Christ in the Old Testament

Exodus 13:2

Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal. (NIV)

Todays Reading: Exodus 13:1-16 and Hebrews 9:11-15

Today God introduces to Moses the principle of the firstborn. Once the Lord brings the Israelites into the land of Canaan that He promised Abraham, they are to “give over to the LORD the first offspring of every womb” (Ex 13:12). This is a ritual that will be done by every Jewish generation to follow. And it is a symbology that will be completed with the crucifixion of Jesus.

The principle of the firstborn is deep and complex and we will continue to find new discoveries of this principle as we work our way through the Old Testament. The basic concept is that every firstborn of both animals and humans is to be given in service to God. Every “first” belongs to God. This will eventually extend to God claiming the first fruits of our labor. He will collect the first fruits of grain, wine and oil and also demand a tithe of our monetary earnings. God gets the first of everything.

Every firstborn of both animals and man were sentenced to death the night of the first Passover. Every firstborn of the Egyptians died. Every firstborn of the Israelites were spared. Through this event, God demonstrated for the Israelites that the firstborn are His. And from that point forward, God would demand either the sacrifice or the redemption of the firstborn. There was no third option.

If the first born animal was designated a clean animal, it was to be sacrificed. If the first born animal was designated an unclean animal, it was to be redeemed by sacrificing a clean, spotless lamb in its place. For instance, a donkey was considered unclean so its firstborn could not be sacrificed. It was not worthy to God. A lamb had to be sacrificed in its place. And if they failed to redeem the firstborn donkey, they were to break its neck. This was not a sacrifice because a proper sacrifice was burned. This was God’s wrath to remember that in the same way the Egyptian firstborns faced God’s wrath.

We also see in these requirements that the Israelites were to redeem every firstborn son. We will learn later how the Israelites were to redeem their firstborn sons, but for now God introduces the concept. Sons couldn’t be sacrificed because they aren’t clean. Sons had to be redeemed because we are unclean – born unclean with the dirt of sin.

God also has a firstborn son. Jesus “would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29). But unlike us, Jesus was without sin. Jesus is clean. Jesus was sacrificed to redeem us. He is “the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (1 Peter 1:19). “For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins” (Hebrews 9:14).

Today’s Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving your firstborn Son for me. Thank you for your sacrifice so I could be redeemed. Help me to want to put You first in all areas of my life.