstborn of Egypt.
Verse 3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten.
Once again Moses told the people to refrain from eating leaven and to remember the day they were given freedom. Metaphorically they were to keep sin out of their life because they were the LORD’s people now that He had brought them out of the bondage of Egypt.
Application: How does the verse above pertain to the Christian believer today? He/she is to refrain from sin because the LORD Jesus Christ brought him/her out of the bondage of sin, death and Hell. 1Corinthians 6:20 states, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1Corinthians 7:23 states, “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” All believers, like the Egyptian and Hebrew firstborn, belong to God. Therefore they are to keep their bodies and their spirits free from leaven or sin and they are to serve the LORD. Think about this. Remember what life was like before Jesus. Remember all that He has done for you. Remember the price that He paid because He loves you. Remember.
Verses 4-7 This day came ye out in the month Abib. 5 And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. 6 Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.
The Hebrew word “Abib” only occurs eight times and means “in the ear” and “green ears of corn.” It is referring to today’s calendar months of March or April when the grain crops are beginning to produce their fruit. This is to become the first month in the Hebrew calendar and is important because later in the scriptures the different courses of Temple service will be listed along with the months in which they occur.
Application: Just as the Hebrew people were embarking on a journey through the wilderness as the children of God and were to form a new nation that was to bear fruit and evangelize the pagan nations around them, the believer at the time of deliverance by the LORD Jesus Christ is embarking on a journey through the wilderness of this sinful world as a new child of the King and as part of God’s spiritual nation and is to bear fruit and evangelize the pagan people living around him/her.
The five nations listed here were enemies of God and of the Hebrew people. They will be discussed later. The reference to the land flowing with milk and honey means that there was an abundance in the land.
Verses 8-10 And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. 9 And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD’S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt. 10 Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.
The reference to a sign upon the hand and a memorial between the eyes means the act of doing, and then understanding or thinking with the mind. The Hebrews were to do the ceremony and then understand what it meant. A similar reference is in Revelation 13:16 regarding the mark of the beast. “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:” This will be covered when the book of Revelation is studied, however the same concept is presented here in prophecy in that people will do and think a certain way when controlled by an ungodly system. The Hebrews were to be controlled by a Godly system and no longer by the pagan, one world system of Egypt.
Moses repeats the commandment from God for the people to celebrate the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread every year during the month of Abib. The celebration would be something the adults would do with their hands and their children would watch and learn about its significance and there would be a discussion about the Exodus and about their God. Faith in the LORD would be taught and passed down through the generations.
Application: Christian parents should not neglect to share with their children how the LORD brought conversion to their hearts and lives and that their faith rests in the power of God. This way, belief in Jesus can be passed down from one generation to another. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” This is a promise.
Verses 11-13 And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, 12 That thou shalt set apart unto the LORD all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the LORD’S. 13 And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.
Here the plan of redemption of the firstborn man or beast is specific. All firstborn male animals were to be given to the LORD. Apparently, the firstborn female animals were not required to be given to the LORD. However, all firstborn humans, regardless of sex, were to be redeemed or given to the LORD.
Application: The point in the process of redemption was to show people that, just like the animals that were not redeemed and thus died, if a person does not accept the redemptive plan of God, they too will die spiritually. What is the redemptive plan of God today? Acts 2:38-39 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.”
Verses 14-16 And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage: 15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem. 16 And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt.
Application: As a result of this part of the Hebrew history spanning 430 years, Egypt has become representative of being in bondage. This will be seen later in the scriptures. For the believer, he/she has come out of Egypt or out of the bondage of sin and judgement and into freedom through Jesus Christ our LORD.
Did the LORD need these firstborn people or animals? No, of course not. He owns everything anyway. By having the Hebrew people sacrifice to the LORD something that was precious or important to them they were being prepared for the day when God would send His only firstborn son to be a sacrifice for them. All the feasts and rituals were to point to the coming of Jesus, to His ministry, and to His sacrifice on the cross at Calvary.
Application: Just as the Hebrew people redeemed their children through the sacrifice of an innocent animal, God redeemed His people through the sacrifice of His child, Jesus.
Verses 17-18 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: 18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
The reader needs to reflect on what the mindset of the Hebrew slaves would have been at the time of the Exodus. If a person has spent their entire life in slavery, serving others and never being allowed to make decisions, would that person make a good soldier ready to fight an enemy nation? Probably not. Going through the land of the Philistines would have been the shortest route to the land of promise, but the Philistines were fighters and the Hebrews would be afraid and want to return to that which was familiar to them in Egypt. They would see slavery as a preference over being killed by a superior fighting force. So God, knowing their hearts, led the people into the wilderness where there would be little military conflict. They needed time to learn to trust their God and to trust themselves to succeed with His help.
Verse 19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
This was a fulfillment of Joseph’s prophecy in Genesis 50:25.
Verses 20-22 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
Without maps or compasses or GPS systems, God simply appeared to the Hebrews as a column or pillar which they followed. In the day time the pillar was a cloud that protected them from the hot sun, and at night it was a fire that kept them warm from the cool, desert air. They could travel any time of the day or night in safety. The people now had a visible representation of the presence of their God. What an amazing sight that must have been?