Redeemed for Worship - Ex. 12:33-13:22

Over and over as we have moved through the plagues, God speaks through Moses with the same familiar refrain:

“let my people go that they may serve me.”

We have said before that we often really latch on to the first part without giving a great deal of thought to the second. We are all about the redemption part, let my people go, but we are a little less excited about the second half “that they may serve me.” In fact, our tendency as humans is to presume that all salvation happens not so that we can serve the Lord, but so that the Lord can serve us!

That is precisely what makes this transitional chapter right here so very important. Israel has seen God work a great redemption. And what have they contributed to that salvation? Nothing! But now, they have been freed from that slavery, and God is setting them out from Egypt. And what is the first thing that they will do? Worship! This is what God has freed a people for: to worship Him, and through that worship to make His name known!

This is still true for us today. We have been freed for worship. We try to spend time as often as we can talking through what true worship is, because this is why we exist! In fact, our mission statement begins with “we exist to glorify God in worship.” This is THE critical component in our lives; worship affects everything. In fact, all of life is worship! It’s either good or bad.

But, just so we remember, what exactly is worship? We define worship as response. Particularly, it is our response to the truth of who we are, and who God is, along with the grace of what God has done for us. When we consider these things rightly, worship is the product. The text this week will line up almost exactly this way. We will see truth, and then we will see grace, and that results in worship, both in Israel, and in us. Let’s walk through the text a little at a time and see how it helps us understand what it means to truly worship.

Truth: God has freed a people! (12:33-40)

The people of Egypt were more than ready for Israel to be gone. Likewise, Israel had waited for this moment for 430 years, and it didn’t come a moment too soon! They were warned to be ready to go quickly, and Israel heeded the warning. Exodus 12:33-35

Exodus 12:33–35 ESV

The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders. The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing.

It is right here, in the urgency of the redemption of Israel, that God immediately fulfills three promises, all at the same time. The threads of history were being bound together in this final plague, when God frees a people for Himself! As we move through this first section, we can see the three promises in successive order:

Exodus 12:36 ESV

And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

They left with Egyptian treasure. Remember, God told them to go to their neighbor’s house and ask for the gold and jewels, and it would be given. And so, they plundered the Egyptians, and the Egyptians were more than willing to be plundered? Why? A sovereign God had decreed it so. But remember, there is a good and godly reason for these precious things to go to Israel. Why? Well, we know because we have the whole story that it was going to be used to build a place for worship, a place that the Lord would dwell in the midst of His people. Genesis 15:14

Genesis 15:14 ESV

But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

The promise goes further back than simply to Moses; this was given to Abraham! But God has kept a second promise here as well:

- But that’s just one promise God fulfills, look at this one:

Exodus 12:37 ESV

And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.

2. They were fruitful and multiplied. 600,000 men is a lot. When you add in women and children, you are at somewhere around 2 Million people! So, the five most populated counties in SC are Greenville, Charleston, Richland, Horry and Spartanburg. When you put all five of those counties total population together, you get just under 2 Million people. All leaving Egypt at once! And all because God has seen fit to keep a promise to a wandering Aramean that his descendants will be like the sand on the shore. and They have multiplied greatly! God’s promises to Abraham are kept, in spite of opposition, in spite of suffering and hardship and oppression, God still gives increase. And now, in the very next verse, another promise:

Exodus 12:38 ESV

A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds.

3. They are a blessing to all nations. So right at the end of the call of God to Abraham in Genesis 12 is this little line: “and in you all the nations shall be blessed.” We will get to see this come to fruition as we study the Bible together, but you see this now! Already, Israel is a blessing to all nations, because they are being used to show the world who God is! A mixed multitude is coming out! And we, a mixed multitude, reap the benefits even today. And they came out obediently! Look at Exodus 12:39

Exodus 12:39 ESV

And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.

They came out trusting God at His Word. Now, this isn’t going to last very long, so we should totally enjoy it while we can, but Israel did well here! And finally, one more little reminder of how God keeps His promises.

Exodus 12:40–42 ESV

The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations.

430 years to the day. It was unlikely that anyone knew this, until Moses told them. After crying out to God, laboring under oppression, God acts at His perfect time according to His perfect timing. He will always keep His promises, but He will always keep them in His time.

This is a truth that sets our life on fire for Jesus! But, there are some conditions here. God doesn’t do this promise keeping work for all humanity. There is another truth as well; just as Israel is hastily leaving Egypt and celebrating the redemption that was given by grace, the mothers of Egypt weep over the bodes of their dead sons. Remember, way back in chapter 5, God drew a line in the sand - there were those who were His people, and those who were not. This is just as true as the reality that God keeps His promises. And what is the difference? Grace is the difference. Remember, worship has two arrows, one is the truth about who God is and who we are, and the other is grace, that we didn’t earn and don’t deserve.

Grace - we are brought in to the household of God! (12:43-51)

So far, what has Israel done to deserve such redemption? Right! Not a thing. They were brought into a covenant relationship with God purely because of His mercy and grace. Remember what we said two weeks ago: the real mystery isn’t why God would only save some, it’s that God would save anyone! So, this next little passage here is making it clear that the worship of God is for those who have been brought into the household of God:

Exodus 12:43–49 ESV

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it. It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”

the distinction between inside and outside the household of God - not ethnic birth, but covenant. Those who had been circumcised could take the Passover. Circumcision was an outward sign of an inward reality - that they had submitted to God as King, and that they were committing themselves to being part of the covenant people of God.

So, slaves, Egyptians, freed Israelites - all who feared God and were part of the covenant could take the passover!

We who were enslaved and far off are now seated at the table of God! “Once your enemy, now seated at the table!” That’s the grace! We were far off. We were enslaved. We needed redemption and new life. And we didn’t get it because we earned it, or because we deserve it. We got it because of grace!

So, we have our two arrows: the arrow of truth, and the arrow of grace. Truth: there is a God who always keeps His promises, who contends for His people, who will redeem and protect them, will free them from their slavery and everything he does is good, and is for His glory and the good of His people. But these things are only truly tasted by those who walk with Him. And who could do this?

That’s where grace comes in - God has made a way for people to be in His community. It wasn’t because they were mighty, or because God needed them, or because Israel was particularly righteous. God was not simply motivated by the pitiful state of enslaved Israel. He was motivated by His promise, His mercy, and His love. And so, God makes a people, not just from the physical descendants of Abraham, but from a mixed multitude, who would tell the world who God is! And He is still doing this!Exodus 12:50-51

Exodus 12:50–51 ESV

All the people of Israel did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. And on that very day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.

They did it! We should enjoy this moment.

These two arrows meet in our hearts, and the response of the redeemed heart is worship. Chapter 13 starts to help us understand a bit about what our response should be, as God lays out instruction for observing the Passover, THE high and holy time of worship for Israel for every generation.

Response 1 - We must worship well.

A principle of worship: God deserves the FIRST and the BEST.

Just a little out of order here: Exodus 13:1-2

Exodus 13:1–2 ESV

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.”

Remember, it was only God’s mercy that led to any of the firstborn being preserved at all! So God in only asking for Israel to give back what He has provided. It’s that principle we talked through earlier - He will only require that which He has provided.

In addition to this, there is a symbolism at work that we are familiar with through our study of Romans 5. When the Passover happens, the firstborn of all families except Israel died, and the only thing that kept those firstborn from death is the substitute. Israel was still, as it were, in Adam, and so death was required. But when the Passover happened, the substitute lamb was accepted, and Israel was spared. Now, the Lord is making this a perpetual statute - for every firstborn, for every generation, there must be a substitute death. Why? Grace. Israel deserved death, like the rest of humanity. And because of the justice of God, in order for the firstborn of Israel to live, something had to die.

“The tenth plague was not a divine temper tantrum where God flexes His muscles before the Egyptians and really lets them have it. It is the necessary implementation of a redemptive pattern, one that requires death as a means to life. The consecration of the firstborn, therefore, is a reminder of the once-for-all substitutionary death of the beloved firstborn son that was to come.”

And so Israel was to give the first and best “back,” if you will, to God in worship.

This principle still rings true today, and we need to remember that: we are to give our best in response to what He has given. Now, I’m talking about more than clothes, or simple performance. The Christian life is to be a sacrificial life, where we willingly lay down the best of our energy, our time, and our resources to serve His kingdom! God is making a clear statement - the best of what Israel had was to go back to Him; not because God needed it, but because Israel needed to give it to be reminded of their dependance on Him! Now, jump down to verse 11 with me, and we see the same principle here:

Then, Exodus 13:11-13

Exodus 13:11–13 ESV

“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, 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. 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.

This is to be a statute for all generations. In fact, we see this when our Lord Jesus was born, and Mary and Joseph bring two turtledoves to the temple. Why? To serve as a reminder that everything is God’s, and that every good gift He has given is best used when it is given back. But there is a posture of the heart that is required too. We don’t give, or serve, or sacrifice in a begrudging way. Remember, we started with truth and grace here about who God is and what He has done! And from that our response is worship, and all true worship involves sacrifice. And it is not sacrifice to give the leftovers. (If time: it’s no sacrifice for me to let my family have day-old Krispy Kreme donuts.

A reminder: Sunday is not the last day of the week! Christians live differently. We make a grave mistake when we view Monday as the first day of the week. Why? Because we are to give the best of our week to God, and that is the first!

God doesn’t get just the surplus, or the leftovers; He gets the first and best of our time, our money, our lives! Why? Thankfulness. But there is another why:

Response 2 - we must teach the next generation how to worship

Our children are watching

Another principle of worship: we teach our children how to worship by how we worship.

Exodus 13:3–10 ESV

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. Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. 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. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. 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. You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 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. You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.

Exodus 13:14–16 ESV

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. 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.’ 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.”

The children around us will watch and learn what worship is (8-10)

The children around us will learn to give and serve by watching you give and serve.

Response 3 - Live as before the face of God(13:17-22)

Exodus 13:17–22 ESV

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.” 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. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph 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.” And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 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. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

God always sees, everything we do. This is how we can say that all of life is an act of worship.

For the Christian, every single thing we do is a response to the grace of Christ, who redeemed our lives and that time for His glory!

This is why there is no sacred/secular distinction! God was no less glorified with Scott the maintenance man than He is Scott the pastor!

So, the people had a pillar of fire to remind them of the presence of God. We have so much better; we have the presence of the Holy Spirit!

These principles of worship serve to remind us today of these same truths! Israel had but shadows of what was to come, but we have and experience in full these realities!

We no longer celebrate the Passover, but we observe one particular passover meal, one in which our Lord was with His disciples, breaking bread and drinking wine that symbolized the breaking of His body and the shedding of His own blood. We remember the work of Christ through the Lord’s Supper, in many ways the fulfillment of the Passover, in which the spotless lamb of God was killed, and His blood covers not the doorposts and the lentils, but us, so that we would be spared from death, redeemed from slavery and purchased for God! And we celebrate this often, because we need reminding often!

We don’t have a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night; we have the indwelling Holy Spirit! The pillar of fire gave them light, and showed both them and the world that they were following God!

There was a day after the Lord was ascended, when Peter in boldness was standing in Jerusalem to preach one of the greatest sermons ever preached. But there was a problem: there were so many languages! And so, the Spirit descends, right before they go out to show the world who God is. Acts 2:1-4

Acts 2:1–4 ESV

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

So, instead of the fire of God going in front of them, it goes INSIDE of them! And still, we have this Spirit, who testifies to truth, who enables our service, who gives illumination to our minds as He still does the work of giving us light!

What is Exodus 12-13 telling me to do?

Prioritize right worship. This is more than just showing up this morning, my friends. That’s fine, and good, but not sufficient. How do we prioritize right worship?

First, we prioritize beholding Christ. What comes to your mind when you think of God? What is God like? What has He done? What does He require?

I am fully convinced that most of us really need to spend less time thinking about us, and more time thinking about Him! As we do this, we become saturated with this truth and grace that I am talking about, and the Spirit testifies with our Spirit that we are sons of God, and worship, real, Christ-exalting worship, is the product! So, it starts with just beholding God.

Second, we remember what Christ has done for us

Third, we let our mindset shift from worship as an event, to worship as a lifestyle. Worship isn’t a thing you come to; it’s a life you immerse yourself in! Every part of life is worship. It’s either good worship or bad worship. We are unavoidably worshipping beings; we all worship something. It may not be the one true God you worship, but you are a worshipper! When this happens, we can move to the next step:

Fourth, give the best of yourself and your resources to the service of God as an act of worship! Quit holding back from God what is rightfully His! That’s where the rubber hits the road, friends. What are you holding back and holding on to? What are you just unwilling to do, or give, or who are you just unwilling to serve ?The Spirit will just put His finger right on that thing, and you will end up pretty miserable because of it, if you are His child.

Those four steps lead us to true, Christ-exalting, world-transforming worship! We have been redeemed! We have been freed! And we have been freed to worship well! May we serve in freedom, with freedom, and for glory.

For some though, you can’t worship God because your heart is dead and inclined to worship other things (Gospel)

concluding song is We Will Feast in the House of Zion. Connect this!

Benediction Romans 12:1-2

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

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. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.