TITLE: Taking time to Remember
TEXT: Exodus 13:1-22
INTRO:
- We’re continuing our study through the book of Exodus.
- As we study each passage, we’re asking the question, “What can I learn from this passage about honoring God?”
- Last week, we looked at the perfect deliverance, as Pharaoh finally let God’s people go and they started their journey out of Egypt.
- We saw that they didn’t leave empty handed because God provided for them through the Egyptian people.
- So, the Israelites left at the beginning of their journey with gold, silver, and clothes.
- Then, God provided more instructions to them about how to celebrate Passover.
- Today, we’re going to see God give Israel some instructions about the importance of taking time to remember what He’d done for them.
- The other day, I was thinking back to my childhood, remembering the church we went to when we lived in Brockport, NY.
- Walker Bible Baptist Church.
- I’ve got some good memories from that church.
- There was the time my Sunday School teacher taught us about the sweetness of God’s Word by giving us all pure honey as a treat.
- There was the time she taught us about the Judgment seat of Christ by handing out different sized trophies to all of us.
- There was the time the church had an outreach event on Halloween.
- We were all given bags of popcorn and candy and they showed a movie in the sanctuary, the Little Rascals Scary Spooktacular.
- There was the time my family had our picture taken in the front of the church for our missionary deputation cards.
- Then I remember every service, we’d have a time for shaking hands, so folks would go around in a big circle all around the sanctuary, greeting one another along the way.
- It got quite loud in there as everyone was having conversations, and it always lasted at least 10 minutes.
- I remember Vacation Bible School, and how much fun we had.
- They had all sorts of candy downstairs for prizes, and I remember my favorite was the giant pixie sticks.
- I’ve also got some not-so-good memories from that church.
- My brother Steven was about 2 or 3 and he had to go to the bathroom.
- My mother was helping with Sunday School, so she asked me to go help him.
- Well, at the time, I didn’t realize that you weren’t supposed to flush paper towels down the toilet.
- So, I flushed them, then went back to class.
- Not too long after that, the Pastor’s wife walked in and proceeded to yell at me for flushing paper towels down the toilet!
- So, I learned my lesson that day, but it also stuck with me as a bad memory.
- Then I remember the time my sister Zena was singing in the choir, and I was sitting in the pew, bored, looking up at the lights, pretending the shade from my eyelids was the visor of a hat.
- Apparently, the other kids started making fun of me and teasing Zena, so she was pretty embarrassed and got mad at me.
- Then there was the fact that our church was King James Version only.
- So, I was taught it was the only version I should use, and the others were fake and changed things, and took words out.
- It took me a long time to get past that.
- Anyways, taking time to remember things in our lives from the past is a good thing.
- Oftentimes, it brings our thoughts back to what God has done in our lives, and how far He’s brought us.
- And that’s what we see here in Exodus 13 with the Children of Israel.
- God is giving them some instructions for things that will help them to remember what He has done for them.
- So, let’s look at three ways the Israelites were supposed to take time to remember what God did for them.
FIRST: REMEMBER GOD BY DEDICATING- VS 1-2, 11-16
- Years ago, when I was about 10 or 11 years old, I remember going to my father to speak to him about something very important.
- At the time, he had been pastoring a church he planted called King James Bible Baptist Church.
- I remember feeling a deep calling in my heart to serve the Lord in the ministry.
- At the time, I wasn’t sure if God wanted me to be a missionary or a pastor or what exactly He had planned for me, but I knew He wanted me to go in the ministry.
- So, I went to my father and I told him, “Dad, I believe God is calling me to the ministry. I’d like to re-dedicate my life to the Lord and say yes to His call on my life.”
- I remember how proud my father was.
- He smiled at me, he gave me a big hug, and told me how much he loved me.
- So, I re-dedicated my life to the Lord, and I’ll never forget that day.
- I look back on it and smile, and think, “Wow, God has been so good to me, and brought me to where He wants me to be. I’m so blessed!”
- On that day, I acknowledged to God that I am His, and He could have my life.
- Here in Exodus 13 vs 2, we see God telling the Israelites to do something similar.
- “Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast, it is Mine.”
- So, the firstborn males, whether man or beast, were supposed to be set apart, dedicated, and devoted to God.
- There are several reasons why God wanted the Israelites to do this.
- First, Israel was God’s firstborn child, they were His nation.
- Remember, back in chapter 4:22, God told Moses to tell Pharaoh, “Israel is my son, my firstborn.”
- So, it was a reminder to them that they were His firstborn, His people, and as such, they were supposed to live differently than the Gentiles.
- Second, the firstborn was viewed as the best, and God deserves the best, so the best was always given to God.
- You and I should remember that…God deserves our best, always…
- Third, by setting the firstborn apart, it would be a reminder to all generations that God redeemed Israel and spared their firstborn on the night He took all of Egypt’s firstborn.
- It was a memorial of their deliverance.
- Notice what God says at the end of vs 2, though.
- “It is Mine.”
- Don’t miss that.
- While in Egypt, Pharaoh looked at the Israelites and thought, “They are mine” and he and his people enslaved them for about 400 years!
- Then, even as God was sending plagues, Pharaoh didn’t want to let them go…he thought they were his.
- But God makes it clear…
- “They are Mine!”
- This is something Israel needed to remember, because it would be awful easy for them to forget this as they began to enjoy their newfound freedom.
- Skipping down to vs 11, God continues telling Israel about the importance of setting apart the firstborn and dedicating them once they reach the Promised Land.
- God already knew that the Israelites would rebel, and would wander the wilderness for 40 years until the older generation all died…
- So, he knew that the new generation entering the Promised Land would not remember what He did for them, unless they had a way to remember, so this Law of the firstborn would do just that.
- But why are the firstborn male animals included?
- For one thing, their animals benefitted from God’s protection on Israel during the 10th plague, just like the people did…their firstborn didn’t die in the plague.
- But even more than that, God is telling them they need to set apart, dedicate, and sacrifice the firstborn animals because it’s their way of showing gratitude to God for sparing their firstborn.
- It’s interesting too because God is very specific about how to do this.
- He tells them that every male firstborn shall be the Lords, then in vs 13, He explains to them what to do with the firstborn of their donkeys.
- Donkeys were ceremonially unclean, so the Israelites couldn’t take them to the priests to be sacrificed because they were unacceptable.
- Instead, God tells them they can sacrifice a lamb in place of the donkey in order to redeem it or buy it back for a price.
- That way, a sacrifice was still involved, and after that, they could use the donkey for whatever they needed.
- If for some reason, they didn’t want to redeem the donkey, they still had to make a sacrifice, so they were required to break its neck, which of course killed it.
- Since donkeys were so valuable, most of them were willing to redeem it with a lamb instead of killing it.
- Then, at the end of vs 13, God says “…all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem…”
- Obviously, human sacrifice was forbidden among the Jews.
- So, it was the same idea with the firstborn male as it was with the donkey…the firstborn male child was to be redeemed.
- In the book of Numbers, God explains that this redemption was to be five shekels apiece.
- So once again, this was a way for the Israelites to show their gratitude to God for sparing their firstborn, by dedicating them.
- So, the Israelite firstborn male animals were to be slain, representing a substitutionary sacrifice, and the male children were to be redeemed.
- All of this was a sign and a symbol, a reminder through ritual of God’s powerful deliverance of His people Israel.
- In vs 14-16, God explains to the Israelites the importance of teaching their children why they do this.
- As they teach them, they are pointing them to God Almighty, showing them the importance of being grateful to God and of obeying His commands.
- Rabbi JH Hertz explains, “The religious education of the children is a Divine command, and the future of religion depends upon this precept being loyally obeyed… [it is one of the] memorials of the going forth out of Egypt.”
- So, what about us as Christians?
- I think it’s important for us to remember that just like God said “…they are Mine” about the firstborn males and His nation Israel, He also calls us His children.
- 1 John 3:1 says, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!”
- And in 2 Timothy 1:9, we’re told, “[He] hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,”
- We are His, and just like the Israelites dedicated their firstborn to Him, we as Christians should dedicate our lives to Him.
- He deserves it because of what He’s done for us…sacrificing Himself on the cross, forgiving us of our sin, welcoming us into His family, loving us with an unconditional love!
- If you’re wondering what dedicating your life to Him might look like, look no further than Romans 12:1-2…
- “I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”
- Dedicating your life to Him means living your life for Him.
- So, I would ask you the question, Christian…are you dedicated to our Lord Jesus Christ?
SECOND: REMEMBER GOD BY CELEBRATING- VS 3-10
- When I was a kid, birthdays were a lot more exciting than they are as an adult.
- I remember when I turned 16, I was so excited, and I wanted all my friends to come over.
- So, I invited a bunch of people, and a bunch showed up.
- One of the things about my family when I was growing up, though, was that we didn’t have much money.
- So, my dad told me before I started inviting people, “Your 16th birthday is going to be great! We’ll order pizza, we’ll have a cake, and you and your friends can watch movies in the living room.”
- So, I told my friends what a blast it was going to be.
- Then, the night of my birthday, everybody started showing up, about 15 kids, and that’s when reality kicked in.
- My friends were expecting pizza from Calais House of Pizza or maybe Carmens…
- Instead, my dad threw some frozen pizzas in the oven.
- Then, when my dad brought out the cake, it was pretty small, and the decorations on it looked like they were for a little kid’s birthday…there was a toy car on it, and a little racetrack…
- I don’t remember what we watched for movies, but several of my friends took off at that point, since my party wasn’t as much fun as they thought it’d be.
- Anyways, I tell you that story because it meant so much to me that my dad was willing to throw a party for me, even if it wasn’t what people might expect for a 16-year old’s birthday.
- It was a time of celebration, and for my dad, he was remembering 16 years of raising me, his firstborn son.
- I’ll never forget him telling me how much he loved me and how proud he was of me.
- Here in vs 3, we find Moses telling the Israelites about the importance of remembering the day they left Egypt by celebrating it each year with the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
- It would be a time for them to look back and remember God’s mighty hand delivering them from the land of slavery and bringing them into the land of Promise.
- The Feast of Unleavened Bread was to be celebrated as a 7-day festival.
- It was like a sign on their hand or forehead, a continual reminder to all generations of God’s mighty deliverance of His people from Egypt.
- Why seven days?
- Well, remember, the number seven in the Bible is God’s number of perfection…
- And leaven represented sin, so they celebrated with Unleavened Bread.
- So, there’s definitely some symbolism found in this feast.
- David Guzik says, “The purity of the feast of Unleavened Bread followed upon the blood-deliverance of Passover. This illustrates the principle that we can only walk in purity before the LORD after the blood-deliverance at the cross.”
- Adding to that, he says, “…the days of Unleavened Bread were not joyless. The time began and ended with a feast – a party. A walk of purity in the LORD is a life filled with joy.”
- So, the Feast was 7 days of joy and celebration!
- Then in vs 8, God explained the importance of fathers telling their children about the reasons for remembering God’s deliverance through celebrating this Feast.
- Unfortunately, future generations of Jews would add their own interpretations to parts of this feast and would stop celebrating it for the right reasons.
- For example, in vs 9, we’re told, “It shall be for a sign upon your hand and a memorial between your eyes.”
- By this, God meant that He wanted the Jews to have their deliverance from Egypt to be constantly at hand and before their eyes, never forgetting what He’d done for them.
- However, Jewish leaders in later generations went beyond this simple understanding of the verse and started wearing what they called phylacteries….
- They wrote four portions of the law on little parchments of paper, two of those passages being here in chapter 13…vs 2-10 and vs 11-16…
- Both of those referred to the dedication of the firstborn male children and animals to the Lord.
- The other two passages were taken from Deut. 6:4-9 and 11:13-21…
- These two passages referred to the importance of worshipping, obeying, and serving the One True God.
- But listen to just how technical they got and how much they added to the commandment of God…bear with me, because they get very specific with their rules…
- Adam Clarke tells us, “Those [four portions of the Law] which were for the Head (the frontlets) they wrote on four slips of parchment, and rolled up each by itself, and placed them in four compartments, joined together in one piece of skin or leather. Those which were designed for the hand were formed of one piece of parchment, the four portions being written upon it in four columns and rolled up from one end to the other. These were all correct transcripts from the Mosaic text, without one redundant or deficient letter, otherwise they were not lawful to be worn. Those for the head were tied on so as to rest on the forehead. Those for the hand or arm were usually tied on the left arm, a little above the elbow, on the inside, that they might be near the heart, according to the command in Deuteronomy 6:6; “And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart.”
- “…they wore them as a sign of their obligation to God, and as representing some future blessedness. Hence they did not wear them on feast days nor on the Sabbath, because these things were in themselves signs; but they wore them always when they read the law, or when they prayed, and hence they called them prayer ornaments, oratories, or incitements to prayer.”
- So, wearing these phylacteries might seem commendable and spiritual, and there was nothing wrong with doing it in the first place, if they were simply doing it as a way to help them remember, think about, and celebrate God’s deliverance.
- However, it became more than that…
- Some wore them as a way to gain respect and reverence in the sight of the heathen, because it showed they were the strength of Israel.
- Others believed that they could be used as an amulet or charm to drive away evil spirits.
- When Jesus came, the Pharisees had been making their parchments very broad so that they could write more on them, or write in bigger letters, so they could show off, and try to present themselves as such great, holy people, more spiritual than everyone else.
- Jesus said in Matthew 23:5, “But all [the Pharisees’] works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.”
- So, Jesus called them hypocrites because they were wearing them for the wrong reasons.
- One last note about these phylacteries…if you look at the next part of vs 9, it says, “…that the Lord’s law may be in your mouth…”
- So basically, if God meant for the Jews to take this literally and make these phylacteries, then they would have had to make them for their mouths as well, which obviously wouldn’t make sense…
- So, what about us as Christians?
- Should we be taking time to remember God by celebrating, and if so, what should we be celebrating?
- I believe that every day as a Christian should be a celebration because of the fact that we’re forgiven and part of the family of God!
- Psalm 35:9 says, “And my soul shall rejoice in the LORD; It shall exult in His salvation.”
- In Luke 10:20, Jesus told His disciples to rejoice because their names are written in Heaven, and that command applies to us as well.
- Every day is a good day for us because every day is another day to rejoice and celebrate, remembering all He’s done for us.
- Some people might say, “Well aren’t there holidays set aside to celebrate Christ’s birthday and His death and resurrection?”
- Yes, of course…Easter and Christmas.
- At Christmas, we celebrate His birth…the day He left His place in Heaven and was born to the Virgin Mary, becoming one of us, coming to save the world.
- Then at Easter, we start by celebrating His death on the Cross because that was the day He paid the penalty…
- Then, we celebrate His Resurrection, because He defeated death and sin and made it possible for us to be saved from our sin.
- These holidays are obviously the two times of year when churches are the fullest.
- That’s sad because for so many people, they limit their celebrating to only those 2 times of the year.
- The rest of the time, thoughts about God rarely, if ever, enter their minds.
- And for those of us who regularly attend church, we sometimes fall into a routine, and it becomes more about checking off the box or trying to look spiritual or trying to keep tradition, so we become like the Pharisees.
- Folks, you and I as Christians shouldn’t be like that…you and I as Christians should be celebrating Jesus every day!
- We have every reason in the world to be, and no reason why we shouldn’t.
THIRD: REMEMBER GOD BY OBEYING & FOLLOWING- VS 17-22
- Sometimes, God will want us to do things differently than we’d do it if it were up to us.
- Here, we find the Israelites on their way out of Egypt, but instead of God sending them the shorter and easier route, He sends them on a different and longer route.
- The coastal route was the shortest route and was the way most people traveled from Egypt to Canaan.
- It was also a trade route, so there would be plenty of food and water for the people to purchase and trade along the way.
- However, Egypt’s military outposts were there, and God knew that the Israelites weren’t ready for any kind of a fight yet.
- So, He had them go a different way, by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea.
- It’s interesting because we don’t see the Israelites put up any kind of a fuss.
- They simply obey and go the way God says to.
- It might not have made sense to them, but they already saw God at work, delivering them after the ten plagues.
- It was still fresh in their minds, so at least at this point, they were willing to follow God even if it didn’t seem like the better path.
- Not only were they obedient in this area, but we also see them being obedient to God by keeping a promise their ancestors made to Joseph.
- He wanted his bones to be buried in the Promised Land, so they took his bones with them.
- Then, instead of trying to find their way around on their own, they followed God, who graciously guided them through a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
- It’s absolutely awesome when we see examples such as this where God takes care of His people in every area.
- As they followed the cloud and looked up to it, it would be a constant assurance to them that God was with them and God would lead them to the Promised Land, just like He said He would.
- In Psalm 105:39, we read, “God spread a cloud for a covering and fire to give light in the night.”
- So, the cloud was a sun and a shield for His people.
- They couldn’t go wrong or get lost if they followed the cloud.
- Psalm 84:11 says, “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
- So the Israelites could faithfully follow God’s presence in the cloud knowing it was proof of God’s presence and protection of His people.
- What about us as Christians?
- The wonderful thing about being a Christian is that when we give our lives to Jesus, the Holy Spirit enters our hearts, so His presence is with us always.
- Since His presence is with us, He guides us, or leads us as Romans and Galatians say.
- If we truly love Him, we will follow His guidance and obey His promptings.
- Of course, in order to do this, we must be reading God’s Word, and praying, because that’s where He’ll instruct us, and that’s where we’ll hear Him…
- 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
- In John 14:15 Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands.”
- Then, in John 15:14, He said, “You are my friends if you do what I command.”
- 2 John 1:6 says, “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”
- Those are just a few verses that address the importance of obedience in the life of a Christian following the Lord Jesus Christ, and the reason for that obedience is because we love Him.
- However, if you’re not listening to the Holy Spirit and following His guidance, and you have no desire to, then you’re on a dangerous path.
- Titus 1:16 says, “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”
- 1 John 3:6-10 says, “No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”
- So, brothers and sisters, we must be obedient followers of Christ…
- No, we’re not perfect, but our hearts desire and our efforts should be done with our eyes on Christ.
- Remember God by following and obeying Him, brothers and sisters.
CONCLUSION:
- So we’ve looked at remembering God by being dedicated followers, remembering God by celebrating, and remembering God by being obeying and following Him.
- In order to be truly dedicated to Him, in order to celebrate Him, and in order to obey and follow Him, you must first be one of His followers.
- The Bible tells us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, so that means all of us deserve hell.
- And yet God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, Jesus on the cross…
- The perfect, sinless, God-man, beaten, bleeding, and hanging from the cross, dying for our sin.
- Then He arose on the 3rd day and is in Heaven today on His throne.
- So now, whoever believes in Him, truly, genuinely, will not perish for eternity in the lake of fire, but will have eternal life with Jesus in Heaven…
- If you’re here today or watching on the tv, and you’ve never given your life to Jesus, I encourage you to do so today…He loves you, and w
