Here's Your Sign



Exodus 13: 1-16



Reading this feels like the first few minutes of 24 or Lost. The artificial voice says "Previously on The Exodus..." and the recap begins. They don't tell you everything that happened, just enough to make this week's action-packed sudser make sense. And here we get a recap of the celebration rules for the Israelites to follow.

God (or maybe the translaters of the NIV) use some words that would have left me asking Him for some clarification as He goes through the process. First God says "Consecrate to Me every firstborn male." To which I might reply..."Consecrate... ok, got it- and how does one consecrate something?" As best as I can tell from perusing the fine work of the folks over at dictionary.com- the meaning seems to be set the firstborn aside- deem it holy for My purposes.

Whether man or animal, the firstborn belongs to God (in a way beyond, apparently, everything belonging to God). In fact, these firstborns will be apparently sacrificed since the firstborns were spared before this great journey began. There are substitution provisions though. Firstborns can be redeemed by the blood of a lamb (sound familiar?) So, you can save your donkeys by substituting a lamb in it's place. But if you don't, then you have to break the neck of the donkey.

Then come some understated words of wisdom..."Redeem every firstborn among your sons." And then when your son asks about it- tell him the story about mighty God killing the firstborn of the Egyptians- and I sacrificed this lamb to save you.

There are some specifications made about this holiday season. They are reminded about the timing for their flatbread festival- only not only can't they have yeast in their homes- it can't even be within their borders. And you observe it every year- and tell your sons why.

"And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead."

This last phrase is a little puzzling, but it might be that Moses is saying. Sacrifice to God- and explain it to your family- your devotion to God will be so obvious, that people can look at you and tell that you're one of His children. I wonder how much my Christianity is like a sign on my head. I don't buy into the false piety of "appearing Christian." You better not laugh at that joke or fraternize with the wrong people- no dancing and let's measure the hem on your shorts. It's Sunday, where's your tie? Look everyone, I'm putting my check in the contribution plate now. But I do hope that people who know me can see the love of Jesus in me. Because I laugh with them, because I care about their problems, because I try to make them smile, or educated, or proud of themselves, or accomplished, or most of all loved. Later on we're told that Christians are to be identified by how they love each other- and that's the sign I hope to have in flashing neon on my ever-wrinkling brow.


All the lamb substitution is another example of real life foreshadowing (just in case you haven't yet finished the story) the sacrifice of Christ for us. I know, it's kind of obvious, right? But I kinda have to spell it out if I'm going to blog about it, don't I?