Exodus Chapter 13
Joseph did not live long enough to see his own people led by God to the promised land, but he knew that God would keep the promise that He had given to his father. This promise was handed down from generation to generation and now the day had finally come when the Israelites would walk out of Egypt as free men. This is reason for us to have sure faith and hope because God keeps His promises and one day Jesus will return to take us home. Carried with them were the bones of Joseph who had wanted to be buried in the promised land. That is how sure that Joseph was that God would visit the Israelites. He would not be entombed as other Egyptians were but buried in in his true homeland, the promised land.
Moses gave a beautiful speech that day before all the Israelites on the day of departure. My guess is that he did not stumble over his words but spoke very eloquently. He told them what their new life would be like now that they would be free men, able to worship their God in the land of milk and honey that was promised so long ago.
Let's Reflect
1. To help them remember this very important event God wanted them to hold a feast every year that would follow the Passover. This feast called the feast of unleavened bread was a time of not eating any bread with leaven (yeast) which was then followed by a large feast. How many days were they to eat bread without leaven?
2. There is a marker of time on a calendar that tells us what time of year it was when the Israelites left Egypt. What was that mark?
3. The Passover and the feast of unleavened bread were to be memorials that God wanted them to pass on to their children and to teach them why they observed these yearly memorials. God explained that the teaching of His Words was to be always kept on their forehead (or right between the eyes) and always on their hand. This was not meant to be literal, but the Jews later made it literal by wearing what were called phylacteries. Small boxes with tiny parchment of scripture inside them. God meant this to be figurative because He also said at the end of verse 10 that the Law of the Lord should be kept where?
4. He also taught the people the principle that the firstborn of both the people and their animals were God’s. The firstborn was to be considered as belonging to God. According to verse 11 when would this practice begin?
5. If an animal that was first born was not suitable to give to God, then a substitute would need to be instituted. The first born of a human if not suitable for some reason (unclean most likely due to conception outside the marriage) then the baby would need to be redeemed with money. This picture of redemption was a picture of what the Lord was doing for the Israelites. In what way did the Lord redeem the people out of Egypt? See verses 14-15. Don’t you love that God call the Israelites – His sons?
6. Why didn’t God lead the people on the most direct route to the promised land?
7. The people did not go alone. God went with them. In what way did God demonstrate that He was right there with them and leading them? In what ways has God demonstrated in your life how He is right there with you and leading you?
