The Redemption of the Firstborn

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The Lord said to Moses, “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.”

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” (Exodus 13:1–3a).

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Exodus 13 is a chapter where God deals with His people after having saved them from Egypt. There are three parts to this chapter. The first, which is the basis for our text, is God’s claim on the firstborn of Israel. It is a surprising development for the Israelites that is rarely taught about or preached on. The second part of the chapter deals with a remembrance of their deliverance from slavery. Finally, the third part is the beginning of their travels through the desert to the Promised Land.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread and the consecration of the firstborn were signposts that God put in their midst to remind the people of His saving acts. This was done so future generations might know God and His mighty acts to save His people. So, before they pass through the waters at the Red Sea (Exodus 14), God’s people are set apart and given a commemoration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread to draw them back and anchor their identity, security, and meaning in His mighty acts of salvation.

You can imagine how it must have been quite a scene. God delivers His people after having done ten mighty signs over Egypt. The final sign is when the Angel of Death passes over the land of Egypt and all the firstborn of man and animals perish… unless the blood of the lamb is on their doorway. This leaves a lasting impression on the Israelites, who are now freed, and all seems so good.

Well, it did until God decides to settle up with Israel for the balancing of the scale of the firstborn owed to Him in Egypt. Wait… what? God asks for His firstborn from Israel? Yes, and that must have shocked Moses to His core! If you want to know the math on just how many firstborn it would be, you could look about two years after Egypt in Numbers 1-3. There we have the census which was taken of all who would be eligible for this cut. Thousands. It is quite a bit of people. Is God really going to go through with this?

“Consecrate to Me all the firstborn,” The Lord commands the people at Succoth, shortly after the exodus. The consecration of the firstborn to the Lord was closely connected to the Passover. Since the firstborn of the Israelites had been spared, the Lord commanded that these be set apart for special service to Him as a reminder of His grace to the people. Earlier, the Lord had also declared that the nation of Israel was His “firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22). By dedicating their own firstborn to the Lord now and in the future, the Israelites were to constantly remember their gracious deliverance by the Lord’s hand.

This act of consecrating the firstborn was to be carried out after the Lord would bring His people into the land of Canaan. Here, in our text, we are briefly told that the firstborn males of people were to be given over to the Lord. The firstborn of clean (acceptable for food and sacrifice) domestic animals were to “belong to the Lord,” that is, to be sacrificed to Him; the firstborn of unclean domestic animals, which were unacceptable for sacrifice, such as donkeys, were to be “redeemed with a lamb” or were to be killed by breaking their necks. More detailed regulations as to how this was to be done can be found in Exodus as well as in Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Even in the years ahead when the Israelites would be living in the land of Canaan, God wanted His people never to forget their gracious deliverance out of Egypt. That was the great purpose of this consecration of the firstborn. “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” (Exodus 13:9).

Will they die now like those others who fell in Egypt? No. God decides to take their “life/living” as a sacrifice. Instead of killing them, He makes their whole life and living a sacrifice to Himself. As they wander through the desert, He will take only Levi as a living sacrifice. That one tribe will have no inheritance but the Lord. They will not make their living from themselves but of the tithes and sacrifices offered by the people. They are tied to the Lord and their whole life will be dependent on the Lord. Their whole life is an act of worship, and their service will be a living reminder to everyone of what God did in Egypt when He took the firstborn and delivered them. He takes their life and lets them live. Or rather, some other firstborn dies in their place and now they get to live.

This brings a whole new meaning to Romans 12:1: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Typically, people think this verse has to do with the “praise and worship” that “I” bring to God as “my” sacrifice to Him. In light of Exodus 13 and Numbers 3, that interpretation just will not do. The Christian does not bring anything to God. Instead, it is by God’s mercy alone that we live. He has made us a priesthood of all believers (Revelation 1:5b-6; 1 Peter 2:9). Everything is about His mighty acts to save us, and it has nothing to do with the mighty songs we sing to God’s praise or the good works that we do for our neighbor.

This was a constant reminder to Israel that all that she was and all that she possessed were continually to be presented to the Lord, who had redeemed her. And it is a similar lesson for us. Although we are not bound by all these Old Testament regulations, the apostle Paul tells us as New Testament believers, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).

God has done this mighty saving, and our life stands as a witness to what He has done for us. We are thoroughly and completely dependent upon Him for our life and our living and now we live by His great mercy. He could have settled up for our life. He could have taken it away. But there was another firstborn son who was sent to take our place. He makes it all possible for us.

We see that firstborn Son taken into the Temple in Luke 2:22-40 for His consecration according to the Law. Mary and Joseph could not afford a lamb for the sacrifice; pigeons would have to do. But in the wonderful irony of God, they were carrying the most valuable sacrifice, the Sacrifice to whom all the other sacrifices of God’s people foreshadowed—the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world (John 1:29), Jesus the Christ. Soon, He would be in Egypt and then out of Egypt God would call His Son (Matthew 2:15). Thirty years later, Jesus would be presented as the sacrifice for our freedom at Calvary. Three days later, He would rise again to remain alive forever and in Him, the Lamb who was slain and now reigns, gives us His life to live even now in worship and praise to God.

Considering those mighty acts of God for our salvation, our lives are now a living sacrifice, a living witness of His resurrection life in us eternally. He has brought you through the water of Baptism. He has sustained you in His supper with unleavened bread and a little sip of wine. Now, you are a living reminder to the world of what the saving acts of God in Jesus looks like. God has the power to deliver His will, and He has done this for us in the grand exchange of a firstborn son on our behalf. One dies so many can live. That same One rises again, and we have eternal life from Him. That is the surprising story of your salvation.

The firstborn of Israel belongs to the Lord. As our Creator and Redeemer, Jesus claims each of us as His own. This claim presents a formidable challenge. It means we must yield our lives to Jesus, consecrating ourselves as living sacrifices to Him (Romans 12:1).

To be sure, we are not up to the task, but Jesus consecrates us by His perfect sacrifice on the cross, which gives us amazing benefits: adoption into His family (Romans 8:15), opportunities to make a genuine difference in the world (Ephesians 2:10), and the grand expectation of eternity with Him (Philippians 3:20-21).

Considering God’s mighty acts of salvation, we are reminded that our lives are no longer our own but belong to the Lord who has redeemed us. Just as the firstborn of Israel were consecrated to God as a living reminder of His deliverance, so too are we called to be living sacrifices, testifying to His mercy and grace. Yet, this calling is not a burden we carry alone; Jesus, the firstborn Son of God, has fulfilled it perfectly on our behalf. By His sacrifice, we are adopted as His children, empowered to serve Him in love, and assured of an eternal inheritance.

This incredible gift transforms how we live, as we are sustained by His Word and Sacraments. Through Baptism, we are brought through the waters of salvation, and in His Supper, we are nourished with His very body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. Our lives, shaped by His resurrection power, become a witness to the world of His enduring grace and faithfulness. One died so that we might live, and now, through Him, we have the hope of life eternal.

Let us, then, live as His redeemed people, consecrated to His service and reflecting His glory in all that we do. May our lives, like the Firstborn of Israel, stand as living reminders of the surprising and wondrous story of salvation—secured for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. To Him be all honor and praise, now and forever. Amen.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.