But the Hebrews Aren’t So Sure -- Exodus 14:10-12

And as Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord.  Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?  Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt?  Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’?  For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
 
While God’s strategy was working perfectly, the Hebrews weren’t too sure they liked the implications.  As they saw Pharaoh and his vast army of chariots getting closer to its human prey, the Israelites became very frightened.  A natural reaction no matter how strong a faith someone has.   But you have to love the way the next phrase is written, at least in the NASB.  It says, “ . . . so (they) cried out to the Lord.”  As if to say, that’s the time we call out to the Lord.  And that’s absolutely true – as long – as long as it is not the only time you cry out to the Lord.   Sometimes God wants us to cry to Him on behalf of the injustice that befalls others, not just ourselves.  And most often, He desires our cries of joy in praise to Him.   But, our human natures, makes us most likely to remember God more often and more readily when we are frightened.  For the Hebrews this would not be the first time they cried out to God while they were in the wilderness after their fleeing from Egypt.

And I suppose if that were their only action, it would not be too bad, and certainly understandable.  But it was not.  The Hebrews went on to behave like many of us do which I am sure was a disappointment to both God and to those that were doing His bidding.  First they became sarcastic.  Their statement to Moses with respect to available graves in Egypt was pure sarcasm.  As Christians we need to watch our sarcasm.  While it may sound that it is only a matter of the ‘mouth’ since it comes in ‘oral form’, the truth is that it is often a matter of the ‘heart’.  It reflects what we are really feeling in the situation.  Secondly, it disappoints God who loves us and protects us through the storm before us.  Thirdly, it impacts others, both believers and non-believers, who hear us – sometimes hurting them, sometimes helping convince non-believers that they can well do without our kind of faith.

But the grumbling of the Hebrews did not stop at sarcasm.  They took it one step further.  They blamed Moses, God’s agent and their appointed leader.  “Why did you bring us here to die?”  Those who follow someone else’s dream not having adopted it as their own have often repeated that question time and time again through the ages.  I imagine family-members of pioneers said it.   I imagine pilgrims said it.  I imagine soldiers dying overseas have said it.  And so on.  I think it is important that we know what plans and futures we are following.  Do they belong to men or to God?  And have we made them ours?  If not, you are not ready to go because undoubtedly if the future is worth it, there will be challenges ahead and sacrifices will need to be made – sometimes some very costly ones.  But once you make God’s plans for you your very own – then only total obedience and complete trust will see you through safely to the end.  That is the only way to maximize on what God has in store for us.

The Hebrews seem to have forgotten that God, through Moses, was leading them out of their “slavery”.  How soon we forget the horrible circumstances we were in when our passage out gets tough?  I think of individuals who are living with abusive partners.  They decide to leave and make an effort to do so.  But then when things get difficult, they wish they had stayed with the devil they knew.  If we feel that way about our past – about our sins – then I believe we are just not ready to leave them behind.

In fact, the children of Israel told Moses that they had begged him to leave them alone so that they could go one serving the Egyptians in slavery.  Never mind all the feasts they had before leaving.  They were forgotten.  Can you imagine how Moses must have felt when he heard them complaining?  Can you imagine how a father doing his best to move to a new frontier for the betterment of his family would feel in such circumstances when his wife and children begin to curse him for doing so?  Can you imagine how a missionary being obedient to God in going to the mission would feel if his/her parents, siblings, spouse, or children kept expressing their disappointment and/or disgust?  Can you imagine how God Who wants you out of your sin feels when you prefer to stay there?

And then the clincher: “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die here.”  No hope.  Just despair.  No faith.  No trust.  No God in the equation.

Where are you right now?  Are you crossing some wilderness having left Egypt behind?  Are you feeling like the Israelites?  Are you a Moses?  Or are you ready to obey and trust?  If you are standing by your very own ‘Red Sea’, I suggest that deciding who you are in light of the circumstances is probably one of the most significant decisions you can possibly make.  I pray that God will enable you to make the right choice, as tough as it may be.

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[Are you looking for a speaker at your church, your club, school, or organization? Ken is available to preach, teach, challenge, and/or motivate. Please contact us.]

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God’s Strategy Works Perfectly -- Exodus 14:5-9

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”  So he made his chariot ready and took his people with him; and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.  And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out boldly.  Then the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, in front of Baalzephon.
 
When we read the phrase, “Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart” we are reminded again of the influence that certain people in authority have over others.  This could be rulers or bosses or parents or teachers.  The responsibility for others is an awesome one.  It is not given to everyone and it comes from God.  It is imperative that we use it wisely and under His direction.  Unfortunately, it can also be greatly misused.

And is it not interesting that what Pharaoh and his own servants were really concerned about was that they lost their personal means of being served through the slavery of the Israelites.  When the responsibility for authority has gone awry, there is often a sense of self-interest or egotism involved.  Here we see the self-interest of both Pharaoh and his servants and in addition, the egotism of Pharaoh.  If we have been granted a role of authority over others, we need to make sure that we check to ensure those two human characteristics are not being felt or exhibited, lest God deal with us in the way He was about to deal with the Egyptians.  And for that matter, in the way He has dealt with every evil leader since then.

To feed their selfishness and Pharaoh’s conceit, Scriptures tell us that Pharaoh got over six hundred chariots ready to go after the Hebrews.  In fact, these were just the “select” chariots. (They must have been souped-up in some form making them superior, or they had won chariot races.  Who knows?)  In addition, the text says he took all the other chariots “of Egypt” with him.  And each group of charioteers driving those vehicles had their own officer to oversee them.  It was a truly impressive posse, being led by their sheriff Pharaoh, to capture the escaped slaves, the children of God.  The Egyptians should have thought it out first and included Him in the equation.

God’s strategy worked perfectly.  Pharaoh allowed his heart to be hardened again.  He pursued the Israelites and found them camping exactly where God had placed them for him to do so.  Several thoughts come to mind here.

First, it always seems to be about the heart.  The text does not say, “God changed what Pharaoh was going to do.”  No, it says, “God hardened the heart of Pharaoh.”  As I study Scripture, I am more convinced that God is keenly interested in our “hearts” – what they are feeling and desiring more than He is in what we do.  That is not to say He will allow us to do anything as long as our hearts are right by Him.  He won’t.  And in fact, when you think about it – when our hearts are right by Him, there is little chance we will do what is unacceptable to God.  When our hearts are right by Him, we will be doing everything we can to please Him.

Second, this brings us to a most interesting dilemma.  Perhaps one that we cannot solve, but let me at least in my attempt to be totally open with you as I write these thoughts, share with you what I had in mind.  Is it possible that while God intends to harden our heart to do evil (as in Pharaoh’s case), we are still able (or perhaps allowed by God) to do the right thing?  That is, is it possible for us to say to God, “No, Lord, I won’t allow you to harden my heart against You.  I will indeed serve You and love You.”?  Put another way could Pharaoh have surprised God?

Okay, I know that puts the discussion on a whole new plain.  God is never surprised.  God is never thwarted in His plans.  Does God still even harden people’s hearts today?  And we do know God does want us to serve and love Him.  This presents a dilemma.

Perhaps the matter can be answered as follows: If God knew that Pharaoh wanted to serve and love Him now, He would not have hardened his heart at this time.  He would have given Pharaoh every opportunity to do just that.  We are left, therefore, with the fact that God is omnipotent and omniscient.  He did what He did with Pharaoh because of what He knew about Pharaoh.  At least that’s my take.  What’s yours?  We may find we would end up in a debate about predestination and I certainly do not want to do so here.

But here is what is more important and to the point:  What does God know about your heart and mine?  And how will that impact how He ultimately relates to, and deals with, us?

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[Are you looking for a speaker at your church, your club, school, or organization? Ken is available to preach, teach, challenge, and/or motivate. Please contact us.]

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More Hard News for the sons of Israel -- Exodus 14:1-4

Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baalzephon, opposite it, by the sea.  For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’  Thus I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”  And they did so.
 
As I write this, it is in the midst of great global debate as to whether or not there should be military strikes against Syria for their alleged (or ‘proven’ in the minds of some) use of chemical weapons on their people.  Everyone is strategizing and the stakes are high.  And then I read this portion of Scripture and note that God Himself is a great ‘strategist’.  He actually tells the people of Israel through Moses to “turn back” and camp at a certain place.  And He does it for a strategic purpose.  This going forward and then turning back is to make it appear in the eyes of the enemy, that the Israelites are lost and confused.  And as a result, Pharaoh’s heart will once again be ‘hardened’ and he will come after the Hebrews that he so reluctantly allowed to leave Egypt where they were serving him as slaves.

Pihahiroth is translated as a “place where sedge (a plant resembling grass) grows”.  It was the third encampment of the Israelites after leaving Goshen in Egypt and the last one before crossing the Red Sea.  It is between Migdol and the sea.  The word “Migdol” was eventually translated “tower” but previously it meant, “abundance of hills”. It is the name of a town situated in the most northern parts of Egypt.

And specifically they were instructed to camp in front of Baalzephon.  This is a town near the Red Sea.  Its name literally means “lord of the north” or more loosely, “sacred to Typhon”.  This was uncultivated country between the Nile and the Red Sea and thus usually thought to be the “abode of Typhon” the evil demon of the Egyptians.  (Perhaps a fitting name for the location of where the Egyptians were about to be destroyed.)

So God pursues His strategy for a purpose.  Pharaoh falls for it and we have the perfect setting for God to be honored in a way that will tell the Egyptians then, and the world for generations to come, that He indeed is the Lord.

God knew Pharaoh was focused on destroying Israel.  So God arranges for Him to come after Israel by making Pharaoh think they were embarrassed and frustrated in their journey and thus would be easy prey.  But God did this all for the purpose of destroying Pharaoh and bringing honor to the Lord.  He shared this with Moses so he did not ask any questions when given this order.  But could you imagine how the rank and file of the Hebrews felt about this instruction?

As for our part, we could well ask the question, “Why would God lead them into a trap like this?”  Well, for starters, we would have definitely thought this was a trap.  And from all the ‘natural’ geographic evidence before us, it should have been a trap.  Except that we once again have fallen into our own ‘human’ trap as believers of often leaving “God out of the equation”.   Not only was God not intending for His people to be trapped, but He wanted to show them that He is with them and can destroy their enemies, even the mighty armies of Pharaoh, including in an otherwise impossible circumstance.

And so, this portion of the text ends with the phrase, “And they did so.”

What circumstances are you in today?  Do they look hopeless from every possible human perspective?  Have you left God out of the equation for a solution?  Is He providing some instructions to you in your situation that just do not seem like the ones you would take?  My friend, there are only two things you need to do – in fact, only two things that you can do if you want to be blessed in this predicament.  The first is to be willing to “obey Him”.  That’s the only way you and those that watch you can know without a doubt that you are His child.  And then secondly, “trust Him” to do the impossible.  Just put God in the equation and let Him drive the solution.  From the perspective of eternity, it will be the best.  I promise you.

________________________________________________________________________

[Are you looking for a speaker at your church, your club, school, or organization? Ken is available to preach, teach, challenge, and/or motivate. Please contact us.]

Thanks for dropping by. Sign up to receive free updates. We bring you relevant information from all sorts of sources. Subscribe for free to this blog or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar. And please share this blog with your friends. Ken Godevenos, Church and Management Consultant, Accord Consulting.  And while you’re here, why not check out some more of our recent blogs shown in the right hand column.  Ken.

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It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

COMPLIMENTARY Marriage Conference Just for Pastors & Their Spouses (in the GTA)

You may have read his books, or used them with your pre-marital counseling.  You may have even heard of the The Love & Respect Marriage Conferences.  Now you get a chance to hear Dr. Emmerson Eggerichs, supported by his wife, Sarah, share God’s secret for successful marriages at a complimentary conference exclusively for Pastoral Team Members and their spouses

Where: The Olive Branch, Markham, Ontario (in the GTA)

When:  Friday evening, October 18^th & Saturday morning, October 19^th (2013)

Cost to You and Your Spouse:  NONE

Learn more about the conference and registering at: http://www.loveandrespect.com/ca .  We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to familiarize yourselves with a resource that has helped thousands of husbands and wives not only save their marriages but make them a blessing to others.

Attendance is limited to 500 in total.  So book early and encourage your entire ministerial staff and their spouses to attend at no cost, with you.  This conference is a high-quality videoconference and a prelude to a general ‘in person’ conference scheduled to be held at the Peoples’ Church, Toronto in March 2014 for your congregations and the public.

If you are a pastor, please register you and your spouse now.  Encourage your colleagues to do so.  Please pass this on to other ministers in your circles.

If you are NOT A PASTOR, please pass this on to pastors that you know.  And keep checking the above site for more information on your conference in March 2014.

You’ll be glad you did.   We look forward to seeing you there.

The 2013 GTA Love & Respect Conference for Pastors lead organizing team,

Baha Habashy (905.294.0380) bh@integrity-plus.com

Mike Noble (905.473.2444) mikenoble@rogers.com

Ken Godevenos (647.346.9450) kgod@accordconsulting.com

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

God Leads The People Out – With 24/7 Direction -- Exodus 13:17-22

Now it came about when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war, and they return to Egypt.”  Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt.  And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God shall surely take care of you; and you shall carry my bones from here with you.”  Then they set out from Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness.  And the Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.  He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
This is a most exciting and encouraging passage of Scripture for the believer for many reasons.  In it, we find six ways God involves Himself with us directly so that we may live the abundant life:

1.     God directed them in a way that not only would serve His purpose and plan for them, but would also protect them from harm when they least expected it.  The text says He did not take them through the land of the Philistines even though that would have saved a lot of time and distance.  Had they gone that way, they either would have been in the midst of a war the Philistines were fighting or the Hebrews themselves would have been pursued as enemies by the Philistines for they would have been easy prey for plunder as they traveled across the desert.  Easy, fast – is not always the best.  As Christians we need to learn that lesson.  The Philistines were mentioned at least eight times in Genesis – they were known for their hawkish view of co-existence, being almost always at war.  They were dividers and invaders. And today, our Enemy is also well known to us.  It is he that God is keeping us safely from, if we allow Him to.

2.     God also knew His people.  He knew they would change their mind if left to their own thinking on the best route, or when challenged with adversity.  He had therefore to get them to the point where there really was no chance of return; a point where they could only and fully depend on Him.   Is not that the way He deals with us when He is taking us out of our Egypt?  He does not test us or try us or present us with challenges we cannot handle when we are weak.  As He yearns for us to be more dependent on Him, for the moment we trust Him fully, He also waits for the right time when we can handle the hardship that often comes our way – not without difficulty or necessarily with a ‘bring it on’ attitude, but in full reliance on Him.  Thus He did with the children of Israel as He led them out of their bondage.  And so He leads them around the land of the Philistines through the wilderness to the Red Sea where He will give them an incredible lesson in faith.

3.     God prepares us. We notice here that He led them out of Egypt in what the text calls a ‘martial array’.  In essence, in this case, that is in an orderly, perhaps lightly armed, excited, and maybe a little angry for all the years they were in bondage.  They were girded, and equipped for the long journey.  Some footnotes say they were five in a rank (really five large divisions, under five presiding officers, according to the usages of all caravans at that time).  Perhaps they carried one or more banners which added to their hype, keeping in mind that they were indeed finally carrying Joseph’s bones out of Egypt.  But clearly, not yet prepared to fight, let alone win, wars and thus only the providence of God could keep them.  What is God preparing you and me for?

4.     He facilitates the keeping of promises made by godly men as part of His plan.  God saw to it that Joseph’s bones were carried out of Egypt as Joseph’s brothers promised him many generations earlier (see Genesis 50:24-25).  Moses knew of that as the story had been told over and over and he facilitated that desire of Joseph’s in accordance with God’s plan.  On his last day of his life, my father who had lived the latter part of his life regretting he had given his brothers permission to sell his father’s property, made me promise him that we would not sell his property as long as I lived; he did not care what happened after that. I promised him his desire.  Looking back almost seven years now I can see that God had His hand in my father asking me to do what he did.  As a result of that promise, our second daughter and her family agreed with us that we would demolish the old house (which dad had allowed as one of the options, for his interest was in us keeping the land) and build a new one for both her family and my wife and I.  Two years after my father’s death, seven of us moved in and have been enjoying the benefits of that ever since, with hopefully more to come.  [I don’t recommend it for everyone, and it certainly works better when it a daughter’s parents rather than a son’s that are involved.]  The lesson for us is that we need to be careful what we are prepared to make others promise.  We need to ask ourselves if it is indeed within the scope of God’s will.  In my father’s case, he knew that ‘land’ and its ownership was a positive thing in his Christian worldview and thus he could make that request of his only son without guilt.  And I am so thankful he did.

5.     God causes us to travel through places of significance in our journey.  As we had seen earlier in Exodus 12:37, God had taken them out of Egypt (Ramses) via Succoth.  Now Succoth was the place where many generations before this, Jacob had stopped there and started to settle down (Genesis 33:17) after he had made peace with his brother, Esau.  Somehow, through the route of Exodus, God wanted to remind His people of their history and His part in it.  The place called Etham on the other hand, is introduced here for the first time.  That is where they camped, their first stop if you like.  It was just outside the pure Arabian Desert or wilderness, on the border of Egypt.  It is mentioned again in the book of Numbers.  Its meaning is identified as “with them” or “their plowshare”.  One can easily see the connection to the first interpretation as being an indicator that as they go into the wilderness God is indeed ‘with them’.  A ‘plowshare’ on the other hand, according to Wikipedia, is a component of a plow (plough). It is the cutting or leading edge of a moldboard that closely follows the coulter (one or more ground-breaking spikes) when plowing.  The connection to this interpretation is more difficult to determine. Wikipedia goes on to say, “The plowshare itself is often a hardened blade dressed into an integral moldboard (by the blacksmith) so making a unified combination of plowshare and moldboard, the whole being responsible for entering the cleft in the earth (made by the coulter's first cutting-through) and turning the earth over.  In well-tilled terrain the plowshare may do duty without a preceding coulter.”  Perhaps that was the place where the Israelites were to regroup after immediately leaving Egypt, collect their senses as it were, and prepare for the difficult journey ahead.  The lesson for us is that we are to be alert to where God takes us as He leads us out of bondage and into freedom.  What are we to be mindful of?  What is he doing with us?  And why?

6.     Finally, God does not leave us ever.  I note near the end of this passage that the pillar of fire led them by night and gave them light, while the pillar of cloud led them by day.  God provides the appropriate directional tools for the circumstances if we care to avail ourselves of them.  For us today, we have His Word, as well as His proven blessings time and time again in our lives.  We also have the comfort and wisdom of other men and women of the faith who have been through similar circumstances.  Finally we have the assurance in our hearts that He loves us and His grace is sufficient for us as His Holy Spirit lives and works in us. We are told that God “did not take those pillars away” from the children of Israel.  And neither has He taken away all these relevant available resources from us today.  And that is true, no matter where we stand in our side of the bargain.  They are there for us to count on and turn to.  But what a blessing there is for the true “full-time” believer who abides in these resources, at all times.

Are you living the abundant life God wants you to live do you feel you are constantly struggling, fighting to survive, unhappy?  If you are not living in His grace, go over the material above again and see which roles of God are you blocking Him from effectively taking in your life.  Then give thanks to God for His willingness to take those roles on for us.  Finally, do all in your power to ensure you are not thwarting His efforts to impact your life in those roles.  Find the roadblocks and get rid of them.

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[Are you looking for a speaker at your church, your club, school, or organization? Ken is available to preach, teach, challenge, and/or motivate. Please contact us.]

Thanks for dropping by. Sign up to receive free updates. We bring you relevant information from all sorts of sources. Subscribe for free to this blog or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar. And please share this blog with your friends. Ken Godevenos, Church and Management Consultant, Accord Consulting.  And while you’re here, why not check out some more of our recent blogs shown in the right hand column.  Ken.

________________________________________________________________________

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

The Rationale Behind the Dedication of Firstborns and the Wearing of Phylacteries -- Exodus 13:11-16

“Now when the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, you shall devote to the Lord the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the Lord.  But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.  And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.  It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the Lord killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’  So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”
 
In the first ten verses of this thirteenth chapter, Moses was preparing the Israelites for what he was about to tell them concerning the dedication of the firstborns by reminding them of the need to always celebrate what God did for them.  Now in this section, he continues to provide further rationale as to this significant request of God’s.

He tells them that after God brings them to the land of Canaan, then they shall devote to Him the first ‘male’ offspring of “every womb” – of every woman in the family having children and of every beast that is owned by them.  These firstborn males, in essence, will belong to God.  This is to be a dedication, not a sacrifice.

The next portion of this scripture is troublesome in some respects and there are several interpretations of the meaning.  First, looking strictly at the words of the text, the Israelites were instructed to:
-- redeem (or ransom) the first offspring (we assume ‘male’) of a donkey (or an ‘ass’) [keep in mind these animals had great commercial value and/or were of great use to the Israelites as transport animals]
-- if they were not prepared to redeem it or ransom it, then they were to break the animal’s neck (or kill it)
-- they were also to redeem the firstborn sons born to each mother or family (with no reference to an option of what to do if they were not being willing to redeem them).

The commentaries on this are all over the map.  Chuck Smith writes the following:

“Now if you wanted to keep the donkey and use it, then you had to buy it from the Lord, was the idea. God claimed the firstborn of all the animals. If you wanted to keep it for yourself, then you had to purchase it from God. You had to redeem it. If you didn't redeem it, then you had to kill it, the donkey, or the cow or whatever. If you wanted to keep . . . it, then you had to redeem it. You had to buy it from God.  The same with your child, the firstborn male child was God's, belonged to God. Then you had to redeem that child from God, offering sacrifice unto the Lord to redeem the child.”

David Guzik introduces the idea of ‘unclean’ animals or humans and says:

“If the firstborn was unacceptable to sacrifice (an unclean animal or a human) a substitute was offered to redeem the firstborn from God. If the firstborn was an animal the substitute was a clean animal. If the firstborn was a human, the substitute was money.”

The question arises as to what may be an ‘unclean newborn’?  Of course, the danger with this is the issue of deformity in a child.  And since I believe Guzik has no textual grounds for his comments, I would tend to argue that this verse is not about unclean or deformed animals – besides, why would the Israelites want to redeem for themselves such an animal for working purposes?  Clearly there is no indication or basis whatsoever for sacrificing of children in this passage.  The requirement is simply to give to God “first” and to give Him “the best”.  That’s the lesson.

And God also wants them to be able to tell their children, in the years ahead, why exactly they are doing this.  The first sentence of the explanation is very potent.  We have a God with a “powerful hand” who leads His people “out of” “slavery”.  Is not that an excellent summary of God’s intent for each and everyone of His children – to lead us out of our sin, out of our bondage, out of our own personal Egypt, when we recognize the need for His powerful hand to act and accept Him as our God and Savior?  The attitude that God has had towards His beloved has not changed from Adam and Eve right down to you and I today.

Moses tells the people that in order to free them from slavery, because the Enemy (Pharaoh in this case) was so hard and stubborn, God had to kill every firstborn in Egypt.  And that is why, the Israelites were to tell their children in the future, they dedicate their ‘firstborns’ to God and redeem them.

In fact, because the power of sin and Satan today is still so powerful, and because we can not have the intended relationship with God that we were created to have due to God’s Holiness and our sinfulness, God had to sacrifice His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to make possible our forgiveness and cleansing from sin.  Because Jesus died, we can live forever, with God, having conquered the power of sin and death through and by Him.

The last verse in this section introduces a new practice that we see being kept by orthodox Jews even today.  The verse reads, “So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”
In Jerusalem, at the Wailing Wall and elsewhere, I saw orthodox Jews wearing little boxes (usually black in color if I remember correctly) attached to their heads and on their wrists via an elaborate arrangement of straps.  When it is time to pray at the Wall itself, they actually tie the straps quite a ways up their arms in a similar fashion that some women today tie the sandal straps in a crisscross pattern up close to below their knees for extra effect, imitating the ancient Greek and Roman styles.
This is the first mention of phylacteries (really little boxes) in the Scriptures.  They contain copies of God’s commandments.  Jews are to bind them to their forehead in order to be mindful of doing God’s will and to their hands to remember that they are to serve God by doing good, keeping His Law in mind.  This is a noble effort.  However, Henry David Thoreau, the nineteenth century American author, poet, and philosopher cautions us when he once said,

“A truly good book teaches me better than to read it.  I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint.  What I began by reading, I must finish by acting.”

 
The point being that saying we will do something, or wearing symbols of our desire to do something or to think in a certain way, is not the same as actually doing it.  And perhaps the more modern approach to “action over words” is preferable to God.  And more preferable still is the attitude of our heart with which we carry out the deeds and think the thoughts.  Yet still, many of us, because of our human nature, still need symbols to remind us of how to live and think.  I met a lovely family the other day with a wonderful teenage daughter and I noticed she was wearing a ring on her ring finger of her left hand (the wedding finger in North America).  I enquired about the ring and was told it was a purity or chastity or abstinence ring, worn as a sign or promise of chastity saving her virginity for the one she marries.  Now think of that ring’s true value.  It is not in the fact that the young lady was wearing it.  Instead, its true value is dependent on the extent she lives a chaste life until she marries.  Some value does come from her wearing it in that when she gets into potentially dangerous circumstances with others, the ring may cause her to pause and hopefully stop the relationship from getting to the point she never wanted to get to before marriage.  It may also encourage her parents, siblings, and friends to keep her accountable for some relationships or behaviors or activities that may not be right for her.  But the true value is in her actually keeping the promise she made to herself, her family, and God.  So it is with us.  Phylacteries are fine if we need them, but what matters is how we think and what we do.

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