“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.” Exodus 13:2
November 14, 2022
We are told in the New Testament that “all Scripture is God breathed and profitable. . . “ (2 Tim. 3:16). We are also put on notice that Israel’s experiences in the wilderness wanderings (1 Cor. 10:6, 10; Num. 11, 16) offer an abundance in examples in how to fight sin and live for Christ. In what might seem like an obscure passage in the Old Testament, Israel was given detailed instructions regarding the firstborn male in every family. Why? Because Israel needed an unforgettable lesson in what God expected of the entire nation. The firstborn represented all births, therefore representation of all Israel. Israel was freed from slavery in Egypt to serve God with whole-hearted and life-time obedience. This truth is declared in Roman 12:1, “. . .present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God. . .” But this is not all. The family unit in Israel was the central unit in the out-working of the Mosaic covenant. The family was not to be allowed to become corrupted by rebellion from within, or by any sexual sins, such as adultery. Given our own culture’s war against the family, as Christians what are we doing to build stronger family communication and connections. Are you getting together enough? Is there ample protection against family “disruptions” such as immorality, divorce, dissension, drugs and alcohol, and lack of communication? Does your extended family have a firmly planted gospel presence of someone, perhaps you? The holiness of life of even one family member can impact the wider family circle for generations to come (1 Cor. 7:14). H
“Father God, keep my family, as scattered as we may be, from being drawn into the allurements of the evils that threaten to tear us apart.”