Exodus 13:5

The Lord said in Exodus 13:5-7, “And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.” God’s will was to bring the Israelites into “a land flowing with milk and honey.” In other words, God had a great plan that would result in wonderful benefits for the Israelites as long as they followed His plan. Of course, this is consistent with what Jesus told us to pray in Matthew 6:10, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Always go with God, and always go God’s way. That is the only way to have the best possible results for your life. Do not go your own way because your own way would guarantee disastrous results. The Bible says in Exodus 14:12, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

In this part of Exodus chapter 13 God is emphasizing the importance of the feast of unleavened bread. One fact that shows the importance of the unleavened bread and what it symbolizes is the word “unleavened” is found in twelve verses in the book of Exodus, and the word “Passover” is found nine times in the book of Exodus. What can be more important than the Passover? It symbolizes the death of Christ in our place and for our sins. The feast of unleavened bread symbolizes Christians making sure they have no sin in their lives. You cannot benefit from the Passover unless you also have unleavened bread with it. As a Christian, there are only two ways to make sure you have no sin in your life. The first way is to avoid sin, and to flee temptation and the place of temptation. It says in the first part of First John 2:1, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.” Of course, even though believers are saved by Jesus, all believers are still sinners. It says in First John 1:8, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” And it also says in First John 1:10, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Once a Christian has sinned, there is a method that the Lord Jesus has provided so the leaven, the sin, can be removed. The Bible says in First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” One of the blessings of being a Christian is that every day you can have a new start. God will not hold yesterday against you if you confess your sins. Today you can have a new chance to prove yourself, and a new opportunity to take on the challenges of life. Just make sure that you confess your sins, and take out the leaven from your life.

The Bible says in Exodus 13:8-10, “And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD's law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.” Exodus 13:10 commands the children of Israel to obey God in regards to keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread year after year. Notice why it is expected that the Israelites will obey God’s command: because they will appreciate what God did for them. This is how it works: first God does something for you, and then because you appreciate what He did for you, then you want to do something for Him to show your appreciation. That is what salvation by grace is like: grace is followed by good works. Faith with out works is dead. We love Him because He first loved us. “For the love of Christ constraineth us…” Second Corinthians 5:14. God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, and then in memoriam to this great salvation event, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was observed every year there-after.

The Bible says in Exodus 13:11-16, “And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, That thou shalt set apart unto the LORD all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the LORD's. And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem. 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: And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem. And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt.” Notice that God says in Exodus 13:13, “And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck.” In other words if there was not a substitute killed in its place, then the firstborn of each animal was put to death. This is symbolic of why it is so important to be saved. Whoever is not saved through faith in Christ will be condemned and given eternal death, which is eternal separation from God. It is important to be saved, and if you are saved, it is important to tell your children what the Lord Jesus has done for you when He redeemed you.

The Bible says in Exodus 13:17-18, “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.” A very important point is made in this passage of scripture. God did not lead the children of Israel on the path that was most logical. The children of Israel were a great company of people: probably close to two million men, women, and children. They had a long journey ahead of them for such a group to take together. God can do anything, but God did not lead them on the shortest route. God did not lead them on the route that would have made the most sense to a human being. Another thing that is interesting is that God did take into account the human factors. God knew what would make the Israelites afraid, and so God sent the Israelites further south. God knows the beginning from the end. It is always best to follow Him. Jesus said to the apostles when He called them, “Follow me.”

The Bible says in Exodus 13:19, “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.” This verse shows the great faith that Joseph had. He looked into the future, and he had absolute confidence in God’s continued blessings. How did Joseph have such confidence about the future? Joseph knew what God had promised. Joseph knew that the children of Israel would not stay in Egypt forever because of the promises that God had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob concerning the land of Canaan. The land of Canaan was given by God to the Jewish people way back in the book of Genesis. God always keeps His promises. Jesus has also made many precious promises to every believer. Jesus has promised a future kingdom of eternal happiness. Those of us who have put our faith in Jesus know that we will be with Jesus forever. We look forward to a bright and loving future. Jesus said in John 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

The Bible says in Exodus 13:20-22, “And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” Of course, this is one of the great passages of the Bible that teaches us that the Lord will always guide His believers. He guides us in the daytime, and He guides us at night. He guides us when we think we can see, and He guides us when we do not see anything at all. People need to be guided by the Divine power. People are like sheep, who will go astray and fall off of a cliff, unless they be guided on the right path. God knows how to get our attention. In the case of the Israelites in a group of perhaps 2 million people, God used a great pillar of a cloud and a pillar of fire. It is important that you go God’s way. He wants you to go His way, and He has the means to let you know what way He wants you to go. Just make sure that you are willing and that you are seeking to follow Jesus. The Bible promises in Isaiah 30:20-21, “And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”

The Bible says in Exodus 14:1-4, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so.” Archeology has not located these three places that are mentioned in Exodus chapter 14, and thus we do not know the exact location where the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea. But evidently knowing the exact location is not important for us now. Moses knew where the places were, and God gave Moses the exact directions so that Moses and the children of Israel would end up right where God wanted them: where Pharaoh would see them to be trapped and easy targets for him. But God wanted to save them, God wanted to make a way where there was no way. God wanted to show His power. And it had a great deal to do with the fact that God wants to give everyone a chance to turn and believe on Jesus Christ. God said in Exodus 14:4, “and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.”

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