ESOCS Devotional 4 April 2025 – Remember the Strength of the Lord
MEMORY VERSE: “And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What [is] this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage.” Exodus 13:14
TEXT: EXODUS 13:1-14
When the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.”
3 And Moses said to the people: “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. 4 On this day you are going out, in the month Abib. 5 And it shall be, when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that 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 seven days. And no leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters. 8 And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the Lord did for me when I came up from Egypt.’ 9 It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. 10 You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.
11 “And it shall be, when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 that you shall set apart to the Lord all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the Lord’s. 13 But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say to him, ‘By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
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This is a continuation of the narrative of the Exodus deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. By requiring the firstborn to be sanctified, God commanded the Children of Israel through His prophet Moses to always engage in celebrating the mightiness of His strength; thus, bringing them out from the house of bondage. Declaring every first male, both of man and beast to be consecrated unto Him, because it was closely connected to the 10th plaque and the Passover feast in remembrance of their redemption.
The Passover feast and the feast of unleavened bread will cause you to marvel at God’s story when you read the New Testament. The day of the Passover being the 14th day of Abib was to be memorialized by the Hebrew to remember how God delivered them from slavery. But unknown to them that on this very day, almost 1500 years later, the Lamb of God (JESUS) was going to be killed. The Israelites are typically reminded of their powerful liberation from Egypt. This instruction emphasizes the importance of heritage and God’s fulfilled promises, such as leading them into the land flowing with milk and honey; they redeemed or “bought back” the firstborn of their children by offering a lamb in their place. These firstborns represent the people of God’s church, the redeeming lamb represents Jesus Christ. That in time to come, “when your sons ask you why do we celebrate the Passover feast, you will say to them, with the Mighty hand of God, we were brought out of Egypt.”
Believers should never forget that no matter what success comes in our lives, they are due to God’s strength, not ours; man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. Sometimes, this is not as obvious as it was in Exodus but it is always just as true.
When Israel passed through the wilderness, it was God’s mighty strength that made it possible for them to finally enter the land of Canaan to possess it. Believers should never forget that no matter what we go through in life, God will intervene just at the right time, as long as we believe in His Almighty strength.
CHALLENGES
- Let us endeavor to always remember and always glorify the name of our God, who is always ready to save us from all evil plans.
PRAYER POINT
- We thank Thee oh God, for your mercy, which never fails. Amen!
FURTHER READING: Exodus 12:31-51; Luke 24:32-49
ESOCS Devotional 4 April 2025
