Exodus 13

Today, we jump back into the action of the Exodus story, the story of when the Israelites gained their freedom from Egypt. Yesterday we read about how the Israelites trusted God, which saved their children from death. As the Egyptians grappled with the consequences of their evil and oppression, they finally sent the Israelites out of Egypt. The Israelites urgently leave the country, and it seems like the story is really picking up when the author interjects about…bread and babies. 

Why would the author stop one of the most important and exciting stories of scripture to talk about bread?

Well, let’s remember that the book of Exodus was not written in one sitting directly after the events it describes. Stories and writings about the Exodus were passed down for generations (in the 900-year ballpark) before the narrative of Exodus existed in its final form. This means that the story we read today is not just a description of what happened but also an explanation of significance. As people passed down the Exodus story, they also passed down their traditions and interpretations of the event. 

The composer of this text has masterfully woven together narrative, dialogue, and instruction to instruct the Israelites not just to remember the story but to remember what God was teaching them through it. 

The interjection of the baby consecration and unleavened bread commandments in the text is like the author telling the reader, 

“Hey! I know this story is epic, but God wants us to continue to remember that our families should honor him!” 

Or, 

“Remember what you just read about the Israelites hustling out without even waiting for the bread to rise? Don’t forget it! God told us to remember this each year by continuing to eat unleavened bread, so we never forget his mercy to our people.” 

God gave the Israelites these commandments and traditions so they would always remember God’s character. 

Let’s take a quick pause here. Think about traditions you have in your life to remember what God has done for you. An easy one is the Sunday Gathering - each week; we gather with our sisters and brothers to sing about the victory of Christ. We also have days like Good Friday, Christmas, and Easter, where we remember a specific element of the Gospel story. We pause normal life and remember. 

If we don’t take this time to remember, we will fly through the story of our lives, not recognizing what God is doing in our midst. Consider implementing a practice in your life to remember how God has delivered you specifically. Maybe it's celebrating the day you decided to follow Jesus. Maybe it's remembering the day you or a friend was freed from addiction. Think of something to remember and get your community involved. 

The story of the Exodus and the commands of God to remember it are reasons for us to remember the way Christ has delivered us regularly.

This chapter ends with the author pulling us back into the narrative, where the Israelites are walking through the wilderness guided by God’s own presence. Not to spoil the story, but God’s cloud and fire presence eventually departed from the Israelites after their deliverance from the Sea. 

What do they have after this presence departs? They have their traditions and the commands of God to remember what he did. 

May we, like the Israelites, be people who remember God’s work whether his presence feels near or far. May we remember that through every part of our story, there is a God who is close to us and who has delivered us.