Exo 13.1-22 tells us about the consecration of the first-born; the festival of Hag ha Matzah; to tell your children the story of the Exodus; why the first-born are given to the Lord; Israel leaves Egypt; the promise to Joseph is fulfilled; the cloud and the pillar of fire.
v 1…Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying,
v 2…”Sanctify (with a kedusha) to me every first-born, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to the Lord (for his use; this ceremony is called “Pidyon ha Ben” or the redemption of the first-born; it was another reminder of the Exodus).”
v 3…And Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out of from Egypt, from the house of slavery, for by a powerful hand the Lord brought you out of this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten.
v 4…On this day in the month of Aviv, you are about to go forth.
v 5…And it shall be when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanite (merchants), the Hittite (terror), the Amorite (talker, sayer), the Hivite (liver) and the Jebusite (trodden down; all these are the enemies we face every day), which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey (uncultivated or devastated by war) that you shall observe this rite (of unleavened bread) in this month.
v 6…For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; and on the seventh day there shall be a feast (hag) to the Lord (no work was to be done but you could cook-Exo 12.16).
v 7…Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days and nothing leavened shall be seen among you, nor shall a y leaven be seen among you in all your borders.
v 8…And you shall tell your son of that day, saying, “It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.
v 9…And it shall serve as a sign to you (the unleavened bread for seven days) on your hand (action) and a reminder (Deut 6.8) on your forehead (your thoughts, heart; not to be taken literally) that the law of the Lord may be may be in your mouth (your profession), for with a powerful hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt .
v 10…Therefore, you you shall keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year (Nisan 15-21st; in the future in the land).
v 11…Now it shall come about when the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as he swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you,
v 12…that 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 (see v 15).
v 13…But every offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb (man in his unsaved state must be redeemed by a lamb-Job 11.12; later this law will apply to all unclean creatures-Num 18.15), but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck (teaches the truth that unredeemed man will be lost due to his stubbornness); and every first-born of man your sons shall redeem (with five shekels-Num 3.45-47).
v 14…And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, “What is this (all these things)?” then you shall say to him, “With a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.
v 15…And it came about when Pharaoh was stubborn (like the donkey) about letting us go, that the Lord killed every first-born in the land of Egypt, both first-born of man and beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every first-born of my sons I redeem (Pharaoh and Egypt did not redeem their first-born and they died, and this teaches that we must be redeemed spiritually to escape the second death).
v 16…So it shall serve as a sign on your hand (by your actions) and a phylacteries (Hebrew “totafot” meaning “two” relating to the hand and the forehead) on your forehead (mind, heart, thoughts) for with a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”
v 17…Now it came about when Pharaoh had let the people go (for three days) that God did not lead them by the way (derek, a road, highway) of the land of the Philistines (the nearest way to Canaan; about a three days journey) even though it was near; for God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war (the Philistines did not get along with Egypt and would not have let the people in and they return to Egypt (better a slave then dead).”
v 18…Hence God led them around by the way (derek, road, highway) to the Red Sea (Guld of Suez, east of the Faiyum; God had plans for Pharoah and his army); and the sons of Israel went up in martial array (“harnessed” and girt about them fit for travel)) out of the land of Egypt.
v 19…And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him (they were in a mortuary temple in Harawa in the Faiyum) for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God shall surely visit you (“pakod yifkod ) and said twice in Gen 50.22, meaning “visit, visit” alluding to the two redemptions- Luke 1.68; 19.44) and you shall carry my bones from here with you (Joseph had been dead 144 years).
v 20…Then they set out from Sukkot (the Faiyum was called “Succos” in Greek) and camped in Etham (about ten miles from Sukkot), on the edge of the wilderness.
v 21…And the Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud (symbolic of the presence; gave shelter and was a guide) by day to lead the way, and a pillar of fire by night to give then light, that they might travel by day and night.
v 22…He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people (until they came to the border of Canaan-Josh 3.6; they will travel three days and then cross the sea-Num 33.1-8).
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