Exodus 13:1–16 “A People Who Remember the Past”

Exodus 13:1-16 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:

• Do It Again – Elevation Worship
• Remember by Bryan and Katie Torwalt, led by New Collective
• Goodness Of God – Bethel Music

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• Putting God First – Sunday School Object Lesson
• Do Lord | Everest VBS | Outback Rock VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• This is the Day | True North VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• One True God | Holy Land Adventure: Egypt VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth arelocated in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

God commands Moses that every firstborn, human or animal, must be dedicated to Him (vv. 1–2). The Israelites were to follow this regulation after they settled in the land of Canaan.

As Moses relays this instruction to the Israelites, he also explains its reason (vv. 11–16). On the night the Israelites left Egypt, all the firstborn in Egypt were struck down, but the Israelites were spared because of the blood of the lamb. In other words, all the firstborn belonging to Israel had, in a sense, already died. To remember this, the Israelites were to dedicate every firstborn animal to God and “redeem” their firstborn sons (v. 13). Instead of sacrificing their sons, they offered an animal in their place. Moses explains that “this is because the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand” (v. 16).

Moses also delivers God’s instructions concerning the Festival of Unleavened Bread (12:15–20) to the people (vv. 3–10). Once they enter and settle in the land of Canaan, they must observe this festival every year. For seven days, they are to eat bread made without yeast and remove all yeast from their territory. When their children ask why this is done, they are to respond, “This ceremony is to remember what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt” (v. 8). Both they and their children must remember and live according to this command.

Meditation:

In the history of humanity, the Jewish people are extraordinary in many ways. One striking fact is that they have survived despite being endlessly oppressed by surrounding superpowers. Even after being destroyed by the Roman Empire and spending nearly two thousand years in diaspora, they maintained their ethnic identity and traditions. Although the ten tribes disappeared in that process and only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained, they continued their heritage as minorities scattered across many nations. Remarkably, they eventually rebuilt the nation of Israel, which had long since vanished from the map. In terms of “resilience”—the ability to recover after being broken by adversity—there is no other example quite like this.

The most significant source of their resilience was memory. Israel was a people who remembered. They remembered the suffering they had endured in the past and the mighty acts God performed in that suffering. One could say that the Old Testament was written to remember the trials of the ancestors and God’s deliverance. The people of Israel observed annual festivals regularly throughout the year. Through Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread, they remembered the hardship of slavery in Egypt and the grace of the Exodus. Through the Festival of Tabernacles, they remembered the trials of their wilderness journey. Through the Festival of Weeks (Pentecost), they remembered Moses receiving the Law on Mount Sinai. They remembered the Maccabean revolt through the Festival of Dedication (Hanukkah). And by offering the firstborn animals as sacrifices, they remembered the grace God had shown during the Exodus.

Such remembrance helped them to hold fast to their faith in God, united them as a people, and enabled them to hope and believe in light even in the deepest darkness.

Prayer:

Lord, help us never forget how hopeless we were without You, what great price You paid to save us, and how abundant the grace we have received since welcoming You into our lives. Let the remembrance of past grace empower us to live this day fully and faithfully. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: God calls His people to be those who remember—remembering His saving grace in the past helps us live faithfully and hopefully today. Just as Israel remembered the Exodus through their worship and traditions, we are called to remember what Jesus has done for us and live with gratitude and trust.

• For Preschool-Elementary
  • Why do you think it’s important to remember what God has done for us?
  • What are some ways we can remember Jesus’ love each day?
  • Can you share something you are thankful for that God has done for your family?
    
• For Youth
  • How does remembering God’s past faithfulness help you when you go through hard times?
  • What “reminders” (like songs, stories, or traditions) help you stay close to God?
  • What is one thing you want to remember about God this week, and how will it change how you live?