Consecration of the firstborn (Exod 13:1-16)
Exod 13:1-16
Due to the Covid lockdown this year, many celebrated ANZAC day in April by standing at dawn at the end of their driveway or at their letterbox to remember those who have given their lives for the country in war.[1] In one street someone got out a bugle to play the Last Post and many wore poppies to honour the sacrifice of these servicemen and women. Remembering becomes more meaningful when it involves some action or visible outward expression of a thought or sentiment. In a similar way, Israel is called to remember various aspects of their deliverance from Egypt at Passover.
A last set of injunctions concludes this larger section on the feast and introduces the idea of consecrating the firstborns to God because they belong to Him (Exod 13:1-2). Before the details are given, however, the passage returns to the week-long celebration with unleavened bread (Exod 13:3-10), perhaps to highlight once again that those who belong to God should not carry ‘decay’ from their old lives into the new (see my post here). The dedication of the firstborns is connected to God claiming all Israel (men and women) as His firstborn (Exod 4:22-23). Now in turn, Israel consecrates her firstborns partly symbolic of her recognition that she belongs to God and also because it recalls the price of her deliverance: the death of the Egyptian firstborns.
The regulation affected ‘the first opening of every womb’ (Exod 13:12), i.e. the firstborn male of every woman or female animal. In other words, a man with several wives might have more than one firstborn son to dedicate. Essentially consecration involved giving over something for God’s use, which tended to mean sacrifice. However, human sacrifice was not acceptable and certain animals were considered unclean, which rendered them unsuitable for sacrifice. Thus, clean firstborn male animals (sheep, goats, oxen) were sacrificed and an unclean animal (e.g., a donkey) was redeemed by a lamb or else killed (Exod 13:13). Firstborn sons were also redeemed (Exod 13:15), though our passage does not explain how. Elsewhere, the redemption required was the payment of five shekels (Num 18:16), a practice that continues among Jews today using ‘redemption coins’ especially minted for this purpose by the modern state of Israel.
Twice our passage evokes the situation of a family observing the prescribed rites and the parents explaining to their children the meaning of their actions. It reminds us all how important it is to teach the next generation about God’s redemption and to create opportunities that involve some action and participation, which help the significance of the events to sink in. Indeed, each of the two sections (on unleavened bread and the consecration of the firstborn) concludes with a summary exhorting Israelites to have ‘it’ as a sign on their hand and forehead (Exod 13:9, 16). If one reads this metaphorically, then the rite and the explanation may serve as a memory aid to guide their life and actions. Alternatively, the majority of Jewish interpreters saw in this a physical reminder that is literally fixed on the arm and forehead, which in their tradition takes the form of a little box with significant Bible verses written on tiny scrolls.
This, in principle, is no different from Kiwis pinning a poppy on their lapel for ANZAC day, married couples wearing a wedding band to express their belonging to each other, Christians displaying on their person a cross, putting up Bible verses in their home or adding a fish symbol to their car.[2] These can all help us remember our story with God and His redemption of us through the death of His firstborn Son. Whatever we do, it is important that we find ways to involve all of our being in that remembering so that our attitude and actions flow from a deep knowing that we belong to Him.
[1] This is the NZ equivalent of Remembrance Day in the UK or Memorial Day in the US.
[2] The fish became a Christian symbol because in Greek the first letter of each word in the basic Christian confession ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour’ forms the word ichthus, which means fish.
