Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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When I decided to attend Manhattan Christian College, I knew only one other person; one of my pastors had a daughter who attended MCC, but that was it.
So, in the guy’s dorm, I was alone.
I knew no one.
To make matters worse, I was a momma’s boy.
I make no apologies for that; I remain a momma’s boy (though to a lesser degree).
At college that first week, I was so homesick.
All of this—not knowing anyone really and being more homesick than I’d ever been—really did a number on me.
I almost left and moved back home; honestly.
I was that close.
And then my RA, Cory Kitch, came to the rescue.
It was my birthday that first week of college (which didn’t help matters), and knowing I was homesick, he ordered a bunch of pizzas and threw a party.
Cory did make one crucial mistake: he put one of the Star Wars movies on thinking I’d enjoy that (he was very wrong—couldn’t have picked a worse movie for me).
Star Wars aside, Cory really did help me feel like I belonged.
That was the genius of the boy’s dorm.
Third Floor South (3FS) was the floor for all the misfits.
We weren’t jocks or musicians or intellects; we were leftovers (“Do you play soccer?” “Nope” “Basketball?
Nope.” “Are you a musician?”
“Ha, no.” “Are you study-intensive?” “Nah...”)
So they put us all together.
And it worked.
A bunch of square pegs found a place they belonged.
I had not been alone in feeling like I didn’t belong.
Turns out I belonged with a bunch of others who didn’t belong anywhere else either.
I found my place, settled in rather comfortably, and truly belonged.
>There’s something about belonging; feeling as if you belong where you’re at is powerful.
And to know where you belong, to know that you belong with this certain group of people is huge.
Belonging is a major part of one’s identity.
And this had been missing for the Israelites.
For several generations, they had been slaves in Egypt.
They had forgotten this part of their identity.
Their sense of belonging had been ripped away from them.
The Israelites need to know, they need to be reminded who they belong to (to whom they belong).
They don’t belong to Pharaoh, though Pharaoh and the Egyptians probably thought of the Israelites as their property, their possession.
They don’t belong to Pharaoh, no matter how it might seem; they belong to God—always and forever.
God gives them several reminders about their belonging, because belonging is so important.
>If you have your Bible (and I hope you do) please turn with me to Exodus Chapter 13.
And if you’re able and willing, please stand with me for the reading of God’s Holy Word; out of reverence for Him, we stand ready to hear from Him. Exodus 13:1-2, 11-16:
May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Holy Word!
__________________
Our text for this morning begins with one of those church-y words: consecrate.
Consecrate to me…says the Lord.
A good definition for consecrate is “make holy by giving to God.”
The Lord, then, is telling His people to give to Him the firstborn child and firstborn animal.
But why?
What interest does the Lord have the firstborn child and firstborn animal?
Why does the Lord want them consecrated to Him?
Because they belong to Him.
They, and all they represent, belong to the Lord.
The Lord makes clear that all the firstborn belong to Him.
And then Moses relays to the people that the first offspring of every womb belongs to the the Lord.
Consecration is about belonging; these firstborn belong to the Lord.
“God, here and elsewhere claims ownership of the firstborn of humans and animals, which their families were required to present to Him as His property.”
- Douglas K. Stuart
We know that it’s not just the firstborn that belongs to the Lord; they all belong to Him.
But by consecrating the firstborn generation after generation, they are reminded of that truth: “We all belong to Him.”
The firstborn represents the whole family.
In the ANE, in the time of the OT, this was especially the case.
The firstborn represents the whole.
Likewise, the firstfruits of a crop represented the whole crop; the firstfruits were offered as a sacrifice in recognition that God provided all of it.
This is why we bring the firstfruits of our paychecks and give it to the Lord.
It’s not that the Lord owns only that first 10%, rather, He owns all of it; the firstfruits represent the whole.
We put this money in the offering plate, we write that check and we’re reminded that it all—every dime—belongs to Him.
It’s representative.
You understand what a representative does (or should do).
Politicians don’t often illustrate this well.
But, think about a football team or basketball team and their team captain(s).
Have any of you ever been the captain of a team?
Barrett was never the captain of any team.
The captains were almost always my friends, Lane Little and Adam Melichar; the superior athletes and undisputed leaders of the team.
The team captain represents the whole team.
They walk to the middle of the field, call the coin toss, elect to kick or receive.
Their decision is a decision made on behalf of the whole team.
A representative stands for the whole.
If the firstborn of every womb—human or animal—belongs to God, then everyone belongs to God.
“They belong to me,” says the Lord—because He brought them out of Egypt.
What happened to Egypt’s firstborn?
That 10th and deadliest of the plagues the Lord visited upon Egypt claimed the lives of all the firstborn in Egypt.
But the Israelites were spared.
Here, now, we have the Lord claiming the lives of all the firstborn among the Israelites, just in a different way.
The Lord isn’t going to wipe-out or destroy the Israelites.
But He is going to make a point.
“They belong to me,” says the Lord.
So He tells His people to give over to Him the firstborn.
The words give over can be translated pass over.
Verse 12: You are to pass over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb.
The Lord couldn’t be more clear; just as He passed over the Israelites in the 10th plague, now the Israelites are to pass over their offspring to Him.
They are to offer the firstborn of the livestock to the Lord—sheep and cattle, for instance, would be sacrificed.
The firstborn of the Israelites is not to be sacrificed, but to be redeemed.
Same goes for the donkey.
Make whatever spiritual or attitudinal comparison between humans and donkeys you’d like, but understand: they were both to be redeemed—that is, an offering was to be made in their place.
You don’t eat a donkey like you could the majority of your livestock.
It was an animal used for work but not for eating.
A firstborn animals could not simply be kept from God for one’s own use—either for working or for eating.
It belonged to God, so if it wasn’t redeemed (if an offering wasn’t made in its place), it must be destroyed: break its neck.
Instead of sacrificing the firstborn Israelite, a lamb would be offered in its place; five sanctuary shekels could also be paid in exchange.
This is an action reflecting God’s right of ownership; it’s expressed in a spiritual attitude of submission.
Joseph and Mary took the baby Jesus and presented Him in the temple, making a sacrifice:
The people of God expressed their belonging by sacrificing the firstborn of their livestock and by redeeming the firstborn of their offspring (lit: buying back with the payment of a substitute).
This was the Lord’s plan.
These are His instructions, because all of this is preparation.
This is the Lord preparing His people for the death of Christ on their behalf.
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