Remembering Our Deliverance: A Call to Honor God's Faithfulness
Notes
Transcript
Call to Worship
Call to Worship
He who abides in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to Yahweh, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!”
For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the destructive pestilence.
He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you will take refuge; His truth is a large shield and bulwark.
You will not be afraid of terror by night, Or arrow that flies by day;
Of pestilence that moves in darkness, Or of destruction that devastates at noon.
“Because he has loved Me, therefore I will protect him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
“He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in his distress; I will rescue him and honor him.
“With a long life I will satisfy him And I will show him My salvation.”
First Reading
First Reading
Woe to those who are at ease in Zion And to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria, The distinguished men of the first of the nations, To whom the house of Israel comes.
Those who lay down on beds of ivory And sprawl on their couches And eat lambs from the flock And calves from the midst of the stall,
Who improvise to the sound of the harp, And like David have composed songs for themselves,
Who drink wine from sacrificial bowls While they anoint themselves with the first pick of the oils, Yet they have not grieved over the destruction of Joseph.
Therefore, they will now go into exile among the first of the exiles, And the sprawlers’ banqueting will turn aside.
Scripture and Prayer
Scripture and Prayer
“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.
“But a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,
and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.
“Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom, and the rich man also died and was buried.
“And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.
“And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’
“But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things. But now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.
‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you are not able, and none may cross over from there to us.’
“And he said, ‘Then I am asking you, father, that you send him to my father’s house—
for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
“But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’
“But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
INTRO
INTRO
TS: Exodus 13 recounts God's marvelous deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt and provides instructions for commemorating this event through the consecration of the firstborn and the celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It emphasizes the importance of remembering God's mighty acts of salvation.
Application: This passage invites Christians to reflect on God's past deliverances in our own lives, encouraging us to faithfully remember and share our testimonies. Amidst life's challenges, remembering God's faithfulness can inspire hope and strengthen personal and corporate worship.
Big Idea: We are called to remember and celebrate God's faithfulness in our lives as we honor the sacrifice of Christ, who grants our ultimate deliverance.
1. Consecrate Your Called Ones
1. Consecrate Your Called Ones
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
“Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.”
Sanctify:
set apart as holy, consecrate
set aside as special to God
The firstborn belonged to God.
This points back to the Passover night where the firstborn not covered by blood died in the 10th plague.
As a memorial, God desired the firstborn of both man and beast
God has a claim on all the firstborn of Israel
We will see further instructions on the law of the firstborn in v 11-16
AP:
This act of consecration reminds us of the importance of dedicating what is most precious to God in gratitude for His salvation.
We can’t repay Him, but we should serve in gratitude!
We are all sanctified by Christ
By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
The dedication of the firstborn mirrors our dedication to Christ, who was sacrificed for our freedom.
We should cultivate a life of gratefulness and commitment, acknowledging that everything we have is ultimately God's, just as the first-born were claimed by Him.
2. Celebrate Our Swift Salvation
2. Celebrate Our Swift Salvation
And Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a strong hand Yahweh brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten.
“This day, in the month of Abib, you are going out.
“And it shall be when Yahweh brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall do this service in this month.
“For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to Yahweh.
“Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and nothing leavened shall be seen among you, nor shall any leaven be seen among you in all your borders.
“And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what Yahweh did for me when I came out of Egypt.’
“And it will be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of Yahweh may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand Yahweh brought you out of Egypt.
“Therefore, you shall keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.
God gives more instruction on the feast of unleavened bread.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a seven-day festival commanded by God to commemorate Israel's hasty departure from Egypt.
For seven days, Israelites ate only bread made without leaven (yeast), and on the seventh day, a sacred feast was held to honor the LORD.
This practice symbolized their swift escape from slavery and served as a constant reminder for future generations to remember God's powerful deliverance from Egypt.
“And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what Yahweh did for me when I came out of Egypt.’
Like many of the feasts of Israel, this was to be used to teach future generations.
Notice, “when I came out”
It was a personalize application.
Later, it changed to “when we...”
“And it will be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of Yahweh may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand Yahweh brought you out of Egypt.
“Sign on hand” This phrase became common in Israel
Do not let lovingkindness and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck.
It grew from a figurative expression to become physical phylacteries- leather prayer-boxes which were strapped on teh forehead and left arm. Inside were 4 strips of parchment inscribed with words of the law.
Exodus 13:1–10, Exodus 13:11–16, Deuteronomy 6:4–9, and Deuteronomy 11:13–21.
“Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one!
“You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
“These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
“You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
“You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as phylacteries between your eyes.
“You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
They were to always be about the business of teaching God’s word to their families!
The feast of unleavened bread and the laws associated with the firstborn were no exceptions
As they went through their days, ordinary or special, God was to be the focus.
No opportunity to praise God and educate their children was to be overlooked.
AP: We should remember
God has been faithful!
Salvation!
Sanctification!
Just as the Israelites celebrated with unleavened bread, believers can partake in rituals that affirm our personal and communal deliverance through Christ.
Worship SHOULD be that!
We are gathered to celebrate God!
Our songs, prayers, grateful giving and study of His word all remember and express our gratitude!
We owe God a collective gratitude and remembrance of His saving grace.
3. Cherish Christ’s Redemption Through Us
3. Cherish Christ’s Redemption Through Us
Notice the redemption of the firstborn
“And it will be when Yahweh brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you,
and you shall devote to Yahweh the first offspring of every womb and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to Yahweh.
Future: when you come...
God was declaring they would arrive at the promised land
Observe:
Devote the first offspring of every womb
“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.
Instead of sacrificing, some, including their children, could be redeemed
What a picture!
This points to Christ's redemptive work.
This section highlights God's provision and claim over His people.
He redeemed us by Jesus! We don’t have to die in our sins!
God’s justice was satisfied with the sacrifice of Jesus
whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith, for a demonstration of His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;
for the demonstration of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Jesus is the propitiation!
His sacrifice appeased and fully satisfied God’s wrath for sin.
Now, we are justified!
“And it will be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘With a strong hand Yahweh brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.
‘And it happened, when Pharaoh hardened his heart with stiffness about letting us go, that Yahweh killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to Yahweh the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’
“So it will be as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries between your eyes, for with a strong hand Yahweh brought us out of Egypt.”
Reminded again:
Teach your children
Sign on hand and between eyes
Delivered by God’s strong hand
AP:
Again, this whole experience is pointing to Christ as our ultimate Redeemer who leads us from spiritual bondage to freedom.
We should live lives of devotion and testimony to His grace.
Our lives should constantly point to Christ
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
We live for HIM!
4. Confidence In Our Divine Compass
4. Confidence In Our Divine Compass
Now it happened that when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not guide 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 return to Egypt.”
Travelers going E and NE out of Egypt had two good options: “the way of the sea,” or “the way of Shur.”
The first route, the most direct and shortest, was dotted with Egyptian fortresses which monitored arrivals and departures to and from Egypt.
A little further N, Philistine territory also presented a military threat.
The lack of battle-readiness on Israel’s part deleted the first option, and God chose the second option (v. 18; 15:22).
In any case, God had told Moses to lead the people to Horeb or Sinai, the mountain of God (3:1), and not to take them immediately into Canaan (3:12).
Here they began the first steps on the road to Horeb.
Hence God turned the people to the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in battle array from the land of Egypt.
The precise spot of the crossing isn’t known and has led to much debate.
That they crossed on the way to Horeb is a fact regardless of the exact coordinates.
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall bring up my bones from here with you.”
Then they set out from Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness.
And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.”
So Joseph died at the age of 110 years; and they embalmed him, and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
They fulfilled their promise from generations before just as Joseph had foretold
By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave commands concerning his bones.
We see this completed after 40 years of wondering and the conquest of the Promised Land :
Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem, in the portion of the field which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred qesitah; and they became the inheritance of Joseph’s sons.
And Yahweh was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to guide them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might go 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.
God led them!
Physically and visibly.
This was the means by which God led the people.
It was a single column, being cloud by day and fire by night and was associated with the Angel of God (14:19; 23:20–23) or the Angel of God’s presence (Is 63:8, 9).
And He said, “Surely, they are My people, Sons who will not deal falsely.” So He became their Savior.
In all their distress He was distressed, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the ancient days.
It was the pillar from which the Lord also spoke to Moses (33:9–11).
AP: God’s faithful guidance
God guides us still today.
The Holy Spirit's guidance in believers' lives is essential:
But to us God revealed them through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
For who among men knows the depths of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the depths of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the depths graciously given to us by God,
God is with us!
God the Holy Spirit resides with us and never leaves us.
This inspires trust and reliance on God's direction.
As God, the Spirit KNOWS the will of God. It is His will!
We should follow His lead as we confront life's uncertainties,
Conc
Conc
Live as concecrated People!
We are redeemed and it should show!
Follow the Spirit’s guidance every step of the way.
Works Cited
John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Ex 13:17.
John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Ex 13:21.
