Sanctification and Light
Background and Printed Text: Exodus chapter 13
1And Yehovah spoke unto Draw [Moshe] to say, 2 “Sanctify to me every firstborn bursting-through every womb in the children of Israel—in adam and in animal. He is to Me!”
3And Draw [Moshe] said unto the people, “Remember this day that ye exited from Egypt from the house of slaves. For Yehovah made you exit from this via grip of hand. And vinegar shall not be eaten.
4 “Today ye are exiting in the Month of the Spring. 5And he shall be. For Yehovah will bring thee unto the land of the Canaani and the Khiti and the Emori and the Khivi and the Yevoosi that He swore to thy fathers to give to thee, a land oozing milk and honey. And thou shalt serve this service in this month. 6Thou shalt eat Matzahs seven days. And a solemnity is to Yehovah in Day Seven. 7He shall eat Matzahs with seven of the days. And vinegar shall not be seen to thee. And leavening shall not be seen to thee in all thy border.
8 “And thou shalt tell to thy son in that day to say, ‘Yehovah did to me when I came from Egypt on-account-of this!’ 9And he shall be to thee for a sign upon thine hand and for a remembrance between thine eyes so that the Teaching of Yehovah shall be in thy mouth. For Yehovah made thee exit from Egypt via a gripping hand! 10And thou shalt guard this statute to her appointment from days days-ward!
11 “And he shall be. For Yehovah shall bring thee unto the land of the Canaani just as He swore to thee and to thy fathers. And He shall give her to thee. 12And thou shalt cause- every burster-through of womb -to-cross-over to Yehovah, and every burster-through of fetus of beast that will be to thee. The males are to Yehovah! 13And thou shalt redeem every burster-through of an ass via a lamb. And if thou wilt not redeem, and thou shalt neck him! And thou shalt redeem every firstborn of Adam in thy sons.
14 “And he shall be. For thy son shall ask thee tomorrow to say, ‘What is this?’ And thou shalt say unto him, ‘Yehovah exited us from Egypt from the house of slaves via grip of hand. 15And he was. For Pharaoh hardened to send us. And Yehovah killed every firstborn in the Land of Egypt from the firstborn of adam and unto the firstborn of beast. I am therefore sacrificing every burster-through of the womb to Yehovah, the males. And I will redeem every firstborn of my sons! 16And he shall be for a sign upon thy hand and for frontlets between thine eyes. For Yehovah exited us from Egypt via grip of hand!’”
17And he was in Pharaoh’s sending the People. And Elohim did not lead them the way of the land of the Palestinians. For he is near. For Elohim said, “Lest the People will be grieved in their seeing war, and they shall return to Egypt.” 18And Elohim circled the People the way of the desert of the Ending Sea.
And the children of Israel ascended fives from the land of Egypt. 19And Draw [Moshe] took the bones of Yosef with him. For making-swear, he made- the children of Israel -swear, saying, “Visiting, Elohim shall visit you. And ye shall ascend my bones with you from this.”
20And they journeyed from Succot. And they camped in Aytam at the edge of the desert. 21And Yehovah is walking to their faces daily in a cloud pillar to lead them the way, and night in a fire pillar to enlighten to them to walk daily and night. 22The cloud pillar will not yield daily, and the pillar of the fire, night, to the faces of the People.
I. Sanctification (verses 1-2)
The Israelis had just come out of Egypt. The firstborn of the Egyptians had just been killed. Yehovah now told Moshe, “Sanctify to me every firstborn bursting-through every womb in the children of Israel—in adam and in animal. He is to Me!”
Questions
1. What does sanctify mean?
2. Why did Yehovah only command that the firstborn must be sanctified to Him? Doesn’t He care about the rest of the Israelis?
3. What does “bursting through every womb” mean?
4. What does adam mean (“in adam”)?
5. What, besides humans, did Yehovah command the Israelis to sanctify to Him?
6. Did these animals include dogs and cats?
7. What did Yehovah desire to do with the firstborn?
II. Remembering and Vinegar (verse 3)
Moshe commanded the people of Israel to “Remember this day that ye exited from Egypt from the house of slaves.” He explained how this happened: “For Yehovah made you exit from this via grip of hand.” Moshe then added one warning: “And vinegar shall not be eaten.”
Questions
1. What was so important about the people of Israel remembering that they went out from Egypt and from the house of slaves on this day?
2. What does “Yehovah made you exit from this via grip of hand” mean?
3. What is wrong with eating vinegar?
III. Land Takeover and Matzahs (verses 4-7)
Moshe told the Israelis what they were about to do, and he reminded them when this occurred: “Today ye are going out in the Month of the Spring.” He declared, “And he shall be.”
Where were they going? “For Yehovah will bring thee unto the land of the Canaani and the Khiti and the Emori and the Khivi and the Yevoosi that He swore to thy fathers to give to thee…” Moshe switched from the plural form (ye) to the singular (thee).
What was that land like? It is “a land oozing milk and honey.”
What were the people’s orders? “And thou shalt serve this service in this month. Thou shalt eat Matzos seven days. And a solemnity is to Yehovah in Day Seven.”
Moshe then stated, “He shall eat Matzahs with seven of the days.”
Moshe continued, prophesying as the Spirit of Yehovah taught him what to say, “And vinegar shall not be seen to thee. And leavening shall not be seen to thee in all thy border.”
Questions
1. What is the Month of Spring? Do we have that month?
2. The text states that Yehovah will bring thee unto the land of… and it mentions five persons from five races. Who is thee, and who are these five races?
3. The text states that Yehovah will bring Israel unto the land belonging to these other folks in order to give that land to Israel. How will this be accomplished if the land belongs to others?
4. What is a land that oozes milk and honey, and what does that mean?
5. In what month must he serve this service?
6. When will Israel serve this service in the way that Yehovah has commanded it?
7. Why must Israel eat Matzahs seven days, and what are Matzahs?
8. What is a solemnity?
9. Why is the solemnity to Yehovah instead of being to Israel?
10. Verse 6 states, “Thou shalt eat Matzahs seven days. Verse 7 states, “He shall eat Matzahs with seven of the days.” Who is He, and why is it worded, “with seven of the days”?
11. Why must vinegar not be seen to Israel?
12. Why must leavening not be seen to Israel in all Israel’s border?
IV. Sign, Memorial, Telling (verses 8-10)
Moshe continued speaking as if he were only speaking to one person. This one person now had to know what to say to one son: “And thou shalt tell to thy son in that day to say, ‘Yehovah did to me when I came from Egypt on-account-of this!’”
This event had to become a sign upon this single individual’s hand and for a remembrance between his eyes in order for the Teaching (Torah) of Yehovah to be in his mouth. Why? “For Yehovah made thee exit from Egypt via a gripping hand!”
How long must this person guard this statute? “And thou shalt guard this statute to her appointment from days days-ward!”
Questions
1. Verse 8 states, “And thou shalt tell to thy son in that day…” Yehovah is referring to what day?
2. Yehovah commands Israel to explain to Israel’s son, “Yehovah did to me when I came from Egypt on-account-of this!” Saying, “Yehovah did to me” is very personal. Why did Yehovah command this to be worded this way?
3. This text states, “Yehovah did to me when I came from Egypt on-account-of this!” Yehovah is referring to what when He says, “on account of this”?
4. Verse 9 states, “And he shall be to thee for a sign…” To whom does he refer?
5. What is a sign in the Bible?
6. Why is the remembrance between the eyes?
7. If the sign is located on the hand of Israel and if the remembrance is between the eyes of Israel, what will occur in the mouth of Israel?
8. How did Yehovah take Israel out of Egypt?
9. What does “to her appointment” mean?
10. What is a statute?
11. What does “days days-ward” mean?
V. Firstborn Commandments (verses 11-13)
Moshe again prophesied, “And he shall be.” He continued, “For Yehovah shall bring thee unto the land of the Canaani just as He swore to thee and to thy fathers. And He shall give her to thee.”
Yehovah (through Moshe) commanded this singular individual to remember this event by doing the following: “And thou shalt cause- every burster-through of womb -to-cross-over to Yehovah.” A burster-through of womb is the first child to open the womb. That child had to be given to Yehovah. That wasn’t the only living being that must be given; Moshe continued, “and every burster-through of fetus of beast that will be to thee.” These all crossed over to Yehovah, becoming Yehovah’s property! He then became more specific: “The males are to Yehovah!”
Not every animal is kosher, however—that is, not every animal can be sacrificed. Thus, Yehovah commanded, “And thou shalt redeem every burster-through of an ass via a lamb.” But what if the person didn’t want to lose a lamb over an ass? “And if thou wilt not redeem, and thou shalt neck him!”—that is, break the animal’s neck!
What if the person didn’t want the child about to be born? “And thou shalt redeem every firstborn of Adam in thy sons.”
Questions
1. Why will Yehovah bring Israel unto the land of the Canaani if the land belongs to the Canaani people?
2. Who is her in, “And He shall give her to thee”?
3. Does He permanently give the land to the people of Israel?
4. Identify thee and thy fathers in, “just as He swore to thee and to thy fathers”:
5. Where (in the text) did Yehovah swear to give this land?
6. What is a “burster-through of womb”?
7. If the burster through must “cross over” to Yehovah, what is it doing?
8. Why must the bursting through fetuses of beasts also become Yehovah’s property?
9. Why did Yehovah specify only the males? Didn’t He want the females?
10. What must the Israelis do to every baby ass that bursts through the womb?
11. The next statement says, “And if thou wilt not redeem, and thou shalt neck him!” What does that mean?
12. Why must the ass be put to death if it will not be redeemed?
13. If no one wants to redeem a human male baby that is the first from his mother’s womb, is his neck broken?
VI. “What is this?” (verses 14-16)
Moshe again stated, “And he shall be.” This event is certain to occur. He then assured this people of Israel, “For thy son shall ask thee tomorrow to say, ‘What is this?’” Yehovah through Moshe then gives the answer that this people must give:
“And thou shalt say unto him, ‘Yehovah exited us from Egypt from the house of slaves via grip of hand. And he was. For Pharaoh hardened to send us. And Yehovah killed every firstborn in the Land of Egypt from the firstborn of adam and unto the firstborn of beast. I am therefore sacrificing every burster-through of the womb to Yehovah, the males. And I will redeem every firstborn of my sons! And he shall be for a sign upon thy hand and for frontlets between thine eyes. For Yehovah exited us from Egypt via grip of hand!’”
Questions
1. Who is he in, “And he shall be”?
2. Whose son is in mind in this text?
3. Won’t any daughter of Israel ask the question?
4. Yehovah said that this son will ask tomorrow. Why didn’t Yehovah say that this son will ask many years from now?
5. What does the son mean by, “What is this?”
6. The answer, “Yehovah exited us from Egypt from the house of slaves,” implies that the answers are more than one (“us”) and that the answers were there. Why did Yehovah command the Israelis to answer the question this way?
7. Verse 15 states, “And he was.” Who was?
8. Yehovah stated, “I am therefore sacrificing every burster-through of the womb to Yehovah, the males.” Why is He sacrificing every burster-through of the womb?
9. Has Yehovah redeemed every firstborn of His sons yet, to this day?
10. Verse 16 again returns to the singular: thy hand: “And he shall be for a sign upon thy hand and for frontlets between thine eyes.” Whose hand is in mind?
11. What does the hand of Israel do?
12. What are frontlets? What does this word mean in Hebrew?
13. Why must this teaching be upon the hand and between the eyes, again?
VII. Avoidance (verses 17-18)
The next event took place during the time that Pharaoh was sending the People of Israel out of Egypt. Elohim didn’t lead them to go by the way of the Palestinians, though that land was near. Elohim said, “Lest the People will be grieved in their seeing war, and they shall return to Egypt.” Elohim instead circled this people via the way of the desert of the Ending Sea (what is today called the Red Sea).
Questions
1. Who actually sent the Israelis from Egypt?
2. Why didn’t Elohim lead the Israelis the way of the land of the Palestinians? Who are the Palestinians?
3. The text states, “And Elohim circled the People the way of the desert of the Ending Sea.” Which way was this?
VIII. Yosef’s Bones (verses 18-19)
The Israelis (the children of Israel) ascended toward the sea in groups of fives as they exited from Egypt.
Moshe took Joseph’s bones with him, since Joseph had caused the Israelis to vow that they would ascend his bones with them when they exited from Egypt. Joseph had said, “Visiting, Elohim shall visit you. And ye shall ascend my bones with you from this.”
Questions
1. The text states, “And the children of Israel ascended fives from the land of Egypt.” What did this look like?
2. Why did the Israelis line up in such an orderly fashion?
3. Why did Moshe take the bones of Yoseph (Joseph)?
4. If a person’s body had been blown up by a bomb, and thus dispersed all over the place, what soil would make up the person’s body in the resurrection?
IX. Light and Leading (verses 20-22)
The Israelis journeyed from the location called Succot (Camouflages). They camped in the region known as Aytam that was located where the desert ended (or began, depending on the direction in which one is walking).
Yehovah was “walking to their faces”—that is, He was in front of them every day they walked. Yehovah was located in a cloud pillar during daytime so that they knew which way to walk. The cloud pillar became a fire pillar as it became evening and night so that they had light, and they wouldn’t stumble. It was always to the faces of the People of Israel both day and night without disappearing.
Questions
1. Where is Succot?
2. Where is Aytam?
3. What does “Yehovah is walking to their faces” mean?
4. Could they see Yehovah?
5. What does “The cloud pillar will not yield daily, and the pillar of the fire, night, to the faces of the People” mean?
6. Was the fire pillar comforting at night?