April 9, 2019
May We Boast of God's Strong Hand—Forever
Exodus 13
Jessica DeLay
Central Truth
Whose works will you boast in: your own or those of the Lord's hand? May we never forget what the Lord personally rescued us from, for we were all living in a house of slavery to sin that only the hand of the Lord could free us from.
Key Verse | Exodus 13:3
Then Moses said to the people, "Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the LORD brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten."
Exodus 13
Consecration of the Firstborn
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
3 Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the LORD brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. 4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. 5 And when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month. 6 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory. 8 You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. 10 You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.
11 When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the LORD's. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”
Pillars of Cloud and Fire
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” 18 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph 1 13:19 Samaritan, Septuagint; Hebrew he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” 20 And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
Dive Deeper | Exodus 13
Tomorrow (April 10, 2019) will mark my tenth anniversary of being a Christ follower. For two months in 2009, leading up to Good Friday, the Lord revealed to me the mysteries of His salvation plan through the Old Testament prophecies. On Good Friday, as I sat in church, the Lord placed the final puzzle piece for me about how I could be 100-percent certain that I would be in heaven by fixing my gaze on the giant, wooden cross on the altar. He showed me that it was solely the atoning blood of Christ, not my moral résumé, that would turn my hopeful statement, "If I go to heaven," into a blessed assurance, "When I go to heaven."
Reading Exodus 13:14, I was struck by the statement, "By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt . . . ." God had Moses repeat it FOUR TIMES! God knew how forgetful His people were and still are to this day, and this deserved repeating. How quick I am to think that somehow my hands, effort, or ideas got me out of my "house of slavery" of self-righteousness, a critical spirit, fear-based thinking, and bitterness. When we pride ourselves in God's works, we diminish the credit and glory that ONLY belongs to the Lord for our salvation. Paul speaks to our weakness and the grace in Christ in Romans 5:6, "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." I shared part of my testimony to soberly remember what it was like living in Egypt, the house of slavery—I never want to forget it.
In Exodus 13:8, 14, new generations are mentioned that would be observing and asking questions of the freed Hebrews. Today, people could ask, "Why did you ask for forgiveness for that? Why did you stop drinking with us every weekend? Why aren't you bad-mouthing your boss like you used to? Why did you sit with that student in the lunchroom?" Will we boast in ourselves or in God's mercy and grace as the reason we do anything?
Discussion Questions
1. When was the last time you paused, looked back on your life before Christ, and took a sober inventory of how He brought you out of Egypt, the house of slavery? Where and who do you think you'd be without God intervening in your life when He did? Make a list of those adjectives, then pray about who you could share it with.
2. How are you tempted to take credit for your blessings or victories? Ask God to help you practice humility and turn over the credit to the One who ultimately deserves it, God Himself.
3. How can you live out your faith in such a way that other people would ask you "why" questions about your actions and words?