Just like the Passover, the feast of unleavened bread, the consecration of the Firstborn was to be a memorial which was passed down from generation to generation.
Remember that Israel was God’s firstborn, Exodus 4:22. It was God who sent the plague of the firstborn against Egypt, and now God claims the firstborn for Himself, Exodus 13:1.
Because God had spared the firstborns of His people, He now wants His people to take on the responsibility of dedicating their firstborn male children or animals to Him, Exodus 13:2. The firstborn now belonged to God; He owned them, Exodus 13:12-13.
The day Israel came out of Egypt was a day of freedom and was to be celebrated, including the command not to eat anything which contained yeast, Exodus 13:3 / Exodus 12:14-20. This was the month of Aviv, Exodus 13:4; the commands we read here are the same as we find back in Exodus 12:26-27.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following concerning the Canaanites, Exodus 13:4.
‘In the land of the Canaanites, there actually were six races of those peoples supplanted by Israel, but in Exodus 13:5, only five were listed, the Perizzites, a minor group, being omitted. Here, they were all referred to as Canaanites, there being, in fact, some thirty-two nations or petty-states included in the general designation.’
For seven days they are to eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day they are to hold a festival to the LORD, Exodus 13:6. They are to eat unleavened bread during those seven days and nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among them, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within their borders, Exodus 13:7.
They are to tell their sons, that the reason for doing this is because of what the LORD did for them when they came out of Egypt, Exodus 13:8. Notice that this day and celebration were to be a ‘sign’, Exodus 13:9; it was a sign to remind them of how God miraculously freed them from Egypt.
This was all about what God had done, not what they had done, because without God and His power, they would still be slaves in Egypt. In other words, God wanted the deliverance from Egypt to be constantly at hand and before their eyes and on their lips, Exodus 13:9.
The Jews used this passage to institute the practice of the wearing of phylacteries, small boxes holding parchment with Scriptures on them, held to the forehead or hand with leather straps, Deuteronomy 6:4-9 / Deuteronomy 11:13-21.
Jesus condemned the abuse of the wearing of phylacteries among the Pharisees; they would make their phylactery boxes large and ostentatious as a display of greater spirituality, Matthew 23:5.
In the end times, there will be a Satanic imitation of this practice, when the number of the Antichrist will be applied to either the hand or forehead of all who will take it, Revelation 13:16. They must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year, Exodus 13:10.
The giving of the firstborn was to happen when they reached the promised land, Exodus 13:11.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The dedication of every firstborn Israelite male baby was to take place after the nation had entered the Promised Land, Exodus 13:5 / Exodus 13:11-12. This was to be a memorial of God’s redemption from Egyptian slavery, as were the feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread, Exodus 12:14. However, God took the Levites for His special possession in place of the firstborn. This happened at Mt. Sinai, Numbers 3:12-13. Consequently, this dedication never took place, but the Israelites did circumcise their sons and observe the Passover when they first entered the Promised Land, Joshua 5:4-7.’
Not only were all the firstborn males of Israel to be given to the Lord, but so were all the firstborn animals, Exodus 13:12. The firstborn animals were to be given to the Lord as a sacrifice.
The words, ‘give over’, Exodus 13:12, literally mean to pass over to the Lord. It’s the same word used to describe Canaanite practices of sacrificing children to their gods, 1 Kings 16:3 / Ezekiel 20:31. It’s possible that the Lord deliberately used this word to mark the distinction between this dedication and that of the Canaanites.
They are to redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if they don’t redeem it, they must break its neck, Exodus 13:13. If the firstborn was unacceptable to sacrifice, that is an unclean animal or a human, then a substitute was offered to redeem the firstborn from God. If the firstborn was an animal, the substitute was a clean animal, and if the firstborn was a human, the substitute money was to be paid in silver.
Silver is the metal associated with redemption and payment for sin; of course, Jesus was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, Exodus 21:32 / Leviticus 5:15 / Leviticus 27:3 / Leviticus 27:6 / Numbers 18:16 / Deuteronomy 22:19 / Matthew 26:15.
If their sons ask them what does this mean?, They are to tell them with a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, Exodus 13:14. They are to tell them how Pharaoh refused to let them go, and how the LORD killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt, Exodus 13:15.
By doing so they will explain why they sacrifice to the LORD the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of their firstborn sons, Exodus 13:15. Notice the words again, it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead, Exodus 12:16.
These Scriptures were to be remembered concerning Israel’s deliverance. Other Scriptures were also written and placed in the phylacteries, Deuteronomy 6:4-9 / Deuteronomy 11:13-21.
Notice that if God had taken them directly through the Philistine country, the journey would have taken two weeks, but God decided to take them the longer route, Exodus 13:17-18.
The reason is simple: if they had gone through the Philistines’ land, they would have encountered Philistine warriors, and because the Israelites were not trained for warfare, they would have suffered at the hands of the Philistines and wanted to return to Egypt.
This is the reason why God took them to the south, Mount Sinai, Exodus 13:18. God never allows us to face more than we are able to bear; He knows exactly what we can and what we can’t handle, 1 Corinthians 10:13.
No one knows why the Red Sea is called such, Exodus 13:18. Some believe the waters turned red from microscopic life, others believe it was because of the shells on the shore, or the rocks may have been red.
Others believe it is because of the reflection of the setting sun turned the waters red in appearance. The word ‘ready’, Exodus 13:18, or ‘armed’ as the KJV translates it, literally means harnessed; the idea is that they were all organised, around three million of them, were organised in coming out of Egypt.
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath when he said, God will surely come to his aid, and then he must carry my bones up with him from this place, Exodus 13:19.
In Genesis 50, it says specifically that Joseph was never buried. His coffin lay above ground for four hundred or so years until it was taken back to Canaan, Genesis 50:25-26.
Joseph had been mummified after his death, Genesis 50:25-26, and his body has been in Egypt for four hundred years up to this point, and so the Israelites took his body to bury him in Canaan, Joshua 24:32.
We should remember that not only were the remains of Joseph taken from Egypt to be buried in Canaan but so were the remains of the patriarchs taken and buried in Canaan, Acts 7:10.
Sukkoth, Exodus 13:20, was the first camping place of the children of Israel when they left Egypt, and the word itself means ‘booths’ or ‘huts’. This is where the children of Israel set up their temporary dwellings, which they lived in until they came to the Promised Land.
Apparently, the cloud appeared and began leading them to the camp called ‘Etham’, Exodus 13:20-22. This must have been a phenomenal sight to behold as this cloud suddenly appeared at the front of the camp. Granted, clouds are normal occurrences; they are everywhere, but a cloud that is vertical in shape and a cloud that moves in front of you.
A cloud that then transforms into a fiery light at night, Exodus 13:21-22, would have been amazing to witness. And it must have been large enough so that everyone travelling could see which direction to go.
The pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night was also there to act as a sun and a shield, Psalms 105:39 / Psalm 84:11. And when it came to night-time, the fire was so bright, it enabled the travellers to continue travelling even after the sun had set. This pillar led the children of Israel toward the Red Sea in that first week when they were eating ‘unleavened bread.’
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Like the burning bush, Exodus 3:2, the pillar was the visible symbol of God’s presence among His people. The Lord Himself was in the pillar, Exodus 13:21 / Exodus 14:24, and often spoke to the people from it, Exodus 19-20 / Numbers 12:5-6 / Deuteronomy 31:15-16 / Psalms 99:6-7.’
But, as we shall see in the next chapter, Pharaoh will have a change of heart about letting Israel leave and dispatch his chariots to turn them back. They caught up with them at the Red Sea, but then the pillar did something truly unexpected.
The pillar moved to defend them, positioning itself between the Egyptians and Israel, Exodus 14:19-20. The cloud and fire were constant reminders that God was with them.